Local family removed from filthy house
Landers, Kevin. Ohio News Network, June 21, 2007.
COLUMBUS- Columbus police officers serving an arrest warrant Tuesday discovered a house littered with filth in the process. After arresting Karl Peterson on a felony probation violation, police summoned the health department and animal control officers to the home.
Officers found 12 pit bull terriers in the house, along with at least three other adults and six children. The three women, each with two children, were ordered out of the Hinman Avenue address when the Columbus Health Department declared it unfit for habitation.
According to Franklin County Children Services, five children were sent to live with other relatives. A sixth was returned to the custody of a parent. The agency said there is a household history involving children services, but no open cases.
Animal control removed the dogs from the house. Most of them were puppies. Along with the probation violation, Peterson was also charged with child endangerment.
Friday, July 20, 2007
No home visits were ever made -- no counseling, no anger management counseling provided
Hamilton Co. Reviews All Child Abuse, Neglect Cases
Three Employees Suspended So Far
WLWT, Ohio, July 19, 2007.
CINCINNATI -- Hamilton County commissioners and the county administrator have ordered the Department of Job and Family Services to review all of its child abuse and neglect cases by Friday.
The order comes after a recent case involving a father and mother who neglected to take their 18-month-old son to a hospital after he suffered a burn on his head and a lacerated liver.
Hamilton County Judge Melba Marsh had ordered the DJFS to keep close watch over the young boy, but in a letter to the commissioners, Marsh noted that no home visits were ever made.
In fact, she said that there was no contact with the child and no anger management counseling set up for the parents.
"The employees who failed to follow appropriate procedures in this matter, subjecting these children to potential harm, have been suspended and will be disciplined accordingly," said county Administrator Pat Thompson.
Hamilton County case workers are responsible for protecting 3,500 children. By Friday, every case is to be reviewed to ensure that home visits have taken place within the past 30 days.
"Regardless of caseload size, that's your No. 1 priority -- to make sure children are seen and that children are safe," said Moira Weir of DJFS. "If we can't do that, then we failed our families."
The DJFS has a 30 percent vacancy rate for case workers, and now three employees have been suspended in connection with the child endangering case that prompted the review of all neglect and abuse cases in Hamilton County.
"If county employees failed to do their jobs as they're required to do so and failed to do what policy and law requires, they will be disciplined," said county Commissioner Todd Portune.
Three Employees Suspended So Far
WLWT, Ohio, July 19, 2007.
CINCINNATI -- Hamilton County commissioners and the county administrator have ordered the Department of Job and Family Services to review all of its child abuse and neglect cases by Friday.
The order comes after a recent case involving a father and mother who neglected to take their 18-month-old son to a hospital after he suffered a burn on his head and a lacerated liver.
Hamilton County Judge Melba Marsh had ordered the DJFS to keep close watch over the young boy, but in a letter to the commissioners, Marsh noted that no home visits were ever made.
In fact, she said that there was no contact with the child and no anger management counseling set up for the parents.
"The employees who failed to follow appropriate procedures in this matter, subjecting these children to potential harm, have been suspended and will be disciplined accordingly," said county Administrator Pat Thompson.
Hamilton County case workers are responsible for protecting 3,500 children. By Friday, every case is to be reviewed to ensure that home visits have taken place within the past 30 days.
"Regardless of caseload size, that's your No. 1 priority -- to make sure children are seen and that children are safe," said Moira Weir of DJFS. "If we can't do that, then we failed our families."
The DJFS has a 30 percent vacancy rate for case workers, and now three employees have been suspended in connection with the child endangering case that prompted the review of all neglect and abuse cases in Hamilton County.
"If county employees failed to do their jobs as they're required to do so and failed to do what policy and law requires, they will be disciplined," said county Commissioner Todd Portune.
I am sick of hearing about Wexler -- one size does NOT fit all
Study: Keep families intact
Unprecedented look at 'in-between' cases finds children better off at home
Brooks-Higgins, Candice. Middletown Journal, July 16, 2007.
MIDDLETOWN — Killed last summer in foster care, Marcus Fiesel could be the poster child for a recent unprecedented study that found children fare better staying with their troubled families than in foster care.
Richard Wexler, executive director of the National Coalition for Child Protection Reform, has argued for nearly a year that Marcus should not have been removed and has argued for years that children like Marcus are better off at home.
