Posted on 05/08/2008 5:54:21 AM PDT by MizSterious
"It's the plan that has to address the permanency," said Mary Walker, a spokeswoman for the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services. "Whether or not children will be unified with their parents or whether or not they will remain in foster care."
Children and parents are being interviewed this week, and Texas Child Protective Services will make recommendations. A judge would ultimately sign off on the plans. Court hearings addressing the children's status in foster care are scheduled to begin May 19 in San Angelo, Texas.
"Some of our moms are working on plans of their own that they can propose to CPS," said Cynthia Martinez with the Texas Rio Grande Legal Aid Society, which represents some of the FLDS mothers.
The April raid was prompted by a phone call from someone claiming to be a 16-year-old "Sarah," who was pregnant and in an abusive relationship. When Texas CPS and law enforcement responded to the YFZ Ranch, they claim they found evidence of other abuse, including teenage mothers. That prompted a judge to order the removal of all the children at the FLDS compound.
The children have since been placed in foster care facilities across Texas. In contrast to the massive hearing Judge Barbara Walther held that placed the children in state custody, individual hearings will determine what happens to the children now.
In a typical service plan, there are recommendations and requirements that may need to be completed before a parent is reunited with their child.
"If, for example, we have a parent who has some substance abuse issues, the plan may be that the parent go into rehab," Walker said. "If you've got issues with neglect, making sure the child is properly cared for, we'd look at parenting classes, homemaking classes. The plan has to address whatever changes are necessary to reduce the level of risk."
Walker said she did not know what the service plans would address or recommend with the FLDS children and their parents. Texas CPS workers have claimed that the polygamist sect has a culture that lends itself to abuse, with girls being raised to become child brides.
The Texas child welfare system gives authorities up to a year to work with a family. If necessary, a judge can grant an extension. With 464 children in state protective custody, authorities concede that this case is not typical.
CPS said it is working with the Texas Education Agency to deal with the educational needs of the FLDS children.
Educational assessments will be conducted on each child and sent to the school district where the children have been placed. Texas' educational authority will recommend the assessment be used on all FLDS children.
"It is anticipated that the children will continue their education on the campus of their foster placement," CPS said in a statement. "There are no plans at this time for the children to attend classes on any public school campus."
The Texas Department of Family and Protective Services has released new numbers on the children.
According to the May 2 census, there are 102 infants up to 2 years old. An estimated 99 children are ages 3 to 5; 131 children are 6 to 9 years old; 62 children are 10 to 13; and 42 are 14 to 17.
Texas authorities said there are 26 young women who the FLDS claim are adults, but the state believes are children. Two young men turned 18 while in foster care but have elected to stay with family members at a shelter, CPS said.
Some of the foster care facilities the FLDS children are staying in have racked up violations.
The Deseret News conducted an online check of the inspection records and reports for the facilities the judge ordered the children to stay in. They are publicly accessible on the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services' Web site.
"Foster children are being spanked with a belt as a form of discipline," said one 2007 report for the Presbyterian Children's Homes & Services in Waxahachie, Texas.
"Foster child was made to stand on one foot in a closed closet as a form of discipline," said another report on the facility.
For most of the facilities, most of the 2007 violations were for mundane issues such as record keeping. The Kidz Harbor Home in Liverpool, Texas, was written up in February for two residents having sex at the facility. The Cal Farley's Boys Ranch in Amarillo was written up in February for not reporting a child's critical injury in a timely enough manner. It was also written up that same month for having a staff member becoming aware of a child's bruises, but failing to report it.
"You must report and document suspected abuse, neglect, or exploitation to child abuse hotline and the designated employee/administrator as soon as you become aware of it," the report said.
Online records show several facilities underwent a new round of assessments and inspections just before the FLDS children were placed in foster care.
