How were a ten-year-old boy’s mother and her boyfriend allowed to torture him to death after the abuse had been reported multiple times? That’s what we, Robert and Kathleen Raskin of Las Vegas, would like to know. We started our website StopDHR so we can raise awareness of corruption and incompetence in the child protective services organizations that too often harm the very children they are charged with protecting.

California state officials plan to conduct an audit of DCFS in Los Angeles after the child, Anthony Avalos, was tortured to death because his mother and her boyfriend believed he was gay. The details of what this little boy endured are heartbreaking, and there were numerous opportunities for agencies from DCFS to the police to step in and protect him, but the system broke down and failed to stop the abuse. Thirteen times the authorities were notified, and thirteen times they did nothing.

This is all too often the case, but it still remains to be seen whether or not the investigation will actually uncover anything or if they’ll just sweep the details of their ineptitude under the rug. This is far from an isolated instance, and in fact there was a similar case in 2013, when eight-year-old Gabriel Fernandez was also brutalized and murdered because his mother and her boyfriend suspected he was gay.

Unfortunately, this is not an isolated incident,” their letter to the audit committee said, referring to the 2013 death of 8-year-old Gabriel Fernandez, who was also tortured and abused for months by his mother and her boyfriend, allegedly because he suspected Gabriel was gay. The last audit of LA’s child welfare department was six years ago, so this new audit is overdue.

 

Specifically the audit will deal with whether or not DCFS has adequate protections in place to serve the LGBTQ youth who may have an especially difficult time in the system and with caretakers due to their sexual orientation. Will the root deficiencies in the system finally be identified and improved? Only time will tell. What we know now is that this absolutely must not happen to another child.

Why was Jacques Edwards, a man with a murder conviction on his record, hired to care for foster children? That’s what we, Robert and Kathleen Raskin of Las Vegas, are asking the State of New York today. A representative of the ACS claims the safety and well-being of the children in their care is their top priority, but if that were true they’d work harder to keep dangerous criminals away from children.

 

Edwards, 55, was hired by the Administration for Children’s Services four years ago. Today he has been charged with pushing a six-year-old child up against a door and shoving his head into a filing cabinet at the Nicholas Scoppetta Children’s Center in Kips Bay. The center is a temporary home for children who have recently entered the foster care system. The child suffered an abrasion on his temple which required medical treatment, and the incident was captured on video.

 

We need a system of checks and balances in place to prevent dangerous offenders like this from being entrusted with our vulnerable foster children. In 1981 Edwards was convicted of second-degree murder, and he was sentenced to 15 years to life. This past Monday he was arrested on felony assault and child endangerment charges, and he is currently being held on $15,000 bail.

When a normal person wants a child to finish their dinner, complete their chores, or lower their voice, they foster an environment of respect so they will be listened to. This is what children need and deserve, but thanks to the corrupt foster care system too often this is not what they get. We, Kathleen and Robert Raskin, are here to fight to put an end to this, and we need your help.

 

When foster parent Ogilvia Pineda and her son Kyle Edgar Macias wanted the foster children who were placed in their household to do those things, they allegedly punched them in the stomach, shoved socks in their mouths and made them bleed, and forced them to eat food out of the garbage. And this is just the beginning of the charges that have been levied against them, which include causing a gash that required stitches to one child when she hit him in the head with a Mason jar. This injury was listed on the search warrant the Jefferson County Sherriff’s Department used to gain entry to the home.

 

Foster siblings who included a seven-year-old boy and four- and three-year-old girls were warned against telling their grandmothers or caseworkers about the abuse, but the brave children spoke up anyway. Now this woman, an anger management counselor who seems to have trouble managing her own anger, have been formally charged. The pair were arraigned on Monday on felony child abuse charges, and they are currently in custody in the Jefferson County Jail. So far Pineda has given plenty of excuses for the injuries, but whether or not those hold up in court remains to be seen next week when the cases go before a grand jury.

