DCFS HAD VISITED SQUALID APARTMENT WHERE BABY DIED

www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-infant-death-30-jan30,0,589914.storychicagotribune.com

 
By Ofelia Casillas

Tribune reporter

January 30, 2009

Four months before the death of an infant this week in a squalid Northwest Side home, state child welfare workers found the same apartment untidy and in disarray but offered no services to the family, records reviewed Thursday by the Tribune show.

The Cook County public guardian said the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services “dropped the ball” and should have opened a case to support the family.

The infant died Tuesday in an Albany Park apartment described by Chicago police as a “health hazard”-roach-infested and ankle-deep in garbage. Ten other children who lived there were taken into state custody and placed in foster homes. Five adults were charged with misdemeanor child endangerment.

The state records reviewed by the Tribune showed that DCFS found the home in similar condition last September. A state worker said the apartment was filthy and unsanitary.

“The door could not fully open to one of the bedrooms there was so much clutter,” the worker noted in a report on Sept. 18. “There were clothes everywhere because so many people are staying in the home. There were roaches crawling in the kitchen and on the floor.”

A month later, a DCFS worker said the family still hadn’t shown “sufficient effort to clean the home,” according to the records. A supervisor agreed there was credible evidence to prove the children had been neglected because of the conditions in the home. Yet DCFS, the workers added, would not be offering services to the family.

Robert Harris, the county’s public guardian, said the DCFS records suggest “they definitely had concerns here.”

“It sounds like there were still hazards and they didn’t do anything after that, and they absolutely should have,” Harris said.

Contacted Thursday evening, DCFS officials said they had no immediate comment on the case.

State records from last fall also show that a child welfare investigator interviewed a 16-year-old girl who was pregnant at the home. Her 2 1/2 -month-old son was the baby who died Tuesday.

Records show DCFS investigated the mother in December for medically neglecting her infant.

The infant, Iven Carlos, was found not breathing in the home in the 3100 block of West Ainslie Street. His cause of death was not determined pending further police investigation, but police don’t believe the death involved foul play.

The child’s mother told authorities that the infant was healthy before she fell asleep and awoke to find the child unresponsive. She fell asleep with the infant on her chest and may have accidentally rolled over onto him, according to a state report.

ocasillas@tribune.com

Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune

CALLING WASHINGTON STATE CITIZENS WITH COMPLAINTS ABOUT THE WASHINGTON STATE CHILD PROTECTIVE SERVICES DEPARTMENT

If you are from Washington state and have a valid complaint against the child protective services department in that state, here is your chance for your voice to be heard. Washington Senator Pam Roach is calling on you to submit to her your complaints for distribution to the press. Now is the time to step forward with these complaints, because Senator Roach is listening!!!! The criteria for the complaints is as follows in her blog post:

Pam Roach Report http://pamroachreport.com

Thursday, January 29, 2009

Please Submit Your Story…Help Document The Abuses

Today a lobbyist came into my office and as sometimes happens I retold some of the absolutely unbelievable stories of CPS family abuse. (Yes, CPS spies…I am still thinking about the deaths and the wrongdoings…I would rather not…but you create some truly disturbing vignettes.)

(Let me first thank the many GOOD CPS workers who are doing their jobs well despite working in an undisciplined agency that frequently makes big mistakes. It is your management and a few unprincipled people who create the press….whose names are never associated with the story.)

Turns out my lobbyist friend and her husband are foster parents. And, they are among the very good ones.

A little toddler boy was brought to them who had been burned in a meth lab. They had him for several years. Thankfully, his face healed. He could smile now in this good home.

Then the state stepped in to reunite the drug abusing, felon mother with the boy. My friends kept the boy over the weekends… the story goes on, the foster parents spending $10,000 to try to protect this little one from his drug addict mother who didn’t want the boy! Turns out the lobbyist is coming to the rally. The word is getting out.

