Posted on 08/31/2003 9:10:30 AM PDT by kattracks
TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — Many of the child abuse and neglect cases dealt with by the state Division of Youth and Family Services involve people on the lower rungs of the economic ladder.Money apparently wasn't a problem for the Calbis. They lived in an upscale Bergen County town and, according to one official, the family was "fairly well off."
But Linda Calbi, who is charged with murdering her 14-year-old son, Matthew, in July, apparently had one thing in common with the parents in up to 85 percent of all child abuse and neglect cases. She had a substance abuse problem, officials said.
"We've lost another one of New Jersey's children at the hands of substance abuse and violence," said Colleen Maguire, DYFS special commissioner.
Efforts are under way to correct the internal problems that have plagued DYFS for years. Criticism due to the deaths this year of Matthew Calbi and two other children who had been in the agency's system have resulted in new administrators being hired, oversight panels being formed, and training being set up for workers.
Included in those reforms are steps aimed at making sure caseworkers can spot substance abuse and other problems before they lead to tragedy. State officials have also said they want to beef up resources that offer counseling and other services on substance abuse in an effort to cut down on one of the main causes of child abuse.
Bill Waldman, the former DYFS chief and commissioner of the state Department of Human Services, said experts agree that parental drug and alcohol problems play a large role in child abuse.
"It's certainly a very major contributing factor of abuse and neglect," said Waldman, a visiting professor at Rutgers University. "When a major function of their life is being under the influence, that doesn't necessarily comport with taking care of a child."
Drug and alcohol use also lower inhibitions that would normally prevent a parent from striking out at a child, he said.
Officials said last week that DYFS, outside social services agencies, police and educators did not communicate on obvious signs that Linda Calbi had a longtime drinking problem. They said that led DYFS workers to determine there was a low risk of violence in the family despite other signs that indicated abuse of the 14-year-old.
They said being able to root out that kind of information in the future could prevent violence to children. The key is a better partnership of those looking out for the welfare of youngsters, according to Maguire.
"Had we worked as a team we probably would have treated this family differently," Maguire said. "Instead we looked at everything in isolation."
A series of events that weren't added up by DYFS started with a March 2001 car accident Linda Calbi had while her two sons were in the vehicle. Police smelled alcohol on her breath but did not believe she was intoxicated, according to DYFS Director Edward Cotton.
In April 2002, school officials reported that the mother frequently came to meetings drunk, Cotton said. She was also charged with driving while intoxicated in September 2002 and overdosed on prescription drugs and alcohol in May 2003, he said.
Matthew Calbi had behavioral problems that added to the volatile mix in the family, according to Maguire.
"It appears that we have a mom who clearly couldn't handle Matt's behavior," she said. "Mom had her own issues."
But whenever Matthew and his brother were questioned in a series of dealings with DYFS, they said they rarely saw their mother drinking, Cotton said. She told agency workers she only had an occasional glass of wine with dinner.
Maguire said DYFS supervisors could have connected all of the ongoing problems by reviewing case records.
"We passively accepted input and failed to see the situation was escalating," Maguire said.
She said a quality-assurance system that was scrapped by the agency several years ago is being rebuilt. In addition, a special project begins this month that will bring in DYFS retirees to review cases that can be safely closed. The aim is to reduce workloads so staff members can focus more closely on all aspects of cases.
Which I'm sure also go back to the mother's drug use. It's sad these poor kids have to live with this kind of parent.
To me it looks like a combination of drug and alcohol abuse. But that's common with addicts.
Is this to be filed under "DUH"?
Yeah. Like he said, the problem is the mother's drug use.
I say we sentence alcohol drinkers to Draconian jail terms, confiscate their homes and cars, and take away their right to vote or own guns. After all, it's to protect the children.
Doesn't this case show what beastly things all alcohol users are capable of doing? Don't the rest of us decent citizens deserve protection from those worthless drug addicts?
-ccm
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