When foster kids decide to shepherd their own bills through legislation, great things can happen. We are Kathleen and Robert Raskin, and we are happy to be bringing you a bit of good news for foster children. The Foster Children’s Bill of Rights was co-sponsored by state representatives Jerry Relph and Ron Kresha, and this reform effort is going to be a game-changer for siblings who are caught in the system.

 

The Foster Children’s Bill of Rights states that foster siblings have a right to be together, and it will enable them to be placed together whenever possible, to visit each other, and to stay in contact. Being placed into the system can be frightening for children, and losing contact with their sibling group can make it especially traumatic. These children are innocent victims of the system and sometimes of their parents as well, and they deserve better than to be separated when they are at their most vulnerable.

 

Going forward, when a child or sibling group enters foster care in Minnesota they will be handed a copy of this Bill of Rights, but there is more to the bill than that. It also includes a review of the MAPCY program, which assesses parenting challenges in communities of color. It will also include training requirements for how fetal alcohol syndrome should be handled.

 

The new law is set to go into effect Wednesday, and we just couldn’t be more pleased about it. This is a huge step for foster children and for families. It is also a testament to what can be achieved when adults step in and help these kids to help themselves. The positive impact felt from this bill will be felt for generations to come, but it is just one of many steps that need to be taken in the right direction before the system is finally free from corruption. We can only hope more states decide to follow their example.

In 2007 staff members at a family recovery center reported to the County of San Diego that a child acting out sexually. What did the county do about it? Absolutely nothing, and that’s why they are being sued now. We are Kathey and Rob Raskin, and we report these cases to you because we are dedicated to raising awareness of corruption in our child protective systems. Won’t you join us in our fight? After all, if we don’t fight to protect vulnerable children an families, who will?

 

This story began in 200, when a six-year-old boy in foster care reported to his social worker that his foster father was hurting him. The incompetent worker refused to take him seriously, completely dismissing his request to be moved to a new foster home. The child told workers again that he was being sexually abused in 2008, but after being removed from his placement he was returned to his foster father again within 18 hours of his complaint.

 

Foster father Michael Jarome Hayes was only arrested in 2013, after Hayes himself reported that the child had run away. Now the child and his twin brother are suing the county and 14 social workers. Hayes faced 28 felony charges, including sexual molestation, later pleading guilty to eight of the charges. It was later learned that another previous foster child in the household had also complained, yet the twins were placed there anyway.

 

How was it that a monster like this was allowed to harm children for so long? Why were this child’s cries for help unanswered? How was Hayes able to get through the screening process to become a foster parent in the first place? The twin boys—now adults—deserve both answers and compensation for what they went through. We demand answers, and we won’t stop bringing these issues to light until we get them.

When you rush a foster parent’s license through the system, there is great potential for harm. We are Robert and Kathleen Raskin of Las Vegas, and we are dedicated to raising awareness of the damage our corrupt child protection agencies are doing to vulnerable children who are caught in the system. In New Hampshire the DCYF has recently settled a second lawsuit on behalf of a foster child who was abused when they failed to take the time to make sure a foster parent wasn’t a predator. This is unconscionable, and it’s time for us all to take a stand.

 

Tragically, in the more recent of the two cases, it was a 22-month-old boy who paid the price for this agency’s incompetency. He suffered a traumatic brain injury after his mother’s reports that he was being abused in foster care were ignored. There were red flags waving everywhere, as is so often the case, and once again a foster home was approved after an inept investigation. When this happens, children suffer, but these agencies are often more about meeting quotas than protecting kids.

 

The Spaulding Youth Center in Northfield, New Hampshire, ignored proper procedures and placed the toddler and his newborn sister in a home where another baby had already died while in their care. The police were also notified of abuse, and they did nothing. The foster family had personal problems, but they were entrusted with vulnerable babies anyway, and one of them has paid the ultimate price. The lawsuit implicated the state as well, and they have paid $475,000 to settle.