The 3-year-old developmentally disabled boy was removed in April 2006 from his mother, Donna Trevino, after he was found wandering the streets alone and was almost hit by a car. Police said they found poor living conditions at his North Grimes Street home in Middletown. Nearly four months earlier, he fell from his home's second-story window.
Placed in a Clermont County foster home in May, Marcus was dead by Aug. 6 after being bound and locked in a playpen inside an upstairs closet for nearly two days while his foster parents, Liz and David Carroll Jr., went to a family reunion in Kentucky. His body was later burned and remains dumped into the Ohio River. The Carrolls are both serving life sentences for his death.
Now, Wexler said he has the evidence to prove children like Marcus should remain with their families.
A study released in March by Joseph Doyle, an economics professor at MIT's Sloan School of Management who studies social policy, focused on children whose cases could have gone either way. Cases of sexual abuse, drug exposure, and severe abuse and neglect were excluded because foster care likely is necessary in those circumstances.
Doyle found children who stayed with their families were less likely to become juvenile delinquents or teen mothers and were more likely to keep a job or earn a better salary. Doyle tracked 15,000 Illinois children ages 5 to 15 from 1990 to 2002 for the study funded by the National Science Foundation, which child welfare experts are calling the largest study conducted on the effects foster care.
The findings weigh in on the "in-between cases," Wexler said, "where the parent is neither all victim nor all villain; cases where there are real problems in the home, but wide disagreement over what should be done. In other words, I would argue, parents like Donna Trevino."
Butler County Children Services, which approved Marcus' placement, agree with Doyle's conclusions about these marginal cases of abuse, spokeswoman Denise Winkler said.
"It provides the first valuable empirical evidence for keeping children with their families," Winkler said. "Caseworkers know from their experience in this field that children are better off with their families if they can be there and be safe. What this does is supports that with numbers and data."
Regardless of the criticism that has surrounded Children Services since Marcus' death, Winkler said the study is important to look at — period. Copies of the study have been distributed to administrators to see if its lessons can be applied to the agency's polices, Winkler said.
County Commission President Gregory Jolivette said he's interested to see how Children Services will respond to the study. The agency is at a pivotal moment as it waits for the commissioners to select a new executive director.
Still, Jolivette said the philosophy of child welfare has been evolving from orphanages to group homes to foster care — and now foster care is being rethought.
"I don't think it's a one size fits all," he said.
Sen. Gary Cates, R-West Chester Twp., said he will see if the study has any application in Ohio. Meanwhile, he said he expects former care reform legislation, which he has co-sponsored, to be ratified in the fall. Senate Bills 163 and 164 focus on improved foster parent screening.
Unprecedented look at 'in-between' cases finds children better off at home
Brooks-Higgins, Candice. Middletown Journal, July 16, 2007.
MIDDLETOWN — Killed last summer in foster care, Marcus Fiesel could be the poster child for a recent unprecedented study that found children fare better staying with their troubled families than in foster care.
Richard Wexler, executive director of the National Coalition for Child Protection Reform, has argued for nearly a year that Marcus should not have been removed and has argued for years that children like Marcus are better off at home.
The 3-year-old developmentally disabled boy was removed in April 2006 from his mother, Donna Trevino, after he was found wandering the streets alone and was almost hit by a car. Police said they found poor living conditions at his North Grimes Street home in Middletown. Nearly four months earlier, he fell from his home's second-story window.
Placed in a Clermont County foster home in May, Marcus was dead by Aug. 6 after being bound and locked in a playpen inside an upstairs closet for nearly two days while his foster parents, Liz and David Carroll Jr., went to a family reunion in Kentucky. His body was later burned and remains dumped into the Ohio River. The Carrolls are both serving life sentences for his death.
Now, Wexler said he has the evidence to prove children like Marcus should remain with their families.
A study released in March by Joseph Doyle, an economics professor at MIT's Sloan School of Management who studies social policy, focused on children whose cases could have gone either way. Cases of sexual abuse, drug exposure, and severe abuse and neglect were excluded because foster care likely is necessary in those circumstances.
Doyle found children who stayed with their families were less likely to become juvenile delinquents or teen mothers and were more likely to keep a job or earn a better salary. Doyle tracked 15,000 Illinois children ages 5 to 15 from 1990 to 2002 for the study funded by the National Science Foundation, which child welfare experts are calling the largest study conducted on the effects foster care.
