Foster baby killed

A case where the grandparent was denied kinfoster care. We will probably
never know why the kin were denied foster care until or unless there is a
civil suit.

There is a case very close to trial in Georgia where grandparents were
denied custody and the child who the couple had cared for was handed over to
his birth father who promptly killed him. I expect that one to be soon
settled out of court and the records sealed. It happened though and it took
years of discovery efforts by the family's lawyer to peel away the layers.

In this case, I cannot see how CPS could have had knowledge of this guy
caring for a child who was not fit nor authorized. The foster mommy dearest
is responsible for putting this baby in harm's way. She knew that the guy
was a drug abuser and - well - here's the story.

Not too clear about the bio mommy dearest who "has been in treatment for
alcohol abuse" and why the child remained in State care while she "trusted"
others to care for her baby. But for her substance abuse, would this child
have lived? But for the removal, would this child have lived?

Seems to me like a bunch of bad decisions = one dead baby.
Sherman.

http://www.komotv.com/news/story_m.asp?ID=33665
Man Charged With Killing Foster Baby

October 26, 2004

By KOMO Staff & News Services


SEATTLE - A 22-year-old Auburn man was charged Monday with second-degree
murder in the death of an 8-month-old foster child, the King County
prosecutor's office said.

Jeremy James Sanchez admitted he shook Lorenzo Wilson and struck his head
against a wall last Wednesday.

"Sanchez said he is under a lot of stress because his father is going blind,
his uncle is having heart surgery, his ex-girlfriend won't let him see his
daughter ...," King County sheriff's Detective Michael E. Sutherland wrote
in court papers.

"I got a call Wednesday. They said it was not looking good. It was about my
baby," said Bonnie Wilson, Lorenzo's mother. Bonnie has been in treatment
for alcohol abuse but said she trusted her baby was safe in foster care.

Sanchez was living with his ex-girlfriend's sister, Huyana M. Tougaw, 27,
who was the foster mother of the baby.

He had been caring for 8-month-old Lorenzo and a 5-year-old foster child
during the days while Tougaw was at work - though he had not been approved
by Child Protective Services to care for the children.

The charging document said that on Oct. 20, he called Tougaw home from work
because the baby had fallen off a bed and was not responsive, he initially
told detectives. Tougaw called 911.

Doctors at Harborview Medical Center, where the baby died Friday, said the
injuries - skull fractures, brain shifting, brain swelling - were too
serious to have come from falling off a 15-inch-high bed.

In subsequent interviews, Sanchez admitted he hit the baby's head against a
wall, though he said it was accidental, the document said.

He told detectives, "I want to go to jail and get it over with."

The foster mother told detectives she didn't tell Child Protective Services
that Sanchez was watching Lorenzo because he would not have passed the
background check. Sanchez has a previous conviction for marijuana
possession.

"I wish we would have got him back," said John Wilson, Lorenzo's
Grandfather. Lorenzo's grandparents wanted custody, but said DSHS would not
approve it. "It hurts inside," Wilson said.

A DSHS spokesperson said that children are placed with relatives when
possible, but was unable to provide details about Lorenzo's case.

Sanchez is scheduled to be arraigned Nov. 4 in King County Superior Court.

If you recall, She Man, this is precisely the point that Suzy is making in
Washington state, where this debacle occurred.

8K children in stranger foster care. Are there NO KIN to care for this
children?

Why aren't children being placed with kin? CPS is supposed to give them
consideration, not disregard them.

My guess is this case will bolster the class action against DSHS.

DESCRIPTORS; CPS, FOSTER CARE, KIN CARE, KINSHIP CARE, WASHINGTON, TACOMA,
SEATTLE, CHILD PROTECTIVE, DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL AND REHABILITATIVE SERVICES,
GIG HARBOUR, FEDERAL LAW, CAPTA, ASFA

Sherman found:

Subject: Foster baby killed
From: "Sherman"
Date: 10/30/2004 7:02 AM Eastern Daylight Time
Message-id:

A case where the grandparent was denied kinfoster care. We will probably
never know why the kin were denied foster care until or unless there is a
civil suit.

There is a case very close to trial in Georgia where grandparents were
denied custody and the child who the couple had cared for was handed over to
his birth father who promptly killed him. I expect that one to be soon
settled out of court and the records sealed. It happened though and it took
years of discovery efforts by the family's lawyer to peel away the layers.

In this case, I cannot see how CPS could have had knowledge of this guy
caring for a child who was not fit nor authorized. The foster mommy dearest
is responsible for putting this baby in harm's way. She knew that the guy
was a drug abuser and - well - here's the story.

Not too clear about the bio mommy dearest who "has been in treatment for
alcohol abuse" and why the child remained in State care while she "trusted"
others to care for her baby. But for her substance abuse, would this child
have lived? But for the removal, would this child have lived?

Seems to me like a bunch of bad decisions = one dead baby.
Sherman.

http://www.komotv.com/news/story_m.asp?ID=33665
Man Charged With Killing Foster Baby

October 26, 2004

By KOMO Staff & News Services


SEATTLE - A 22-year-old Auburn man was charged Monday with second-degree
murder in the death of an 8-month-old foster child, the King County
prosecutor's office said.

Jeremy James Sanchez admitted he shook Lorenzo Wilson and struck his head
against a wall last Wednesday.

"Sanchez said he is under a lot of stress because his father is going blind,
his uncle is having heart surgery, his ex-girlfriend won't let him see his
daughter ...," King County sheriff's Detective Michael E. Sutherland wrote
in court papers.

"I got a call Wednesday. They said it was not looking good. It was about my
baby," said Bonnie Wilson, Lorenzo's mother. Bonnie has been in treatment
for alcohol abuse but said she trusted her baby was safe in foster care.

Sanchez was living with his ex-girlfriend's sister, Huyana M. Tougaw, 27,
who was the foster mother of the baby.

He had been caring for 8-month-old Lorenzo and a 5-year-old foster child
during the days while Tougaw was at work - though he had not been approved
by Child Protective Services to care for the children.

The charging document said that on Oct. 20, he called Tougaw home from work
because the baby had fallen off a bed and was not responsive, he initially
told detectives. Tougaw called 911.

Doctors at Harborview Medical Center, where the baby died Friday, said the
injuries - skull fractures, brain shifting, brain swelling - were too
serious to have come from falling off a 15-inch-high bed.

In subsequent interviews, Sanchez admitted he hit the baby's head against a
wall, though he said it was accidental, the document said.

He told detectives, "I want to go to jail and get it over with."

The foster mother told detectives she didn't tell Child Protective Services
that Sanchez was watching Lorenzo because he would not have passed the
background check. Sanchez has a previous conviction for marijuana
possession.

"I wish we would have got him back," said John Wilson, Lorenzo's
Grandfather. Lorenzo's grandparents wanted custody, but said DSHS would not
approve it. "It hurts inside," Wilson said.

