Foster care reform taking root
Brooks-Higgins, Candice. Hamilton Journal News, March 12, 2007, pg. A2.
Increasing the frequency and effectiveness of foster parent criminal background checks is something foster and adoptive parent Rhonda Clark said "only makes sense."
Clark, a foster parent with her husband for 29 years, said she supports local and state officials' efforts to toughen foster parent screening since the August murder of foster child Marcus Fiesel.
"If you've got nothing to hide, there shouldn't be a reason you wouldn't want someone to do a background check on you," said Clark, who has five children of her own and four adopted daughters. "These children need all the safety nets that can be given to them. They've already got a bad start anyway."
No net saved Marcus. The developmentally disabled 3-year-old was murdered in the home of his foster parents in Clermont County's Union Township and his body burned and the remains dumped into the Ohio River six weeks after his foster father was arrested on a domestic violence charge.
Child welfare officials didn't learn of the arrest until after the Middletown boy's death. The foster parents, Liz and David Carroll Jr., were both convicted last month of murder.
Now, local and state officials are closer than ever to closing the loophole to ensure that not only convictions, but arrests, are reported to child welfare agencies and checked daily, rather than the minimum of every two years under current state law.
A state legislative committee for foster reform could have a bill drafted by month's end that will call for the creation of a statewide, "real time" criminal tracking system for all persons required by government licensing agencies to have criminal checks -- including teachers and school bus drivers.
The system could be connected to the new Statewide Automated Child Welfare Information System (SACWIS), which Butler County joined a week ago and other counties will join this year, said state Sen. Tom Niehaus, R-New Richmond, who leads the reform committee.
"It appears as though Ohio has the ability to create a system where the local law enforcement, in conjunction with the foster care agencies -- public and private -- will be able to get real time information on arrests, convictions, in particular instances when children might be in jeopardy," Niehaus said.
A bill could be introduced this spring, he said.
Rather than wait on the state, neighboring Hamilton County last week approved a plan that requires all 1,500 of its foster parents and any adults living in their homes to submit to daily checks for criminal offenses. If foster parents do not comply by next month, Hamilton County Job and Family Services Director Rick Roberts said their foster children will be removed "despite any trauma the disruption might create for the child."
After Hamilton County Job and Family Services turned over the names of 304 of its foster parents, the clerk of courts' initial check revealed 27 had criminal records for offenses such as child endangerment, assault, domestic violence, receiving stolen property, grand theft, menacing and welfare fraud.
Butler County Children Services, which approved Marcus' placement with the Carrolls, has been at the center of heated controversy, but hasn't made the same progress as its neighboring county.
It's not been "for a lack of effort or wanting," Children Services spokeswoman Denise Winkler said.
Butler County's records for area, municipal and county-level courts are not integrated into a central database like Hamilton County's court records, Butler County Clerk of Courts Administrator Jerome A. Cook said.
Butler County by April will be finished adding its common pleas court records to Montgomery County's Criminal Justice Information System, which already contains data from 80 court and police agencies in Montgomery and Greene counties.
It also red flags public child welfare agencies in those counties when foster parents are charged with crimes and could do the same in Butler County. First, however, Butler County must get all its courts to join the system.
If surrounding counties join, the system could be used regionally, and that's something Hamilton County Clerk of Courts Greg Hartmann said grabs his interest.
"It makes sense for all of us to work together on this," Hartmann said. "We share common goals, and that is to share information about what's going on in these foster homes."
Wednesday, March 14, 2007
Monday, March 12, 2007
The truth behind the chimney
Marcus case hit home, so he took action
Kelley, Eileen. Cincinnati Enquirer, March 10, 2007, pg. B1.
For 65-year-old Dave Richey, the area around the Merritt Road chimney was an escape from the sun, the noise of his road grader and the din of traffic on busier roads in Brown County.A stunning 30-foot-high stone chimney, the only vestige of an old farmhouse, and a swift-running creek allowed him to lose himself in the peace and the beauty of the area during his lunch breaks.
But in August, Richey learned a heartbreaking fact about the chimney: It was where the body of 3-year-old Marcus Fiesel was burned.
Richey, who retired from his job two months ago, hasn't gone back to the old chimney since. Marcus' death, he said, "kind of ruined it for me."
Richey, a Lewis Township road maintenance worker, called an old buddy, Brown County Sheriff's Deputy Tim Hubbard.
For the next several weeks, the two organized a benefit - with pony rides, cornhole, a band, baked goods and bicycles for an auction - in Marcus' name.
On Friday, the results of the benefit were clear when two programs that specialize in the care and support for autistic children in Brown, Clermont and surrounding counties were each given a check for $2,500.
And $3,000 in future scholarships for six college-bound high school graduates from West Clermont and Brown County high schools were given to school officials.
Sometime this spring, a granite bench will be placed and dedicated in the name of Marcus in a Brown County park, Richey said.
All told, the benefit and a few other donations brought in $9,000 in the name of Marcus.
"It's been great to see the community come together," Richey told the small crowd gathered Friday for the check presentations.
As the recipients were handed their checks, cameras flashed. People applauded.
"It's a day of mixed emotions," said Gary Brooks, superintendent of the West Clermont Local School District.
He said he's happy to receive the scholarship money, but not for the reason behind the donation.
We are here "because of the short, tragic life of Marcus Fiesel," he said.
Marcus' foster parents, Liz and David Carroll Jr., are in prison for killing him.
Liz Carroll was sentenced last month to 54 years to life in prison. She is appealing. Her husband pleaded guilty to murder and will be eligible for parole in 16 years.
Prosecutors say the couple bound the boy and left him alone in a closet to die over the weekend of Aug 4.
Amy Baker, who grew up in Brown County and was the Carrolls' live-in girlfriend, helped dispose of Marcus' body in Brown County.
The Carrolls and Baker then concocted an elaborate story about Marcus being missing from an Anderson Township park. (Baker was later granted immunity from prosecution.)
From that point on, Greater Cincinnati galvanized: first to find the boy, who was in fact dead; then, attending benefits and hearings to seek changes in local and state regulations regarding foster care.
"I think this is why Marcus was here," said Pam Bolton, of Amelia, who attended the check-presentation event on Friday, and last month attended the trail of Liz Carroll. "I think he was placed here to bring attention to the (foster care) situation."
Kelley, Eileen. Cincinnati Enquirer, March 10, 2007, pg. B1.
For 65-year-old Dave Richey, the area around the Merritt Road chimney was an escape from the sun, the noise of his road grader and the din of traffic on busier roads in Brown County.A stunning 30-foot-high stone chimney, the only vestige of an old farmhouse, and a swift-running creek allowed him to lose himself in the peace and the beauty of the area during his lunch breaks.
But in August, Richey learned a heartbreaking fact about the chimney: It was where the body of 3-year-old Marcus Fiesel was burned.
Richey, who retired from his job two months ago, hasn't gone back to the old chimney since. Marcus' death, he said, "kind of ruined it for me."
Richey, a Lewis Township road maintenance worker, called an old buddy, Brown County Sheriff's Deputy Tim Hubbard.
For the next several weeks, the two organized a benefit - with pony rides, cornhole, a band, baked goods and bicycles for an auction - in Marcus' name.
On Friday, the results of the benefit were clear when two programs that specialize in the care and support for autistic children in Brown, Clermont and surrounding counties were each given a check for $2,500.