The findings weigh in on the "in-between cases," Wexler said, "where the parent is neither all victim nor all villain; cases where there are real problems in the home, but wide disagreement over what should be done. In other words, I would argue, parents like Donna Trevino."
Butler County Children Services, which approved Marcus' placement, agree with Doyle's conclusions about these marginal cases of abuse, spokeswoman Denise Winkler said.
"It provides the first valuable empirical evidence for keeping children with their families," Winkler said. "Caseworkers know from their experience in this field that children are better off with their families if they can be there and be safe. What this does is supports that with numbers and data."
Regardless of the criticism that has surrounded Children Services since Marcus' death, Winkler said the study is important to look at — period. Copies of the study have been distributed to administrators to see if its lessons can be applied to the agency's polices, Winkler said.
County Commission President Gregory Jolivette said he's interested to see how Children Services will respond to the study. The agency is at a pivotal moment as it waits for the commissioners to select a new executive director.
Still, Jolivette said the philosophy of child welfare has been evolving from orphanages to group homes to foster care — and now foster care is being rethought.
"I don't think it's a one size fits all," he said.
Sen. Gary Cates, R-West Chester Twp., said he will see if the study has any application in Ohio. Meanwhile, he said he expects former care reform legislation, which he has co-sponsored, to be ratified in the fall. Senate Bills 163 and 164 focus on improved foster parent screening.
Friday, July 06, 2007
More than three times number of foster children in Brown County than families willing to take them in
Local foster families are needed: County struggles with care shortage
Arthur, Michael. Ripley Bee, June 21, 2007.
There is currently a shortage in Brown County of families willing to care for local displaced and poverty-stricken children.
Although the county is known for its warmth and willingness to help out those in unfortunate circumstances, Department of Job and Family Services officials say there are more than three times the number of foster children in need of stable homes in Brown County than families willing to take them in, and the situation is only going to get worse.
“There are 25 licensed foster families in the county,” said DJFS Foster Care Coordinator Nicole Williams. “Right now, we have 80 children in the custody of our agency.”
There is currently a shortage in Brown County of families willing to care for local displaced and poverty-stricken children. Although the county is known for its warmth and willingness to help out those in unfortunate circumstances, Department of Job and Family Services officials say there are more than three times the number of foster children in need of stable homes in Brown County than families willing to take them in, and the situation is only going to get worse.
“There are 25 licensed foster families in the county,” said DJFS Foster Care Coordinator Nicole Williams. “Right now, we have 80 children in the custody of our agency.”
Since the numbers obviously do not match up, the county must contract with outside agencies to provide homes and care that the foster children so desperately need. But according to DJFS Director David “Mitch” Sharp, sending foster kids to other counties is not the preferred option for the agency, and can have complicating consequences for the already troubled youngsters as well.
Any time an outside agency is contracted, it has to be paid, of course, with money originally intended to be spent on services within the county. It is always difficult to give up a portion of an agency’s budget, but Sharp said the problem with sending foster kids out of county extends beyond financial concerns.
“We always try to place children with family members, if possible,” said Sharp. “And we try to keep children in the setting that they are used to, near their home and near their school.”
Relocating children with a new family, in a new town and in a new school district can make an already difficult situation even more awkward, Sharp said. Moving in with strangers, no matter how loving, is a delicate and fragile process, and being geographically displaced from friends and familiar settings can make the transition more complicated.
In addition, both Sharp and Brown County Recovery Services Director Steve Dunkin agree problems also arise with mental health services when a foster child crosses county lines. Sharp said it is typical for many foster children to come from troubled backgrounds, and many have received some type of counseling service during or prior to entering foster care. But when the child is relocated to another county, local options for mental health care may no longer be available.
Dunkin said lack of adequate foster care in Brown County has negative effects both socially and economically. Dunkin said children in the foster care program can develop close bonds with local counselors who help the kids deal with often continuous problems with home and family life. But once the child is relocated with a family out of county, geographic and/or bureaucratic restrictions often prevent the child from obtaining the same care, regardless of the child’s connection with a particular counselor or of the progress of the counseling.
Not only do the foster children lose the benefit of prior connections when moving out of county, but Dunkin said Brown County Recovery Services is also required to pay 40 percent of Medicaid charges for children who move and receive services from another agency.
