UPDATED:BAN Mandatory Reporting?

Did the Title get your attention??

If so, please read on

Any comments MOST Appreciated

 >>Recording as a Vital tool to seek the TRUTH>> "Speak Your Mind".
Take the "Parent Survey"
Go Now
>> Teachers are Mandated Reporters>> Check this Out

Hey, I'm not the one that suggested this, but this is one of five recommendations by one, who was high up on the agency Food Chain. (Please note: More than likely she was on the little known "Black List" since a bit after writing her paper, she lost this position.)
 
Link to download Paper>>"Child Protection at a Crossroads" http://nfpcar.org/.../Child_Protection_at_the_Crossroads.pdf ~~~~~~~~~~~~~#4 of 5 recommendations~~~~

4. Repeal mandatory reporting laws that are in effect in all the states.

Mandatory reporting laws, designed to encourage those who work with children to report incidents of maltreatment, have served their intended purpose of raising public awareness and have had unintended consequences. These laws create two negative effects. 

• First, they encourage unnecessary reporting because professionals must report all of their suspicions under threat of prosecution. While such prosecutions are rare, one should not have to report suspicions. Reporting should be restricted to more concrete evidence of a crime.

Since mandatory reports were required, reports have increased exponentially. In 1968, CPS agencies took in 11,000 reports; in 1975 (the first year after CAPTA), CPS had 294,796 reports; now they handle one million with low substantiation rates.

• Second, mandatory reporting discourages fellow citizens from taking positive neighborhood action with families in trouble. 

Some evidence suggests that depression and social isolation are contributing factors to maltreatment, particularly chronic neglect. Citizens tend to consider that their responsibilities have been met when they call an anonymous hotline, because that is what the law tells them to do. Knocking on the door and offering help to a troubled family not engaged in criminal behavior, may be the more appropriate alternative.
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Okay, maybe this is too much to expect the agency to do
since they have been in business for 40 years?

FOLLOWUP: Many in CA are trying to get Donnelly to either carry on the issue of Recording. and/or suggest another one in the Assembly. However, his staff  said he isn't going to carry on. Nor hasn't suggest another in the Assembly.

As a Team of dedicated Family Advocates in CA, we can only assume, at this point, Donnelly was more interested in the possible Governorship, than Our precious Families.

If anyone in CA would like to be involved in this issue, please give me a jingle at gpc.publication@gmail.com Thank You.

YES,  Assembleman Tim Donnelly , CA, presented a bill, AB 1828  to the HHR Review Committee and it was unanimously  

Rejected.

Since it didn't even get through the committee.

 The bill was centered on video taping ALL interviews with those involved of alleged Abuse and/or Neglect.

To me this Rejection is Very Sad, since in the name of "Due Process", video taping could be beneficial to both sides. But alas those who apposed the bill said, it would be too much $$$$ to get the video equipment to do such a thing. 

Yipes, I thought to myself.. Isn't that what we should ALL be concerned about is finding the TRUTH??

• Testimony for AB 1828. Not enough testifiers. No surprise at the opposition testimony. A picture is worth a thousand words for anyone who wants to submit a bill. Scroll to 1 hour, 2 minutes. http://calchannel.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?view_id=7&clip_id=2009  

• Governor candidate wants to abolish CPS, start over - April 9, 2014

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  Remember- If you don't know your Rights,
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  May you find Strength in Your Higher Power,
  GranPa Chuck
  Researcher, Editor, Publisher
  

   

Defend the Vote

365 Days of Voter Protection Starting Tuesday, Nov. 5

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With your help, Common Cause is launching
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Step up and help Common Cause Defend The Vote with a donation toward crucial voter protection work ahead of the 2014 midterms.

Common Cause has activists coast-to-coast and chapters in 35 states. We're already witnessing cynical, sweeping efforts to deny eligible citizens their right to be heard:

* In Texas, an outrageous voter ID law previously blocked by the Department of Justice under the VRA has taken effect -- threatening ballot access for women and minorities across the state.

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Help fuel our Defend The Vote election protection work every day of the coming year -- and make sure every vote is counted in 2014.