And $3,000 in future scholarships for six college-bound high school graduates from West Clermont and Brown County high schools were given to school officials.
Sometime this spring, a granite bench will be placed and dedicated in the name of Marcus in a Brown County park, Richey said.
All told, the benefit and a few other donations brought in $9,000 in the name of Marcus.
"It's been great to see the community come together," Richey told the small crowd gathered Friday for the check presentations.
As the recipients were handed their checks, cameras flashed. People applauded.
"It's a day of mixed emotions," said Gary Brooks, superintendent of the West Clermont Local School District.
He said he's happy to receive the scholarship money, but not for the reason behind the donation.
We are here "because of the short, tragic life of Marcus Fiesel," he said.
Marcus' foster parents, Liz and David Carroll Jr., are in prison for killing him.
Liz Carroll was sentenced last month to 54 years to life in prison. She is appealing. Her husband pleaded guilty to murder and will be eligible for parole in 16 years.
Prosecutors say the couple bound the boy and left him alone in a closet to die over the weekend of Aug 4.
Amy Baker, who grew up in Brown County and was the Carrolls' live-in girlfriend, helped dispose of Marcus' body in Brown County.
The Carrolls and Baker then concocted an elaborate story about Marcus being missing from an Anderson Township park. (Baker was later granted immunity from prosecution.)
From that point on, Greater Cincinnati galvanized: first to find the boy, who was in fact dead; then, attending benefits and hearings to seek changes in local and state regulations regarding foster care.
"I think this is why Marcus was here," said Pam Bolton, of Amelia, who attended the check-presentation event on Friday, and last month attended the trail of Liz Carroll. "I think he was placed here to bring attention to the (foster care) situation."
Saturday, March 10, 2007
High school voice says, don't house children with criminals
Voices from high school students:
Crack down on foster parents with records
Cincinnati Enquirer, March 8, 2007, pg. C7.
The following are letters from seniors in Aaron Parker's government class at Lockland High School.
In regard to the front-page article "Foster parents get ultimatum" (March 6), they should have been giving ongoing criminal background checks the whole time. It's stupid not to be checking these foster parents' backgrounds. How can someone put a child in the hands of a criminal?
It's ridiculous to have 27 parents be arrested on charges of assault, violence, stolen property and fraud. It doesn't matter if the charges were dropped or lessened; these people did not deserve a child, and the child deserved better than those people. Criminal background checks should have never been overlooked or not issued. It's a shame that children are put in environments that jeopardize their health and safety.
-Adrienne Begley, Lockland
Crack down on foster parents with records
Cincinnati Enquirer, March 8, 2007, pg. C7.
The following are letters from seniors in Aaron Parker's government class at Lockland High School.
In regard to the front-page article "Foster parents get ultimatum" (March 6), they should have been giving ongoing criminal background checks the whole time. It's stupid not to be checking these foster parents' backgrounds. How can someone put a child in the hands of a criminal?
It's ridiculous to have 27 parents be arrested on charges of assault, violence, stolen property and fraud. It doesn't matter if the charges were dropped or lessened; these people did not deserve a child, and the child deserved better than those people. Criminal background checks should have never been overlooked or not issued. It's a shame that children are put in environments that jeopardize their health and safety.
-Adrienne Begley, Lockland
30 days to agree to background checks, or children will be removed from homes
Criminal checks get OK
Foster parents have 30 days to agree
Brown, Jessica. Cincinnati Enquirer, March 8, 2007, pg. C1.
Foster parents in Hamilton County - and anyone over 18 living in their homes - will undergo continuing background checks under a new program approved Wednesday by the Hamilton County Commissioners.
Foster parents have 30 days to agree to the checks or the county will remove the foster children from their homes.
Some foster parents have expressed concern about giving out their Social Security numbers for the background checks. But Brian Gregg, spokesman for the county's Department of Job and Family Services, said he thinks 90 to 95 percent will comply.
The groundbreaking legislation is a joint project among the Hamilton County commissioners, clerk of courts, and JFS.
It arose from the slaying last year of 3-year-old Marcus Fiesel by his foster parents in Clermont County. Hamilton County began working on a system by which JFS would be immediately notified if any of its foster care providers is arrested.
Recent background checks on 305 of the foster parents revealed 27 arrests, including domestic violence and menacing charges, alarming county officials.
"With every tragedy you mourn, but you also learn lessons," said Commissioner David Pepper. No other county in the state will have as comprehensive a background check system for foster parents as Hamilton County, commissioners said.
Final details were hammered out Monday and Tuesday.
The program will provide continuing criminal checks on all county foster parents and those licensed through private agencies - an estimated 1,500 parents in all, officials said. The program also was expanded to include any other adults living in the foster home.
For now, the system will detect only crimes committed in Hamilton County, but officials are working to broaden it to allow national background checks.
Gregg said the county remains in desperate need of good foster parents, particularly if some don't consent to the background checks.
Commissioner Todd Portune said he supported recruitment of new foster parents and hopes current foster parents recognize this program as "necessary for the greater good."
Commissioners also approved a motion by Pat DeWine that would allow an ombudsman to provide independent oversight of the agency and review the cases that have been flagged in the initial background checks.
How will the program work?
The Department of Job and Family Services will give the Clerk of Courts' office the names, addresses and Social Security numbers of foster parents for its 750 foster children, and any adults living in those homes.
Clerk of Courts Greg Hartmann's office will run the names daily through his computer system, which tracks all Hamilton County arrests. The names and Social Security numbers will remain confidential.
Any arrests will be flagged, and reported back to JFS.
JFS will investigate the allegations and decide whether to seek removal of the foster children.
Foster parents have 30 days to agree
Brown, Jessica. Cincinnati Enquirer, March 8, 2007, pg. C1.
Foster parents in Hamilton County - and anyone over 18 living in their homes - will undergo continuing background checks under a new program approved Wednesday by the Hamilton County Commissioners.
Foster parents have 30 days to agree to the checks or the county will remove the foster children from their homes.
Some foster parents have expressed concern about giving out their Social Security numbers for the background checks. But Brian Gregg, spokesman for the county's Department of Job and Family Services, said he thinks 90 to 95 percent will comply.
The groundbreaking legislation is a joint project among the Hamilton County commissioners, clerk of courts, and JFS.
It arose from the slaying last year of 3-year-old Marcus Fiesel by his foster parents in Clermont County. Hamilton County began working on a system by which JFS would be immediately notified if any of its foster care providers is arrested.
Recent background checks on 305 of the foster parents revealed 27 arrests, including domestic violence and menacing charges, alarming county officials.
"With every tragedy you mourn, but you also learn lessons," said Commissioner David Pepper. No other county in the state will have as comprehensive a background check system for foster parents as Hamilton County, commissioners said.
Final details were hammered out Monday and Tuesday.
The program will provide continuing criminal checks on all county foster parents and those licensed through private agencies - an estimated 1,500 parents in all, officials said. The program also was expanded to include any other adults living in the foster home.
For now, the system will detect only crimes committed in Hamilton County, but officials are working to broaden it to allow national background checks.
Gregg said the county remains in desperate need of good foster parents, particularly if some don't consent to the background checks.
Commissioner Todd Portune said he supported recruitment of new foster parents and hopes current foster parents recognize this program as "necessary for the greater good."
Commissioners also approved a motion by Pat DeWine that would allow an ombudsman to provide independent oversight of the agency and review the cases that have been flagged in the initial background checks.
