Category Archives: Lauderdale County Family Court

Whistleblower Brings Ireland Abuse Cases to Light

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In Ireland a foster child was allowed to remain with a family for 20 years despite the fact there was evidence her foster father may have been physically and sexually abusing her. Caregivers reported mysterious bruises and a black eye, but while reports were made, child protection agencies failed to intervene to protect the child. Reports that detailed Grace’s abuse while in foster care that could have been key to her case were withheld from the public. We are Kathleen Raskin and Robert Raskin of Las Vegas, Nevada, and we believe the public has a right to information that can negatively impact the health and safety of children.

 

Grace

An intellectually disabled girl named Grace, who today is an adult, was failed by the system when child protection caseworkers in Ireland did not protect her when there was evidence she was being abused by her foster father. Instead of intervening on her behalf to protect the child as their job requires, workers allowed her to remain in the home despite the allegations against her foster father for another 13 years, during which time she was subjected to horrific abuse. There were at least four opportunities where the girl could have been remained from the home, so why was nothing done?

 

Foster Care Abuse in Ireland

Unfortunately, in Ireland and in many other countries around the world, Grace’s story is not unique. According to the two previously unpublished reports that were brought to light by the whistleblower, a total of 47 different foster children were placed in one foster home in Waterford where there had been multiple reports of potential abuse. In Ireland alone there were no fewer than 33 allegations of abuse against children in foster care over a single 15-month period, along with another 24 alleged incidents that were “found to have substance” in a single quarter.

Why Weren’t the Reports Made Public?

Reports that would have figured prominently in Grace’s case were not released to the public. While the HSE had considered releasing reports about foster care abuse to the public, they eventually decided against it due to the legalities involved in the investigation. It is an outrage that these reports and others like them were kept from the public due to bureaucracy while children like Grace continued to be abused. It’s time to do something about it, so please join us, Kathleen Raskin and Robert Raskin, in our fight against corruption in child protection agencies and the courts.

Guilty: Kentucky Social Worker Convicted for False Reports

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This is Robert Raskin and Kathey Raskin, bringing you another story of corruption within the agencies that are charged with protecting children. This time a former Kentucky state social worker has been convicted for filing false child abuse complaints against a former close friend and the pastor of her church. Beth Bond, 40, is a disgrace to her former profession, but the sad fact is there are many more workers just like her who are using their position to wield power and exact revenge instead of to protect children and families from harm.

 

A History of Corruption

Bond first moved to Hardin County after being transferred by the state after mishandling cases in Grayson County. According to state records, the cabinet had originally intended to fire the shady caseworker, but after Bond appealed they instead chose to transfer her rather than dealing with the fallout from a suspension. Bond was charged with making false allegations against her upstairs neighbors, a young couple with an infant daughter. The couple reported a barrage of police and social worker visits that often took place in the middle of the night and were in response to completely baseless allegations of violence and drug use.

 

The Truth Comes Out

After making allegations against her former friend Shawna Beauchamp, Bond’s story began to unravel. Despite the fact that there was no proof of Bond’s allegations, Beauchamp’s family was the target of false reports that included the sexual abuse of children. It would be over two years from the first false claims to Bond’s conviction, which was a relief to the family, who were distressed over the damage the claims might do to their reputations.  Bond had also made similar claims against a friend’s husband and a pastor at the church she attended, treating her position as an instrument of revenge.

 

Bond’s Sentence

Beth Bond was convicted after being charged with four counts of misconduct and another four counts of false reporting in Grayson District Court. She has also plead guilty to offenses in Hardin County. She was fined $300 and sentenced to one year in jail. For her previous offense, she received a 12-month suspended sentence, which clearly was not enough to deter her.  The shamed caseworker is currently free on bond pending her appeal. Luckily for these families, justice prevailed, but for far too many families who are up against similar situations. We are Robert Raskin and Kathey Raskin, and we are dedicated to putting watchdog groups in place to make sure a system of checks and balances is created to keep workers in line.

