FAMILY WANTS CUSTODY OF STARVED KIDS KEPT AT HOTEL

 

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hZr3HGoX7b4E2-ROf8WIgHxVWWRQD99KCV2G1

By JEFF CARLTON (AP)

DALLAS — The aunt of three emaciated children forced to spend day and night in a hotel bathroom in Texas for at least nine months said Thursday that she and their grandmother want custody of the youngsters, who were placed in foster care together.

Sonia Santiago, the sister-in-law of the children’s mother, said Abneris Santiago has been deceiving family members about her life in Texas since moving from Florida with her boyfriend in late 2006.

Abneris Santiago, 30, is charged with injury to a child, and her boyfriend, Alfred Santiago, 37, faces charges of aggravated sexual assault and continuous sexual abuse. Both were being held at the Dallas County Jail, unable to make bail. They have the same last name but are not married.

Their attorneys did not return calls Thursday. Initial court appearances are scheduled for Aug. 3.

The children — an 11-year-old girl, a 10-year-old boy and a 5-year-old boy — and their 1-year-old sister, who is healthy, were placed with a foster family in Texas, said Marissa Gonzales, a spokeswoman for Child Protective Services. The three older children spent 10 days in a Dallas hospital before being released.

The 10-year-old boy, however, returned to the hospital recently and remains there. Gonzales declined to discuss his condition.

A status hearing is scheduled for September, Gonzales said.

“We’re still trying to work it out with CPS,” said Sonia Santiago, who lives in Lorain, Ohio. “We are just as interested in getting them as Grandma, and what is in the best interest of the kids will be what we work out. The kids, that’s all of our main focus.”

The three children, who have different fathers, and their 1-year-old sibling were found by Dallas police July 2 after Sonia Santiago and her husband, Abner, made the 1,200-mile drive from the Cleveland area. They came to check on Abner’s sister after Abneris Santiago called her mother in Tampa, Fla., saying her boyfriend was threatening to kill her and the children.

“She was crying and she said: `Mom, I cannot take no more of this monster. He is threatening me, and this monster is making my life miserable, making it a living hell,’” said Ruth Leon, Abneris’ mother.

Upon arriving in Dallas, Abner and Sonia Santiago picked up Abneris at the restaurant where she worked as a waitress, called for police assistance and then drove to the Budget Suites of America, an extended-stay hotel that sits along one of Dallas’ busiest freeways. The hotel has maid service, but it is optional and costs extra.

The 1-year-old, the daughter of Abneris and Alfred, was found in a crib. The other three were shut in the bathroom, authorities said.

It was apparent the children suffered from “serious physical, emotional and mental neglect,” according to the affidavit. The 10-year-old was covered in bruises.

Sonia Santiago did not go into the hotel room, but said her husband broke down when he returned to the car. She caught a glimpse of the children coming out.

“They were really bad,” she said, her voice faltering. “They were skin and bones.”

The 11-year-old told authorities that their mother left them with her boyfriend while she worked. She said they were allowed to leave the bathroom only when he took a shower and that they were regularly beaten and rarely fed.

“The older children talked about hiding food in their pockets or in shampoo bottles because they weren’t sure they would be fed again,” Gonzales said.

The girl told authorities she had been sexually abused by her mother’s boyfriend for at least three years. She described numerous rapes and said she was forced to perform oral sex on him. She also said the boyfriend threatened to kill her if she told her mother.

Gonzales said the children were “very skinny and dirty and unkempt.” The 11-year-old told authorities the children has been forced to stay in the bathroom since October, with one sleeping in the tub and two sharing the floor. It wasn’t clear if they had been there since 2007 or 2008.

Sonia Santiago said she believed they had been at the hotel for about 18 months. She said her sister-in-law and her boyfriend moved from Florida to Dallas nearly three years ago, ostensibly to care for Alfred Santiago’s ailing mother.

“At this point, I don’t believe anything she’s ever said,” Sonia Santiago said.

In an interview from jail, Alfred Santiago said he did nothing wrong and he considers himself the victim. He said the three children were a danger to his daughter and accused them of pouring urine on the baby.

“The one who is being disrespected right now is I, because I’m the one who’s being abused,” he told The Dallas Morning News. “What I was doing is protecting my baby daughter from her kids. What I did was I did not leave my daughter out of my sight.”

He also told the newspaper that the children were to blame for their poor health because of their refusal to eat “mountains of rice, of chicken, of pork chops, of hot dogs.”