How will the program work?
The Department of Job and Family Services will give the Clerk of Courts' office the names, addresses and Social Security numbers of foster parents for its 750 foster children, and any adults living in those homes.
Clerk of Courts Greg Hartmann's office will run the names daily through his computer system, which tracks all Hamilton County arrests. The names and Social Security numbers will remain confidential.
Any arrests will be flagged, and reported back to JFS.
JFS will investigate the allegations and decide whether to seek removal of the foster children.
Montgomery Co. Criminal Justice Information System is better than relying on self-reporting
Keeping track of foster parents vital
McCarty, Mary. Dayton Daily News, March 8, 2007, pg. A4.
What if Butler County Children Services had been aware that David Carroll Jr. had been arrested on domestic-violence charges several months before the death of his foster son, Marcus Fiesel? A merry-eyed 3-year-old boy might be alive today.
His death is already making a difference for foster children in Montgomery County. Since the beginning of the year, every arrest is checked against the names of foster parents licensed through Montgomery County Children Services.
In the past, a criminal background check would be conducted on every potential foster parent. But once parents entered the system, many months could elapse before Children Services learned of a fresh arrest.
After Marcus' death, then-Montgomery County Clerk of Courts Dan Foley vowed he would do something about that. He already had the tool he needed: the Montgomery County Criminal Justice Information System, a database that enables officials to access countywide records going back to 1999.
"In the past, foster parents were told they had to self-report — and that system is only as good as the people expected to do it," said Children Services spokeswoman Ann Stevens. "This will tighten things up."
Stevens said the agency received its first alert last week. "We'll review the charge and determine if it puts the child at risk in the home," she said.
Foley, now a Montgomery County commissioner, said the database so far only includes foster parents licensed through Children Services, rather than private agencies. He is working with fellow commissioners Judy Dodge and Debbie Lieberman to close that loophole, as well as to expand the database to Miami and Warren counties. (Greene County already has been incorporated.)
"Sometimes it takes a tragedy to get things changed," said new Montgomery County Clerk of Courts Greg Brush. The response here appears in stark contrast to what is happening in Hamilton County, where Clerk of Courts Greg Hartmann has been battling to obtain the names of 445 foster parents licensed through private agencies. Hamilton County Job and Family Services has refused to provide them.
"Thank goodness we haven't had that problem," Brush said. "Everybody is cooperating and participating. Nobody is being parochial and saying, 'Don't tell me what to do.' "
That doesn't surprise former Montgomery County Commissioner Vicki Pegg, the woman who initiated the criminal justice database eight years ago to track domestic violence cases.
"What makes the difference here is the combined human services levy," she said. "Agency directors know each other. If you communicate, you trust."
Children Services' Stevens has noticed another, more troubling development since Marcus' death: Fewer people have been inquiring about becoming foster parents.
"This is one isolated tragic case and on a daily basis there are thousands of kids who are doing great in foster care," she said.
While it's important for foster parents to be monitored more carefully, it's equally critical for good parents to step forward. "It's really other foster parents who can convince other people they can take on this challenge," Stevens said. "They're the best recruiters we have."
McCarty, Mary. Dayton Daily News, March 8, 2007, pg. A4.
What if Butler County Children Services had been aware that David Carroll Jr. had been arrested on domestic-violence charges several months before the death of his foster son, Marcus Fiesel? A merry-eyed 3-year-old boy might be alive today.
His death is already making a difference for foster children in Montgomery County. Since the beginning of the year, every arrest is checked against the names of foster parents licensed through Montgomery County Children Services.
In the past, a criminal background check would be conducted on every potential foster parent. But once parents entered the system, many months could elapse before Children Services learned of a fresh arrest.
After Marcus' death, then-Montgomery County Clerk of Courts Dan Foley vowed he would do something about that. He already had the tool he needed: the Montgomery County Criminal Justice Information System, a database that enables officials to access countywide records going back to 1999.
"In the past, foster parents were told they had to self-report — and that system is only as good as the people expected to do it," said Children Services spokeswoman Ann Stevens. "This will tighten things up."
Stevens said the agency received its first alert last week. "We'll review the charge and determine if it puts the child at risk in the home," she said.
Foley, now a Montgomery County commissioner, said the database so far only includes foster parents licensed through Children Services, rather than private agencies. He is working with fellow commissioners Judy Dodge and Debbie Lieberman to close that loophole, as well as to expand the database to Miami and Warren counties. (Greene County already has been incorporated.)
"Sometimes it takes a tragedy to get things changed," said new Montgomery County Clerk of Courts Greg Brush. The response here appears in stark contrast to what is happening in Hamilton County, where Clerk of Courts Greg Hartmann has been battling to obtain the names of 445 foster parents licensed through private agencies. Hamilton County Job and Family Services has refused to provide them.
"Thank goodness we haven't had that problem," Brush said. "Everybody is cooperating and participating. Nobody is being parochial and saying, 'Don't tell me what to do.' "
That doesn't surprise former Montgomery County Commissioner Vicki Pegg, the woman who initiated the criminal justice database eight years ago to track domestic violence cases.
"What makes the difference here is the combined human services levy," she said. "Agency directors know each other. If you communicate, you trust."
Children Services' Stevens has noticed another, more troubling development since Marcus' death: Fewer people have been inquiring about becoming foster parents.
"This is one isolated tragic case and on a daily basis there are thousands of kids who are doing great in foster care," she said.
While it's important for foster parents to be monitored more carefully, it's equally critical for good parents to step forward. "It's really other foster parents who can convince other people they can take on this challenge," Stevens said. "They're the best recruiters we have."
Federal funding skewed in favor of foster care, over relative placements
Editorial: Skewed priorities hurt relief for abused kids --
When government works against itself
Ofobike, Laura. Akron Beacon Journal, March 6, 2007, pg. A6.
Ask many people how government works, and they'll probably tell you they don't know. But they'll tell you this: however government works, the process frequently is mystifying. Either one hand does not know what the other is doing or it is undercutting what the other is doing.
Post 9/11, every American has a ready exhibit. How could a band of Islamic radicals pull off the biggest terrorist operation inside this country and dozens of intelligence services not know enough about it to stop it?The short answer? Because when it counted, the Central Intelligence Agency and the Federal Bureau of Investigations were operating in their own orbits, neither agency knowing much of what the other had or was doing. In the What Went Wrong phase, the analysts concluded the problem lay in a communications gap, a clash of agency culture.
Or take city streets, for a less traumatic example. One week, a crew comes along and paves a rutted street, leaving it as smooth as silk. Months later, spray-painted neon lines appear from curb to street, announcing numbered days for smoothness. Another crew comes along, digs up the street and leaves tiny hills of asphalt -- and questions. Didn't someone know, when the first crew went out, there was this other work to do? Couldn't the divisions involved do a better job of coordinating?
Emergencies and the inevitable do happen, to be sure. Different departments have their specialized missions and priorities.They develop a tunnel vision and practices to meet their own goals. Gas or water lines break, and there's nothing to do but dig up a perfectly nice street.
The frustration some of us have with government is that more often than they should, legislation, priorities and practices work at cross-purposes, one set of laws or practices subverting the very goals government sets itself to accomplish.
More often than not, it is possible to live with the impact of the contradictions and conflicts at no great disadvantage. A needlessly bumpy street, for instance, may be a minor annoyance. It may represent a waste of effort and funds and signal a need to improve scheduling. It may offer an opportunity to rail against a public figure or two or even be an occasion for a joke ("watch your tax dollars at work!"), but it does not reduce a person's opportunities for a decent life.