 

The toddler’s mother only lost custody temporarily, but now the child has lost his ability to enjoy a normal life permanently. No lawsuit settlement can make up for that. Today the child is five, and he is suffering developmental delays, aggressive behavior, and cerebral palsy. Our hearts go out to this boy and his family. They are going to have a long, difficult, and costly road ahead of them because the child’s medical and educational needs will be so complex. And to think, it all could have been avoided if state agencies did their jobs.

If a total stranger burst into your home claiming to be a CPS agent, what would you do? Would you cooperate because this stranger said they were from an agency that had the power to steal your children? Many families are faced with workers who show up unannounced and do just that, and we, Robert and Kathleen Raskin, are here to educate you about your rights. It could be a matter of life or death, as it almost was for one southeastern Texas family and the stranger who decided to claim CPS to try to snatch their children.

 

On July 14^th in Liberty County, Texas, a strange man burst into a home, where he screamed and charged at a family, threatening to kill a father and snatch his three children if he didn’t willingly hand them over. Luckily for that father, he was armed, or this could have been a tragedy. The father fired off four rounds from his weapon into the ground, then the family ran to a neighbor’s house to call 911. Deputies arrested the suspect, who attempted to fight, resisted arrest, and fled, only to be caught later on.

 

Jimmy Lackey, age 37, confessed to the crime. This stranger was found to have two baggies of what appeared to be crystal meth in his possession, and his bond has been set at $75,000. He has been charged with many felonies, including impersonating a public servant. Just think, if this father hadn’t acted quickly and been in possession of a firearm, the story could have ended much differently. And for thousands of families each year it does when corrupt child protective services workers take their children without proof of any abuse.

 

Before you open the door to CPS or DHR worker, know your rights.

The State of Kansas has made the insane decision to lower its standards when it comes to hiring child welfare workers, and frankly it’s making us sick. We are Robert and Kathleen Raskin, and we are advocates for the children and families who are caught in this corrupt system and others like it. We are dedicated to raising awareness of injustices within the CPS, DHS, and DHR systems.

The new staff classification “unlicensed child protection specialist” will allow the state to hire child welfare workers who are not licensed social workers. They will be required to have a bachelor’s degree in a related field, but which fields those are is not specified. Currently there are nearly 80 open positions, so that’s 80 spots they seek to fill with unqualified workers who won’t be able to meet these vulnerable children’s needs.

Why is Kansas hiring people who are not trained, qualified caseworkers as specialists in child protection? The answer to that is simple: money. The annual salary for these unlicensed workers will be $2,000 less than the salary of licensed protection specialists. In other words, to save two-thousand dollars, children will be put at risk. A spokesperson for the organization claimed this decision was not made lightly, but it clearly was not given the weight it warrants.

When problematic organizations like these decide to lower standards that are already too low to begin with, it’s the children who will suffer most. And that’s something none of us should be willing to stand for. If the State of Kansas can’t fill its positions with qualified workers, it may be time for them to reevaluate that situation and to make changes that will attract the good people these kids deserve.

We are Kathleen and Rob Raskin, and as the founders of StopDHR we hear from distressed families who don’t know where to turn on a regular basis. If you believe your case has been mishandled and you want to make a report, it can be difficult to know where to begin. We are sharing this list of State Liaison Officers for child abuse and neglect as a starting point on your journey toward justice. This list includes the states, territories of the US, and the District of Columbia.