“They were skinny because they were not eating the food,” he said. “I’m not ashamed to say it, I was feeding them, but they were not eating their food.”

TWO-YEAR-OLD DIES UNDER FOSTER CARE

Foster Child Death Update -

 

http://www.kztv10.com/news2005/viewarticle.asp?a=9456

Action Ten News has received new information about the Alice foster family who had a two-year-old girl die under their watch Monday.

Child Protective Services told Action 10 News on Thursday that the foster parents are licensed to care for children with medical needs. Two-year-old Jenesis Gomez suffered from treacher colis syndrome, only allowing her to eat and breathe through a tube.

The foster family is also licensed to care for up to six children. They currently have two children.

In 2008, the family was cited for leaving their children in the care of nurses and home health care providers.

Jenesis was only in the foster family’s care for four days before she died.

The foster family received Jenesis from a hospital where she was being treated for an infection in the tube that allowed her to eat and breathe. While at the hospital, she tested positive for cocaine.

Before being taken to the hospital, Jenesis was in the care of a biological aunt who had been recently arrested for possession of a controlled substance, according to the Child Protective Service’s removal affidavit.

Jenesis’s biological mother, Ashley Silva, told Action Ten News Wednesday that she believes her daughter’s death is the foster family’s fault. She said she was told that Jenesis had pulled out her own trache tube. Silva said she refuses to believe that.

“She did not do that,” Silva said. “She knows to protect herself. She knows that’s her airways.”

Residential Child Care Licensing, a division under the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services, is investigating the foster family. Child Protective Services is also under the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services.

 

Two-Year-Old Dies Under Foster Care -

 

Child Protective Services is investigating a family whose foster child died Monday.

 

http://www.kztv10.com/news2005/viewarticle.asp?a=9453

The biological mother blames CPS for putting her two-year-old little girl into the wrong hands, but why the child was placed in CPS in the first place may offer another point of view.

Two-year-old Jenesis Gomez was born with treacher collins syndrome, a disease characterized by facial deformities. Before she died Monday, she depended on a tube to eat and breathe.

Jenesis’s mother, Ashley Silva, said she was told that the toddler removed her own tube on Monday. Silva said she refuses to believe this.

“She did not do that,” Silva said. “She knows to protect herself. She knows that’s her airways.”

Silva said she believes it is the foster family’s fault because she thinks they did not help Jenesis get her tube back in.

“If they were there to assist her, she would have been alive,” Silva said. “I know it. I’m telling you.”

Even if Jenesis was still alive, though, it’s likely she would be with a foster family. During Jenesis’s short life, she has lived with various family members, many of whom have been arrested for drugs.

In fact, the toddler herself tested positive for cocaine less than two weeks ago. Doctors discovered this when she was at Driscoll Children’s Hospital for an infection to her trach tube. Jenesis was then placed with a foster family upon being released from the hospital.

She was only with the family for four days before she died.

Action Ten News asked CPS how the baby could have died under state care. John Lennan, a public information officer for Child Protective Services, replied that the child was medically fragile.

CPS will continue to investigate the foster family to find out what happened.

MAN ARRESTED IN FATAL CHILD ABUSE CASE, FACES MURDER CHARGES

 

http://www.keyt.com/news/local/51343867.html

Lompoc, CA– The man accused of killing a 4-year-old Lompoc boy as a result of child abuse, is facing murder charges.

James Lujan was arrested Saturday night for death of Diego Calles. Calles was rushed to the hospital after his mother called 911. Calles died at the hospital.

After an initial investigation, Lompoc Police had reason to believe Lujan had abused the boy, causing injuries that resulted in his death.

On Tuesday, Lujan was scheduled to appear in a Lompoc court for his arraignment, but that was postponed to early August.

The Lompoc District Attorney’s Office says, Lujan is facing one count of murder, assault on a child causing death, felony causing injury to a spouse or child’s parent.

Lujan does have a prior abuse conviction.

Story Created: Jul 21, 2009 at 2:27 PM PDT

Story Updated: Jul 21, 2009 at 5:57 PM PDT

DID FLORIDA GOV. CHARLIE CRIST BLOW OFF CONCERNS OF OVER-MEDICATED FOSTER CHILDREN?

Gov. Charlie Crist urged to stop ‘chemical restraint’ of foster kids

 

A pair of adoptive parents are urging Gov. Charlie Crist and lawmakers to stop the `chemical restraint’ of children in state care.