The results are not benign, however, when intelligence agencies work at cross-purposes. As experience has shown, thousands of people die when that happens. And the results are not benign, either, when policies intended to put abandoned, abused and neglected children into adoptive families become barriers themselves, undermining the goal.
The Public Children Services Association of Ohio has just released an update of the factbook it has published every other year for the past 14 years. The county-by-county profiles offer encouragement about the progress Ohio is making in protecting children from abusive households. Statewide, the number of children in the custody of child welfare agencies has declined, as has the number waiting for adoption. But the publication also exposes holes in the protective services, the unintended results of conflicting policy priorities that undercut the stated goals.
Case in point: an emphasis in federal funding that favors foster care when research indicates the most effective approach is to work with families to prevent the need for foster care in the first place. Everyone understands that foster care is a temporary solution and that the best environment for children is a stable and loving family life with their parents. Failing that, adoption by an interested relative or concerned person is the next best answer.
Prevention isn't our strongest suit. As in other areas of public policy, services that would help prevent or reduce the need for foster care in the first place receive little more than lip service while the bulk of funding supports the stop-gap options.
Child-welfare advocates observe the skewed emphasis in federal funding, more of which is directed toward placing children in foster care than providing incentives to support relatives who adopt family members and give them permanent homes. Further, once adoptions are finalized, whether they are kin or not, families receive few support services such as counseling, respite care, tutoring and assistance in the home for children with special needs.
When policies intended to give children a chance at family stability instead create disincentives to adoption, children lose opportunities for better lives.
When government works against itself
Ofobike, Laura. Akron Beacon Journal, March 6, 2007, pg. A6.
Ask many people how government works, and they'll probably tell you they don't know. But they'll tell you this: however government works, the process frequently is mystifying. Either one hand does not know what the other is doing or it is undercutting what the other is doing.
Post 9/11, every American has a ready exhibit. How could a band of Islamic radicals pull off the biggest terrorist operation inside this country and dozens of intelligence services not know enough about it to stop it?The short answer? Because when it counted, the Central Intelligence Agency and the Federal Bureau of Investigations were operating in their own orbits, neither agency knowing much of what the other had or was doing. In the What Went Wrong phase, the analysts concluded the problem lay in a communications gap, a clash of agency culture.
Or take city streets, for a less traumatic example. One week, a crew comes along and paves a rutted street, leaving it as smooth as silk. Months later, spray-painted neon lines appear from curb to street, announcing numbered days for smoothness. Another crew comes along, digs up the street and leaves tiny hills of asphalt -- and questions. Didn't someone know, when the first crew went out, there was this other work to do? Couldn't the divisions involved do a better job of coordinating?
Emergencies and the inevitable do happen, to be sure. Different departments have their specialized missions and priorities.They develop a tunnel vision and practices to meet their own goals. Gas or water lines break, and there's nothing to do but dig up a perfectly nice street.
The frustration some of us have with government is that more often than they should, legislation, priorities and practices work at cross-purposes, one set of laws or practices subverting the very goals government sets itself to accomplish.
More often than not, it is possible to live with the impact of the contradictions and conflicts at no great disadvantage. A needlessly bumpy street, for instance, may be a minor annoyance. It may represent a waste of effort and funds and signal a need to improve scheduling. It may offer an opportunity to rail against a public figure or two or even be an occasion for a joke ("watch your tax dollars at work!"), but it does not reduce a person's opportunities for a decent life.
The results are not benign, however, when intelligence agencies work at cross-purposes. As experience has shown, thousands of people die when that happens. And the results are not benign, either, when policies intended to put abandoned, abused and neglected children into adoptive families become barriers themselves, undermining the goal.
The Public Children Services Association of Ohio has just released an update of the factbook it has published every other year for the past 14 years. The county-by-county profiles offer encouragement about the progress Ohio is making in protecting children from abusive households. Statewide, the number of children in the custody of child welfare agencies has declined, as has the number waiting for adoption. But the publication also exposes holes in the protective services, the unintended results of conflicting policy priorities that undercut the stated goals.
Case in point: an emphasis in federal funding that favors foster care when research indicates the most effective approach is to work with families to prevent the need for foster care in the first place. Everyone understands that foster care is a temporary solution and that the best environment for children is a stable and loving family life with their parents. Failing that, adoption by an interested relative or concerned person is the next best answer.
Prevention isn't our strongest suit. As in other areas of public policy, services that would help prevent or reduce the need for foster care in the first place receive little more than lip service while the bulk of funding supports the stop-gap options.
Child-welfare advocates observe the skewed emphasis in federal funding, more of which is directed toward placing children in foster care than providing incentives to support relatives who adopt family members and give them permanent homes. Further, once adoptions are finalized, whether they are kin or not, families receive few support services such as counseling, respite care, tutoring and assistance in the home for children with special needs.
When policies intended to give children a chance at family stability instead create disincentives to adoption, children lose opportunities for better lives.
Boy returned to his biological mother, dies
4-year-old boy's death a mystery
Autopsy today
Desker, Theodore. Columbus Dispatch, March 9, 2007, pg. B6.
An autopsy today should give police a better idea of what killed a 4-year-old North Linden boy yesterday.
Medics found Antwan E. Bowman Jr. in cardiac arrest when they arrived at 10:12 a.m. at his home at 1603 Briarwood Ave., just west of Cleveland Avenue.
He was taken to Children's Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 11:23 a.m.
Neighbor Makeda Naeem said she could tell by the frantic actions of the medics that the situation was dire.
"I knew that baby was dead when they brought him out," she said.
Family members said the boy and his four siblings lived with their mother, Monica Dumas, 31, and her boyfriend at the house. Dumas was home at the time and called for help.
Relatives of the child's father, who does not live with Dumas, alleged that the children were being mistreated, leading to the intervention of Franklin County Children Services last year.
The agency confirmed its involvement with the family but said it stemmed from a lack of supervision by Dumas, not evidence of physical abuse.
Four of Dumas' five children were taken from the home in April 2006 and placed first in foster care and then with relatives. They were returned to Dumas on Feb. 23, said agency Executive Director Eric Fenner. Dumas' oldest child had remained with her, Fenner said.
Homicide detectives said they didn't know whether foul play was involved. No one was charged yesterday in connection with the death, they said.
"We don't know why this child died," detective James McCoskey said. "The doctors at Children's don't either."
Neighbors, friends and family said Antwan was a cheery boy who would rove the block asking for food.
Dumas worked at a McDonald's and more recently a Giant Eagle, residents said.
Alicia White, a friend of the Bowman family, said she often went shopping with Antwan's aunt and the boy.
"He was a fun kid that, you know, anybody would want to baby-sit him," White said. "He would just bust out and sing a song."
Fenner said his agency was still involved with the family when the death occurred and that Dumas has seemed sincere in her attempts to improve her parenting.
A caseworker visited the family last on Feb. 26, and all seemed fine, he said.
Great-grandfather William Bowman said a burn that Antwan suffered on his arm last year first prompted the agency's involvement.
"The mother wasn't taking care of them," Bowman said. "Why did they give that boy back?"
"That burn was the result of that lack of supervision," Fenner said. "It was not the result of an intentional act on the part of the parent."
Dumas' other children were back with relatives yesterday, Fenner said.