A DSHS spokesperson said that children are placed with relatives when
possible, but was unable to provide details about Lorenzo's case.

Sanchez is scheduled to be arraigned Nov. 4 in King County Superior Court.

On 30 Oct 2004 19:51:39 GMT, (Fern5827) wrote:

If you recall, She Man, this is precisely the point that Suzy is
making in
Washington state, where this debacle occurred.

Uuuunnnhhhh, which portion of the post, from Sherman's comments, are
you claiming is Susy's "point?"

8K children in stranger foster care. Are there NO KIN to care for
this
children?

I've got a better question for you. Why is it you ignore my posts
where I showed that WA has four times that number in kinship care than
non relative care?

http://www.wsipp.wa.gov/rptfiles/KinshipCareWA.pdf
"
An estimated 32,000 children, or one out of 50 children in Washington
State, are currently in kinship care.
"

Why aren't children being placed with kin?

I've got a better question for you. Why is it you ignore my posts
where I showed that WA has four times that number in kinship care?

http://www.wsipp.wa.gov/rptfiles/KinshipCareWA.pdf
"
An estimated 32,000 children, or one out of 50 children in Washington
State, are currently in kinship care.
"

Seems WA is placing a few with Kin, don't you think.

CPS is supposed to give them
consideration, not disregard them.

Well, running out of kin might be one of the problems. 32,000 children
are already living with kin.

What with four times as many children in WA in kinship care than
non-relative care that could be the problem. And that non-relative
care also including the many children in residential facilities for
the problems they brought with them into care. And older children in
group homes that do not or cannot return to dangerous households, or
parents that have lost interest in them.

http://www.wsipp.wa.gov/rptfiles/KinshipCareWA.pdf
"
Kinship Care in Washington State: Prevalence, Policy, and Needs Jim
Mayfield Annie Pennucci Courtney Lyon June 2002

Washington State Institute for Public Policy 110 East Fifth Avenue,
Suite 214 Post Office Box 40999 Olympia, Washington 98504-0999
Telephone: (360) 586-2677 FAX: (360) 586-2793 URL:
http://www.wsipp.wa.gov Document Number: 02-06-3901
....
Nationwide, an estimated 2.2 million children are cared for by
relatives, 58 percent more than in 1990. Washington State has
experienced a similar trend over the past decade. Relative caregivers
are now rearing approximately 32,000 children in Washington,
representing approximately one out of every 50 children in the state.
The majority of kinship care is informal: there are nine informal
kinship arrangements for every formal arrangement. One-third of
children placed in non-institutional, or family, settings by the state
live with relatives.
"
This two year old report, Fern, I've quoted before. Don't you think
it's time you stopped lying about WA state and kinship care there?

"
Affected Agencies The Division of Children and Family Services (DCFS),
part of the Children's Administration in the Washington State
Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS), is responsible for
statewide child protection, family reconciliation, foster care, and
adoption services for children from birth to age 18. DCFS established
permanency planning (the long-term plan for a child's living
arrangement and legal status) for almost 16,000 children during fiscal
year 2000–2001 and oversaw over 8,400 new out-of-home placements
during that time. DCFS placed 3,808 children with relatives during
fiscal year 2000–2001.
"
How's your math?

Not even counting all the children that are informally living with kin
(some of which CPS workers arranged themselves), WA state formally
placed 45% of the children with relatives. How many available
relatives do you think there ARE in WA state?

My guess is this case will bolster the class action against DSHS.

You guess rather a lot, and insinuate more, and lie to an even greater
extent. Why do you do that Fern? Do you really think it helps the anti
CPS crowd to reform CPS?

Or bolsters their credibility in any way?

It simply marks you all as liars.

I simply prove it here. You ARE liars.

Not only is WA kinship care used at one of the highest rates in the
US, but appreciation, support, and recruitment of kin is a very
important issue and project for WA CPS....and has been for a very long
time.

http://www.aasa.dshs.wa.gov/mediloop.../5-19-2003.htm

http://parenting.wsu.edu/relative/index.htm

http://www.wsipp.wa.gov/childfamily/FosterCare.html

You are simply dancing in blood again, using this story, and the dead
baby, for your own propaganda agenda .

Now had you addressed the actually failures of the system in this
instance you might have had a bit of credibility, but yours was gone
years ago, so I guess you are simply being consistent.

Do YOU have proofs that the grandparents, that wanted this child, were
turned down without cause? Is so please post, and sorry, I'm not
taking the word of the gp's. Funny about that. I've known, yes I have,
folks to lie occasionally about such things.


Kane


DESCRIPTORS; CPS, FOSTER CARE, KIN CARE, KINSHIP CARE, WASHINGTON,
TACOMA,
SEATTLE, CHILD PROTECTIVE, DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL AND REHABILITATIVE
SERVICES,
GIG HARBOUR, FEDERAL LAW, CAPTA, ASFA

Sherman found:

Subject: Foster baby killed
From: "Sherman"
Date: 10/30/2004 7:02 AM Eastern Daylight Time
Message-id:

A case where the grandparent was denied kinfoster care. We will
probably
never know why the kin were denied foster care until or unless there
is a
civil suit.

There is a case very close to trial in Georgia where grandparents
were
denied custody and the child who the couple had cared for was handed
over to
his birth father who promptly killed him. I expect that one to be
soon
settled out of court and the records sealed. It happened though and
it took
years of discovery efforts by the family's lawyer to peel away the
layers.

In this case, I cannot see how CPS could have had knowledge of this
guy
caring for a child who was not fit nor authorized. The foster mommy
dearest
is responsible for putting this baby in harm's way. She knew that
the guy
was a drug abuser and - well - here's the story.

Not too clear about the bio mommy dearest who "has been in treatment
for
alcohol abuse" and why the child remained in State care while she
"trusted"
others to care for her baby. But for her substance abuse, would
this child
have lived? But for the removal, would this child have lived?

Seems to me like a bunch of bad decisions = one dead baby.
Sherman.

http://www.komotv.com/news/story_m.asp?ID=33665
Man Charged With Killing Foster Baby

October 26, 2004

By KOMO Staff & News Services


SEATTLE - A 22-year-old Auburn man was charged Monday with
second-degree
murder in the death of an 8-month-old foster child, the King County
prosecutor's office said.

Jeremy James Sanchez admitted he shook Lorenzo Wilson and struck his
head
against a wall last Wednesday.

"Sanchez said he is under a lot of stress because his father is
going blind,
his uncle is having heart surgery, his ex-girlfriend won't let him
see his
daughter ...," King County sheriff's Detective Michael E. Sutherland
wrote
in court papers.

"I got a call Wednesday. They said it was not looking good. It was
about my
baby," said Bonnie Wilson, Lorenzo's mother. Bonnie has been in
treatment
for alcohol abuse but said she trusted her baby was safe in foster
care.