 

ALABAMA

Department of Human Resources

Family Services Division

50 N. Ripley Street

Montgomery, AL 36130-1801

(334)242-1373

(334)242-0939 – FAX       ALASKA

Division of Family & Youth Services

P.O. Box 110630

Juneau, AK 99811-0630

(907)465-3023

(907)465-3397 – FAX

 

ARIZONA

Policy and Program Development Unit

Admin. for Children, Youth and Families

Arizona Dept. of Economic Security

1789 W. Jefferson St., 3rd Floor

Site Code 940A

Phoenix, AZ 85007

(602)542-2358

(602)542-3330 – FAX       ARKANSAS

Department of Human Services

Division of Children & Family Services

P.O. Box 1437, Slot 830

Little Rock, AR 72203-1437

(501)682-8992

(501)682-8991 – FAX

 

CALIFORNIA

California Dept. of Social Services

Office of Child Abuse Prevention

744 P Street, MS 19-82

Sacramento, CA 95814

916-875-5437 (KIDS)

 

COLORADO

Division of Child Welfare

Colorado Dept. of Human Services

1575 Sherman Street

Denver, CO 80203

(303)866-5137

(303)866-5563 – FAX

 

CONNECTICUT

Children’s Services, Planning Division

Department of Children & Families

505 Hudson Street

Hartford, CT 06106-7107

(860)550-6472

(860)566-6728 – FAX       DELAWARE

Office of Quality Improvement

Division of Family Services

RD 4, Box 281-1

Frankford, DE 19945

(302)732-9510

(302)732-5486 – FAX

 

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

Planning, Policy and Program Support

Children and Family Services Administration

400 6th St., SW, Room 4013

Washington, D.C. 200024

(202)727-2111

(202)727-3052- FAX        FLORIDA

Department of Children and Families

1317 Winewood Blvd., Bldg. 7, Room 205

Tallahassee, FL 32399-0700

(850)487-2383

(850)488-0751 – FAX

 

GEORGIA

Georgia Department of Human Resources

Division of Family & Children Services

#2 Peachtree Street, 18th Fl, Rm. 233

Atlanta, GA 30303

(404)657-3409

(404)657-3486 – FAX

 

HAWAII

Program Development Hawaii Department of Human Services

Social Services Division

810 Richards Street, Suite 400

Honolulu, HI 96813

(808)586-5925

(808)586-4806 – FAX

 

IDAHO

Department of Health & Welfare

Division of Family & Community Services

P.O. Box 83720

Boise, ID 83720-0036

(208)334-6618

(208)334-6699 – FAX

 

ILLINOIS

Illinois Dept. of Children and Family Services

Division of Child Protection

406 E. Monroe Street, 4th Floor

Springfield, IL 62701

(217)785-2513

(217)785-0395 – FAX

 

INDIANA

Institutional Child Protection Service Unit

Division of Family and Children

Indiana Family and Social Services Administration

Indiana Government Center South

402 West Washington St., Room W364

Indianapolis, IN 46204

(317)232-4429

(317)232-4436 – FAX       IOWA

Division ACFS

Bureau of Program Support and Protective Services

Iowa Department of Human Services

Hoover State Office Bldg., 5th Fl.

Des Moines, IA 50319

(515)281-8726

(515)281-7791 – FAX

 

KANSAS

Office of Family and Child Development

Child and Family Policy

Division of Children and Family Services

Docking State Office Building

915 SW Harrison, 5th Floor South

Topeka, KS 66612

(785)368-8154

(785)368-8159 – FAX

 

KENTUCKY

Kentucky Cabinet for Families and Children

Department for Community Based Services

275 East Main Street, 3E-A

Frankfort, KY 40621

(502)564-2136

(502)564-3096 – FAX

 

LOUISIANA

Administration of Child Protection

Office of Community Services

Department of Social Services

P.O. Box 3318

Baton Rouge, LA 70821

(225)342-9928

(225)342-9087 – FAX

 

MAINE

Division of Child Welfare

Bureau of Child and Family Services

Department of Human Services

State House, Station 11

Augusta, ME 04333

(207)287-5052

(207)287-5282 – FAX

 

MARYLAND

Child Protective Services

Maryland Dept. of Human Resources

Saratoga State Center

311 West Saratoga Street

Baltimore, MD 21201

(410)767-7112

(410)333-0127 – FAX

 