Given Dumas' progress in the past year, he stood by the decision to return the children to the home.
"That was the appropriate action to take at that time," Fenner said.
Caption: Medics found Antwan E. Bowman Jr. in cardiac arrest when they arrived yesterday at his home in North Linden.
Autopsy today
Desker, Theodore. Columbus Dispatch, March 9, 2007, pg. B6.
An autopsy today should give police a better idea of what killed a 4-year-old North Linden boy yesterday.
Medics found Antwan E. Bowman Jr. in cardiac arrest when they arrived at 10:12 a.m. at his home at 1603 Briarwood Ave., just west of Cleveland Avenue.
He was taken to Children's Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 11:23 a.m.
Neighbor Makeda Naeem said she could tell by the frantic actions of the medics that the situation was dire.
"I knew that baby was dead when they brought him out," she said.
Family members said the boy and his four siblings lived with their mother, Monica Dumas, 31, and her boyfriend at the house. Dumas was home at the time and called for help.
Relatives of the child's father, who does not live with Dumas, alleged that the children were being mistreated, leading to the intervention of Franklin County Children Services last year.
The agency confirmed its involvement with the family but said it stemmed from a lack of supervision by Dumas, not evidence of physical abuse.
Four of Dumas' five children were taken from the home in April 2006 and placed first in foster care and then with relatives. They were returned to Dumas on Feb. 23, said agency Executive Director Eric Fenner. Dumas' oldest child had remained with her, Fenner said.
Homicide detectives said they didn't know whether foul play was involved. No one was charged yesterday in connection with the death, they said.
"We don't know why this child died," detective James McCoskey said. "The doctors at Children's don't either."
Neighbors, friends and family said Antwan was a cheery boy who would rove the block asking for food.
Dumas worked at a McDonald's and more recently a Giant Eagle, residents said.
Alicia White, a friend of the Bowman family, said she often went shopping with Antwan's aunt and the boy.
"He was a fun kid that, you know, anybody would want to baby-sit him," White said. "He would just bust out and sing a song."
Fenner said his agency was still involved with the family when the death occurred and that Dumas has seemed sincere in her attempts to improve her parenting.
A caseworker visited the family last on Feb. 26, and all seemed fine, he said.
Great-grandfather William Bowman said a burn that Antwan suffered on his arm last year first prompted the agency's involvement.
"The mother wasn't taking care of them," Bowman said. "Why did they give that boy back?"
"That burn was the result of that lack of supervision," Fenner said. "It was not the result of an intentional act on the part of the parent."
Dumas' other children were back with relatives yesterday, Fenner said.
Given Dumas' progress in the past year, he stood by the decision to return the children to the home.
"That was the appropriate action to take at that time," Fenner said.
Caption: Medics found Antwan E. Bowman Jr. in cardiac arrest when they arrived yesterday at his home in North Linden.
Wednesday, March 07, 2007
Working out the details of how notification system will work
Background checks turn up Ohio foster parent arrests
Child's death spurred closer look at system
Lexington Herald-Leader, March 5, 2007, pg. B3.
CINCINNATI -- One foster parent served nine days in jail for receiving stolen property and was ordered into a drug treatment program. Another was accused of pulling a knife on someone and was sentenced to a year's probation and ordered to take anger-management classes.
Yet they continued to care for foster children, officials said.Just halfway through background checks of Hamilton County's foster parents, officials discovered 27 licensed foster parents with arrests on charges including welfare fraud, assault and domestic violence -- and even one for child endangering. They had gone unnoticed because eventual convictions, if any, weren't felonies that would require removal of the child.
The review was prompted by the case of 3-year-old Marcus Fiesel, who died while in foster care in neighboring Clermont County. County officials are creating a system that would send an alert to child welfare investigators every time a criminal charge against a foster parent is entered in court clerk computers.
The developmentally disabled boy, originally from Hamilton County, was left wrapped in a blanket and packing tape in a closet for two days while his foster parents went to a family reunion in Kentucky in August. He was dead when his foster parents, Liz Carroll and David Carroll Jr., returned home.
Liz Carroll was convicted of murder and David Carroll pleaded guilty to murder last month. It was only after the boy's death that authorities discovered David Carroll had an arrest on a domestic violence charge that had gone undetected because of infrequent background checks.
The Hamilton County Department of Job and Family Services has refreshed background checks on 304 parents licensed through the county. An additional 445 licensed through private agencies still have to be reviewed, but infighting between the the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services and county officials has stalled the process, said clerk of courts Greg Hartmann.
In most of the 27 cases, the charges were dismissed or reduced to lesser charges that would allow the foster parents to continue caring for children. Hartmann released the list of arrests but not the foster parents' names, citing privacy laws. Under state law, convictions on some felony charges preclude applicants from becoming foster parents.
Still, child welfare officials can review the fitness of parents case by case, said County Commissioner Pat DeWine.
In one instance, a foster father was accused of leaving two children in a car in 93-degree heat while he went shopping. A child endangering charge was reduced to inducing panic, and he was ordered to complete probation and attend parenting classes.
"You would think somebody at JFS would say he should not have a child," DeWine said.
Job and Family Services Director Rick Roberts said his office was checking to make sure the arrest reports were accurate before deciding whether to remove children from the homes.
DeWine and Hartmann complained that JFS's refusal to release the names of foster parents overseen by private agencies is holding up the checks and creation of the alert system.
"This is very frustrating," Hartmann said. "It's not my information. I can only deal with what they are willing to give me."
JFS supports the notification system, but it also must ensure it acts appropriately toward foster parents, Roberts said. New foster parents must submit to the checks and enroll in the system, but the county needs permission before adding the existing foster parents.
The two sides are scheduled to meet today to work out details of how the notification system should work.
"We are committed to this. We are not dragging our feet," Roberts said. "I know it sounds like bureaucratic red tape, but I'm trying to protect the rights of everyone involved, including the county. We're trying to do everything we can for children."
Child's death spurred closer look at system
Lexington Herald-Leader, March 5, 2007, pg. B3.
CINCINNATI -- One foster parent served nine days in jail for receiving stolen property and was ordered into a drug treatment program. Another was accused of pulling a knife on someone and was sentenced to a year's probation and ordered to take anger-management classes.
Yet they continued to care for foster children, officials said.Just halfway through background checks of Hamilton County's foster parents, officials discovered 27 licensed foster parents with arrests on charges including welfare fraud, assault and domestic violence -- and even one for child endangering. They had gone unnoticed because eventual convictions, if any, weren't felonies that would require removal of the child.
The review was prompted by the case of 3-year-old Marcus Fiesel, who died while in foster care in neighboring Clermont County. County officials are creating a system that would send an alert to child welfare investigators every time a criminal charge against a foster parent is entered in court clerk computers.
The developmentally disabled boy, originally from Hamilton County, was left wrapped in a blanket and packing tape in a closet for two days while his foster parents went to a family reunion in Kentucky in August. He was dead when his foster parents, Liz Carroll and David Carroll Jr., returned home.
Liz Carroll was convicted of murder and David Carroll pleaded guilty to murder last month. It was only after the boy's death that authorities discovered David Carroll had an arrest on a domestic violence charge that had gone undetected because of infrequent background checks.
The Hamilton County Department of Job and Family Services has refreshed background checks on 304 parents licensed through the county. An additional 445 licensed through private agencies still have to be reviewed, but infighting between the the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services and county officials has stalled the process, said clerk of courts Greg Hartmann.