I am assembling a packet for distribution to the press. If you have a “good” or “bad” story that can be condensed to one 8 1/2 by 11 piece of paper (you have to narrow the issue) and you are willing to put down your name and contact information, I would like you to email it to my office. Roach.Pam@aol.com . Remember one page only.

To protect yourself from CPS retaliation you may use the name of a friend or relative as the contact person. The idea is to give the press a place to go for stories. Without some verification of the story it will not be regarded as truth. That is any one’s standard.

Please submit as soon as you can. Sounds like a mini book in the making.

Posted by Pam Roach at 11:47 PM

AND THE MIND YOUR OWN BUISNESS AWARD GOES TO:

momlogic.com

For the following story….

 

Social Services Allow Octuplets in Home?

 

http://www.momlogic.com/2009/01/social_services_and_octuplets.php

 

Friday, January 30, 2009
filed under: california octuplets
It’s hard to even visualize 17 people living a two bedroom house, so we called Dr. Charles Sophy, Medical Director for the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS), to find out if this is even legal!

Dr. Sophy tells us “The Department of Children and Family Services has to look at every family situation keeping a safety and risk perspective — as long as the kids are safe then it is OK, unless there is a risk for abuse or neglect including physical, emotional, medical and or educational.”

Dr. Sophy shared with us “We keep a close eye on multiple births that are in the news, because there is a chance we will be called to go in and assess the situation. Anyone can call the hotline and that’s when we go in as a team with standardized tools to assess the safety and risk of the children. We don’t go in there to dismantle the family, but we go in there to support the family. We use a strength-based model and set them up to succeed so we aren’t back out there in two months.”

After talking to Dr. Sophy, we learned there’s no set of rules in California regarding the number of children who can sleep in one bed or number of people in a house, BUT they all must be physically and medically safe.

How do you feel about 17 people living in one house?

 

WHAT I KNOW ABOUT THIS CASE:

Well its not much, just what we have heard on the news, but I form my opinion based on the following:

Apparently, the babies were not born drug addicted or with drugs in their system.  Therefore, the hospital could not call CPS for that.

This mother is trying to make the right choice and breast feed all 8 children.  Something that a person would not decide to do unless they absolutely wanted the best for their children, considering breast feeding 8 babies would be a full time job in and of itself. 

So she lives with her parents, that just means that she has a strong support system to help her with these babies.  Many multiple birth grandparents move in with the parents, or spend the majority of their time at the parents home to help with the new babies.  This just makes it easier for them to offer assistance.

She has 6 other children…and the point is?  My grandparents on my fathers side,  had 13 children, all single births and on my mothers side there were 10 children all single birth.  The number of children does not effect your ability to love and take care of your children.

The foster home I was in had 13 children in it and all they had was a 3 bedroom home.  I know of many foster homes that have more children then bedrooms, so basically in the posters eyes it is okay for CPS to do it…just not the bio-parents.

The mother is a single parent:  A lot of women are single parents, that does not mean that they are bad parents, just single.  Would it make any difference if she was married?  Then you would just say that there was 18 people in the house.  What if she was married and they had all of these children and then her husband died, would that mean the state should remove her children.  God forbid the state get the idea to remove children from single parent homes, just because you disagree.  Single parents are now allowed to adopt children who have been foster children, so apparently even the state does not have a problem with single parents. 

Unless a parent has in someway violated their constitutionally protected rights to the care, control and custody of their children, they are to be free of unnecessary government interference in their relationship with their children.

It does not matter what your opinion is, parents have the right to raise their children in the manner that they see fit, unless they are abusing the children in some manner.  They also have the right to have as many children as they want.

Under the constitution of this nation, you have the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.  What makes one person happy isn’t necessarily what makes another happy.  Just because someone else doesn’t like your idea of happiness, does not mean that it is wrong or against the law.  

