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?

We are Kathleen and Robert Raskin of Las Vegas, and we invite you to join us in our fight to hold corrupt court and child protective services officials responsible for their misdeeds and to overhaul this broken system. One way we do this is by looking closely at the ways the system fails children and the adults they will become. When foster children become adults and leave the state’s care, they face a unique set of challenges that mean they are overwhelmingly likely to begin their independent lives at a serious disadvantage.

 

Statistics show that before they leave the system, one-fifth of these teens are homeless and over two-fifths will drop out of high school. Over two-thirds also become pregnant. Many are also facing chronic unemployment. When you consider that nearly a quarter of foster children who age out of the system will be in jail within two years, it becomes obvious that this is a crisis because these young adult’s needs aren’t being met.

 

A Steep Drop-Off in Services

Despite the fact that forty states offer support for former foster children through their 21^st birthday, far too many of these at-risk young adults are choosing to leave the system without taking advantage of the support that is available. Tens of thousands of foster children have aged out of the system in the last decade alone, and these young adults are at increased risk for many adverse situations such as unintentional pregnancy and homelessness. Most will also not attend college. We, Kathleen and Robert Raskin, think it is time to take a critical look at why these former foster youth are turning their backs on the services that are meant to help them and what can be done to change this troubling statistic.

 

Hello, we’re Kathey and Rob Raskin of Las Vegas and studies throughout Arkansas are showing that there are far too many foster kids under the care of a single DCFS agent. Despite new improvements in Arkansas’s burdened foster care system, the state DCFS is struggling to minimize the average caseload of its field staff, as reported by DCFS monthly data.

A consequence of high caseloads is some foster children have little direct contact with their child welfare agent who would be responsible for their care. In the 2017 fiscal year, 28% of foster children didn’t get any face-to-face monthly time from their caseworker. Additionally, 13% of foster children didn’t get any monthly face-to-face contact from any DCFS staff, regardless of position or visit purposes. That’s a huge increase since 2014, when it was 4%. During that same time, the number of children in the system expanded from about 4,100 to roughly 5,100.

On Dec. 6, the face-to-face visit metrics were the focus of questions from state lawmakers following DCFS Director Mischa Martin presentation of the agency’s 2017 yearly report to the Joint Committee on Aging, Children and Youth.

“If someone is missed in one month, are they put in the front of the line for the next month — so that maybe in a two-month period, everyone gets visited?” asked Rep. Carlton Wing (R-North Little Rock).

“I wish I could say, ‘Absolutely, yes,’ but we started pulling data back in the spring … we saw kids on the list who hadn’t been looked at in 60 or 90 days,” Martin answered. The DCFS now makes local offices prioritize these cases. She said, “If you didn’t see them this month, you have to make it a priority to see them.”

Martin took over the DCFS last year, when the state foster care population was hitting record levels. She has tried to execute several reforms which could improve placement options and preserving staff.

Sen. Stephanie Flowers (D-Pine Bluff), who co-chairs the Children and Youth committee, asked whether the DCFS was failing to follow code by not seeing children face-to-face each month. Unfortunately, Martin said it was not a legal requirement however that federal funds are tied to compliance. Obviously, something needs to be done in Arkansas. Foster kids are at greater risks when someone isn’t checking on them personally each month. That’s when we see abuse and neglect skyrocket.

We, Kathey and Rob Raskin, aim to stop DHR corruption throughout the country. If you have a complaint, please log it on our main page right away.

We’re Kathey and Rob Raskin of Las Vegas and we care about foster children and the lives they lead. Dominique Bryant was homeless at 17. Now 23, Bryant was placed in foster care in New York right after birth. She was adopted at 10, but when she turned 17, the mother terminated her parental rights.

Bryant went to a psychiatric clinic for depression shorty after and when she wanted to return to her then foster family they didn’t want to take her back. She was near 18, and with little options was placed in a sobriety house, though she wasn’t an alcoholic.

Because of a missed meeting, which was a requirement for living there, she lost her place and spent four months homeless in the Charlottesville area. Unfortunately, scenarios like this aren’t uncommon.

