Foster care controversy: Kids taken from home, judge outraged
PORTLAND, Ore. - The Oregon Department of Human services has removed two children from the Portland home of their foster parents, despite the fact child therapists and a judge have said it's the "worst thing" that could happen to the young brother and sister.
Brenda Lincoln and Willie Norman opened their home to the siblings, an 11 year old boy and his 10 year old sister, more than two years ago. And it's been a better life there for them: nothing but positive reviews from case workers and the children's biological mother and grandmother, who both support the couple.
But that all changed when Brenda and Willie applied to formally adopt the kids. The process was well under way when suddenly, in October, state child welfare workers for DHS removed the children from the home.
"We get really emotional when we talk about this because it wasn't really fair," Willie said. "It caught us off guard and caught the kids off guard."
DHS not only took the kids out of the place they've called home for two years – they're now planning to send the siblings to go live with strangers miles away from any friends. A foster home has been found for them in Eugene.
Brenda and Willie, the children's biological family and the court-appointed legal advocate for the 10-year-old girl, have been scrambling to stop the transfer. Even a judge hearing their appeal is asking why, after giving them permission to raise the kids for two years, DHS suddenly has a problem with Brenda and Willie’s care now.
Addressing the DHS representatives, Multnomah County Court Judge Susan Svetkey said, "I don't think it's a secret how upset I am at this case. You have evaluations for their survival. They're telling you to move them is catastrophic to these kids."
The biological mother of the children and the kids' grandmother also support leaving them with Willie and Brenda.
"In their position, the words 'mom' and 'dad' are really sacred and I could see them calling (Brenda and Willie) 'mom' and 'dad,' that they were reaching out, they were trusting," said Joy Gambrel, the biological grandmother.
The judge's harsh words were aimed largely at DHS caseworker Karey Menagh.
"She came to the house and sat there right on the couch and said 'we're going to find you better parents,'" Brenda said. "I'm going 'wow.'"
DHS documents lay out the reasons the couple was disqualified from adopting the children, although they're puzzling since they contradict some of the agency's own findings.
Documents from 2010 show the agency knew Willie had a restraining order against him from a former spouse; however, the agency determined "there do not appear to be any current concerns that could pose a threat to a child in foster care."
Court records show that Willie got the restraining order dismissed and his record wiped clean.
Then, after two years of positive reviews, DHS suddenly changed its tune.
"Willie has a pattern of emotionally controlling behavior. Brenda has not used good judgment in assessing his ability to control his behavior," a DHS report said. “Willie has a criminal history of domestic violence that has reoccurred since living in her home."
Brenda responds by asking why it took two and a half years for DHS to change their opinion and report these concerns. Judge Svetkey asked DHS why Willie’s background is an issue now, when it was not a problem when it was talked about in court six months ago.
"It's essentially old news," Svetkey said. DHS did not explain itself.
The case has become so dysfunctional, DHS will not allow the court-appointed lawyer for the girl in this case to speak directly to case worker Menagh. DHS lawyer Dana Forman must be the go-between.
Judge Svetkey said she's never heard of such a situation in her many years in juvenile law.
Forman said she couldn't discuss the case with KATU. In court this week, Forman admitted the agency made "mistakes" but did not elaborate what those mistakes were.
Agency spokesman Gene Evans wrote that "DHS cannot provide details or other information on child welfare cases."
Judge Svetkey has not been shy in expressing her feelings.
"I can't remember a time where I have been so upset professionally and personally on how a case has been handled," she said.
She is frustrated the state Legislature did not give judges the power to order DHS to make things right. The biological mother still has a chance to get her kids back, but she faces a long road to do that.
"The timing of all this is concerning and suspicious,' Svetkey said. "This whole thing is a disservice to these children."
The children are white; Brenda and Willie are black. The children's biological grandmother thinks race is a factor in the decision by DHS.
Willie would like to think that his skin color has nothing to do with this, but, he said, "if you look at all the documents that are out there, and the circumstances of how they removed the kids from our home, it could have. I can't say. I can't put my finger on it."
The On Your Side Investigators want to hear from you. Email them at investigators@katu.com.
This is almost exactly what happened to my family in November. My 2 adopted children had their brother seperated from them at 3yrs old after being in their lives since birth. The agency did not foloow their own rules, let alone look at the best interest of the children. All 3 kids have now been in therapy in dealing with this at such young ages (3,4 and 5) when they were such happy little children before.