 

When Foster Kids Lash Out

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Being wrenched away from the only family you have ever known and thrust into the care system is often a traumatic experience, and sometimes at-risk children deal with their trauma by getting angry and acting out. Unfortunately for children who have this very natural reaction in the State of California, they are arrested for the act more often than foster kids in other states. We are Robert and Kathey Raskin, and we want to see this issue brought to light so more people are aware of this terrible injustice that is taking place.

 

A Vulnerable Position

Children in foster care are in a vulnerable position. Separated from their families and under the constant threat of repeated abandonment, many develop issues with anger and other emotional problems. When these children have trouble dealing with their emotions, they usually will not receive the professional help they need. Unable to deal with their swirling emotions and their separation trauma, many will strike back with physical violence. In shelters and group homes in California, the result of this is that children as young as eight years old have been arrested.

 

Who Are the Real Criminals Here?

Between the years of 2015 and 2016, nearly 500 children in shelters and group homes were arrested, detained, or received citations. For these children, what already may be one of the most difficult times of their lives is then made even more damaging when they end up in handcuffs, or, worse, in jail. The CPS system that is supposed to be protecting them is not taking steps to make sure children in crisis receive the emotional support and psychiatric services they need, and unfortunately for these children who now have criminal records, it is too late for many.

 

Possible Risks in Adulthood

While many children who spend time in the foster care system grow up fine, there are others who do not fare as well. Kids who are trapped in the system can end up with a stunted sense of empathy as a result of growing up without learning to be empathetic to the well-being of other people. Some people even refer to children who endure multiple placements as “psychopaths in the making” because they are being deprived of the normal bonds they need in order to develop a conscience. Placing children who already have the odds stacked against them at further risk by arresting them and sending them to juvenile correction facilities is completely unacceptable, and we, Robert and Kathey Raskin, aren’t standing for it.

Kansas Task Force Created to Protect Foster Kids

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The state of Kansas is finally taking steps to protect children in foster care from unscrupulous contractors. We are Kathey Raskin and Robert Raskin, and we are thrilled that this state is finally stepping up to the plate to regulate their own out-of-control services. Senate Bill 126 will require intensified scrutiny of these contractors, who are charged with caring for children who were not receiving the care they needed while they were in state custody. This is just one step of many that need to be taken, but it is a good start and it shows that these problems are being taken more seriously.

 

Bill 126

This bill would produce action plans by January of 2018 based on annual reports that are compiled by a specially appointed task force. This is designed to hold the Kansas DCF accountable for the implementation of new laws, which is much-needed in this state, which currently has record-setting high numbers of children who are in state custody. This situation was brought to light after a tragic recent case in which a child in Wyandotte County was murdered by his stepfather and fed to the child murderer’s hogs.

 

A Big Problem

There have been ongoing issues with the care of approximately 7,000 foster children in the state, and these have intensified in severity and frequency of occurrence over the years. Countless reports have been issued regarding the problems, but too often these end up filed away and sitting on a shelf. This task force will change that, because it will force the DCF to demonstrate that they are applying recent findings and strategies to their broken system and following recommendations that are designed to stop children from being further victimized.

 

Time for Action

The task force will have 18 voting members, and among them will be individuals who work directly with foster children. Non-voting members of the task force will represent Kansas DCF and contractors who provide both adoption services and foster care. Whether the bill is passed or it will really make a difference in the quality of children’s lives still remains to be seen. We are Robert Raskin and Kathey Raskin, and we are hoping these lawmakers will finally do what they should have been doing all along, and that is to protect children and families from this corrupt system.

Proposed Bill Would Require CPS to Tape Child Interviews

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One Michigan father blames not being able to play recorded testimony of his young daughters’ psychological examinations for a jury cost him his children, and he is taking steps to prevent future tragedies like this from occurring by fighting to pass a bill that will require electronic recordings of any interviews with young children in the future. This bill’s detractors claim videotaping may retraumatize children, but how is being permanently removed from a parent not also incredibly traumatizing? We are Robert Raskin and Kathleen Raskin, and we are concerned that children are being removed from their families not for safety reasons, but rather due to policies.