It is people like the poster of this story, that call CPS, for nonabusive, unfounded reasons that makes life hell for some of these parents.  If you do not see actual abuse or neglect…unexplained bruises, rotting teeth, failure of the parent to provide needed medical care, clothing, food, etc.  then mind your own damn business and leave them alone. 

I posted a comment on this page, but apparently she did not want to post it.  In it I recommended that the author of the story do some research on CPS.  I also recommend that she visit Senator Roach’s blog and read what Senator Schaefer has written about GA CPS.  I guess the poster did not want that information passed on.  Here are some of the other comments that have been made about this story on momlogic.com.

ACTUAL COMMENTS FROM THE PAGE:

If you think that 17 people living in a house could be illegal you must be really out of touch with how poor people in America live.- Anonymous
Posted 01/29/09 03:07 PM

Whoever called social services should be ashamed!! Just because a family has many children living in one home does not make them unfit. How many families in the past have had 13-15 children in two bedroom homes and they all thrived and were happy. The mentality of needing lots of room and “private space” for everyone is what has led to the downfall of our economy. Leave this poor mother alone!!!!!! “Is this even legal?!” You have got to be kidding me.- Disgusted
Posted 01/29/09 03:08 PM

It hasn’t been that long since each child having their own room was nowhere near the norm. It hasn’t even been that long since it was common for parents and children to share a single room. Just because they are going to be tight on space doesn’t mean they will be abused or short on love.- birdsfly
Posted 01/29/09 03:12 PM

I don’t feel nearly as pissy about 17 people living in one house, as I do you calling up and trying to start stuff for this family.- What
Posted 01/29/09 03:53 PM

Unless these people are planning to support all 8 children themselves I would consider them highly irresponsible and selfish! Imagine if everyone had that many babies! Don’t expect the “govt” to bail you out. There are more pressing problems in this world.- Belinda
Posted 01/29/09 04:17 PM

Have you ever had the state involved with you or your children? it’s aweful. If they even suspect anything is slightly amiss, they have the right to remove chidren from the home. Have you ever had your children removed from your home while they are crying and screaming for their mommy? How dare you raise questions about a family that you have absolutley no knowledge of? How dare you throw these people into the radar of CPS? What is wrong with you people?- WTF
Posted 01/29/09 04:44 PM

Another example of wealthy Southern CA Women who have all kinds of things to say about how people choose to live while they wallow in their self-absorbed lives. The world would be a better place, quite frankly, if the women at momlogic took care of their own over-indulged, soon to be the next ME-GENERATION children, and left the rest of the population; with their JCPenney jeans and more then 2.5 children and religious and morals choices to themselves. You should go back to the “cocktail choice of the week”, and where to get the “celebrities’ kids’ looks for less” and leave the social commentary and political opinions to actual well read and informed persons.- Anonymous
Posted 01/29/09 05:02 PM

By your question, you seem to think that County Social Services has the right or ability to regulate the number of children a woman can have. Nothing could be further from the truth! Social Services can only step in when there is a reasonable suspicion of neglect or abuse; even then, children who are taken from the home are often put to sleep on the floors of offices and police stations until a place is found for them.- Mr. Ed
Posted 01/29/09 05:23 PM

I must admit that when I heard of such a miracle and that the mother decided not be in the public eye.I was thinking this was a smart idea and that the family was lucky to not need any type of financial help.Specially in this economic time.but how in the hell could you be so irresponsible to live off of your parents with 6 other kids and single.that is as ghetto as it gets.Shame on you mother of 14. living in a 2-3bedroom.I fell that is selfish and she is giving her parents an early funeral!!!!!- amina
Posted 01/29/09 07:23 PM

just another example of people living beyond thier means and expectingthe community to “bail them out” when the gravy train comes to a screeching halt. with 6 kids at home already she’s obviously not working, so her parents are probably already claiming her and her 6 kids as dependents, now they have 8 more. They’re not paying any taxes for sure. Oh well, as long as I have paved roads, free public education for my children, and the gov’t stays out of my business, my tax money is well spent as far as I’m concerned…- not surprised
Posted 01/29/09 08:23 PM