DHS makes errors. Â For instance, families mail paperwork to DHS offices and envelopes are returned because the DHS address label is incorrect. Â Rather than apologize, DHS accuses families for delaying paperwork and records it in their reports. One can even show proof with returned envelopes, copies of correspondence and it makes no difference on DHS reports. Â Lesson learned, keep records of every call, send mail registered with signature requests and record phone calls. Â Even with this proof, families have an uphill battle. Â Â
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Another problem is multi-county DHS communication.  Family members could reside in one or more counties, children placed with a foster family or in a residential treatment center/group home in another county.  Family members may be communicating with DHS in their county.  The belief is the social worker(s) in their county is communicating with DHS social workers in other counties.  Again, families are blamed when communication goes awry.  Families may not even have access to or names of social workers in other counties.  Hearings about the fate of children in DHS care are conducted without all case related social workers present.  Family members may not even realize they were not represented or under-represented at hearings.  This allows DHS to move forward with their plans, undermining family members constitutional
rights.
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Reports are littered with errors, blame.  Facts disputing allegations are buried.  It takes an attorney to gain access to reports.  One may find gossip and hearsay on page one of a report and facts on page 12.  It's obvious page one is read and decisions made based on information contained on page one. Â
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DHS social workers will offer family members mediation services (paid by them - conflict of interest again?) for visitation rights with children in the adoption pool.  However, DHS employees do not disclose mediation agreements are nonbinding and likely to be revoked once adoption is finalized.  It's a bait and switch process that allows DHS to move forward with their plans, undermining family members constitutional rights. Â
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Foster families are allowed to dictate when visits occur. Â Working families are required to take time off from work, drive to distant locations for short visits with children. Â Weekend visits are denied because it is disruptive to foster family routine. Â Why is this allowed? Â DHS explains it is difficult to find foster families. Â However, if time off from work is denied, DHS family visitation is negatively reported. Â Â
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Children are traumatized.  Families disrupted.  DHS social workers with a bias or hidden agenda erode the purpose of DHS and tread on the constitutional rights of parents.  Or do the rights of the children supersede the rights of their parents?  There must be balance.  However the current system is unbalanced. . .and many of today's kids know it. Â
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A double standard exists between what DHS can do and parents cannot. Â A child in DHS custody can gain 100 pounds in six months with no reprisal. Â Parental concerns are dismissed. Â But if parents allowed this, DHS could remove the child for abuse and neglect. Â Families may witness abuse by foster families and report it. Â Nothing is done. Â
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All one has to do is sit in the Salem DHS waiting room and hear one story after another.  Change needs to come from those who have had experience with the DHS system, its processes and policies.  Legislators are likely to have scant knowledge about what really goes on.  DHS employee performance reviews should include anonymous ratings from families.   It is appalling how rude and demeaning DHS employees can be.
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To be fair, there are probably good DHS social workers and employees. Â It's just hard to find them. Â And when one does, there is nothing they can do. Â
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DHS came and removed my husband from our home. He spanked our son. He almost went to jail. We are the lucky ones.  DHS was not able to destory my family.  It has had an lasting affect on us.  Now my nephew's children were taken away and giving to their drug addicted motherr for 6 months. Then after 6 months a judge ruled that they needed to be given back to their dad. Their lives have been damaged and they live in fear. Not only is the drug addicted mother behind on child support but she has sexual abused them. DHS will not go after mother's. They can do no wrong.(Sic) DHS needs to be accountable and needs big changes.