In most of the 27 cases, the charges were dismissed or reduced to lesser charges that would allow the foster parents to continue caring for children. Hartmann released the list of arrests but not the foster parents' names, citing privacy laws. Under state law, convictions on some felony charges preclude applicants from becoming foster parents.
Still, child welfare officials can review the fitness of parents case by case, said County Commissioner Pat DeWine.
In one instance, a foster father was accused of leaving two children in a car in 93-degree heat while he went shopping. A child endangering charge was reduced to inducing panic, and he was ordered to complete probation and attend parenting classes.
"You would think somebody at JFS would say he should not have a child," DeWine said.
Job and Family Services Director Rick Roberts said his office was checking to make sure the arrest reports were accurate before deciding whether to remove children from the homes.
DeWine and Hartmann complained that JFS's refusal to release the names of foster parents overseen by private agencies is holding up the checks and creation of the alert system.
"This is very frustrating," Hartmann said. "It's not my information. I can only deal with what they are willing to give me."
JFS supports the notification system, but it also must ensure it acts appropriately toward foster parents, Roberts said. New foster parents must submit to the checks and enroll in the system, but the county needs permission before adding the existing foster parents.
The two sides are scheduled to meet today to work out details of how the notification system should work.
"We are committed to this. We are not dragging our feet," Roberts said. "I know it sounds like bureaucratic red tape, but I'm trying to protect the rights of everyone involved, including the county. We're trying to do everything we can for children."
Deficit of foster parents shouldn't mean housing children with criminals
Foster parents get ultimatum
Allow background checks or lose children, agency orders
Coolidge, Sharon. Cincinnati Enquirer, March 6, 2007, pg. A1.
Within 30 days all foster parents in Hamilton County must agree to ongoing background checks - or children will be removed from their homes, Hamilton County's top foster care official said Monday.
His comments came a day after two county officials attacked his agency for bureaucratic foot-dragging in making sure all foster parents had ongoing criminal background checks.
At a morning meeting with county commissioners, Rick Roberts, director of the county's Job and Family Services, also revealed that:
His agency was unaware of six of the 27 arrests discovered in a background check by Hamilton County Clerk of Courts Greg Hartmann. Those six arrests did not result in convictions and thus were not caught by the department's background check, which looks only at convictions, he said.
Of the 27 foster parents arrested, 16 are under investigation by his department - and may lose their foster children.
An ombudsman position with independent oversight will be created.
Foster mother Danita Atwood, 43, of Springfield Township said she's in favor of the background checks - and signed her consent form the day it arrived.
"The bottom line is when you decide you're going to take on the responsibility of foster care, from the time you put in the application, your life is put under a microscope," said Atwood, who has adopted two foster children placed with her.
The county's announcements came at a Monday morning meeting among Hamilton County commissioners, Roberts and Hartmann.
Hartmann, along with Hamilton County Commissioner Pat DeWine - both Republicans - had revealed last week that JFS was allowing background checks only of foster parents licensed through the county - and not of foster parents licensed through private agencies.
They questioned why children were permitted to live with some of the parents, one of whom was arrested on a charge of child endangering.
There are 750 foster children in Hamilton County. There are 410 foster parents licensed through the county, caring for 305 children. The other 445 children are cared for by foster parents licensed through private agencies. JFS could not say Monday how many parents are licensed through private agencies.
Of the county-controlled foster parents, 106 have not been checked. Of the privately licensed parents, none have been checked. Consent forms are still coming in, according to JFS.
An agreement between Hartmann and JFS about how the checks will be done is expected to be signed Wednesday.
"We have a serious problem," Hartmann said. "We have to make sure we are not putting children in environments that jeopardize their health and safety."
Roberts said agency staff worked all weekend reviewing the 27 cases. The reviews were done by quality assurance employees who typically work outside the foster care program, Gregg said.
Roberts added it's his responsibility to make sure these children have homes and there is already a shortage of foster parents.
He promised to follow the rules, "despite any trauma the disruption might create for the child," Roberts said in the release. "We are unsure of the ramifications of this decision.
"We do know that we have a severe need for foster parents at this time and losing any foster parent from our 285-home network or from the private agencies that care for 445 of our children would put additional strain on the system."
Hartmann uncovered the arrests while implementing a criminal background check system that allows for immediate notification if a foster parent is arrested. It's believed to be the first of its kind in the state.
DeWine and Hartmann teamed up last fall to create the instant notification system after 3-year-old Marcus Fiesel died in foster care in Clermont County. Marcus' foster father had been arrested for domestic violence, a charge never seen by foster-care case workers because background checks were done only sporadically.
Although Marcus was placed in foster care by Butler County through a private agency, DeWine and Hartmann said they wanted to prevent the same thing from happening in Hamilton County.
The records, which do not list names, show 27 parents were arrested on charges of assault, domestic violence, receiving stolen property, menacing and welfare fraud, among other things.
In most cases, the charges were tossed out or reduced to less-serious charges. None of the convictions were on charges that would have prevented the person from being a foster parent under state guidelines.
New foster parents don't get a choice. Being entered in the instant notification system is a requirement.
A letter is being sent notifying everyone of the 30-day deadline.
In the past, convictions were checked once a year. After Marcus' death there was a proposal to conduct quarterly checks. But that was put aside in favor of the instant notification process, Roberts said.
Felony convictions such as murder, assault and sex crimes preclude people from becoming foster parents in Ohio, according to state law.
How instant notification works
The instant notification system is designed to catch arrests immediately. The system, designed by employees at the Hamilton County Clerk of Courts Office, where criminal records are kept, provides alerts of potential problems with foster parents and their homes.
In addition to the most serious crimes, the system includes information on domestic violence, low-level drug citations and stalking orders not included in the information JFS uses to evaluate foster homes.
Foster parents' names are kept in the system. Then, if a parent is arrested or otherwise comes into contact with the criminal justice system, notification will be sent to JFS.
Allow background checks or lose children, agency orders
Coolidge, Sharon. Cincinnati Enquirer, March 6, 2007, pg. A1.
Within 30 days all foster parents in Hamilton County must agree to ongoing background checks - or children will be removed from their homes, Hamilton County's top foster care official said Monday.
His comments came a day after two county officials attacked his agency for bureaucratic foot-dragging in making sure all foster parents had ongoing criminal background checks.
At a morning meeting with county commissioners, Rick Roberts, director of the county's Job and Family Services, also revealed that:
His agency was unaware of six of the 27 arrests discovered in a background check by Hamilton County Clerk of Courts Greg Hartmann. Those six arrests did not result in convictions and thus were not caught by the department's background check, which looks only at convictions, he said.
Of the 27 foster parents arrested, 16 are under investigation by his department - and may lose their foster children.
An ombudsman position with independent oversight will be created.
Foster mother Danita Atwood, 43, of Springfield Township said she's in favor of the background checks - and signed her consent form the day it arrived.
"The bottom line is when you decide you're going to take on the responsibility of foster care, from the time you put in the application, your life is put under a microscope," said Atwood, who has adopted two foster children placed with her.
The county's announcements came at a Monday morning meeting among Hamilton County commissioners, Roberts and Hartmann.
Hartmann, along with Hamilton County Commissioner Pat DeWine - both Republicans - had revealed last week that JFS was allowing background checks only of foster parents licensed through the county - and not of foster parents licensed through private agencies.