Social services has absolutely no business being involved in these people’s lives unless the doctors at the hospital call. The rest of you need to just mind your own business, the other children appear to have been well taken care of and wanted. More than I can say about a lot of Yuppie’s children I have seen lately. All the yuppie parents seem to want to do is get their “me” time away from their kids and toss money at them as they pass.- Lilathe
Posted 01/29/09 08:37 PM

Whomever decided to find out information as to the legalities of 17 in the same home must be bored out of their wits. Sounds like they need something worthwhile to do in their life if they stoop this low. Get a grip – what about during the depression when it was the norm for grandparents, their children and their childrens children shared the same home. I am in my 60′s and I have a friend at church that is in the same age catagory and grew up in an apartment in Maryland as one of nine children. People need to mind their own homes and own business.- Cathy Alcorn
Posted 01/29/09 08:49 PM

I CANNOT believe you called social services about this family. This is completely and utterly uncalled for. Mom Logic should really be ashamed. This is the worst mom site I’ve ever read. Unbelievable!- Anne
Posted 01/29/09 09:39 PM

Social services SHOULD have been called on this family. Regardless of the mother’s marital and financial status, this is highly questionable behavior.-Just me
Posted 01/29/09 10:04 PM

The dr who instrumented this birth should be taken out of business. This is a disgusting and pitiful thing to happen to a woman and to the kids. Each and every one of them will suffer because of this “miracle” birth.- jdypat
Posted 01/29/09 11:17 PM

It standard practice for most hospitals to send a nurse to the home of a multiple birth after the babies are discharged. Since most multuple birth babies are premature/low birth rate or have complications. Or any baby born “at risk”. Even offered to first time parents.- Chrissy
Posted 01/30/09 01:33 AM

This is just ridiculous! Unless their house is filthy or the kids are in danger why is this even an issue??? I may not agree that they should have had a multiple birth such as this but I am also aware of the fact that we live in America and I cannot tell anyone else what to do with their lives – the really interesting part of that is that I (and no one else either) is in a position to judge anybody else. Was it right? Who can honestly say for sure? Are they good parents is the better question? Will they love all of their children and care for them properly?? That is my only concern and the rest of it is none of my business nor anyone elses.- Kara
Posted 01/30/09 08:29 AM

There are individual children living in 2 parent homes with plenty of bedrooms, getting MURDERED by their own parents, and people are so concerned about issues such as this? This woman was probably so excited to have these babies just to give birth and face criticism from the public who know NOTHING about her personal life. She has a roof over her babies’ heads, and they have family who loves them and will provide for them. Who is anyone to judge?- Jody
Posted 01/30/09 10:06 AM

First of all can we quit treating this woman like a martyr, she still has her kids and no one has taken them away.I agree(especially after watching a family member who was wrongly accused deal with the system) calling CPS might be extreme but people SHOULD be concerned when stories of single moms living with her parents brings another 8 kids into one house.No one should think that 6 or 8 children to one bedroom is normal. That was our parents/grandparents generation, we are in a new millinium and a new green era and need to start thinking as such. We now know that mankind is ruining the earth just by being and she brings 14 more to put a strain on a planet that is already full… that we only have 1 of! Aren’t there droughts going on in California right now as we speak and now 8 more want to drink. And what about the health of those involved? Having 8 kids isn’t just bad for the mothers body, there are huge possibilities for long term negative effects on the babies. Last,for all of you who gush over her and her “miracle” babies need to get a tissue and stop crying. These are not miracle babies they are the result of women monkey-ing around with science.- A
Posted 01/30/09 10:09 AM

Well “A” must have loving well adjusted children… I wonder if they tell them daily what a blight they are on the planet?- birdsfly
Posted 01/30/09 10:29 AM