 

Cary Flagg’s Story

Mr. Flagg is a 35-year-old father of four daughters, all of whom were removed from his custody after it was alleged during his contentious divorce battle that he had sexually abused two of them. They were removed from the home based upon the testimony of a psychologist who was hired by the state, despite the fact that this deviated from the established protocol that is commonly adhered to in these cases. Although Cary Flagg was never formally charged with any crime, his parental rights were stripped, and this is why he is fighting for changes to the system by insisting that forensic interviews be video recorded.

 

HOUSE BILL 4298

House bill number 4298, if it passes, will require electronic recording of any interviews of children that are requested by department investigators or law enforcement officers that take place at accredited or accreditable child assessment centers. The person who is conducting the interview will be required by law to record it in its entirety, at no point shutting the recording device off. After this, the Department of Child Protective Services will be required to allow access to and to retain these recordings so they can be viewed later on in court or at any other time when documented proof is needed.

 

CPS and Divorce

The sad truth is, CPS is involved in divorce battles all too often, often for the sole reason that an embittered spouse is bent on revenge or obsessed with winning at all costs. Without videotaped evidence, we will never know what was really said during the forensic interviews of Cary Flagg’s daughters, because in court the details quickly devolved into a mess of he said-she said accusations. Although it is too late for Mr. Flagg to do anything about his situation, if this bill passes, it will prevent this from happening again in the future. We, Robert Raskin and Kathleen Raskin, only wish this bill had been passed sooner, but it’s never too late to right the future wrongs of these corrupt organizations.

300 Illegal Children’s Homes Shut Down by the Social Welfare Department

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We are Robert Raskin and Kathey Raskin, and we are committed to raising awareness of child protection issues not only here in this country, but also worldwide, because children everywhere deserve to be protected from government-sponsored corruption and abuse. In India, 300 of the 1,113 registered homes in Tamil Nadu are being shut down because they are not receiving sufficient funding under the Integrated Child Protection Scheme. This is over one-quarter of the homes that were available, leaving a huge number of children displaced by the system that is charged with their care.

 

What is the Integrated Child Protection Scheme

This proposal by the Indian Government’s Ministry of Women and Child Development was enacted to protect children while providing them with a safe environment in which they will be able to flourish and to develop. Many children in India are vulnerable to abuse and are thus at-risk through abandonment, exploitation, abuse, neglect, or separation from children. The scheme set out to institutionalize essential services, to create important databases, to strengthen protections at both the family and the government level, and to coordinate with institutions both governmental and private to ensure effective implementation.

 

How the Shutdowns Will Affect At-Risk Children

Prior to the recent shut-downs-the Tamil Nadu welfare department had already closed over 550 unregistered homes. The children who were rescued were sent to other homes that are registered, and many were returned to their parents, leaving their fates uncertain and potentially exposing them to the risk of further abuse. Many of the children who were in care did not have parents, or their parents cannot be located, which creates an extra level of difficulty where their next placements are concerned.

 

What Will Happen in the Future?

The commissioner of the welfare department wants to improve inspections and monitoring of these homes, including providing extra training for staff members. Educational and health facilities will also need extra supervision and monitoring to make sure the children are getting the tools they will need for improved future outcomes. Another task of the organization is to raise awareness of children’s rights, and she has suggested the government train organizations regarding these rights and legislation that will take place in 32 districts. Such an organized effort and a rapid response is admirable, and we, Robert Raskin and Kathey Raskin, wish our own government here at home would act this quickly to protect children here.