Sanchez was living with his ex-girlfriend's sister, Huyana M.
Tougaw, 27,
who was the foster mother of the baby.

He had been caring for 8-month-old Lorenzo and a 5-year-old foster
child
during the days while Tougaw was at work - though he had not been
approved
by Child Protective Services to care for the children.

The charging document said that on Oct. 20, he called Tougaw home
from work
because the baby had fallen off a bed and was not responsive, he
initially
told detectives. Tougaw called 911.

Doctors at Harborview Medical Center, where the baby died Friday,
said the
injuries - skull fractures, brain shifting, brain swelling - were
too
serious to have come from falling off a 15-inch-high bed.

In subsequent interviews, Sanchez admitted he hit the baby's head
against a
wall, though he said it was accidental, the document said.

He told detectives, "I want to go to jail and get it over with."

The foster mother told detectives she didn't tell Child Protective
Services
that Sanchez was watching Lorenzo because he would not have passed
the
background check. Sanchez has a previous conviction for marijuana
possession.

"I wish we would have got him back," said John Wilson, Lorenzo's
Grandfather. Lorenzo's grandparents wanted custody, but said DSHS
would not
approve it. "It hurts inside," Wilson said.

A DSHS spokesperson said that children are placed with relatives
when
possible, but was unable to provide details about Lorenzo's case.

Sanchez is scheduled to be arraigned Nov. 4 in King County Superior
Court.

kane writes:

8K children in stranger foster care. Are there NO KIN to care for
this
children?

I've got a better question for you. Why is it you ignore my posts
where I showed that WA has four times that number in kinship care than
non relative care?

Hi, Kane!

The reason why your posts are ignored in discussing CPS placement of
children is that your post concerned all children raised by relatives, not
those placed in kinship care by CPS. So the two populations do not compare.

Nationwide, there were 2,200,000 children being raised by relatives --
mostly grandparents. This is FOUR times the total number of children CPS
has placed in Kinship care, stranger foster care, group homes and everywhere
else combined. There were around 131,000 children in kinship care in 2001
as the result of placement sometime by CPS. Around 17 TIMES that number
were in the care of relatives without any involvement from CPS.
http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/cb/p...rs/report8.htm

CPS would have never agreed to place many of the 2,200,000 children with the
kin they live with. 42% of the relative caregivers are below the poverty
line, for instance. Around 40% failed to graduate from high school,
compared to around 15% of the parents.

So, your post and its cited source is irrelevent when considering the
placement practices of CPS. That is why the author did not consider your
post in the discussion.

http://www.wsipp.wa.gov/rptfiles/KinshipCareWA.pdf
"
An estimated 32,000 children, or one out of 50 children in Washington
State, are currently in kinship care.
"

About 3%, or one out of 33 children, are currently in kinship care in the
United States. So Washington State is below the national average.
Nationwide, 6% of children in the care of kin were placed there by CPS.

Why aren't children being placed with kin?

I've got a better question for you. Why is it you ignore my posts
where I showed that WA has four times that number in kinship care?

Because, Kane, your post and citation did not talk about children CPS placed
with kin, but all children in the care of their relatives.

Doug

"Doug" wrote in message
...
kane writes:

8K children in stranger foster care. Are there NO KIN to care for
this
children?

I've got a better question for you. Why is it you ignore my posts
where I showed that WA has four times that number in kinship care than
non relative care?

Hi, Kane!

The reason why your posts are ignored in discussing CPS placement of
children is that your post concerned all children raised by relatives, not
those placed in kinship care by CPS. So the two populations do not
compare.

Nationwide, there were 2,200,000 children being raised by relatives --
mostly grandparents. This is FOUR times the total number of children CPS
has placed in Kinship care, stranger foster care, group homes and
everywhere
else combined. There were around 131,000 children in kinship care in 2001
as the result of placement sometime by CPS. Around 17 TIMES that number
were in the care of relatives without any involvement from CPS.
http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/cb/p...rs/report8.htm

CPS would have never agreed to place many of the 2,200,000 children with
the
kin they live with. 42% of the relative caregivers are below the poverty
line, for instance. Around 40% failed to graduate from high school,
compared to around 15% of the parents.

So, your post and its cited source is irrelevent when considering the
placement practices of CPS. That is why the author did not consider your
post in the discussion.

http://www.wsipp.wa.gov/rptfiles/KinshipCareWA.pdf
"
An estimated 32,000 children, or one out of 50 children in Washington
State, are currently in kinship care.
"

About 3%, or one out of 33 children, are currently in kinship care in the
United States. So Washington State is below the national average.
Nationwide, 6% of children in the care of kin were placed there by CPS.

Why aren't children being placed with kin?

I've got a better question for you. Why is it you ignore my posts
where I showed that WA has four times that number in kinship care?

Because, Kane, your post and citation did not talk about children CPS
placed
with kin, but all children in the care of their relatives.

"When the Adoption and Child Welfare Act of 1980 was passed, forming the
basis of the federal foster care law, it was almost unheard of for a child's
relative to act as a foster parent. More than two million children in the
United States now live in kinship care arrangements; 10 percent of these, or
approximately 200,000, are foster children. 1 Much of the growth in the use
of kin as foster parents occurred in the late 1980s and early 1990s; for
example, between 1986 and 1990 the proportion of children in state-supported
kinship care increased from 18 to 31 percent.2 Though experts cannot
pinpoint the cause of the increase-whether more children are entering
kinship care arrangements or more kinship care arrangements are being
formally recognized by the state-the upward trend continues, with the
majority of states reporting that the proportion of the foster care caseload
accounted for by kinship care has increased since 1994."

http://www.urban.org/Template.cfm?Na...icationID=6418

"One of the primary goals of our nation's child welfare system is to ensure
that children who have been removed from their parents' homes are reunified
or placed in another permanent situation (i.e., adoption or legal
guardianship) in a timely manner. Research shows that children placed with
foster parents who are related to them (kinship foster care) tend to remain
in foster care significantly longer than children placed in non-kin foster
care (Cook and Ciarico 1998; Courtney 1994). Compared with children placed
in non-kin foster care, children placed with kin are less likely to be
reunified with their parents (AFCARS 1998; Berrick, Needell, and Barth 1995;
Testa 1997) and less likely to be adopted (Berrick and Needell 1999; Berrick
et al. 1995)."

http://www.urban.org/Template.cfm?Na...icationID=8369

"# It's estimated that approximately 150,000 foster care children, about
one-third of all children in foster care, are living with relatives (US
Dept. of Health and Human Services:Vol.: Narrative Rep. June 1997).

# In 1998, 2.5 million of the nation's families were maintained by
grandparents who had one or more of their grandchildren living with them.
This number is up by 19 percent since 1990 (1998 U.S. Census Bureau).