DHS in the entire State of Oregon is WAY overdue for reform. Portland people, you are not alone. Josephine county caseworkers are as corrupt and have absolutely NO accountability.  My son has filed a 5 Million dollar suit against the State of Oregon and it will be played out this year. There are SO MANY "Rogue" caseworkers who believe themselves to be qualified to RUIN family life. My granddaughters were removed from a loving family home, 2 gainfully employed parents, own a house, 2 siblings and all 4 children in private school. All doing remarkably well. DHS went forward on 'here say', had no proof of anything, and at the end of 6 months only to say, "oh, guess we didn't have a case after all." The damage that has been done to this family is not repairable, no amount of counseling will repair 2 young girls and the absolute HELL this family went thru from March until September is unforgivable! WHEN will Caseworkers have their feet held to the fire, be accountable, responsible and oh, did I mention that the so called "counselor' that represented DHS was NOT licensed in the state of Oregon? SHE lied on the stand!.Â
Well... this story has got me SO PISSED OFF that I can't sleep!!!!!! God save us all from this unworthy, unthrustworthy department of the justice (legal lies) system that is supposed to protect us from evil... when DHS is one of the most EVIL entity's that our government has created... I don't remember DHS even existing when I was growing up... Where did the concept come from that our children needed this agency even come from??? I grew up with a spanking when I was bad... time out when I was out of line... and grounding when I was totally off the wall.. What the hell happened? Â Did SO many kids (from the 80's & 90's) Â have it so rough that they had to create this disaster of a government agency that totally ruins whole families?? I say we should go back to the 50's & 60's way of child rearing and kick these useless POS's and their ideals to the curb!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thirty years ago, a former co-worker took her niece in her home for a period of time through DHS and she was receiving foster care checks to help supplement the care of a teenager. When it was over, she was still receiving the checks, she called the DHS caseworker to have them stop, the caseworker told her to sign the checks over to her and she will handle it. My friend was a little suspicous, but the woman was a government worker, and followed her instructions at first. After couple of more months, couple more checks, and more âI will take care of it,â my friend wrote in black marker on the front of the check, âno longer a froster mother,â checks stopped.
One of these days, we will read about blood being spilled when DHS comes to take kids form a family.
It won't matter if police enter to the residence or not. there will be blood. And when we read of that, People will demand change. It is unfortunate that day will come. But after hearing all the hellish stories.
It is bound to happen sooner or later.
What happen to the former caseworker who steered teenage boys to his pedophiles friends? I read about it somewhere, his co workers knew about it, how he preferred to handle cases of young boys, they knew and they laughed about it. Family of the young boys, called and complained, but no one listened until a yound man killed himself. Were the DHS and the caseworkers held accountable to what happen? I donât think so.
DHS should be ashamed of this story. They need to re-visit their protocol for how they make their decisions. These are children who are to be loved and protected, not victimized. Case workers should be certified (at least), if not licensed by the state. We wonder why this country is going south? Where is the accountability??
It would be an interesting experiment to pursue if the children were not real human beings. Â
Another example of how DHS continues to fail our children - this is a very horrific case. Shame on DHS.
I trust DHS about as much as I trust the public school system. Newsflash: neither are child welfare advocates.
EVERYONE WHO IS OUTRAGED....Please see that KATU updated the article to include an email link to their investigative team. ALL WHO HAVE BEEN VICTIMIZED or know of those who have been victimized by DCFS PLEASE I BEG YOU I urge you...I pray you will contact them!!! Lets Blow this WIDE OPEN!!!! ALL CaseWorkers who PREACH accountability, will now have to defend their lack of accountability!!!!!
 @4ofmyOWN Can people identify the names of the social workers here?  Then perhaps they will be investigated, the files in their care (past and present) reviewed, families contacted, court records reviewed.  Unfortunately, DHS has a lot more info on families than families do on them.  They use this info to their advantage. Â
 @ChangeAgent  @4ofmyOWN Unfortunately this is NOT the only case where caseworkers are failing!!!! Hillsboro office has a few very scary ladies that should have their own children removed!!!!
In order to protect the Constitutional rights of both children and families, together with their physical and mental well-being, the cloak of confidentiality *must* be removed from social service agencies, and child dependency cases must be heard in a court of record. Â The only people being protected by the confidentiality laws are the out-of-control social services personnel, who wield great power with zero accountability. Â
You can always call Karey Menagh to get her side of the story.
http://www.readbag.com/dasapp-oregon-statephonebook-personnellisting
(971) 673-1800
Can only hope that SOMEONE higher up in the DHS employment category is reading all these comments and some of it is sinking in.....
 @Unbelievable... Not helpful because in this agency incompetents are simply promoted.