Granted, that could be a picture of the chaos of polygamy, too, but your denial is based on the presumption, and I do mean presumption, that ALL 463 children, including hundreds of pre-teens of both sexes, were sexually abused or neglected, and in imminent danger, and that ALL the adults, including the 13 monogamous couples with their children were engaged in child trafficking, or other unnamed, assumed, unspecified offenses. That the State can seize and transfer custody of children en masse prior to individual hearings, apparently without any restraint whatsoever, other than a rubber stamp judge who helped set the whole farce in motion is prima facie evidence of how dangerously vague CPS laws are. That such a thing could happen with nary a peep from many FReepers who ought to be wary of an over-powerful State is shocking.
Nothing in this post should be construed to condone, mitigate or otherwise excuse any crimes committed by bigamist men who sexually assault and rape women and children.
Government is like fire; it is a fearful servant and a dangerous master.
Cordially,
I don’t think that the views of select posters on FR should be considered as representative of the LDS in general.
One would probably leave empty handed.
I don’t have any info that says they are or aren’t already helping. Knowing some Mormon families myself, I would say they would likely be first in line.
Not because it’s the FLDS, but because there are women and children who are suffering.
I also think they wouldn’t get on a forum and discuss it, they would privately and quietly just do it.
Besides, this case ain’t about religion, it’s about rape.
P.S. (I was role playing the part of the ‘other’ side, and that comment wasn’t any reflection on what I qouted from you. I hope you understood that. I completely agree with your comment, in fact)
So, as long as a little girl doesn’t cry foul, you have no problem with her having a baby at 13 with a man who’s 50? That’s what all this up-in-arms about government intervention is really about.
Plenty of posters here rant on and on about the number of pregnant teens everywhere and question the validity of the state removing little girls who can’t even identify their parents. I had the ‘monogamous’ couples thrown in my face before and I repeat: how old are they, and what proof is there that they will remain monogamous? The fact that they were monogamous at the time of the raid means just that: at the time.
As for my “presumption” that ALL 463 children were abused, CPS is mandated to assume the worst case scenario when evidence of even one abuse is present. I have repeated this several times for the benefit of posters who have not worked within the system in the past, as I did.
If you’re really so against CPS involvement, you should realize this will be a great opportunity to change the way governments handle this kind of thing. Next time maybe they can just leave the perverts to run their baby mill brothels.
FRegards,
I expect to see many more victims from this, than perpetrators.
Hopefully, the ‘crimes’ involved are not as bad as our imaginations, or the implications by the media/websites/posters (including myself) think it is.
Hopefully the ROOT of the crime will be pulled out, and maybe the rest of the plant can start to grow again.
I don’t want the FLDS to be vanquished, I want the illegal activities done at the YFZ Ranch to be stopped and those complicit in the crimes brought to justice.
Dr. Barlow may be one of those brought to justice.
I don't know if the FLDS has bazaars or not, but they sure are bizarre.
“That the State can seize and transfer custody of children en masse prior to individual hearings, apparently without any restraint whatsoever, other than a rubber stamp judge who helped set the whole farce in motion is prima facie evidence of how dangerously vague CPS laws are.”
If you look at her experience, and qualifications, you will see that she is nothing of the kind.
I have, however, read an almost EXACT copy of the statement you used, on one of the Anarchy/Free the FLDS websites.
Anyway, when you base your conclusions on invalid premises, your conclusions are the same. Invalid.
You missed the Bazaar, that was yesterday.
But I see you are here today for the LUNCH.
Join the MOB.
What have you been thinking OF.
We have been so REPRESSED.
With the discussions of rape, it get’s so SEXUAL.
And there have been those who were thought to be BIGOTS.
Don’t forget the religious spigots...
(Sorry, but that is a classic...)
I salute your very positive post, and I am not relishing any ‘witch-hunt’ of them either. I think it helps to look at the bigger picture: why we have laws in the first place.
They argue that when they moved to TX the age of consent was 14. But even if they ‘didn’t know’ the law changed they still broke it. They don’t even deny it. Now it’s just down to who broke the law and how many times.