# In Illinois, approximately 27,000 of the 47,400 children in care are in
kinship care (1997 CWLA Stat Book).

# In California, 25,000 of the 44,000 children in care are in kinship care
(1997 CWLA Stat Book).

# In New York, an average of 16,859 of the City's 42,000 children living in
foster care are in kinship care(Mayor's Office of Operations, 1996, CASA All
IN THE FAMILY: A MIXED BLESSING, January, 1998).

# In Maryland, there has been an increase in the number of children in
kinship care from 154 in 1986, to 3,200 in 1997 (MD Monthly Management
Report, 1997)."

http://www.cwla.org/programs/kinship/factsheet.htm

And for fern........

REPORT TO THE CONGRESS
ON KINSHIP FOSTER CARE

"In 1998, approximately 2.13 million children in the United States, or just
under 3 percent, were living in some type of kinship care arrangement. In
1997, approximately 200,000 children were in public kinship care, well below
1 percent of all U.S. children but 29 percent of all foster children.
Available evidence suggests that public kinship care has increased
substantially during the late 1980s and 1990s (see Chapter 1).

Three main factors have contributed to this growth. First, the number of
non-kin foster parents has not kept pace with the number of children
requiring placement, creating a greater demand for foster caregivers.
Second, child welfare agencies have developed a more positive attitude
toward the use of kin as foster parents. Today, extended family members are
usually given first priority when children require placement. Third, a
number of Federal and State court rulings have recognized the rights of
relatives to act as foster parents and to be compensated financially for
doing so."

http://aspe.hhs.gov/hsp/kinr2c00/index.htm

29% of all foster children in the system are in kinship care fern. That's
pretty good actually, considering that few relatives wish to care for
children that are already screwed up by their parents. Why disrupt their
own homes to care for a relatives kid that they most likely watched the
parents hose over.

The subject of kinship care is far more complex than fern or even you doug
care to believe. One cannot just dump a kid on the grandparents, or uncle
and aunt, simply because they are related. Being a relation is not enough,
one must first be willing, and then the actual vetting of the prospective
care provider begins.

To bad fern does not understand that. He/she/it would look far less stupid
when he/she/it posts about it.

Ron

On Sat, 30 Oct 2004 22:34:15 -0500, "Ron"
wrote:


"Doug" wrote in message
...
kane writes:

8K children in stranger foster care. Are there NO KIN to care
for
this
children?

I've got a better question for you. Why is it you ignore my posts
where I showed that WA has four times that number in kinship care
than
non relative care?

Hi, Kane!

The reason why your posts are ignored in discussing CPS placement
of
children is that your post concerned all children raised by
relatives, not
those placed in kinship care by CPS. So the two populations do not
compare.

Nationwide, there were 2,200,000 children being raised by relatives
--
mostly grandparents. This is FOUR times the total number of
children CPS
has placed in Kinship care, stranger foster care, group homes and
everywhere
else combined. There were around 131,000 children in kinship care
in 2001
as the result of placement sometime by CPS. Around 17 TIMES that
number
were in the care of relatives without any involvement from CPS.
http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/cb/p...rs/report8.htm

CPS would have never agreed to place many of the 2,200,000 children
with
the
kin they live with. 42% of the relative caregivers are below the
poverty
line, for instance. Around 40% failed to graduate from high
school,
compared to around 15% of the parents.

So, your post and its cited source is irrelevent when considering
the
placement practices of CPS. That is why the author did not
consider your
post in the discussion.

http://www.wsipp.wa.gov/rptfiles/KinshipCareWA.pdf
"
An estimated 32,000 children, or one out of 50 children in
Washington
State, are currently in kinship care.
"

About 3%, or one out of 33 children, are currently in kinship care
in the
United States. So Washington State is below the national average.
Nationwide, 6% of children in the care of kin were placed there by
CPS.

Why aren't children being placed with kin?

I've got a better question for you. Why is it you ignore my posts
where I showed that WA has four times that number in kinship
care?

Because, Kane, your post and citation did not talk about children
CPS
placed
with kin, but all children in the care of their relatives.

"When the Adoption and Child Welfare Act of 1980 was passed, forming
the
basis of the federal foster care law, it was almost unheard of for a
child's
relative to act as a foster parent. More than two million children in
the
United States now live in kinship care arrangements; 10 percent of
these, or
approximately 200,000, are foster children. 1 Much of the growth in
the use
of kin as foster parents occurred in the late 1980s and early 1990s;
for
example, between 1986 and 1990 the proportion of children in
state-supported
kinship care increased from 18 to 31 percent.2 Though experts cannot
pinpoint the cause of the increase-whether more children are entering
kinship care arrangements or more kinship care arrangements are being
formally recognized by the state-the upward trend continues, with the
majority of states reporting that the proportion of the foster care
caseload
accounted for by kinship care has increased since 1994."

http://www.urban.org/Template.cfm?Na...icationID=6418

"One of the primary goals of our nation's child welfare system is to
ensure
that children who have been removed from their parents' homes are
reunified
or placed in another permanent situation (i.e., adoption or legal
guardianship) in a timely manner. Research shows that children placed
with
foster parents who are related to them (kinship foster care) tend to
remain
in foster care significantly longer than children placed in non-kin
foster
care (Cook and Ciarico 1998; Courtney 1994). Compared with children
placed
in non-kin foster care, children placed with kin are less likely to
be
reunified with their parents (AFCARS 1998; Berrick, Needell, and
Barth 1995;
Testa 1997) and less likely to be adopted (Berrick and Needell 1999;
Berrick
et al. 1995)."

http://www.urban.org/Template.cfm?Na...icationID=8369

"# It's estimated that approximately 150,000 foster care children,
about
one-third of all children in foster care, are living with relatives
(US
Dept. of Health and Human Services:Vol.: Narrative Rep. June 1997).

# In 1998, 2.5 million of the nation's families were maintained by
grandparents who had one or more of their grandchildren living with
them.
This number is up by 19 percent since 1990 (1998 U.S. Census Bureau).

# In Illinois, approximately 27,000 of the 47,400 children in care
are in
kinship care (1997 CWLA Stat Book).

# In California, 25,000 of the 44,000 children in care are in kinship
care
(1997 CWLA Stat Book).

# In New York, an average of 16,859 of the City's 42,000 children
living in
foster care are in kinship care(Mayor's Office of Operations, 1996,
CASA All
IN THE FAMILY: A MIXED BLESSING, January, 1998).

# In Maryland, there has been an increase in the number of children
in
kinship care from 154 in 1986, to 3,200 in 1997 (MD Monthly
Management
Report, 1997)."

http://www.cwla.org/programs/kinship/factsheet.htm

And for fern........

REPORT TO THE CONGRESS
ON KINSHIP FOSTER CARE

"In 1998, approximately 2.13 million children in the United States,
or just
under 3 percent, were living in some type of kinship care
arrangement. In
1997, approximately 200,000 children were in public kinship care,
well below
1 percent of all U.S. children but 29 percent of all foster children.
Available evidence suggests that public kinship care has increased
substantially during the late 1980s and 1990s (see Chapter 1).