“That ends up being a sizable amount of funds,” said Dunkin.
Dunkin said the situation is unfortunate, especially since he feels that Brown County Recovery Services is a nationally accredited and widely respected organization completely capable of meeting a wide range of mental health care needs, especially in the young. He said Recovery Services would much rather spend the money used to reimburse out-of-county services on building and developing care within the county.
Dunkin said various community leaders from different agencies and backgrounds have discussed establishing a committee to address foster care.
The best way to ensure foster children remain in a familiar and caring community setting, Sharp said, is to increase the availability of foster families. That means families with the time, understanding and means to support a child in need will have to step up and answer the call. Foster families need not be extremely wealthy, extremely intelligent, or high on the social scale. Foster families need only be patient and understanding.
The process is simpler than some might think, although Sharp is quick to note that every aspect of a potential foster parent’s life is checked, and verified to ensure that only the capable and qualified are accepted.
Without exception, potential foster families must hold the child’s welfare as their highest priority.
“Their heart has to be in the right place, 24 hours a day, seven days a week,” said Williams.
Beginning the process is easy – simply call or stop by the Human Services office in Georgetown and ask for information. Department of Job and Family Services can provide booklets outlining all aspects of foster care, and can even put potential care givers in contact with current foster families who can provide first-hand accounts of what to expect.
If still interested, potential foster families fill out an application and complete a total of 40 hours of training with six hour sessions over consecutive Saturdays. The training is provided entirely by DJFS and includes communicable disease and CPR instruction.
Following training, the agency will conduct a home study to inspect the residence where foster children would potentially live. Department of Job and Family Services does not give specific information about the home study, but it is substantial and will reveal possible safety threats for children.
The safety audit is followed by extensive criminal background checks through local, state and federal law enforcement agencies. Polygraph examinations have been initiated as well, Sharp said, but more for the purposes of verifying truthful answers than catching lies.
“It is a crime to provide false information on a foster care application,” said Sharp. “Job and Family Services takes that very seriously.”
If the agency determines an applicant would be suitable, the process of matching a child with the family begins. Williams said potential families are given a checklist to complete that indicates what type of child they would be willing to take in. Families can be very specific, she said, and are able to choose from various aspects, including gender and age range.
Williams said there is always a diverse range of children needing foster care.
The agency still stays extremely involved, Williams said, even after a child has been placed. Home visits are conducted up to once a week, and other inspections are scheduled from month to month.
Because many foster children come from difficult backgrounds and can display behavioral problems at times, Williams said the agency offers respite services, when another party can temporarily take care of a foster child as a way to give the foster family a bit of a break.
There is no cost to becoming a foster parent and the state does provide some assistance for the care of foster children. The stipends are not a huge amount of money, however, and Williams said no one is going to get rich from taking care of foster kids. She said the notion that some people become foster parents only to receive the state check is not really credible because the stipend simply isn’t that much. Also, Williams said agency workers can usually spot prospective families who are only interested in the money.
“You really have to care to do this,” said Williams.
You don’t have to be extremely wealthy, however, as Sharp and Williams agreed that average, upper-middle class families usually qualify. Basic financial resources and an exceptionally large heart are all that are required.
Although foster care situations are supposed to be temporary in nature, Sharp said foster parents always have the option of adopting. All licensing provided by the agency is foster-to-adopt, and the ultimate goal is always finding a permanent, stable and loving home.
According to Sharp, the recent Marcus Fiesel foster care scandal has shed light on needed reform in Ohio’s foster care system, and some beneficial changes are on the horizon. Sharp said four House Bills are currently being considered in committee that focus primarily on making sure families are financially capable and have adequate resources to take care of children, legislation that Sharp said is welcome among foster care agencies. Sharp said the legislation is expected to focus on accountability as well.
Arthur, Michael. Ripley Bee, June 21, 2007.
There is currently a shortage in Brown County of families willing to care for local displaced and poverty-stricken children.
Although the county is known for its warmth and willingness to help out those in unfortunate circumstances, Department of Job and Family Services officials say there are more than three times the number of foster children in need of stable homes in Brown County than families willing to take them in, and the situation is only going to get worse.