 @Eris7 too true.... just wishful thinking that somewhere in the system someone has a conscience
If one talks to legislators about DHS issues and questions constitutional rights, the issues are not investigated due to "pending legal action" or other legal reasons.  Legislators cannot obtain information about individual cases. However, legislators can review the current DHS legal process and amend the law to allow a more balanced approach by giving families (bio and adoptive and foster) the opportunity to present facts/witnesses before an unbiased judicial committee outside of DHL jurisdiction.  The current system enhances bias and too much subjectivity. Â
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Biological and foster families have been subject to veiled threats by State social workers when they question their authority, refute allegations, submit evidence to refute allegations.  Reports gets mixed up. Social workers do not return calls.  Court dates and/or times are changed without disclosure to all parties and proceedings continue without representation.  Interested parties are not allowed to speak.  Solid, law abiding family members who pass criminal background checks and have no substance abuse history are treated rudely.  Families members are allowed visits and then without notice told visits are no longer allowed.  No reason is given other than it is DHS policy.  Some foster families intervene in the process and make false reports to undermine family visits, adoption, and placement.  There is little to no objectivity.  Is this really constitutional? Â
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Social workers spend hours in courtrooms waiting for their cases to be heard. Â What a waste of time. Â There is no consistency on policies and rules. Â They change without notice. Â Visits are allowed then taken away without explanation. Â One social worker will cite a policy and another will cite an opposite policy. Â This in and of itself breeds mistrust and suspicion. Â
@ChangeAgent Wow! Scarey acurrate, you must have some real history with this outfit, I couldn't have described our nightmare any better. The built-in protection system that you describe is exicuted so seamlessly by DHS that makes my head spin and keeps me up at night. Que the Night Gallery music.......
My 2 year old grandaugher is living with her 'father' at an Oxford recovery house with up to 10 other recovering males at the direction of DHS, instead of with her loving Mother (my daughter) at our house. We are certified foster care providers for our grandaughter and she had been with us previously for a long period while both parents struggled with addiction. Our daughter is now doing very well, working full time and is only allowed two days a week to visit while the sperm donor sits at home, unemployed, with his pants down to his knees getting housing assistance from the state and a daycare allowence which frees up time for him to go to the gym! WTF? The case worker, Sarah, (I don't care if I'm not supposed to give her name out...sue me!) thinks this is the best situation!!!
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All of our respit care providers are family members, my duaghter has a huge support system. The sperm donor has no family support available because they are in and out of jail! Just another story, I know, but if we keep telling them, maybe we can expose DHS's "self protection mechanisms" they have in place and FINALLY hold somebody accountable for this crap...they are damaging the lives of these children! When I attemped to hold the caseworker accountable for this mess, my wife and I were officially told by our certifier to procede with caution because our Foster Care status could be "modified" (read 'removed')Â
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sorry about the spelling....too pissed to pay attention to that
@madpapa what are her initials?
PLEASE CONTACT ME!!!!! That is the SAME case worker I speak of and that I know of several others. This lady needs to be STOPPED!!! Funny, this same case worker gave my daughter to her METH USING POSITIVE DRUG TEST BioDud. I am not allowed to call him sp***Do*** per the judge. I am going to the highest courts, every agnecy, every news station every everything, if I have to picket and pass out flyers I WILL!!!!!
I am also in contact with the Ombudsmans Office to get her stopped. I will not stop until she is FIRED!!!!!!!!
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@4ofmyOWN would like to talk about this 'issue' with you but don't know how to exchange info on this forum.
contact me at WA(underscore)DCFS(underscore)StopTheCorruption at ya whooey. We can talk through that to avoid me giving out an email directly linked to me.
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 @madpapa I'd like to know who authorized DHS to MAKE a family become a FULL FOSTER PARENT FACILITY to keep a family member in their home!!!! THAT is total BS!!!!!!!!!!! That process takes months (even longer depending on the attitude of the DHS caseworker) meanwhile the poor child is put in a place where they are frightened and sometimes in an even more abusive environment! I bet if all those DHS POS's had DHS in their lives when it was not called for would change their way of operating - -  maybe
It sounds to me like Karey Menagh was not doing a good job for the past two years. She must have found something really bad when she actually did take the time to do her job.
We need better DHS control... they are a big part of the problem with all those crazies out there shooting people up! If they didn't think they were above the law and weren't allowed to run amok with peoples lives and sanity we would all be better off!!!! DHS should pay more attention to the way ALL their employees handle all cases. Have heard WAY TOO MANY horror stories about this government facility!!
I have two children in my home that I have Legal Guardianship of. Their mother and grandmother both signed off on the Legal Guardianship so that we could care for them and we went above and beyond to keep these kids out of the foster care system for this very reason!! DHS is a loose cannon, they do A LOT of good for A LOT of kids that need a voice in bad situations but it is a VERY imperfect system! This situation is exactly what I feared for the two kids that I have with me now and it is exactly why I went around them to make sure the kids are protected from the foster care nightmare. We do not get financial assistance since they are not in foster care but it was worth it to never have to worry that they will be uprooted again after an already horrific childhood. I feel so awful for these two kids who have to ride this roller coaster that the adults in their life put them on!