Three main factors have contributed to this growth. First, the number
of
non-kin foster parents has not kept pace with the number of children
requiring placement, creating a greater demand for foster caregivers.
Second, child welfare agencies have developed a more positive
attitude
toward the use of kin as foster parents. Today, extended family
members are
usually given first priority when children require placement. Third,
a
number of Federal and State court rulings have recognized the rights
of
relatives to act as foster parents and to be compensated financially
for
doing so."

http://aspe.hhs.gov/hsp/kinr2c00/index.htm

29% of all foster children in the system are in kinship care fern.
That's
pretty good actually, considering that few relatives wish to care for
children that are already screwed up by their parents. Why disrupt
their
own homes to care for a relatives kid that they most likely watched
the
parents hose over.

The subject of kinship care is far more complex than fern or even you
doug
care to believe. One cannot just dump a kid on the grandparents, or
uncle
and aunt, simply because they are related. Being a relation is not
enough,
one must first be willing, and then the actual vetting of the
prospective
care provider begins.

To bad fern does not understand that. He/she/it would look far less
stupid
when he/she/it posts about it.

Thanks Ron. I appreciate the quality of your research. Now watch Doug
do his Spastic Monkey Dance...he does the slow motion version...quite
amusing.

Better entertainment than TV.

Say, heard any new plans about foster applicant crim-bg check from
NCIC in your state? Seems some don't know how and bought that the FBI
refused them....R R R

Mine have been tapping the info for years and years. Just use their
local cops; city in the urban areas, and sheriff in the hinterlands.

Didjah read that bit from UPenn on the great Florida police
investigation success in reducing children coming into care....oddly,
despite the claims of one of our "caseworker field practice" seems
like that not only did't take place but in fact the situation got
worse....except for the workers having some relief so they could get
to catching up on the backlog of cases.

Watch for my post in ascps, "Prognostications"

Gaffawing is not encouraged but no penalties will ensue for such
behavior. 0:-

I mean, after all, you sure gave me some in this post of yours. Didjah
see how my post got sliced and diced to "prove" something that in fact
the missing part clearly refuted?

Typical, no? He's getting rather crude though. I expect a lot more
talent than that from someone with his background.


Ron


Kane

I have continually and concisely stated that the number of children in KINSHIP
FOSTER CARE is around 28%.

And I do it without boring folks to death.

CPS nationwide has kept very poor data on their wards, or else they have not
permitted access to their data.

For Gods sakes, they will NOT even divulge whether a child is placed in
STRANGER FOSTER CARE WHEN MURDERED.


Cane drones on with the Big Lies:

Subject: Foster baby killed
From: (kane)
Date: 10/30/2004 11:51 PM Eastern Standard Time
Message-id:

On Sat, 30 Oct 2004 22:34:15 -0500, "Ron"
wrote:


"Doug" wrote in message
...
kane writes:

8K children in stranger foster care. Are there NO KIN to care
for
this
children?

I've got a better question for you. Why is it you ignore my posts
where I showed that WA has four times that number in kinship care
than
non relative care?

Hi, Kane!

The reason why your posts are ignored in discussing CPS placement
of
children is that your post concerned all children raised by
relatives, not
those placed in kinship care by CPS. So the two populations do not
compare.

Nationwide, there were 2,200,000 children being raised by relatives
--
mostly grandparents. This is FOUR times the total number of
children CPS
has placed in Kinship care, stranger foster care, group homes and
everywhere
else combined. There were around 131,000 children in kinship care
in 2001
as the result of placement sometime by CPS. Around 17 TIMES that
number
were in the care of relatives without any involvement from CPS.
http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/cb/p...rs/report8.htm

CPS would have never agreed to place many of the 2,200,000 children
with
the
kin they live with. 42% of the relative caregivers are below the
poverty
line, for instance. Around 40% failed to graduate from high
school,
compared to around 15% of the parents.

So, your post and its cited source is irrelevent when considering
the
placement practices of CPS. That is why the author did not
consider your
post in the discussion.

http://www.wsipp.wa.gov/rptfiles/KinshipCareWA.pdf
"
An estimated 32,000 children, or one out of 50 children in
Washington
State, are currently in kinship care.
"

About 3%, or one out of 33 children, are currently in kinship care
in the
United States. So Washington State is below the national average.
Nationwide, 6% of children in the care of kin were placed there by
CPS.

Why aren't children being placed with kin?

I've got a better question for you. Why is it you ignore my posts
where I showed that WA has four times that number in kinship
care?

Because, Kane, your post and citation did not talk about children
CPS
placed
with kin, but all children in the care of their relatives.

"When the Adoption and Child Welfare Act of 1980 was passed, forming
the
basis of the federal foster care law, it was almost unheard of for a
child's
relative to act as a foster parent. More than two million children in
the
United States now live in kinship care arrangements; 10 percent of
these, or
approximately 200,000, are foster children. 1 Much of the growth in
the use
of kin as foster parents occurred in the late 1980s and early 1990s;
for
example, between 1986 and 1990 the proportion of children in
state-supported
kinship care increased from 18 to 31 percent.2 Though experts cannot
pinpoint the cause of the increase-whether more children are entering
kinship care arrangements or more kinship care arrangements are being
formally recognized by the state-the upward trend continues, with the
majority of states reporting that the proportion of the foster care
caseload
accounted for by kinship care has increased since 1994."


http://www.urban.org/Template.cfm?Na...aggedContent/V
iewPublication.cfm&PublicationID=6418

"One of the primary goals of our nation's child welfare system is to
ensure
that children who have been removed from their parents' homes are
reunified
or placed in another permanent situation (i.e., adoption or legal
guardianship) in a timely manner. Research shows that children placed
with
foster parents who are related to them (kinship foster care) tend to
remain
in foster care significantly longer than children placed in non-kin
foster
care (Cook and Ciarico 1998; Courtney 1994). Compared with children
placed
in non-kin foster care, children placed with kin are less likely to
be
reunified with their parents (AFCARS 1998; Berrick, Needell, and
Barth 1995;
Testa 1997) and less likely to be adopted (Berrick and Needell 1999;
Berrick
et al. 1995)."


http://www.urban.org/Template.cfm?Na...aggedContent/V
iewPublication.cfm&PublicationID=8369

"# It's estimated that approximately 150,000 foster care children,
about
one-third of all children in foster care, are living with relatives
(US
Dept. of Health and Human Services:Vol.: Narrative Rep. June 1997).

# In 1998, 2.5 million of the nation's families were maintained by
grandparents who had one or more of their grandchildren living with
them.
This number is up by 19 percent since 1990 (1998 U.S. Census Bureau).