“There are 25 licensed foster families in the county,” said DJFS Foster Care Coordinator Nicole Williams. “Right now, we have 80 children in the custody of our agency.”
There is currently a shortage in Brown County of families willing to care for local displaced and poverty-stricken children. Although the county is known for its warmth and willingness to help out those in unfortunate circumstances, Department of Job and Family Services officials say there are more than three times the number of foster children in need of stable homes in Brown County than families willing to take them in, and the situation is only going to get worse.
“There are 25 licensed foster families in the county,” said DJFS Foster Care Coordinator Nicole Williams. “Right now, we have 80 children in the custody of our agency.”
Since the numbers obviously do not match up, the county must contract with outside agencies to provide homes and care that the foster children so desperately need. But according to DJFS Director David “Mitch” Sharp, sending foster kids to other counties is not the preferred option for the agency, and can have complicating consequences for the already troubled youngsters as well.
Any time an outside agency is contracted, it has to be paid, of course, with money originally intended to be spent on services within the county. It is always difficult to give up a portion of an agency’s budget, but Sharp said the problem with sending foster kids out of county extends beyond financial concerns.
“We always try to place children with family members, if possible,” said Sharp. “And we try to keep children in the setting that they are used to, near their home and near their school.”
Relocating children with a new family, in a new town and in a new school district can make an already difficult situation even more awkward, Sharp said. Moving in with strangers, no matter how loving, is a delicate and fragile process, and being geographically displaced from friends and familiar settings can make the transition more complicated.
In addition, both Sharp and Brown County Recovery Services Director Steve Dunkin agree problems also arise with mental health services when a foster child crosses county lines. Sharp said it is typical for many foster children to come from troubled backgrounds, and many have received some type of counseling service during or prior to entering foster care. But when the child is relocated to another county, local options for mental health care may no longer be available.
Dunkin said lack of adequate foster care in Brown County has negative effects both socially and economically. Dunkin said children in the foster care program can develop close bonds with local counselors who help the kids deal with often continuous problems with home and family life. But once the child is relocated with a family out of county, geographic and/or bureaucratic restrictions often prevent the child from obtaining the same care, regardless of the child’s connection with a particular counselor or of the progress of the counseling.
Not only do the foster children lose the benefit of prior connections when moving out of county, but Dunkin said Brown County Recovery Services is also required to pay 40 percent of Medicaid charges for children who move and receive services from another agency.
“That ends up being a sizable amount of funds,” said Dunkin.
Dunkin said the situation is unfortunate, especially since he feels that Brown County Recovery Services is a nationally accredited and widely respected organization completely capable of meeting a wide range of mental health care needs, especially in the young. He said Recovery Services would much rather spend the money used to reimburse out-of-county services on building and developing care within the county.
Dunkin said various community leaders from different agencies and backgrounds have discussed establishing a committee to address foster care.
The best way to ensure foster children remain in a familiar and caring community setting, Sharp said, is to increase the availability of foster families. That means families with the time, understanding and means to support a child in need will have to step up and answer the call. Foster families need not be extremely wealthy, extremely intelligent, or high on the social scale. Foster families need only be patient and understanding.
The process is simpler than some might think, although Sharp is quick to note that every aspect of a potential foster parent’s life is checked, and verified to ensure that only the capable and qualified are accepted.
Without exception, potential foster families must hold the child’s welfare as their highest priority.
“Their heart has to be in the right place, 24 hours a day, seven days a week,” said Williams.
Beginning the process is easy – simply call or stop by the Human Services office in Georgetown and ask for information. Department of Job and Family Services can provide booklets outlining all aspects of foster care, and can even put potential care givers in contact with current foster families who can provide first-hand accounts of what to expect.
If still interested, potential foster families fill out an application and complete a total of 40 hours of training with six hour sessions over consecutive Saturdays. The training is provided entirely by DJFS and includes communicable disease and CPR instruction.
Following training, the agency will conduct a home study to inspect the residence where foster children would potentially live. Department of Job and Family Services does not give specific information about the home study, but it is substantial and will reveal possible safety threats for children.
The safety audit is followed by extensive criminal background checks through local, state and federal law enforcement agencies. Polygraph examinations have been initiated as well, Sharp said, but more for the purposes of verifying truthful answers than catching lies.
“It is a crime to provide false information on a foster care application,” said Sharp. “Job and Family Services takes that very seriously.”