NC Gets Tough on Parental Reunification Laws

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We, Kathleen Raskin and Robert Raskin, are sad to report that yet another child has died due to corruption within the organizations that are meant to protect them. On Oct.25, 2015, a woman named Samantha Nacole Bryant lost custody of her toddler son, Rylan Ott, after she and her boyfriend were in a drunken fist-fight in her Carthage-area home. This fight involved both alcohol and guns, so the system stepped in to protect the boy, but unfortunately for Rylan, they did not do nearly enough to ensure his continuing safety. Both Rylan and his sister were placed in temporary custody, only to eventually be returned to a mother who remained unfit to parent.

 

Rylan’s Story

In Moore County in April of 2016, a child who drowned after he was returned to his mother’s custody. Rylan, who was just 23 months old when he died, was able to slip out from his house and wander a half-mile to this pond. He was reunited with his mother without any prior observation by child protection agencies, so there was no attempt to make sure she was fit to parent or that her parenting skills had improved since he was initially removed from her care. He had only been in her care for four months when tragedy struck.

 

The DSS Response

A caseworker claimed in her report that Rylan’s mother visited the child while he was in care three times a week, but his guardians say this is not true. Rylan’s Guardian Ad Litem, Pam Reed, and the boy’s kinship parents, Shane and Amanda Mills, had attempted to argue in court that Samantha Bryant was still an unfit mother, and they were proven correct too late. His mother is now being charged with child abuse and involuntary manslaughter, but the caseworker who was involved has not been penalized or charged with any wrongdoing. His case has undergone a second investigation, but the results of this are not public. The Moore County DSS director resigned as a result of this case.

 

Rylan’s Law

As a response to Rylan’s senseless death, Rylan’s Law was enacted. This bill requires social workers to document and observe two successful visits between children who are in state care and the parents they were removed from before they can be reunited. Until this law was passed, this was considered to be a “best practice,” for obvious reasons, but why it was not a requirement is less clear. This law is intended to close this loophole in an effort to strengthen this broken system, and it will help other children to be spared from Rylan’s fate in the future. We are Kathleen Raskin and Robert Raskin, and we won’t stop fighting to protect families and children until this corruption has been stopped.

Cracks in Canada’s Foster Care System

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They say the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence, but that isn’t necessarily true when you are talking about the child protective system of our neighbors to the north—Canada. We are Robert Raskin and Kathey Raskin, and the sad fact is, the US isn’t the only country that needs to overhaul its child protection agencies. While most of Europe and Australia take a “family welfare” approach to child protection that is geared toward reuniting families, Canada instead focuses on the welfare of the child, so they are quick to remove children and put them into care.

 

One Baby’s Story

For one Canadian baby who was born with opiates in his system, Canada’s system resulted in the child being placed in a foster care home for two years as the court case experienced delay after delay. The parents had many chances to turn their lives around to regain custody, but their issues were too deeply entrenched, leaving the baby to become very securely attached to its foster parents as the case dragged on. The child already is at risk for learning disabilities and behavioral disorders thanks to his opiate addiction, and now, thanks to the system tying him up in legal limbo, he risks attachment disorders as well.

 

Lasting Effects

In Ontario, children under six years old are not permitted to be in foster care for more than twelve months, and there is a very good reason for this. When a child this young is put in foster care, they may not have any memories of their biological family, which means the foster parents effectively become the only parents they have ever known. When they are ripped away from their foster parents, the negative effects can be lasting, and these include both attachment disorders such as attachment anxiety, regression, and undermining the child’s sense of security and ability to form bonds with others.

 

How Common is This Issue?

In 2011, there were at least 30,000 children in foster care in Canada. The majority of these children will have court hearings at some point to determine whether or not they will be returned to their parents or be placed for adoption. In some jurisdictions, cases like these are resolved in a week’s time, while in others cases can average 20 weeks. There have been 132 cases in the system for more than two year. If you ask us, Robert Raskin and Kathey Raskin, this is far too long when you consider the risk to the child and how much is at stake when it comes to the child’s future relationships.