MASSACHUSETTS

Massachusetts Dept. of Social Services

24 Farnsworth St.

Boston, MA 02110

(617)748-2328

(617)261-6743 – FAX

 

MICHIGAN

Michigan Family Independence Agency

Child Protective Services and Foster Care Division

P.O. Box 30037

235 South Grand Avenue

Lansing, MI 48909

(517)373-3750

(517)241-7047- FAX

 

MINNESOTA

Family and Children’s Services Division

Minnesota Department of Human Services

Human Services Building

444 Lafayette Road

St. Paul, MN 55155-3830

(651)296-2487

(651)297-1949 – FAX

 

MISSISSIPPI

Family Preservation Program

Division of Family and Children’s Services

Mississippi Dept. of Human Services

P.O. Box 352

Jackson, MS 39205

(601)359-4482

(601)359-4363 – FAX

 

MISSOURI

Division of Family Services

P.O. Box 88

Jefferson City, MO 65103

(573)526-8579

(573)526-3971 – FAX

 

MONTANA

Prevention Services

Department of Public Health and Human Services

P.O. Box 8005

Helena, MT 59604

(406)444-5903

(406)444-5956 – FAX

 

NEBRASKA

Department of Social Services

P.O. Box 95044

Lincoln, NE 68509-5044

(402)471-9457

(402)471-9034 – FAX

 

NEVADA

Child Protective Services

Nevada Division of Child & Family Services

711 E. Fifth St.

Carson City, NV 89710

(775)684-4422

(775)684-1073 – FAX

 

NEW HAMPSHIRE

New Hampshire Div. for Children, Youth and Families

129 Pleasant St.

Concord, NH 03301

(603)271-4563

(603)271-4729 – FAX

 

NEW JERSEY

New Jersey Dept. of Human Services

Division of Youth & Family Services

50 East State Street

Trenton, NJ 08625

(609)292-3444

(609)984-0507 – FAX

 

NEW MEXICO

Children, Youth and Families Division

Child Care Services Bureau

Pera Bldg., Room 112 P.O. Drawer 5160

Santa Fe, NM 87502-5160

(505) 827-1249

(505) 827-7361 – FAX

 

NEW YORK

New York State Dept. of Social Services

Riverview Center, 6th Floor

40 North Pearl Street

Albany, NY 12243

(518)474-3166

(518)474-1842 – FAX

 

NORTH CAROLINA

Department of Health and Human Services

Division of Social Services

325 N. Salisbury Street

Raleigh, NC 27603

(919)733-3360

(919)733-6714 – FAX

 

NORTH DAKOTA

Administrator, Child Protective Services

Department of Human Services

600 East Boulevard

Bismarck, ND 58505

(701)328-4806

(701)328-3538 – FAX

 

OHIO

Children’s Protective Services Station

Ohio Department of Job and Family Services

255 East Main Str. 2nd Floor

Columbus, OH  43215-5222

(614)466-9824

(614)466-0164 – FAX

 

OKLAHOMA

Child Abuse and Neglect Section

Child Welfare Services

Division of Children & Youth Services

Department of Human Services

P.O. Box 25352

Oklahoma City, OK 73125

(405)521-2283

(405)521-4373 – FAX

 

OREGON

CPS and Family Based Services

State Office of Services to Children and Families

Department of Human Resources

500 Summer St., NE

Salem, OR 97310

(503)945-6696

(503)945-6969 – FAX

 

PENNSYLVANIA

Protective Service Program

Pennsylvania Dept. of Public Welfare

Office of Children, Youth and Families

P.O. Box 2675

Harrisburg, PA 17105-2675

(717)705-2912

(717)705-0364 – FAX

 

PUERTO RICO

Department of the Family

P.O. Box 15091

San Juan, PR 00902

(787)724-7532

(787)725-5443 – FAX

 