If the agency determines an applicant would be suitable, the process of matching a child with the family begins. Williams said potential families are given a checklist to complete that indicates what type of child they would be willing to take in. Families can be very specific, she said, and are able to choose from various aspects, including gender and age range.
Williams said there is always a diverse range of children needing foster care.
The agency still stays extremely involved, Williams said, even after a child has been placed. Home visits are conducted up to once a week, and other inspections are scheduled from month to month.
Because many foster children come from difficult backgrounds and can display behavioral problems at times, Williams said the agency offers respite services, when another party can temporarily take care of a foster child as a way to give the foster family a bit of a break.
There is no cost to becoming a foster parent and the state does provide some assistance for the care of foster children. The stipends are not a huge amount of money, however, and Williams said no one is going to get rich from taking care of foster kids. She said the notion that some people become foster parents only to receive the state check is not really credible because the stipend simply isn’t that much. Also, Williams said agency workers can usually spot prospective families who are only interested in the money.
“You really have to care to do this,” said Williams.
You don’t have to be extremely wealthy, however, as Sharp and Williams agreed that average, upper-middle class families usually qualify. Basic financial resources and an exceptionally large heart are all that are required.
Although foster care situations are supposed to be temporary in nature, Sharp said foster parents always have the option of adopting. All licensing provided by the agency is foster-to-adopt, and the ultimate goal is always finding a permanent, stable and loving home.
According to Sharp, the recent Marcus Fiesel foster care scandal has shed light on needed reform in Ohio’s foster care system, and some beneficial changes are on the horizon. Sharp said four House Bills are currently being considered in committee that focus primarily on making sure families are financially capable and have adequate resources to take care of children, legislation that Sharp said is welcome among foster care agencies. Sharp said the legislation is expected to focus on accountability as well.
Shouldn't those criminal offenses have always barred foster parents from getting a license?
Senate OKs foster care reform
Craig, Jon. Cincinnati Enquirer, June 27, 2007.
COLUMBUS – State legislation to improve Ohio’s foster care system – and prompted by the August murder of Marcus Fiesel – unanimously passed the 33-member Senate today.
The pair of bills, which must still be approved by the House, would require all foster parents to get FBI background checks and have their fingerprints added to a statewide database.
The legislation also increases training for foster parents from 24 to 36 hours, preparing them for special needs children like 3-year-old Marcus.
Marcus died after being left tied up in a closet in his Clermont County home while his foster parents, Liz and David Carroll Jr., went on a weekend trip to Kentucky.
The Carrolls were convicted of his murder and sentenced to life in prison.
The training will be financed by counties and with state money in the two-year budget awaiting legislative approval, according to state Sen. Tom Niehaus, R-New Richmond. The legislation also expands the list of criminal offenses that bar parents from raising foster children.
The list will now include child abuse, menacing by stalking, cruelty to animals and repeat drunk driving based on two convictions within three years.
“By nature, the legislature is a reactive body (and reacts) most of the time to unfortunate situations,’’ said Sen. Gary Cates, R-West Chester, one of the bill’s sponsors. “Two days ago, a little boy named Marcus Fiesel should have been celebrating his fourth birthday.”
Cates and Niehaus said it’s important not to overreact, but to react in the right fashion.
“Marcus Fiesel’s tragic death was a catalyst,’’ Niehaus said. “Let’s not focus on the past but look toward the promise of the future. . .We chose the more deliberative (but) much more productive route.”
While they aim to tighten requirements to qualify as a foster parent, the legislators said they don’t want to punish good foster parents, or discourage others from caring for foster children.
“We know there are a lot of outstanding foster care parents,’’ Cates said.
Separately, the House passed a bill which is identical to Niehaus’ bill.
Craig, Jon. Cincinnati Enquirer, June 27, 2007.
COLUMBUS – State legislation to improve Ohio’s foster care system – and prompted by the August murder of Marcus Fiesel – unanimously passed the 33-member Senate today.
The pair of bills, which must still be approved by the House, would require all foster parents to get FBI background checks and have their fingerprints added to a statewide database.
The legislation also increases training for foster parents from 24 to 36 hours, preparing them for special needs children like 3-year-old Marcus.
Marcus died after being left tied up in a closet in his Clermont County home while his foster parents, Liz and David Carroll Jr., went on a weekend trip to Kentucky.