Our democracy relies on a simple principle. The politicians who win the most votes get elected -- not the ones who block the most votes. It's up to you and Common Cause to keep it that way.
Thanks for stepping up,

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Now on sale as a hardcopy:

Standing InThe Shadow of the Law

Special Edition - Expanded and   More information than Original Version By Marilyn Harrison
 Learn More>>
         http://nfpcar.org/Shadow/Hardcopy Now Available>> Purchase Now ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Retrospective on U.S. Judicial Reform - Online Discussion

Let's Gather Again Around The Virtual Round Table

This Thursday - October 17, 2013 at 7:00 pm CT, attorney Michael McCray and NFOJA’s own Dr. Andrew D. Jackson will join your host, Zena Crenshaw-Logal, at “The Virtual Round Table” to discuss this remarkably important topic: “Third Branch Triage, 2013 -- A Retrospective on U.S. Judicial Reform Advocacy". Click Here to Learn More Please note that this broadcast begins at 7 pm Central Time and 8 pm Eastern Time.  To calculate the time for your area, visit http://www.timezoneconverter.com/cgi-bin/tzc.tzc

Visit NFOJA at: http://50states.ning.com/?xg_source=msg_mes_network
 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Related Reading:

 Basic Example of a Strong Defense 

• Importance of Creating Your Law Book

•  Outline Template to Organize Your Thoughts

  
   ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
  
  

  Now on sale as a hardcopy:
  Standing InThe Shadow of the Law

  
   
  Special Edition - Expanded and   More information than Original VersionBy Marilyn Harrison
   
           http://nfpcar.org/Shadow/Hardcopy Now Available>> Purchase Now ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
  

  May you find Strength in Your Higher Power,

   GranPa Chuck

    "We the "Little" People"

      Defend Yourself http://nfpcar.org/Jurisdictionary/

    My Family Reform Blog
    My Family Rights Affiliation

  
  

"They Kidnapped Our Child": Why CPS Needs Transparency

Do closely check out this video. In the first 3 minutes, all of us should know the story of "Baby Sammy"..
But after that hear the short clips starting with Assemblyman Donnelly and then those in the agency, with comments from victims of CPS.

Ask yourself, is this Alleged Confidentiality for the Protection of the Children and/or those involved...
OR is it for those Agents of the Child Protective agency who even gained their power to:

1. Protect Child;
2. Strengthen Families.

Myself and many of my Affiliates have shared stories for over 15 years with Parents, Relatives, and Care Givers, who have been involved with the agency. I can only say have these hundreds of people been lying about the tactics used by the agency????

Many thanks to Reason.tv for sharing this video, and the text provided below this video.

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May you find Strength in Your Higher Power
Granpa Chuck
My Affiliation

**

Published on Aug 13, 2013

In April 2013, police officers and a social worker from Sacramento County's Child Protective Services entered the home of Anna and Alex Nikolayev and took their baby, Sammy, away from them. They had no warrant.

"What they'd done was, basically, kidnapped our child with the help of police," says Alex Nikolayev. The young, first-time parents were not notified of where Sammy was being taken and wouldn't find out for a full 24 hours. According to the Nikolayevs, the dispute stemmed from the parents' desire to obtain a second medical opinion before subjecting Sammy to major heart surgery.

The Nikolayev's story made national headlines thanks to footage from a camcorder Anna Nikolayev set up on the kitchen table. It also caught the attention of California Assemblyman Tim Donnelly, who spearheaded an audit of the agency. "The secrecy by which CPS operates is a massive problem. Because when you have secrecy and unchecked power, you have a recipe for corruption and abuse," says Donnelly.

The secrecy surrounding CPS stems from the nature of California's juvenile dependency courts, which only allow limited press access and seal all court records. While media and other interested parties can petition the court to open the records, this can be a lengthy process and by no means guarantees results. ReasonTV petitioned the court to open the records in the Nikolayev's case and, almost two months later, we have still not received a ruling from the judge.