RHODE ISLAND

Office of Protective Services

Department for Children, Youth and Families

610 Mt. Pleasant Ave., Bldg. 9

Providence, RI 02081

(401)457-4943

(401)521-4578 – FAX

 

SOUTH CAROLINA

Child Protection and Preventive Services

Division of Human Services

Department of Social Services

P.O. Box 1520

Columbia, SC 29202-1520

(803)898-7514

(803)898-7641 – FAX

 

SOUTH DAKOTA

South Dakota Department Social Services/CPS

Kneip Building

700 Governor’s Drive

Pierre, SD 57501

(605)773-3227

(605)773-6834 – FAX

 

TENNESSEE

Child Protective Services

Tennessee Department of Children Services

Cordell Hull Bldg.

436 6th Ave. North, 8th Floor

Nashville, TN 37243-1290

(615)741-8278

(615)532-6495 – FAX

 

TEXAS

Child Protective Services

Texas Dept. of Protective and Regulatory Services

P.O. Box 149030, M.C. E-557

Austin, TX 78714-9030

(512)438-3313

(512)438-3782- FAX

 

UTAH

Division of Child and Family Services

120 North 200 West, Suite 225

Salt Lake City, UT 84103

(801)538-4656

(801)538-3993 – FAX

 

VERMONT

Division of Social Services

Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services

103 South Main Street

Waterbury, VT 05671-2401

(802)241-2131

(802)241-2980 – FAX

 

VIRGIN ISLANDS

Government of the Virgin Islands of the U.S.

Department of Human Services

Knud Hansen Complex, Bldg. A

1303 Hospital Ground

Charlotte Amalie, IV 00802

(340)774-3466

(340)774-1166 – FAX

 

VIRGINIA

Child Protective Services Unit

Department of Social Services

730 E. Broad St.

Richmond, VA 23229-8699

(804)692-1259

(804)692-2209 – FAX

 

WASHINGTON

CPS Program

Children’s Administration

Department of Social & Health Services

P.O. Box 45710

Olympia, WA 98504-5710

(360)902-7990

(360)902-7903 -FAX

 

WEST VIRGINIA

Department of Health & Human Resources

350 Capitol St., Room 691

Charleston, WV 25301

(304)558-8939

(304)558-8800 – FAX

 

WISCONSIN

Bureau of Programs and Policy

Division of Child and Family Services

Department of Health and Family Services

1 West Wilson Street, Room 465

P.O. Box 8916

Madison, WI 53708-8916

(608)267-2073

(608)264-6750 – FAX

 

WYOMING

Department of Family Services/Social Services

Hathaway Building #322

Cheyenne, WY 82002

(307)777-6081

(307)777-3693 – FAX

Former foster parents are going on the record to give chilling accounts of the flagrant abuses of power within the DHR system.

 

While most people become foster parents because they want to help children who do not have families to care for them, many are learning—too late—that plenty of these children do have families who care for them. These kids end up in the system not because they need to be removed from their families, but rather because they were legally kidnapped by a corrupt organization with no system of checks and balances in place. This puts foster parents in the unwitting position of becoming accomplices to a moral crime.

 

The tragic truth is, CPS is stealing children from families who love them and are doing the best they can. Some of these children have been abused and neglected, but others are victims of a system that makes it easy to use children for revenge. In far too many of these cases the government could set the families up with assistance for food, housing, and other needs that aren’t being met, but instead they view the children like a paycheck. They remove children, they meet their quotas, and everyone is

 

What can these foster parents do about the situation? Not much. When they complain to their superiors, they are threatened with having their foster homes shut down. This leaves them in an unfortunate position: either leave the program and risk the children being placed in another foster home that may be abusive or continue taking kids in despite their conflicted feelings.

 

We are Robert and Kathleen Raskin of Las Vegas, and we are raising awareness of abuses in the foster care system because too many children and families are falling through the cracks. The crooked system is hurting foster parents too, and it’s time to put an end to it once and for all. Won’t you join our fight?