# In Illinois, approximately 27,000 of the 47,400 children in care
are in
kinship care (1997 CWLA Stat Book).

# In California, 25,000 of the 44,000 children in care are in kinship
care
(1997 CWLA Stat Book).

# In New York, an average of 16,859 of the City's 42,000 children
living in
foster care are in kinship care(Mayor's Office of Operations, 1996,
CASA All
IN THE FAMILY: A MIXED BLESSING, January, 1998).

# In Maryland, there has been an increase in the number of children
in
kinship care from 154 in 1986, to 3,200 in 1997 (MD Monthly
Management
Report, 1997)."

http://www.cwla.org/programs/kinship/factsheet.htm

And for fern........

REPORT TO THE CONGRESS
ON KINSHIP FOSTER CARE

"In 1998, approximately 2.13 million children in the United States,
or just
under 3 percent, were living in some type of kinship care
arrangement. In
1997, approximately 200,000 children were in public kinship care,
well below
1 percent of all U.S. children but 29 percent of all foster children.
Available evidence suggests that public kinship care has increased
substantially during the late 1980s and 1990s (see Chapter 1).

Three main factors have contributed to this growth. First, the number
of
non-kin foster parents has not kept pace with the number of children
requiring placement, creating a greater demand for foster caregivers.
Second, child welfare agencies have developed a more positive
attitude
toward the use of kin as foster parents. Today, extended family
members are
usually given first priority when children require placement. Third,
a
number of Federal and State court rulings have recognized the rights
of
relatives to act as foster parents and to be compensated financially
for
doing so."

http://aspe.hhs.gov/hsp/kinr2c00/index.htm

29% of all foster children in the system are in kinship care fern.
That's
pretty good actually, considering that few relatives wish to care for
children that are already screwed up by their parents. Why disrupt
their
own homes to care for a relatives kid that they most likely watched
the
parents hose over.

The subject of kinship care is far more complex than fern or even you
doug
care to believe. One cannot just dump a kid on the grandparents, or
uncle
and aunt, simply because they are related. Being a relation is not
enough,
one must first be willing, and then the actual vetting of the
prospective
care provider begins.

To bad fern does not understand that. He/she/it would look far less
stupid
when he/she/it posts about it.

Thanks Ron. I appreciate the quality of your research. Now watch Doug
do his Spastic Monkey Dance...he does the slow motion version...quite
amusing.

Better entertainment than TV.

Say, heard any new plans about foster applicant crim-bg check from
NCIC in your state? Seems some don't know how and bought that the FBI
refused them....R R R

Mine have been tapping the info for years and years. Just use their
local cops; city in the urban areas, and sheriff in the hinterlands.

Didjah read that bit from UPenn on the great Florida police
investigation success in reducing children coming into care....oddly,
despite the claims of one of our "caseworker field practice" seems
like that not only did't take place but in fact the situation got
worse....except for the workers having some relief so they could get
to catching up on the backlog of cases.

Watch for my post in ascps, "Prognostications"

Gaffawing is not encouraged but no penalties will ensue for such
behavior. 0:-

I mean, after all, you sure gave me some in this post of yours. Didjah
see how my post got sliced and diced to "prove" something that in fact
the missing part clearly refuted?

Typical, no? He's getting rather crude though. I expect a lot more
talent than that from someone with his background.


Ron


Kane








DESCRIPTORS; DSHS, WASHINGTON STATE, TACOMA, SEATTLE, OLYMPIA, CLASS ACTION
LAWSUIT, FOSTER CARE, DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL AND REHABILITATIVE SERVICES, CLASS
ACTION

"Fern5827" wrote in message
...
I have continually and concisely stated that the number of children in
KINSHIP
FOSTER CARE is around 28%.

So, then what the heck are you complaining about dipstick? 29% is good,
considering the complexity of the issue. That's your problem fern, you
don't seem to care about how complex something is, you only want to complain
about it. If you cant come up with better ideas on how to get family to
take in their relatives then shut the hell up. If you cant be a part of the
solution, then why are you insisting on being a part of the problem?

And I do it without boring folks to death.

You are rarely more than dead boring anyway fern. If you were a part of the
solution that might be a bit different, but I dont think its in your
character.

CPS nationwide has kept very poor data on their wards, or else they have
not
permitted access to their data.

Actually, they keep very good data, but they don't allow those without a
reason access to it. Privacy laws and such you understand (or maybe you
don't). We sure have taken great pains to explain that to you over the
years.

For Gods sakes, they will NOT even divulge whether a child is placed in
STRANGER FOSTER CARE WHEN MURDERED.

Of course not, its not your concern.


Cane drones on with the Big Lies:

Kane did not spread any lies fern. But yours have been documented here many
times. People is glass houses......

Ron

On 31 Oct 2004 15:10:27 GMT, (Fern5827) wrote:

I have continually and concisely stated that the number of children
in KINSHIP
FOSTER CARE is around 28%.

And consistently diss'd CPS for what you claim is a low number,
ignoring my posts that show that it is indeed more likely a high
number given the conditions, the real conditions in the population.
They aren't making 'relatives' at the rate they are making babies in
need of them.

And finding them, and convincing them to take kin is no small feat. Or
that they CAN do so, even if they want.

And I do it without boring folks to death.

Oh, "folks" will have to turn to you for the blame on that one. Just a
few months back you lied and said I did not post supporting citations.

I've made it a practice, since that lie, to increase by at least
twofold my citations, AND expand the quotes from them, AND expand my
explanation of them..........and it's all for you, Dear Fern.

CPS nationwide has kept very poor data on their wards, or else they
have not
permitted access to their data.

The first claim is unsubstantiated by you, and just more foolishness.
The record keeping keeps pace with the technology. And what data did
they not allow access to?

For Gods sakes, they will NOT even divulge whether a child is placed
in
STRANGER FOSTER CARE WHEN MURDERED.

Really? Where are all those confirmations of murder coming from then?
How DO you find all those and post them? They will, after the
conditions for releasing that information is met...obviously.

Yes, just like the police and other government agencies, they do not
divulge information at the instant of the event.

There is something else they or others are required to do that would
make early divulging very bad....it's called, "waiting for the
investigation." Some even hae to do it themselves...investigate, that
is.

Give too much information and evidence disappears, sometimes along
with the perp. Is that what you wish?

Cane drones on with the Big Lies:

What "Big lies" would you be referring to...your focus on WA state,
which is all that I responded to because that was what you spoke of?

Is it untrue that the state of WA has 45% of all their out of home
DSHS placements with Kin in the year I cited?

On which item are my facts not in order....or do I detect a bit of
frustration when you ran across my easy rebuttal of, and exposure of
your little tin pot knight, and his unethical handling of my post to
remove the very thing he tried to twist so that it appeared I was
arguing on the national level, when I was not?

So how'm I doing on boring you to death, Fern?

You are the liars, Fern. It no longer needs even any effort to expose
you people. Your credibility is dead and has been for some time, but
like the zombies you are, you keep stumbling along.