A national survey from Child Trends for the Children’s Home Society of Virginia and Better Housing Coalition, found that 20% of the people who age out of foster care become homeless within two years. Also reported was that 25% are incarcerated, 42% drop out of school, and 71% of these women become pregnant by 21. The results of the survey also show that Virginia has one of the greatest percentages of youth leaving foster care due to aging out at 20%, compared to 9% across the nation.

The executive director of Micah Ecumenical Ministries, a faith-based nonprofit which assists the Fredericksburg area’s homeless, Meghann Cotter, stated she has seen the amount of homeless youth increase in the decade she’s worked there.

In fact, between July 1, 2015, and July 1, 2016, Planning District 16’s homeless services system, which includes Spotsylvania, Caroline, Fredericksburg, Stafford, and King George counties, saw 162 clients between 18 and 24, 12% of all those seen.

Cotter stated that many former foster care kids either age out or emancipate themselves at 18. She stated that research shows 85% of former foster-care youth have experienced a trauma. These children lack the life skills all 18-year-olds do, but they also must deal with a reduced amount of coping skills and no social support system.

Though 18 is legally adulthood, research from the CHS report displays that the brain continues to grow through 25. Today’s young adults rely on their parents for financial and emotional support well into their 20s. Without a built-in support system, moving from adolescence to adulthood is so much more difficult.

In 2016, 464 foster children aged out in Virginia. This can grow as well since the amount of children in foster care grew by 8% between 2011 and 2015 nationally. This could be due to the opioid epidemic, which was declared a “public health emergency” in October.

Chief advancement officer at Children’s Home Society, Bruin Richardson, stated there are several reasons why Virginia has higher numbers. “One is that we’re a county-administered system and that creates some barriers [regarding…] adopt[ion],” he stated. “Kids tend to be older when they [enter] the system […] than the national average. […T]hey may have more significant trauma and [… they become] teenagers before they [are] eligible […] adopt[ion]. And it’s harder to place those kids.”

Hello, we’re Kathey and Rob Raskin of Las Vegas and we care about what happens to children in the foster care system. The Family First Act can cause problem for our kids.

Attached to a bill to circumvent another government shutdown was a child welfare finance reform measure referred to as the Family First Prevention Services Act. The bill was believed to be dead, killed last year by a reformer who renovated his own institution years ago. He called the group home industry, and their public sector allies, a group of private agencies generally paid for every day they keep foster children in the worst form of care, group homes, and institutions.

Unfortunately, it’s now law.

One might expect advocates of family preservation to rejoice, and some will. The bill allows some federal funds once restricted to go to foster care. In theory, it limits federal funding for group homes and institutions.

Some child welfare reformers favor the bill, such as Jeremy Kohomban. But we disagree. The range of prevention services which can be funded under the Family Frist Act is quite small, and there are tight restrictions on which programs can receive federal aid. And instead of limiting group homes and institutions, it could actually have strengthened them.

In 2016, the Congressional Budget Office projected that only $130 million in increased federal funds would go to prevention each year, a small amount compared to the billions spent on foster care. CBO also projected that the proportion of foster children in group homes and institutions wasn’t likely to see great change, moving from 14% to 11% over ten years.

What the bill actually does is set prevention up to fail because when these minor changes don’t fix needless foster care placements, the rejecters of prevention will sight it as an example.

Unfortunately contained in the bill is a provision (Section 2661) which allows money from a much smaller existing “family support service” programs to be redirected to “supporting and retaining foster families for children.” Additionally, states can delay the smaller limits on money for group homes and institutions for two years. It could be nearer a four-year delay. The provisions regarding group homes don’t take effect until October 1, 2019. States opting to delay would see them starting October 1, 2021.

This gives the group home industry a great deal of time to weaken the law further.

The alternative is to stop taking in so many children needlessly. But, many frame any effort to diminish the use of mass care in terms of only group homes vs. foster homes and family preservation is not an option. The fact that some in the group home industry claim this law is overly tough just shows how spoiled they’ve become after years legal neglect.

We know the foster care system isn’t perfect and changes must be made. But the law can do better. We, Kathey and Rob Raskin, aim to stop DHR corruption throughout America. If you have a complaint, log it on our home page now. Then, contact your local representatives here to make a greater impact.