Custody Battle? What You Need to Know About DHR Abuse

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When a couple decides to divorce, one of the most underhanded tactics that is sometimes employed is getting child protective agencies involved. Of course if a child is actually being abused the authorities need to be notified, but all too often the truth is the parent has committed no crime, the child is not in any danger, and the parent is simply using the system as a weapon. We are Robert Raskin and Kathleen Raskin, and we want you to know that if your soon-to-be-ex has called DHR to try to get revenge on you or to gain control of the children, these are the facts you’ll need to know. If you are thinking about putting your child through this yourself, consider the fact that you may be the one who is not a fit parent.

 

The Immediate Danger to Your Child

Outside of the perils of an uncertain foster care system, there are other horrors that your child could experience once these agencies are involved in a contentious divorce. They will be cross-examined by investigators and asked to answer traumatic questions about the parents they love. This can border on a full-blown interrogation, and it is not an experience your child will soon forget. In most cases, a physical examination by a doctor, or even a gynecologist in the case of false accusations of sexual abuse, will also be a part of this process.

 

Consider the Potential Outcome for the Child

If the parent who must win at all costs uses CPS or DHR and is successful, that leaves children in a terrible position. Separating a child from a loving parent is wrong and will leave long-lasting damage that they may very well carry over into adulthood and into their own future relationships. In the present, they will suffer depression, anxiety, fear, and anger, and once they are put into foster care or a group home they will also risk abuse. Children who are lost in the system often do not have good outcomes when they transition into adulthood, so you could be setting them up for a life of misery.

 

How This Tactic Can Backfire

There are many cases when child protection agencies were involved that resulted in the children being permanently removed from the family and placed up for adoption. Sure, your ex could end up out of the children’s lives, and thus also out of your own. However, there are consequences to making false reports, and you may also end up out of your children’s lives for good. The court could very well determine that neither of you are fit to parent once they see that you or your former partner are willing to use and abuse a child in this way. This is Robert Raskin and Kathey Raskin, reminding you that these agencies should only be called if you are certain beyond any shadow of a doubt that they are in danger.

Los Angeles Social Workers Face Trial

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We are Kathleen Raskin and Robert Raskin, and we are dedicated to raising awareness of shortcomings and corruption in organizations that are responsible for protecting children. One case in Los Angeles has shocked us and many others to the core, and that is the tragic murder of little eight-year-old Gabriel Fernandez, who was savagely tortured to death by his mother and her boyfriend. When paramedics arrived at the scene, the boy’s mother claimed he had been roughhousing with siblings and had then fallen and struck his head, but the physical evidence painted a different picture—one of abject horror.

 

Red Flags Were Everywhere

Superior Court Judge Mary Lou Villar said, “red flags were everywhere,” because Gabriel’s injuries, his frequent absences from school, and the multiple calls his teacher made to child protective services made it clear that this child was in danger. The workers who stand accused of wrongdoing and their attorneys insist the case was closed before Gabriel was killed, but that is not much of a defense, as clearly there is no situation in which a case in which a child was being so viciously—and obviously—abused should have been closed in the first place.

 

The Charges

Four social workers who were responsible for protecting the child are now going to stand trial, and they are being charged with felony child abuse and falsifying documents. Gabriel’s mother and her boyfriend were indicted on murder charges in 2014, and they are currently awaiting trial, though the two have pleaded not guilty. Unlike the mother and boyfriend, however, there is a chance that the workers may not be punished for their complicity, as cases like these have been attempted before, but they typically are thrown out of court or there is a not guilty verdict.

 

Passing the Buck

Despite the fact that many officials failed this child, thus contributing to his death, no one seems willing to accept the blame. Social workers and sheriff’s deputies were all informed about Gabriel’s injuries on multiple occasions, and despite many visits to the home and investigations, no one stepped in to help this child, who had specifically asked his teacher if she could call workers on his behalf. She did, but no one came to the child’s rescue, and for that they need to be held responsible. We are Kathleen Raskin and Robert Raskin, and we are eager to see justice done.