 

http://www.miamiherald.com/news/legislature/story/1153602.html

BY MARC CAPUTO

Herald/Times Tallahassee Bureau

TALLAHASSEE — As Gov. Charlie Crist barnstormed the state to boast about record adoptions in Florida, two adoptive parents urged him Tuesday to go a step further and stop what they called the “chemical restraint” of over-medicated children in state care.

Mirko and Regina Ceska told Crist that when they adopted their two 12-year-old children last year, each was taking 11 pills daily, including the powerful anti-psychotic drug, Seroquel.

“These girls were overdosed and would fall asleep right in front of us several times a day,” Mirko Ceska said.

“It seems to be a prerequisite for foster children to be on medication,” he added. “So many are on psychotropic drugs.”

The Crawfordville couple weaned the girls off their medication, and their behavior markedly improved, they said.

Crist thanked the Ceskas for their story but focused his comments on declaring July 22 “Explore Adoption Day” and touting the record-breaking number of adoptions last year in Florida: 3,700. (who cares if their drugged…adopt them anyway!!! sarcasm intended)

Crist also appeared to soften his support for Florida’s ban on gay adoptions, by saying he’d “have to see” whether he’d support legislation that would lift the ban.

LINKED TO SUICIDE

Shortly after the Ceskas spoke, Crist’s head of the Department of Children and Families, George Sheldon, asked them to testify Friday in Tampa before a special panel that’s investigating the April suicide of a Margate 7-year-old, Gabriel Myers.

Like the Ceskas’ adopted children, Gabriel was prescribed a number of medications including a psychotropic drug. One of the drugs, the anti-depressant Symbyax, isn’t supposed to be prescribed to children and has been linked to suicidal behavior.

The committee’s findings — and testimony such as the Ceskas’ — will likely form the backbone of legislation aimed at curbing and improving the monitoring of prescription drugs for minors in state care.

MEDICATED

Of the 20,000 children in state care, about 3,100 or 15.5 percent are medicated, primarily with psychotropic drugs, Sheldon said. In the general population, he said, about 4 to 5 percent of children are on some medication.

A DCF study of the 268 6- and 7-year-olds medicated while in state care found that child-welfare doctors and case managers routinely failed to complete legally required treatment plans, share information or properly document the prescribing of powerful psychiatric drugs.

“Nobody has studied the interactions of those drugs children are being prescribed, which makes it a very frightening situation,” said Andrea Moore, a Broward attorney and child advocate.

Regina Ceska, a nurse, said she and her husband found a “shocking” number of children in the foster system appear to be medicated with Seroquel, which she said shouldn’t be used on children.

“This is, in my profession, considered a chemical restraint,” she said.

Sheldon said children in the foster-care system might require more medication, but it’s not clear how many kids are being over-prescribed psychotropic drugs. He said the Ceskas’ testimony helps shed light on the problem.

“Regrettably, the story they’re telling is far too common,” Sheldon said. Marc Caputo can be reached at mcaputo@MiamiHerald.com

CLARKSBURG COUPLE CHARGED WTIH DEATH OF INFANT DAUGHTER

Clarksburg Couple Charged With Death of Infant Daughter

 

http://www.wdtv.com/news/local/51308427.html

WDTV News

Leslie Rubin

Story Created: Jul 21, 2009 at 10:20 AM EDT

(Story Updated: Jul 21, 2009 at 6:20 PM EDT )

A Clarksburg couple is behind bars and charged with the death of their baby daughter.

Last Friday, William Echard, 27, was charged with three counts of child abuse with serious injury for shaking his five month old infant daughter. The incident allegedly happened Thursday night.

Now, the charges have changed, and his girlfriend is also behind bars.

Echard now faces charges of death of child by parent by child abuse. He was arraigned on the new charges Tuesday afternoon and Magistrate Keith Marple set bond at $250,000.

The mother of the child and Echard’s girlfriend, Amber Messenger, 22, was arrested Tuesday morning and charged with allowing death of a child by parent or guardian. Her bond is set at $100,000.

Harrison County Sheriff’s deputies say Echard held the child under her arms and shook her back and forth with such force that the child’s retinas became detached and the brain began to swell.

Investigators say the baby was also dropped on it’s head during previous incidents, crushing the child’s skull.