The issue of funding is one that many critics of CPS are quick to raise, most prominently and frequently by the late Georgia state senator Nancy Schaefer. While the funding incentives for any government agency are complicated and seemingly impossible to divine, Orange County Social Services Agency Director Michael Riley, who oversees Orange County CPS, testified in a deposition related to Hardwick's case that putting more children into the foster system can boost the agency's budget.

"Let's say you spend ten dollars a year. So, then, for the following year, your base then would be ten dollars," says Riley. The lawyer questioning Riley then points out that failure to use the entire base would result in a lowering of the base for the next year. He then asks Riley if the funding stream is tied to how many children they bring into Orange County's children's home, Orangewood.

"It's tied to the number of children we have in the foster system," says Riley.

We reached out to both Sacramento County and Orange County Social Services Agencies in the production of this story, and representatives with both were happy to talk with us. However, because of the closed dependency courts, neither representative could comment on details of specific cases. The absurdity of this charade reached such heights that Sherri Heller, who runs Sacramento County's Health and Human Services, told us that she could not even confirm nor deny that Sacramento County CPS was even involved in the Nikolayev case, despite widespread reporting and video evidence that it was. It's not just parents and children who suffer from the secrecy. CPS workers and their managers say they are not happy about this situation either and feel that more openness and transparency would help them to communicate their side of the story clearly.

"Most of us in this field are eager for the public to understand what happened and why," says Heller. "It is a source of great dismay to us when we are accused of hiding behind the confidentiality law."

In the immediate wake of the Nikolayev case, parents gathered in Sacramento to support the audit and testify in front of the audit committee. The audit is set to proceed in the next few months, and the auditor will choose three county agencies to examine. But for parents like Deanna Hardwick, who's experienced the power of this agency first-hand, a state-level audit is just the beginning of a broader movement towards transparency and accountability.

"Once the American people are able to be made aware that this is going on, I think that will be a real step forward towards making sure that there's accountability and making sure that the agency is working towards keeping families together rather than separating them," says Hardwick.

About 10 minutes.

Produced by Zach Weissmueller. Camera by Paul Detrick, Tracy Oppenheimer, and Weissmueller.

Visit http://reason.com/reasontv/2013/08/12... for full text, supporting links, and downloadable versions. And subscribe to Reason TV's YouTube Channel to receive automatic notifications when new material goes live.

• Category News & Politics

• License Standard YouTube License

Allegation Defense OR Prevention???

In one of the many groups I participate in, to know ALL sides of any issue,  a reply to a member was given. For those in Foster Care, this may be of concern?

______________________________________

Reply by member:
1)“...One of my biggest pet peeves is that the MAPP and PRIDE trainings are totally insufficient to prepare anyone to foster. They focus mostly on the children that you will have in your home, however, do not concentrate on allegations and/or documentation..”

In addition:2) “…I think it should be mandatory upon becoming licensed that every foster parent have some kind of legal protection…...
New Mexico has a unique approach to fostering. They have placed the fostering system under the state insurance umbrella, a good start....”

• My additional Comments on 1):

I most firmly agree with 1). Only to add None of us are truly prepared to defend ourselves when the Agency comes knocking at our door.

However, a while back in our discussion group, this same issue was brought up.. And myself, being a curious sort, plus looking for more information to add to our NFPCAR website, I did a bit of research on if there were any courses to address this issue. And to my surprise, I did find one “Allegation Prevention – Interactive”-3.0 hours training credits, presented by Foster Care & Adoptive Community.

So I purchased this course for $4.95.. And then started reading. (Download Course)

The first paragraph was very encouraging: “Accusations can happen to a foster parent at any time. They are always "at risk". There is no suit of armor to protect them from erroneous allegations. It isn't a matter of "if" a foster home will have an allegation, it is a matter of "when". There are, however, many things a foster family can do to minimize the risk of allegations. This course is designed to make you aware of the steps you can take to lower the risk of accusal..”

However, after going through the course, I came to the same conclusion   ie “do not concentrate on allegations and/or documentation..”

But, I encourage everyone to read this course and see what they think. I have attached it for your review.

In addition, I have listed links relating to False Allegations, one may want to review at the bottom of this post.