The Carrolls were convicted of his murder and sentenced to life in prison.
The training will be financed by counties and with state money in the two-year budget awaiting legislative approval, according to state Sen. Tom Niehaus, R-New Richmond. The legislation also expands the list of criminal offenses that bar parents from raising foster children.
The list will now include child abuse, menacing by stalking, cruelty to animals and repeat drunk driving based on two convictions within three years.
“By nature, the legislature is a reactive body (and reacts) most of the time to unfortunate situations,’’ said Sen. Gary Cates, R-West Chester, one of the bill’s sponsors. “Two days ago, a little boy named Marcus Fiesel should have been celebrating his fourth birthday.”
Cates and Niehaus said it’s important not to overreact, but to react in the right fashion.
“Marcus Fiesel’s tragic death was a catalyst,’’ Niehaus said. “Let’s not focus on the past but look toward the promise of the future. . .We chose the more deliberative (but) much more productive route.”
While they aim to tighten requirements to qualify as a foster parent, the legislators said they don’t want to punish good foster parents, or discourage others from caring for foster children.
“We know there are a lot of outstanding foster care parents,’’ Cates said.
Separately, the House passed a bill which is identical to Niehaus’ bill.
Foster care bills inspired by year of horrors for Ohio children
Legislators pass foster care measures
Cincinnati Post, June 27, 2007.
A Middletown boy who was killed by his foster parents and a group of other children who were caged by their adoptive parents were on the minds of state lawmakers Tuesday as they passed legislative proposals designed to improve safety and accountability in the state's foster care system.
The bills followed a year of horrors for Ohio children that included the murder last August of 3-year-old Marcus Fiesel, a developmentally disabled boy who died after being bound and left in a closet while his foster parents, Liz and David Carroll Jr. of Union Township, Clermont County, went to a family reunion in Kentucky, and the December conviction on child endangering and abuse charges of Sharon and Michael Gravelle of Wakeman, who kept some of their 11 special-needs adopted children in wire and wood enclosures.
"These bills are not just corrective measures to fix problems in our foster care system, but they represent a unified effort to transform the way our foster care agencies operate to ensure all Ohio's foster kids are provided with a safe place to learn and grow," said state Sen. Tom Niehaus, a New Richmond Republican who sponsored of one of the Senate bills.
One of the bills adds protections for children in foster care, improves coordination among government agencies to prevent children from being placed in dangerous homes, and eases moving children out of homes where conditions go wrong. Another steps up the state's ability to check the criminal backgrounds of potential foster parents and enhances the training provided by the state.
The House passed its own version of the training bill Tuesday.
"Our mission here was to find middle ground to improve the safety of the foster care system while at the same time encouraging people to come in," said state Sen. Gary Cates, a West Chester Republican who sponsored one of the Senate bills.
Cincinnati Post, June 27, 2007.
A Middletown boy who was killed by his foster parents and a group of other children who were caged by their adoptive parents were on the minds of state lawmakers Tuesday as they passed legislative proposals designed to improve safety and accountability in the state's foster care system.
The bills followed a year of horrors for Ohio children that included the murder last August of 3-year-old Marcus Fiesel, a developmentally disabled boy who died after being bound and left in a closet while his foster parents, Liz and David Carroll Jr. of Union Township, Clermont County, went to a family reunion in Kentucky, and the December conviction on child endangering and abuse charges of Sharon and Michael Gravelle of Wakeman, who kept some of their 11 special-needs adopted children in wire and wood enclosures.
"These bills are not just corrective measures to fix problems in our foster care system, but they represent a unified effort to transform the way our foster care agencies operate to ensure all Ohio's foster kids are provided with a safe place to learn and grow," said state Sen. Tom Niehaus, a New Richmond Republican who sponsored of one of the Senate bills.
One of the bills adds protections for children in foster care, improves coordination among government agencies to prevent children from being placed in dangerous homes, and eases moving children out of homes where conditions go wrong. Another steps up the state's ability to check the criminal backgrounds of potential foster parents and enhances the training provided by the state.
The House passed its own version of the training bill Tuesday.
"Our mission here was to find middle ground to improve the safety of the foster care system while at the same time encouraging people to come in," said state Sen. Gary Cates, a West Chester Republican who sponsored one of the Senate bills.
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