According to the criminal complaint, Messenger knew about the abuse during and after it, and never called for help for the child. She allegedly went back to sleep with Echard until they were awaken by the grandmother telling them the child was not breathing properly.

The complaint also says Messenger lied to doctors and nurses about the facts of the abuse.

Harrison County Sheriff Albert Marano says UHC informed them of what was going on. Right now, they do not believe any other children were involved, but say the investigation is still ongoing.

UPDATE ON THE TAMAIHYA MOORE CASE

Sacto woman guilty of murdering foster child

 

http://www.mercurynews.com/breakingnews/ci_12884248?nclick_check=1

The Associated Press

Posted: 07/21/2009 01:42:00 PM PDT

Updated: 07/21/2009 01:42:00 PM PDT

SACRAMENTO, Calif.—A jury has convicted a former Sacramento foster mother for suffocating a 17-month-old girl who had been placed in her care.

Twenty-six-year-old Tamekca Evett Walker was found guilty Monday of second-degree murder and child abuse in the Oct. 22, 2007 death.

Child Protective Services had placed Tamaihya Moore in Walker’s care after the girl’s father had been arrested.

Prosecutor say Walker admitted that the child cried incessantly and that she had held her hand over her mouth “until she stopped.” According to court documents, a coroner’s examination of the girl’s body had evidence of internal injuries and a diaper rash that resulted in burns and bleeding.

Walker is scheduled for sentencing on Aug. 29.

BOY’S DEATH PROMPTS DFCS REVIEW

 

http://www.forsythnews.com/news/article/2980/

By Jennifer Sami

Staff Writer

jennifersami@forsythnews.com

POSTED July 21, 2009 1:39 p.m.

State agencies are looking into what went wrong following the beating death of a 6-year-old boy in Forsyth County.

The state Office of the Child Advocate and Department of Family and Children Services, or DFCS, is investigating at least four reports of abuse in the Valley Lane home.

The reports include information about Bryan Guzman-Moreno, a special needs child who authorities say was beaten to death Thursday by the live-in boyfriend of his mother, Laura Moreno.

Eder Acosta, 20, is being held at the Forsyth County Jail on charges of felony murder, aggravated battery and cruelty to children.

Acosta, who was arrested Saturday, was the father of Moreno’s 1-year-old son. Guzman-Moreno and his 11-year-old brother were siblings from a different father.

It was the 11-year-old brother who filed the third and most recent report with DFCS in January.

Thomas C. Rawlings, director of the child advocate office, which oversees DFCS and works to improve state and private services for children and families, said the boy was “afraid to go to his mother’s because she and her boyfriend were always fighting.”

“And also, one time, Eder hit Bryan really hard in the leg with his fist because he wouldn’t go to the bathroom,” Rawlings said.

The report was consistent with a September 2008 account indicating Guzman-Moreno had a big bruise on his thigh that appeared to be caused by a hand.

It also supported a domestic violence report from 2006. Though DFCS investigated the September report, Rawlings said abuse could not be verified.

“I am of course concerned whereas the first incident was unsubstantiated, the third report … seems to give some additional validity to that first report,” he said.

Between the September and January incidents, another report was made saying the 6-year-old had scratches on his face. The report, made in November, was “screened out,” Rawlings said.

“I mean, they didn’t even investigate that,” he said. “What we hope to get to the bottom of is, given the earlier two allegations that were of physical abuse, what exactly DFCS did in order to really get back to the bottom of those reports.

“I think if you have repeated reports that should give a reasonable social worker cause to look more carefully,”

The department’s electronic files go back only a few years. Rawlings said it will take him a while to search farther back for possible previous incidents at the home.

In addition to gathering more information, Rawlings said the goal is to improve on the current system used by DFCS in responding to abused children.

The death of Guzman-Moreno, described in reports as being “significantly developmentally delayed,” could also lead to better handling of cases involving children with special needs, Rawlings said.

“It may be that we need to make sure that if you’re working with a child who is developmentally disabled or non-verbal or autistic … that you need to do more,” he said. “It may be that there should be tighter policies and practices around repeated incidents of abuse.”

Taka Wiley, DFCS spokeswoman, said the case is being reviewed, adding Department Director Michael Washington is concerned.

“Maybe we missed some of the signs, maybe we missed asking the right questions or bringing in the right experts, the right specialists in making the right decisions at the time,” she said.

“We’re not exactly sure what was missed … but it is very, very important that we learn what we missed, why we missed it and how we can improve our practice so that it doesn’t happen again.”