 @Jennijenjen We did the same thing with a child that we've raised now for 13 years.  It cost us a great deal of money up front and has continued over the years with no assistance, but worth every penny to keep the power crazed crises junkies from ruining this child's life.  Â
I did foster care for a while. I finally couldn't take any more. Those poor kids don't have a chance once DHS gets involved. DHS has one goal and that is to keep DHS growing and taking in tax payer money. Really a disgusting organization that could care less about the kids.Â
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There are probably some good people working there but they either don't last long or get sucked into the system.
How many incidents like this does it take to get the state legislatures attention? I have never seen as dysfunctional an organization as Oregon DHS ! The problem is systemic and starts from the very top. These self-styled, arrogant tyrants wipe out years of trust building, love and affection in the blink of an eye by a rogue case worker. This is not what the people of Oregon expect or deserve. What does our Governor have to say about this; probably too busy and can't second guess this fine agency of his!
 @Dennis of Amity and when you have a problem with a caseworker and complain to their supervisor... all it does is make the caseworker mad and then they take it out on the helpless individual who is having the problem with them. and they get paid while they abuse their "subjects"  :{
DHS has alot of workers who shouldnt be there.
This same thing happened to my sister who lived in Salem several years ago. This is kind of management by DHS is nothing new, and is exactly the reason that I refuse to do foster care. The baby that was removed from my sister as she and her husband were going to adopt, ended up being moved to another state. My sister's home was all he knew, and the county removed him as well as a few other children, after glowing reviews and being foster parents for several years. It broke her heart, and mine as I watched it happen.
This is just disgusting! The poor children, who DHS professes to be looking out for, are victims of stupid bureacrcy (sp). These so called professionals are slime. I'm so sorry for the families involved. The Governor should be able to do something. I'm sick.
I use to own an Adult Foster Care Home....let me tell you, every single case worker believes that he or she is God. They have to power to do what ever they want, when ever they want. It is sick very sick
I know personally at least 3 kids who were physically abused in a HOCKINSON(Another Clark Co. WA) Foster home. The "mother" in that home is beyond psychotic and the State just says they are troubled children and they all lied. All there at different times, all report similar abuse, all are different ages...7, 14, and 13. The case worker refuses to beleive anyone. One child was shoved into the floor and punched, one child was drug through the house by her hair, another child was slapped in the face for not wanting to eat what was for dinner(that was the 7 yr old). NO ONE WILL DO ANYTHING!!!!!! This foster home remains open with more and more children being abused DAILY!!!!
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 @4ofmyOWN I know a child who was 13 when the foster parent and her children went on vacation, leaving the 13 year old foster child at home to fend for herself.  This child had several previous psychiatric hospitalizations, yet was left at home alone with the knowledge of the case worker!  Foster mom still getting paid, while the biological family had to bring over food, shampoo, etc.  The child called one of her teenage boyfriends to stay with her because she was afraid to stay alone. Again, the case worker had full knowledge of this!  When the parents complained, DSHS performed their routine character-assassination saying they were crazy and trouble makers!  DSHS/DCFS  is the most corrupt agency one could imagine.  You cannot bestow both unlimited power and and zero accountability and not expect deep-seated corruption. Â
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BTW, both parents were professionals who were very involved with their child, who was in temporary care on a voluntary basis due to mental health issues. Â The parents, however, were treated worse than abusive, drug addicted parents because they had the education and the wherewithal to ask questions and didn't cow down to the ever-changing, arbitrary, irrational actions of the agency. Â She was removed from "care" and is now doing well with her family.
A co-worker told me she stopped being a foster mother for her niece, but was still recieving checks, when she called the DHS caseworker, she told her to sign her checks over to her, but the checks continued for a couple months, each month the caseworkers instruct her to the same thing until the third month my co worker used a black marker to scribbled a note across the front of the check and the checks stopped.
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Lucky for me, I had a good caseworker, He worked very hard for my nephew the few months I had him.
Eris7
Please contact me at WA(underscore)DCFS(underscore)stopthecorruption at ya whooey
Please also report your story to investigators@katu.com
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This is an agency that needs to be shut done!!! It needs to have something other than government control and they need to follow the same laws the rest of us have to follow. CaseWorkers who harm families should be charged with a crime and jailed! Or maybe have their children taken away as they obviously have no idea what a good parent looks like!!!
