When 17-month-old toddler Peter Connelly was found dead in his crib in North London, he was suffering over 50 injuries and clad only in a diaper. The child, known as Baby P, was known by child protective services to be at risk, but he was left in the home anyway, only to meet his tragic end at the hands of his stepfather. We, Kathleen Raskin and Robert Raskin, are sad to report that once again, the system has failed to protect a child who was in their care.

The Scandal

The death sparked outrage from citizens who were incensed upon learning the child had been considered to be at-risk, and social workers, police, and other health care professionals had already visited the child’s family 60 times over the previous eight months. His killer was his mother’s new husband, Steven Barker, who was sentenced to 12 years at HMP Wakefield. Many believe this sentence was too lenient, and the killer’s recent bid for parole only added outrage to injury.

The Aftermath

After the scandal arrested with Baby P’s death, five Haringey Council employees were terminated, including the children’s services director, who was later awarded a large settlement for her firing. The council spend the equivalent of $12M+ USD in confidentiality deals to cover their tracks. The only silver lining that has come from this child’s tragic death is the NSPCC’s Helpline has seen a 79 percent rise in calls due to the increased awareness on child abuse issues brought about by the case.

We are Kathleen Raskin and Robert Raskin, and our hearts go out to Baby P. We are relieved to see his killer is still behind bars, and we have to wonder how many more times the organizations that are meant to protect children are going to get away with failing kids and families before a system of checks and balances will finally be put in place.

When authorities told disabled US Marine Corps veteran William Johnson and his wife Jill to pick up their grandchild because they were in state company, they had no idea that was only the beginning of their nightmare. Instead of being thankful that loving, caring family members were willing to take the child, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services executed a warrantless search on the household and refused to give them the child. We are Robert Raskin and Kathey Raskin, and we have the utmost respect for our military veterans. We are very disturbed to learn that one of our best and brightest is being treated this way

An Unlawful Search

Despite the fact this search produced no weapons, the veteran disclosed that he had a concealed-carry license. The state demanded the vet register his guns with them or they could not have their grandchild. Mr. Johnson is a model citizen, and he is under no obligation to provide any information to this agency aside from a list of the firearms he owns. Instead, the state demanded the make, model, and serial number of each gun, and we can’t think of a single patriot who would give that information to any agency.

Your Child or Your Rights

Johnson has filed a lawsuit alleging that he was told that he would have to give up some of his constitutional rights if he wanted to be permitted to care for his own grandchild. As a veteran, the grandfather has gone above and beyond the call of duty to protect these rights, and we are appalled that there are any circumstances in which he would be asked to forego them. In his defense, he has cited the Second and Fourteenth Amendments, which protect his right to bear arms and state that he shall not be deprived of his liberty or his property without due process of the law.

The lawsuit is still in progress, but we, Robert Raskin and Kathey Raskin, with the Johnson family a speedy victory.

Good Samaritan James Fofanah was just 20 years old when he died while he was helping a stranded motorist. Rather than being laid to rest with the hero’s burial he deserves, Mr. Fofanah’s body is now trapped in legal limbo as his family fights for the right to bury him. We are Robert Raskin and Kathleen Raskin, and today we are here again to report yet another instance of child protective agencies grossly overstepping their boundaries. How does it serve this child or the adult he became to deny him a burial in his own cultural tradition?

Details of the Tragedy

Fofanah died around 3:00 a.m. on Interstate 635 in Garland on Friday July 21, 2017, after pulling over on the shoulder to help Mikayla Prince, also age 20. Prince had just been struck and had lost control of her vehicle while speeding, and then Ashlynn Hurley, age 23, killed him. Hurley is now facing a charge of intoxication manslaughter after striking Hurley’s car, which then crushed Fofanah. He lived without his family, he died without his family, and now there is also a question about whether or not he will be buried according to his family’s traditions.

Who is the Real Family?

When James’s caregivers were accused of mistreatment in 2011, the family was permanently stripped of their rights, making CPS his legal family. Although Fofonah had aged out of the system at 18, he was still receiving extended support services, and it is reported that he was adored by CPS workers and the community. Despite this, the deceased hero’s father, Foday Fofanah, hopes to have a burial that will honor the family’s Sierra Leonean culture. We, Robert Raskin and Kathleen Raskin, hope this former foster child’s body can be laid to rest soon and that his family has some kind of closure.

When 17-month-old Semaj Crosby was found dead under a sofa that had no legs and was flush to the living room floor, there were obviously many questions that needed to be answered. Where could those answers be found? Not in the reports made by DCFS during repeated visits to the child’s home, because many of those were not filed until after the toddler’s demise. We are Kathleen and Robert Raskin, and we are dismayed to report that once again another child has fallen victim to the huge cracks in this broken system.

On April 26, 2017, police searched for Semaj, and while they were conducting their search a DCFS investigator frantically typed reports about interviews that had been conducted as many as seven weeks earlier. According to the organization’s rules, “all investigative activities must be documented in a contact or case note within 48 hours,” which is a far cry from the seven-week timeframe in this case. Despite this, the delayed reports were approved by supervisors of the agency anyway. The toddler’s family had been investigated repeatedly, so clearly DCFS knew she was at risk, but they failed to take timely action just the same, and now it is too late.

Chief Resigns Over Scandal

In the wake of the report over the allegations of delays in the system contributing to the toddler’s death, DCFS director George Sheldon has resigned. We, Kathleen Raskin and Robert Raskin, believe his resignation is not nearly enough. According to the delayed reports, the Semaj was living in filth, the mother had previously denied that she was even her child, and one of the toddler’s siblings is a suicidal seven-year-old who was not being given his medications. The list of red flags goes on and on, and still no one from this organization stepped in to save this child. The public deserves more than Sheldon’s resignations—we need real changes to this system, with procedures in place that will hold them accountable for their actions.

Steffen Rivenburg Jr. is a baby who was born with serious health issues who has become much sicker since he was taken into the custody of child protective services. This child needs his family’s love and care more than ever, and instead he is being kept prisoner in a hospital, with only his foster mother and his case worker allowed to visit him for more than very short periods. Imagine having a critically ill baby and the state refusing to let you be by his side as he lay dying? This nightmare has become reality for one Tennessee family, and we, Kathleen Raskin and Robert Raskin, are heartbroken and outraged.

Baby Steffen was born with Down Syndrome and heart defects, however, the infant was not sick until after he was removed from the care of his parents and placed in DCS’s care. While in foster care the baby contracted a serious viral infection, and this did further damage to his already strained heart. Doctors at Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital originally told the family the child would not need heart surgery until he was six months old. Instead, the seven-month-old has already undergone four heart surgeries and other procedures.

The problems for the Rivenburg family began when the couple missed three scheduled doctor appointments, one of which was a voluntary appointment for Down Syndrome. The other two appointments had to be rescheduled because the family had difficulty finding transportation. Rather than trying to help families in need to receive necessary transportation to their appointments, DCS has chosen instead to focus on removing children who needed a simple ride rather than placement in foster care, but this is typical of the abuses that are within these broken and corrupt systems.

There Is Still Hope

The critically ill infant is currently on life support, and the hospital obtained a court order to remove him despite the family’s strong objections, essentially handing down a death sentence to a helpless infant.  With their attorney’s help, the Rivenburg family was able to get the baby’s removal from life support delayed until June 6^th, and they are pushing for an extension while hoping the baby’s health will turn around. What would you do if you knew the exact date your baby would die and an agency wouldn’t let you be with him? We, Robert Raskin and Kathleen Raskin, are heartbroken for this family, and that is why we will continue to fight these injustices.

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.

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.