Rawlings said he was encouraged by Washington’s concern over the case.

“We don’t necessarily want to fault people for not seeing in hindsight what might have happened,” he said. “You study bad things that happen in order to prevent more bad things from happening. That’s what we do.

“We look at this as an opportunity to learn.”

COUPLE LEAVES YOUNG FOSTER CHILDREN ALONE, TO GO SWIMMING

Holly couple arrested for child neglect in Florida

 

Kimberly Simmons

Stephen Simmons

 

 

 

 

 

http://www.freep.com/article/20090721/NEWS06/90721063/1008/NEWS/Holly-couple-arrested-for-child-neglect-in-Florida

By GINA DAMRON • FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER • July 21, 2009

A Holly couple was arrested Friday for child neglect in Florida after they left two young foster children they were caring for in a hotel room while they went to the resort’s pool.

According to the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, Kimberly and Stephen Simmons left the children, ages 2 and 4, unattended at Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort for more than two hours and only returned after being asked to do so by resort staff.

A housekeeper found the children alone, without food or water. Security from Walt Disney World contacted police, according to a sheriff’s office incident report.

The report says “the children could have opened the door to the room and wandered the grounds of the resort. The room is on the second floor with a railed balcony the children could have slipped through.”

Security tried calling the couple and searched the resort for them. The Simmons were eventually located at one of the swimming pools and asked to return to the room.

Kimberly Simmons, 41, told police she had placed the children down for a nap and then went to the pool with their 6-year-old nephew. Stephen Simmons, 49, according to the report, “also seemed okay with this arrangement.”

The couple was arrested for neglecting the children.

Each posted $2,000 bond and were released from jail, said Allen Moore, a spokesman for the Orange County Corrections Department. The couple has not yet been arraigned. Moore said that typically occurs about 30 days after the arrest.

Carrie Hoeppner, spokeswoman for Florida’s Department of Children and Families, said protective services officials from Michigan picked up the two children Monday and brought them back to Michigan. The nephew was picked up by family, Hoeppner said. Colleen Steinman, a spokeswoman for Michigan’s Department of Human Services, said she couldn’t comment on “what our involvement is.”

According to police reports, the couple has had custody of the children for nearly two years.

Kimberly Simmons also told police that she’s a counselor in Michigan for a school, has a master’s degree and “indicated she was aware of what she had done and how to care for children.” (Which she sure has demonstrated here!)

TEXAS IS FIT FOR FOSTER CHILDREN FAMILIES

 

 http://oakhillgazette.com/default.asp?sourceid=&smenu=112&twindow=Default&mad=No&sdetail=2289&wpage=&skeyword=&sidate=&ccat=&ccatm=&restate=&restatus=&reoption=&retype=&repmin=&repmax=&rebed=&rebath=&subname=&pform=&sc=1846&hn=oakhillgazette&he=.net

Jeff Wentworth, State Senator, District 25

22.JUL.09

The Texas Legislature took a stand during the 81st Legislative Session to protect some of the state’s most vulnerable citizens: foster children.

Along with numerous bills to expand benefits for children in the foster care system, the Legislature passed a budget that provides a three percent increase in reimbursement payments for foster parents.

In Texas, more than 25,000 children are in state custody, 6,000 of whom are eligible for adoption. Research has demonstrated numerous benefits for children who are placed in the care of a relative, and several bills were passed this session to encourage such placement.

In addition to the pay increase for foster parents, kinship providers who are eligible to receive permanency care benefits will now receive monthly payments from the Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS), as established by Senate Bill 2080. The bill also allows for reimbursement of up to $2,000 in non-recurring expenses incurred by a kinship provider while obtaining permanent managing conservatorship of a child.

Senate Bill 1723 requires DFPS to develop informational manuals for voluntary caregivers providing temporary care for children who are the subject of an investigation by the agency. The manuals must include information about the caregiver’s role and how to obtain any documentation necessary to provide for the child’s needs.

A new set of challenges appears when youth transition out of the foster care system at age 18, many lacking the resources and experience needed to live on their own, such as managing a bank account or obtaining housing and employment. Research shows a high risk of negative outcomes for these children, including poverty, homelessness, or incarceration.