As for the ‘bogus report’ — I submit that a report was bound to happen because they do go into town for groceries and maybe recertification for welfare. In TX, if you’re 13 and pregnant, it will be noticed. And eventually raise more than just eyebrows. Particularly a small town in the Bible belt. They made a mistake moving there.
Not to worry, I understood what you meant.
No, it's like saying that because one or some were speeding it is justifiable to presume the whole courtroom full of defendants guilty and and dispose of their cases en masse without individual hearings.
Four years of violating the law, (child labor, child abuse, indecencies with a minor, possible welfare scamming, violation of civil rights, domestic abuse,polygamy, illegal marriages) are what led to this stampede.
Two wrongs don't make a right. Given that there has been criminal activity, ambiguous and overly broad powers permitted to the State under CPS laws, and prior and current incompetence vis a vis the lack of sufficient criminal and civil prosecution of alleged perpetrators has contributed to the current judicial mess, and the needless trauma inflicted on many, many young children. As CharlesWayneCT has pointed out, objections to an act of the state are independent of, and not indicative of, and acceptance or defense of the acts of those upon whom the state has acted.
Cordially,
Then they are either plagarizing my writing or coming up with the same notions independently. I have never been to that site or any such site, and I did not get what I wrote from anyone else. If you meant to insinuate that I am plagarizing them, then you should retract it.
If you look at her experience, and qualifications, you will see that she is nothing of the kind.
What percentage of CPS actions or decisions do you think are ever overruled by a judge? I don't know, but I suspect that they are few and far between. I guess that might mean that CPS decisions and actions are almost always right, or it could mean that there are not sufficent restraints on State powers in a CYA system of justice via a single judge.
Cordially,
Cordially,
ROTFLMAO! Bazaar!
The YFZ attorney already said ‘they didn’t know’ they were breaking the law ‘marrying’ young girls. And they weren’t legal marriages anyway. TX did away with ‘commonlaw’ marriage years ago.
Diamond, in no way is this situation at all like traffic court. Nothing of the kind. And where you get the idea that each child doesn’t/hasn’t/won’t have an equal opportunity is beyond me. The opposite is true. This is the FIRST time they WILL get a chance to speak.
Ping the one who knows, Abs...
“Then they are either plagarizing my writing or coming up with the same notions independently. I have never been to that site or any such site, and I did not get what I wrote from anyone else. If you meant to insinuate that I am plagarizing them, then you should retract it.”
Actually, I did mean it.
However, I am glad you responded that it was your own point of view, and not those websites.
So, yes, I retract the insinuation, and apologize for lumping you in with so many others.
So many questions, so little time, too many children at once.
I just hope the bad guys are caught, the good guys go free, the victims are helped, the environment at the YFZ Ranch is made safe, the FLDS members get their full set of constitutional rights back, and that the involvement of the other ‘related’ religions, and the politicians struggling to maintain their positions, and the media’s need to sell laundry detergent, doesn’t compromise the criminal investigations.
The allegation that I don't have any problem as long a little girl doesn’t cry foul, of her having a baby at 13 with a man who’s 50 is a just a scurrilous non sequitar. It explicitly rebutted in many posts that I have made on this topic, as if that preposterous absurdity were necessary to rebut.
As for my “presumption” that ALL 463 children were abused, CPS is mandated to assume the worst case scenario when evidence of even one abuse is present. I have repeated this several times for the benefit of posters who have not worked within the system in the past, as I did.
Is present where? Never mind, I guess it doesn't matter where.
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[long pause]
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Cordially,
I know. I was not the one who first compared it to a traffic court. I was simply replying in kind to another poster. We have enough trouble communicating here without getting the metaphors mixed up.
Cordially,
Actually, DIAMOND is right.
It isn’t like traffic court. Not at all.
It’s like having a 787 airbus crash.
All the victims are rushed to the hospital.
The blame comes later. The arrests come later. The evidence comes later. Here in, oh....JUNE.
I accept your apology, and I heartily agree with your sentiments express above.
Cordially,
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