They questioned why children were permitted to live with some of the parents, one of whom was arrested on a charge of child endangering.
There are 750 foster children in Hamilton County. There are 410 foster parents licensed through the county, caring for 305 children. The other 445 children are cared for by foster parents licensed through private agencies. JFS could not say Monday how many parents are licensed through private agencies.
Of the county-controlled foster parents, 106 have not been checked. Of the privately licensed parents, none have been checked. Consent forms are still coming in, according to JFS.
An agreement between Hartmann and JFS about how the checks will be done is expected to be signed Wednesday.
"We have a serious problem," Hartmann said. "We have to make sure we are not putting children in environments that jeopardize their health and safety."
Roberts said agency staff worked all weekend reviewing the 27 cases. The reviews were done by quality assurance employees who typically work outside the foster care program, Gregg said.
Roberts added it's his responsibility to make sure these children have homes and there is already a shortage of foster parents.
He promised to follow the rules, "despite any trauma the disruption might create for the child," Roberts said in the release. "We are unsure of the ramifications of this decision.
"We do know that we have a severe need for foster parents at this time and losing any foster parent from our 285-home network or from the private agencies that care for 445 of our children would put additional strain on the system."
Hartmann uncovered the arrests while implementing a criminal background check system that allows for immediate notification if a foster parent is arrested. It's believed to be the first of its kind in the state.
DeWine and Hartmann teamed up last fall to create the instant notification system after 3-year-old Marcus Fiesel died in foster care in Clermont County. Marcus' foster father had been arrested for domestic violence, a charge never seen by foster-care case workers because background checks were done only sporadically.
Although Marcus was placed in foster care by Butler County through a private agency, DeWine and Hartmann said they wanted to prevent the same thing from happening in Hamilton County.
The records, which do not list names, show 27 parents were arrested on charges of assault, domestic violence, receiving stolen property, menacing and welfare fraud, among other things.
In most cases, the charges were tossed out or reduced to less-serious charges. None of the convictions were on charges that would have prevented the person from being a foster parent under state guidelines.
New foster parents don't get a choice. Being entered in the instant notification system is a requirement.
A letter is being sent notifying everyone of the 30-day deadline.
In the past, convictions were checked once a year. After Marcus' death there was a proposal to conduct quarterly checks. But that was put aside in favor of the instant notification process, Roberts said.
Felony convictions such as murder, assault and sex crimes preclude people from becoming foster parents in Ohio, according to state law.
How instant notification works
The instant notification system is designed to catch arrests immediately. The system, designed by employees at the Hamilton County Clerk of Courts Office, where criminal records are kept, provides alerts of potential problems with foster parents and their homes.
In addition to the most serious crimes, the system includes information on domestic violence, low-level drug citations and stalking orders not included in the information JFS uses to evaluate foster homes.
Foster parents' names are kept in the system. Then, if a parent is arrested or otherwise comes into contact with the criminal justice system, notification will be sent to JFS.
Ohio hoarding money rather than giving it to kinship care providers
Caregivers want money set aside for them
Suchetka, Diane. Cleveland Plain Dealer, March 6, 2007, pg. B1.
Lucy Napper is embarrassed that Ohio is sitting on millions of dollars that lawmakers set aside to help grandparents like her - grandparents who are raising their grandchildren, keeping them out of foster care and saving taxpayers millions more as a result."I've listened to the financial figures, and I'm almost ashamed," Napper told 45 people gathered at a forum on the subject held Monday in Cleveland.
"I'm almost ashamed to say I live in a country with people living in the situation we're living in. Grandparents should not have to go through what we're going through to take care of our grandchildren. You would think we were talking about people in Haiti."
Napper was one of four Cleveland-area grandmothers who explained how they have been hurt by a program set up to help them.
Their audience included two state lawmakers: Sen. Dale Miller and Rep. Michael DeBose. Both said the program needs improvements.
The forum at Myers University, sponsored by the Cleveland office of the Children's Defense Fund of Ohio, marked the relaunching of an effort to persuade the state to spend more of the $20 million that lawmakers designated for low-income grandparents, aunts, uncles and others who are raising their relatives' children.
Why can't these kinship caregivers, as they're called, get money to help raise children when unrelated foster parents - no matter how wealthy - can? That's what the grandmothers who spoke Monday wanted to know.
"I go to four food lines a month to feed my grandchildren," said Loretta Hunter, who has been raising six grandchildren. "I shouldn't have to do that. Why can't they give us the same amount they're giving foster parents? We're doing the same job."
In September, The Plain Dealer reported that the state had set aside $10 million to help low-income grandparents, aunts and uncles raise their grandchildren, nieces and nephews. But it had spent only $608,500 - about 6 percent - of that money.
Another $10 million became available last July. As of last month, about $2 million of that had been disbursed, according to state officials.
Those officials say the program is just getting started and that more money will be spent as it matures.
But some officials worry that a program with unspent money won't be funded again.
Jim McCafferty, director of the Cuyahoga County Department of Children and Family Services, is one of those. He continues to criticize the state for not giving that money to the poor families it was intended for, especially since foster parents in Cuyahoga County who have no relationship to the children they are caring for get about $600 a month per child. And they get that no matter how wealthy they are.
"I think the Kinship Incentive Program is extremely inadequate," McCafferty said at Monday's meeting, "and it should be abolished. I believe we can do better."
So does the Rev. Mylion Waite, senior manager of the Cleveland office of the Children's Defense Fund, who convened the meeting.
She said her group will carry the discussion across the state and continue to lobby lawmakers so more money gets to kinship caregivers.
"We want to push them to make some changes to a very, very poor public policy," she said.
Suchetka, Diane. Cleveland Plain Dealer, March 6, 2007, pg. B1.
Lucy Napper is embarrassed that Ohio is sitting on millions of dollars that lawmakers set aside to help grandparents like her - grandparents who are raising their grandchildren, keeping them out of foster care and saving taxpayers millions more as a result."I've listened to the financial figures, and I'm almost ashamed," Napper told 45 people gathered at a forum on the subject held Monday in Cleveland.
"I'm almost ashamed to say I live in a country with people living in the situation we're living in. Grandparents should not have to go through what we're going through to take care of our grandchildren. You would think we were talking about people in Haiti."
Napper was one of four Cleveland-area grandmothers who explained how they have been hurt by a program set up to help them.
Their audience included two state lawmakers: Sen. Dale Miller and Rep. Michael DeBose. Both said the program needs improvements.
The forum at Myers University, sponsored by the Cleveland office of the Children's Defense Fund of Ohio, marked the relaunching of an effort to persuade the state to spend more of the $20 million that lawmakers designated for low-income grandparents, aunts, uncles and others who are raising their relatives' children.
Why can't these kinship caregivers, as they're called, get money to help raise children when unrelated foster parents - no matter how wealthy - can? That's what the grandmothers who spoke Monday wanted to know.
"I go to four food lines a month to feed my grandchildren," said Loretta Hunter, who has been raising six grandchildren. "I shouldn't have to do that. Why can't they give us the same amount they're giving foster parents? We're doing the same job."
In September, The Plain Dealer reported that the state had set aside $10 million to help low-income grandparents, aunts and uncles raise their grandchildren, nieces and nephews. But it had spent only $608,500 - about 6 percent - of that money.
Another $10 million became available last July. As of last month, about $2 million of that had been disbursed, according to state officials.