You appear to think that because you ignore what I prove, you can
simply keep repeating the same lies over enough time newbies will have
missed what I point to, or folks will forget. And that I'll give up on
keeping you honest.

I can't control what others do, but tell me, Fern; does it look like
I'm giving up? R R R R R R

And thanks for attributing my post without snipping it artfully, as
your little tin pot wearing doofus tried. Could it be there is a
smidge of residual conscience and or some fleck of honesty in there
somewhere, or did you simply get repotted?

I'm sure he'll give you at least a pat on the head for coming to his
rescue with a shot at diverting folks from what he actually did.

Enjoy.

"It won't be long now."

Kane

Subject: Foster baby killed
From: (kane)
Date: 10/30/2004 11:51 PM Eastern Standard Time
Message-id:

On Sat, 30 Oct 2004 22:34:15 -0500, "Ron"
wrote:


"Doug" wrote in message
...
kane writes:

8K children in stranger foster care. Are there NO KIN to care
for
this
children?

I've got a better question for you. Why is it you ignore my
posts
where I showed that WA has four times that number in kinship
care
than
non relative care?

Hi, Kane!

The reason why your posts are ignored in discussing CPS placement
of
children is that your post concerned all children raised by
relatives, not
those placed in kinship care by CPS. So the two populations do
not
compare.

Nationwide, there were 2,200,000 children being raised by
relatives
--
mostly grandparents. This is FOUR times the total number of
children CPS
has placed in Kinship care, stranger foster care, group homes and
everywhere
else combined. There were around 131,000 children in kinship
care
in 2001
as the result of placement sometime by CPS. Around 17 TIMES that
number
were in the care of relatives without any involvement from CPS.
http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/cb/p...rs/report8.htm

CPS would have never agreed to place many of the 2,200,000
children
with
the
kin they live with. 42% of the relative caregivers are below the
poverty
line, for instance. Around 40% failed to graduate from high
school,
compared to around 15% of the parents.

So, your post and its cited source is irrelevent when considering
the
placement practices of CPS. That is why the author did not
consider your
post in the discussion.

http://www.wsipp.wa.gov/rptfiles/KinshipCareWA.pdf
"
An estimated 32,000 children, or one out of 50 children in
Washington
State, are currently in kinship care.
"

About 3%, or one out of 33 children, are currently in kinship
care
in the
United States. So Washington State is below the national
average.
Nationwide, 6% of children in the care of kin were placed there
by
CPS.

Why aren't children being placed with kin?

I've got a better question for you. Why is it you ignore my
posts
where I showed that WA has four times that number in kinship
care?

Because, Kane, your post and citation did not talk about children
CPS
placed
with kin, but all children in the care of their relatives.

"When the Adoption and Child Welfare Act of 1980 was passed,
forming
the
basis of the federal foster care law, it was almost unheard of for
a
child's
relative to act as a foster parent. More than two million children
in
the
United States now live in kinship care arrangements; 10 percent of
these, or
approximately 200,000, are foster children. 1 Much of the growth in
the use
of kin as foster parents occurred in the late 1980s and early
1990s;
for
example, between 1986 and 1990 the proportion of children in
state-supported
kinship care increased from 18 to 31 percent.2 Though experts
cannot
pinpoint the cause of the increase-whether more children are
entering
kinship care arrangements or more kinship care arrangements are
being
formally recognized by the state-the upward trend continues, with
the
majority of states reporting that the proportion of the foster care
caseload
accounted for by kinship care has increased since 1994."


http://www.urban.org/Template.cfm?Na...aggedContent/V
iewPublication.cfm&PublicationID=6418

"One of the primary goals of our nation's child welfare system is
to
ensure
that children who have been removed from their parents' homes are
reunified
or placed in another permanent situation (i.e., adoption or legal
guardianship) in a timely manner. Research shows that children
placed
with
foster parents who are related to them (kinship foster care) tend
to
remain
in foster care significantly longer than children placed in non-kin
foster
care (Cook and Ciarico 1998; Courtney 1994). Compared with children
placed
in non-kin foster care, children placed with kin are less likely to
be
reunified with their parents (AFCARS 1998; Berrick, Needell, and
Barth 1995;
Testa 1997) and less likely to be adopted (Berrick and Needell
1999;
Berrick
et al. 1995)."


http://www.urban.org/Template.cfm?Na...aggedContent/V
iewPublication.cfm&PublicationID=8369

"# It's estimated that approximately 150,000 foster care children,
about
one-third of all children in foster care, are living with relatives
(US
Dept. of Health and Human Services:Vol.: Narrative Rep. June 1997).

# In 1998, 2.5 million of the nation's families were maintained by
grandparents who had one or more of their grandchildren living with
them.
This number is up by 19 percent since 1990 (1998 U.S. Census
Bureau).

# In Illinois, approximately 27,000 of the 47,400 children in care
are in
kinship care (1997 CWLA Stat Book).

# In California, 25,000 of the 44,000 children in care are in
kinship
care
(1997 CWLA Stat Book).

# In New York, an average of 16,859 of the City's 42,000 children
living in
foster care are in kinship care(Mayor's Office of Operations, 1996,
CASA All
IN THE FAMILY: A MIXED BLESSING, January, 1998).

# In Maryland, there has been an increase in the number of children
in
kinship care from 154 in 1986, to 3,200 in 1997 (MD Monthly
Management
Report, 1997)."

http://www.cwla.org/programs/kinship/factsheet.htm

And for fern........

REPORT TO THE CONGRESS
ON KINSHIP FOSTER CARE

"In 1998, approximately 2.13 million children in the United States,
or just
under 3 percent, were living in some type of kinship care
arrangement. In
1997, approximately 200,000 children were in public kinship care,
well below
1 percent of all U.S. children but 29 percent of all foster
children.
Available evidence suggests that public kinship care has increased
substantially during the late 1980s and 1990s (see Chapter 1).

Three main factors have contributed to this growth. First, the
number
of
non-kin foster parents has not kept pace with the number of
children
requiring placement, creating a greater demand for foster
caregivers.
Second, child welfare agencies have developed a more positive
attitude
toward the use of kin as foster parents. Today, extended family
members are
usually given first priority when children require placement.
Third,
a
number of Federal and State court rulings have recognized the
rights
of
relatives to act as foster parents and to be compensated
financially
for
doing so."

http://aspe.hhs.gov/hsp/kinr2c00/index.htm

29% of all foster children in the system are in kinship care fern.
That's
pretty good actually, considering that few relatives wish to care
for
children that are already screwed up by their parents. Why disrupt
their
own homes to care for a relatives kid that they most likely watched
the
parents hose over.

The subject of kinship care is far more complex than fern or even
you
doug
care to believe. One cannot just dump a kid on the grandparents,
or
uncle
and aunt, simply because they are related. Being a relation is not
enough,
one must first be willing, and then the actual vetting of the
prospective
care provider begins.