Although DFPS attempts to prepare foster children for adult living, improvements are needed. House Bill 1912 lowers the age for transitional living services from 16 to 14 and requires DFPS to assess each youth’s individual needs. The agency must develop a plan to ensure youth receive the documents they need to live independently, such as driver’s licenses, identification cards, birth certificates, and Social Security cards.

Youth leaving foster care may also need additional time and support before realizing the benefits of higher education. For this reason, Senate Bill 43 extends the maximum age from 21 to 25 for a student who has been in foster care to enroll in an institution of higher education and receive a tuition and fee exemption. The bill also encourages foster children to participate in dual credit programs in high school.

To assess the many other needs and challenges within Texas’ foster care system, House Bill 2225 establishes an adoption review committee, which will work with DFPS over the next two years to perform an extensive review of the system.

Thousands of Texas children await a loving home. While these bills reflect the Legislature’s commitment to protecting foster children, more must be done to encourage adoption and kinship care placements. If you are interested in learning about foster care, kinship care, or adoption, helpful resources may be found at www.dfps.state.tx.us.

SCRUTINIZE HANDLING OF ETHAN NEIDERBACH CASE

 

http://www.desmoinesregister.com/article/20090721/OPINION03/907210382/-1/BUSINESS04

July 21, 2009

It sometimes takes a tragedy to remind people of the importance of protecting children from abuse. And it doesn’t get much more tragic than the story of Ethan Neiderbach.

On May 27, 2009, this Des Moines infant was born with a controlled substance in his body. A few weeks later, he was taken to the hospital with a broken arm. Less than a month after that, he arrived at the hospital “lifeless,” according to a police report. Staff revived him with CPR and treated him for life-threatening injuries, including head trauma and fractured ribs. (Why was this child left in this home?  He should have been removed when he tested positive for drugs at birth!  The Iowa CPS failed this child repeatedly and should be held accountable for this child’s death…I don’t care what this news stations says, Iowa CPS is responsible for what happened to this baby!)

Doctors have said injuries appear to have been intentionally inflicted, and the baby’s parents have been arrested and charged with multiple acts of child endangerment.

From the very beginning, the Iowa Department of Human Services has been involved. State social workers are rightly notified when a newborn tests positive for drugs, and evaluate each situation on a case-by-case basis to determine safety. In fact, social workers were setting up safety measures for Ethan when he was hospitalized with head injuries.

Now the agency is pursuing an internal review of the case to make sure procedures were followed, and Gov. Chet Culver said the Division of Criminal Investigation could be called to help.

Everyone – from hospital staff to relatives to state workers – should be scrutinized. Procedures, including how hospitals evaluate injured children to the steps social workers take when they are notified of abuse, must be looked at. If needed, changes should be made.

The truth is, there is nothing simple about the work of protecting children. All involved are charged with making judgments – sometimes life or death judgments – in an effort to keep children safe. Sometimes they have to balance a child’s safety against the trauma of being removed from their family and placed in foster care. And in most cases, a child can only be removed if a judge approves it.

Every day, doctors, teachers and neighbors make decisions about whether to report suspected abuse to state authorities. Last fiscal year, the Department of Human Services completed 22,180 assessments of child-abuse allegations. In one-third of those cases, social workers determined abuse occurred. Workers determine whether children should stay in their homes, receive services, be placed with a relative or moved to foster care.

When it comes to child abuse, hindsight is virtually always 20/20. After the fact, it’s usually clear what should have been done differently.

But when it comes to Ethan, there are no do-overs. So let’s hope his story can offer ways to better move forward – specifically by ensuring adequate child protection in Iowa, which means ensuring adequate funding to do that job.

Because protecting children isn’t free. It takes dollars. Like all states, Iowa is facing difficult budget times. Last year, in the midst of budget cuts, economic-stimulus dollars helped shore up human services and avoid cuts that would have put those already at risk in greater danger.

Next year, this state faces the looming threat of revenue shortfalls and few stimulus dollars. Lawmakers will have the difficult task of working with less money while trying to maintain vital services. The agency charged with protecting children could be facing huge cuts – unacceptable cuts.

Ethan Neiderbach is a reminder to lawmakers that services designed to protect vulnerable Iowans cannot be on the chopping block.

Iowans can debate the role of government – whether it should be more or less involved in everything from health care to gun regulation to abortion rights.

Still, most of us would agree that one of the most fundamental roles of government should be adequately protecting Iowans who can’t protect themselves. Infants can’t protect themselves. Iowa needs to have the procedures in place and adequate resources to do that job.