And do send me your comments on the Questions that are asked at the end of this training document. BTW, I still did reply for my 3 hours of training.

FYI, here are the questions:

1. After having read this course, what might you change or do differently in your home?

2. What frightens you the most about being a foster parent?

3. What in this course surprised you the most regarding the possibility of allegation

4. What tips or experiences would you like to share with other foster parents?

Comments on 2):

“…I think it should be mandatory upon becoming licensed that every foster parent have some kind of legal protection…”

I agree. However, and unfortunately, those who are and/or have been Foster Care Givers, are in reality “Contracted” by the agency.. And, through time, subtle changes in statutes, this has come to mean, you, as a Foster Care Giver are responsible for yourself. Yes, hard to believe, since the agency may say, and/or express the thoughts that “We are a Team??”

Let me drift a bit to share a story of the Agencies alleged “Team Approach”

For those of you who are old enough, in our Western Character World, there were two heros.. ie the Lone Ranger and Tonto… They traveled together throughout the West to Stop the Bad Guys harming other innocent people.

One day, while they were traveling in the open lands, they were confronted by a group of hostile Indians.

So, the Long Ranger asks Tonto, “What are we going to do??”

Tonto’s reply was, “What do you mean Pale Face?”

May you find Strength in your higher power,

Granpa Chuck

1.   Search Results

1.    False Allegations: One Foster Parent's Story - Fostering Perspectives

www.fosteringperspectives.org/fp_vol7no1/implications.htm

Indeed, allegations of abuse and neglect by foster parents are found to be ... nsufficient training and support from DSS can contribute to these situations. In other ...

2.    False Allegations: One Foster Parent's Story - Fostering Perspectives

www.fosteringperspectives.org/fp_vol7no1/accusations.htm

False Allegations: One Foster Parent's Story ... future MAPP training in her ...

Show more results from fosteringperspectives.org

3.    Foster Care

www.abcadoptions.com/foster.htm

Foster Parent Allegations False Allegations...the Dark Side of Foster Care. Allegations ... Online training for new & licensed foster parents. Hannah and Her ...

4.    National Foster Parent Coalition for Allegation Reform

www.nfpcar.org/

Featured Power Point Training ... 80 percent of allegations are false. ... An Organization Originated by Foster Parents Falsely Accused, but has Evolved to ...

5.    Online Guide to Adopting from Foster Care - False Allegations -

foster-child.adoption.com/parents/false-allegations-2.html

These statistics from the National Foster Parent Association, paint a bleak picture. ... If you are parenting a child who has a history of making false allegations, make .... Even if your toddler-aged child is potty trained before he or she comes into ...

6.    NACAC | Parent Groups

www.nacac.org/parentgroups/allegations.html

As a parent group leader, you probably already know that false allegations of .... of your local foster care association) who might provide training for your group. ...

7.    Handling False Allegations of Child Abuse and Neglect

www.childwelfare.gov › Adoption › Parenting After Adoption

False Abuse Allegations: What Parents Can Do: A Checklist Laws (2002) Suggests what adoptive and foster parents can do to protect themselves from false ...

8. [PDF] 

2.    Child Safety: Curricula for Staff and Foster Parents by Susan ...

www.hunter.cuny.edu/socwork/.../Child_Safety_Curricula_Staff.pdf

File Format: PDF/Adobe Acrobat - Quick View
1. careful selection, preparation, and training of foster parents;. 2. staff adequately ... in foster homes, and that false allegations are made, and is nonjudgmental. ...

9.    Foster Parents; False Allegations! Part 1 of 3. - National Foster ...

www.examiner.com/foster.../foster-parents-false-allegations-part-1-of...

Aug 18, 2011 – Foster Parents; False Allegations! ... In almost all training classes for foster parents someone invariably raises their hand to ask about this storm, ...

10. false allegation « FosterParentTraining.com

www.fosterparenttraining.com/?tag=false-allegation

Online Training for Foster Parent Relicensing; Accepted by most agencies. Parent Project Online - Changing Destructive Adolescent Behavior.