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This has nothing to do with race. DHS made a mistake in putting those kids in a "foster to adopt" situation, before they got permission. DHS can't tell their side because of HIPA restrictions, so this is being judged by the media and a judge. There is other stuff going on here, that the public does not know. Calm down everyone, and lets not use the race card.Â
 @Just Me obviously you don't know what you are talking about...every placement is "foster to adopt" ARE YOU KIDDING ME!...THE POWER THAT DHS HAS MUST BE ADDRESSED...THERE OVERREACH WHEN TOTALLY UNFOUNDED...AND THEN UNDER EVALUATIONS WHEN CHILDREN REALLY ARE IN DANGER...I am sure there is a lot going on behind the scene and it is a cover up of incompetence on the part of DHS... they are not thinking of the children here ...WHAT ARE THEY DOING...yes calm down these children are once again thrust into the unknown what kind of damage is being done...really calm down...this DHS with more control than the judges is beyond comprehension, as we have met so many inept social and DHS workers ...really!!!!! DO WE REALLY NEED TO CALM DOWN? I DON'T THINK SO, I THINK WE NEED TO FREAK OUT...WHY CAN'T A JUDGE WHEN HE SEE'S AN INCOMPETENT WORKER JUST GET HER OUT OF THERE AND UNDO THE INJUSTICE..
A Judge SHOULD be able to OVERRULE this POS government entity because it is nothing but a WHOLE BUNCH OF IDIOTS trying to play something close to the equivalent of God in the fact that they think they know more about what is going on in any particular household than the people who live there. BUT... how the hell would they know that if all they do is go by reports that are slapped on their desks and they don't EVEN investigate into anything, nor do they find out any facts about what was the reason why they were directed to a particular house in the first place (cuz sometimes it is just a pissed off neighbor or family member that wants to start trouble)... DHS should have to have ALL the facts before even entering a family home. i.e.: don't ya think ya maybe should ask a few more questions before removing an innocent child from a very loving, safe, secure home instead of listening to a drugged up idiot who calls in and complains about a family member abusing the little kid cuz they won't give you money for your next fix (so they figure they will "fix" them) REALLY FOLKS.. that's DHS   This is worse than twilight zone...  Dah Dum Dum...............................
 @Just Me It sounds like you have much more knowledge than what the story represented.  Makes me wonder who you are in relation to the story.
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That being said, if the news report is accurate, and the bio mom (and grandma) was willing to allow the foster parents to adopt the kids (no word whatsoever about bio dad here), it really isn't relevant if they were in a foster adopt home or simply a foster home (after all any home has the potential to be both).
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HIPA isn't the realson DHS can't tell. Â Its ethical policy and legal requirements that certain things remain "private" to protect the child. Â There is also, clearly, the potential for litigation pending which further ties their hands.
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To make a full decision, the judge has to have all of the pertinent information. Â It is clear this judge doesn't have it. Â And some of the information is now on the public record because of the hearing.
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The race card as you call it has to also be a consideration. Â After all, DHS has to consider the child's ethnicity in placing them in a foster home -- even more so in a foster-adopt situation. Â So it is a factor. Â Is it a reason why these children were removed? Â Probably not. Â But there isn't anything saying one way or the other.
 @CTWU  @Just Me ~  Good post, CTWU...
I'm not sure if it woiuld apply (or be possible) in this case, but I know there are other types of cases in which there are records or other evidence that, for one reason or another, cannot be made part of the public record...but that the judge needs to review in order to come to an informed decision. Â Â
I wonder if it's possible that the judge in this case could review medical records, etc (those protected by HIPPA), "en camera" (I think that's the right term)...meaning that the judge reviews the records privately, but they remain "sealed" insofar as the public record is concerned. Â Â
I just find it hard to believe that there is NO way that a judge cannot review all of the pertinent documents to the case... DHS should NOT be allowed to make a decision like this without having to provide a legitimate reason for doing so... and even if the basis for that decision cannot be made public, it certainly should be available to the judge..!
 @CTWU  @Just Me ~  Oh, I'm very sure she does...  and I was not slamming the judge in any way in my post...  I would be surprised if she hasn't come up against DHS before, so she no doubt knows all too well the problems that face her in trying to arrive at the truth of this situation, and to act to correct it...Â
I do NOT envy Judge Swetky her job...Â
 @margay1  @Just Me It would be nice if the judge were able to publicly speak about what changes she feels needs to be made and how we can help her have those changes actually happen.  She, obviously, has much more knowledge about the inner workings and the problems with DHS than many of us would have.