To bad fern does not understand that. He/she/it would look far
less
stupid
when he/she/it posts about it.

Thanks Ron. I appreciate the quality of your research. Now watch
Doug
do his Spastic Monkey Dance...he does the slow motion
version...quite
amusing.

Better entertainment than TV.

Say, heard any new plans about foster applicant crim-bg check from
NCIC in your state? Seems some don't know how and bought that the
FBI
refused them....R R R

Mine have been tapping the info for years and years. Just use their
local cops; city in the urban areas, and sheriff in the hinterlands.

Didjah read that bit from UPenn on the great Florida police
investigation success in reducing children coming into
care....oddly,
despite the claims of one of our "caseworker field practice" seems
like that not only did't take place but in fact the situation got
worse....except for the workers having some relief so they could get
to catching up on the backlog of cases.

Watch for my post in ascps, "Prognostications"

Gaffawing is not encouraged but no penalties will ensue for such
behavior. 0:-

I mean, after all, you sure gave me some in this post of yours.
Didjah
see how my post got sliced and diced to "prove" something that in
fact
the missing part clearly refuted?

Typical, no? He's getting rather crude though. I expect a lot more
talent than that from someone with his background.


Ron


Kane








DESCRIPTORS; DSHS, WASHINGTON STATE, TACOMA, SEATTLE, OLYMPIA, CLASS
ACTION
LAWSUIT, FOSTER CARE, DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL AND REHABILITATIVE
SERVICES, CLASS
ACTION

Ron writes:
"# It's estimated that approximately 150,000 foster care children, about
one-third of all children in foster care, are living with relatives (US
Dept. of Health and Human Services:Vol.: Narrative Rep. June 1997).

Hi, Ron!

Unfortunately, the percentage of foster children placed with relatives has
decreased substantially since 1997. In 2002, only 24%, or 130,869 foster
children were living with relatives.
http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/cb/p...rs/report8.htm

# In 1998, 2.5 million of the nation's families were maintained by
grandparents who had one or more of their grandchildren living with them.
This number is up by 19 percent since 1990 (1998 U.S. Census Bureau).

Yes! But a very, very small percentage of these families had their
grandchildren placed in their homes by CPS. The grandparents are, in the
main, not foster caregivers. In fact, less than 130,000 of 2,500,000
involved children placed by the state. (Assuming one child per family
headed by a grandparent. Obviously, some families will have multiple
children, so the number is actually considerably less than 130,000).

# In Illinois, approximately 27,000 of the 47,400 children in care are in
kinship care (1997 CWLA Stat Book).

Unfortunately, the percentage of children CPS places in the care of their
kin is decreasing in Illinios since 1997. This was the point driven home by
the federal audits, which showed the majority of the states failed to expend
required efforts to place children with relatives.

# In California, 25,000 of the 44,000 children in care are in kinship care
(1997 CWLA Stat Book).

Again, this percentage of foster children in care of kin dropped
considerably and the overall foster care population increased dramatically
in California by 2002.

# In New York, an average of 16,859 of the City's 42,000 children living
in
foster care are in kinship care(Mayor's Office of Operations, 1996, CASA
All
IN THE FAMILY: A MIXED BLESSING, January, 1998).

Again, you will want to look at 2002 figures. Why the huge drop in
percentage of foster children placed with kin? What we can see is that
voluntary kinship care has increased dramatically over the past five years
while foster care placement with kin has decreased dramatically.

# In Maryland, there has been an increase in the number of children in
kinship care from 154 in 1986, to 3,200 in 1997 (MD Monthly Management
Report, 1997)."

I can't find Maryland figures for 2002. I will. Meanwhile, do you want to
wager that the percentage of foster children in kinship care is lower than
in 1997?


REPORT TO THE CONGRESS
ON KINSHIP FOSTER CARE

"In 1998, approximately 2.13 million children in the United States, or
just
under 3 percent, were living in some type of kinship care arrangement. In
1997, approximately 200,000 children were in public kinship care, well
below
1 percent of all U.S. children but 29 percent of all foster children.
Available evidence suggests that public kinship care has increased
substantially during the late 1980s and 1990s (see Chapter 1).

The vast majority of the 2,130,000 children in kinship care are being cared
for by relatives by voluntarily agreement. The state or CPS has nothing to
do with these cases. Your source above reports that under 10% of children
living with kin were placed by CPS -- 200,000 children. In 2002, only
130,869 children were placed with kin. The ratio of CPS placed children in
the care of relatives to informal kinship care decreased from 10% in 1998 to
6% in 2002.

Three main factors have contributed to this growth. First, the number of
non-kin foster parents has not kept pace with the number of children
requiring placement, creating a greater demand for foster caregivers.

....But the availability of voluntary kinship providers has increased.

Second, child welfare agencies have developed a more positive attitude
toward the use of kin as foster parents.

...From the 80's into the late 90's. The trend has since reversed, with a
much smaller percentage of foster children being placed with kin. Voluntary
kinship care -- where relatives informally provide kinship care with
agreement of the parents -- has increased during the same period (the last
five years).

Today, extended family members are
usually given first priority when children require placement.

In 2003, federal auditors found that the majority of the states were failing
to make diligent efforts to locate kin and place foster children with kin.

Third, a
number of Federal and State court rulings have recognized the rights of
relatives to act as foster parents and to be compensated financially for
doing so."

True. Federal initiatives have been largely ignored by state agencies
during the past few years, resulting in a decrease in the ratio of
kinship/stranger foster placements.

http://aspe.hhs.gov/hsp/kinr2c00/index.htm

29% of all foster children in the system are in kinship care fern. That's
pretty good actually, considering that few relatives wish to care for
children that are already screwed up by their parents. Why disrupt their
own homes to care for a relatives kid that they most likely watched the
parents hose over.

Nope. Today, 24% of all foster children in the system are in kinship care,
Ron.
http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/cb/p...rs/report8.htm

The subject of kinship care is far more complex than fern or even you doug
care to believe. One cannot just dump a kid on the grandparents, or uncle
and aunt, simply because they are related. Being a relation is not
enough,
one must first be willing, and then the actual vetting of the prospective
care provider begins.

I tend to agree with the CFR's, which require that state CPS agencies make
diligent efforts to locate relatives and place foster children with them.
As you know, the audits have disclosed that many of the states have failed
to do so. They failed this part of the audit. They will have to amend
their ways and motivate their employees to expend some effort trying to
place children with relatives or lose a lot of federal money. The states
have drawn up reform plans to correct for this problem.

To bad fern does not understand that. He/she/it would look far less
stupid
when he/she/it posts about it.

I think a look at recent figures measuring the obvious decrease in foster
care placement with relatives and a co-occurring increase in informal
kinship care aids in developing an understanding of current trends and
attitudes in the child welfare industry.

Have a good morning, Ron.

Doug