Those officials say the program is just getting started and that more money will be spent as it matures.
But some officials worry that a program with unspent money won't be funded again.
Jim McCafferty, director of the Cuyahoga County Department of Children and Family Services, is one of those. He continues to criticize the state for not giving that money to the poor families it was intended for, especially since foster parents in Cuyahoga County who have no relationship to the children they are caring for get about $600 a month per child. And they get that no matter how wealthy they are.
"I think the Kinship Incentive Program is extremely inadequate," McCafferty said at Monday's meeting, "and it should be abolished. I believe we can do better."
So does the Rev. Mylion Waite, senior manager of the Cleveland office of the Children's Defense Fund, who convened the meeting.
She said her group will carry the discussion across the state and continue to lobby lawmakers so more money gets to kinship caregivers.
"We want to push them to make some changes to a very, very poor public policy," she said.
Elaine Thompson was no expert, and gave bad counsel
Caged kids' caretakers got bad advice
Fisher, Ann. Columbus Dispatch, Feb. 28, 2007, pg. E1.
We all should know by now that it's against the law to cage our children, even if we swear they deserve it and we find a social worker who happens to agree.
That last part -- the quest for a social worker -- might be the key to the downfall of Sharen and Michael Gravelle.
Each was sentenced to two years in prison for forcing some of their 11 adopted special-needs children to sleep in cages.
They are free on bond while appealing their convictions but have lost custody of their children.
The independent social worker hired by the Huron County couple to advise them pleaded guilty last week to not reporting a crime in the case. She failed the parents and their children.
The Gravelles found social worker Elaine Thompson on the Web page of Nancy Thomas Parenting, a site devoted to parents of children who have reactive attachment disorder. The disorder often is associated with fetal alcohol syndrome, which had been diagnosed in some of the Gravelle children.
But no way, no how, Thomas told me yesterday, has caging ever been a recommended management tool.
"It's bizarre, absolutely bizarre," she said from her office in Glenwood Springs, Colo. "To have 11 children together in two bedrooms is totally inappropriate."
Yet a therapist listed on her site approved the tactic, which only goes to show that relying on one such source is unwise.
There are alternatives, which can begin at the reference desk of the Columbus Metropolitan Library. When I called in the vaguest quest for finding a social worker, the reference librarian suggested Firstlink.
And that made so much sense. The motto at the clearinghouse for central Ohio social services is "Give help, get help, 2-1-1," which is the telephone number.
Firstlink typically refers callers to an agency that can help.
Another first step is the Web site for the Ohio Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers, which links to the national site's social-worker search engine. Click on "Resources" and look for "Find a clinical social worker." Fill out the form, and you're on your way.
Unfortunately, most folks are in crisis by the time they seek a social worker, said C. Elaine Stepp, executive director of the Ohio chapter.
And there are so many from which to choose, in nearly 50 disciplines. Many folks don't even know they need a social worker, just that they need something.
In Ohio, 20,560 licensed social workers are on the job. That number doesn't include counselors and therapists.
Stepp recommends assuming that whatever the profession, dog catcher to brain surgeon, "20 percent will be excellent, another 20 percent will be rotten, and there will be the 60 percent in the middle."
Another reliable first step also is a mouthful: the Counselor, Social Worker and Marriage and Family Therapist Board, the licensing agency in Ohio. The board won't refer or recommend, but it will put you in touch with agencies that will.
Surely, the Gravelles' circumstances were unusual. I've had all the knee-jerk reactions that most people have had, trying to understand what in the world they were thinking.
I credit them for seeking help in 2000. But they stopped short when they simply found someone to validate their methods.
Ann Fisher is a Dispatch Metro columnist. She can be reached at 614-461-8759 or by e-mail.
Fisher, Ann. Columbus Dispatch, Feb. 28, 2007, pg. E1.
We all should know by now that it's against the law to cage our children, even if we swear they deserve it and we find a social worker who happens to agree.
That last part -- the quest for a social worker -- might be the key to the downfall of Sharen and Michael Gravelle.
Each was sentenced to two years in prison for forcing some of their 11 adopted special-needs children to sleep in cages.
They are free on bond while appealing their convictions but have lost custody of their children.
The independent social worker hired by the Huron County couple to advise them pleaded guilty last week to not reporting a crime in the case. She failed the parents and their children.
The Gravelles found social worker Elaine Thompson on the Web page of Nancy Thomas Parenting, a site devoted to parents of children who have reactive attachment disorder. The disorder often is associated with fetal alcohol syndrome, which had been diagnosed in some of the Gravelle children.
But no way, no how, Thomas told me yesterday, has caging ever been a recommended management tool.
"It's bizarre, absolutely bizarre," she said from her office in Glenwood Springs, Colo. "To have 11 children together in two bedrooms is totally inappropriate."
Yet a therapist listed on her site approved the tactic, which only goes to show that relying on one such source is unwise.
There are alternatives, which can begin at the reference desk of the Columbus Metropolitan Library. When I called in the vaguest quest for finding a social worker, the reference librarian suggested Firstlink.
And that made so much sense. The motto at the clearinghouse for central Ohio social services is "Give help, get help, 2-1-1," which is the telephone number.
Firstlink typically refers callers to an agency that can help.
Another first step is the Web site for the Ohio Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers, which links to the national site's social-worker search engine. Click on "Resources" and look for "Find a clinical social worker." Fill out the form, and you're on your way.
Unfortunately, most folks are in crisis by the time they seek a social worker, said C. Elaine Stepp, executive director of the Ohio chapter.
And there are so many from which to choose, in nearly 50 disciplines. Many folks don't even know they need a social worker, just that they need something.
In Ohio, 20,560 licensed social workers are on the job. That number doesn't include counselors and therapists.
Stepp recommends assuming that whatever the profession, dog catcher to brain surgeon, "20 percent will be excellent, another 20 percent will be rotten, and there will be the 60 percent in the middle."
Another reliable first step also is a mouthful: the Counselor, Social Worker and Marriage and Family Therapist Board, the licensing agency in Ohio. The board won't refer or recommend, but it will put you in touch with agencies that will.
Surely, the Gravelles' circumstances were unusual. I've had all the knee-jerk reactions that most people have had, trying to understand what in the world they were thinking.
I credit them for seeking help in 2000. But they stopped short when they simply found someone to validate their methods.
Ann Fisher is a Dispatch Metro columnist. She can be reached at 614-461-8759 or by e-mail.
27 foster parent arrests
Check turns up 27 foster-parent arrests
Hamilton County officials not finished running records on all adults in program
Columbus Dispatch, March 5, 2007, pg. 3B.
A foster parent served nine days in jail for receiving stolen property and was ordered into a drug-treatment program. Another was accused of pulling a knife on someone and was sentenced to a year's probation and ordered to take anger-management classes.
Yet they continued to care for foster children, officials said.
Just halfway through background checks of Hamilton County's foster parents, officials discovered 27 licensed foster parents with arrests on charges including welfare fraud, assault and domestic violence -- and even one for child endangering. They had gone unnoticed because eventual convictions, if any, weren't felonies that would require removing the child.
The review was prompted by the death of 3-year-old Marcus Fiesel in neighboring Clermont County. County officials are creating a system that would send an alert to child-welfare investigators every time a criminal charge against a foster parent is entered in court computers.
The developmentally disabled boy, originally from Hamilton County, was left wrapped in a blanket and tape in a closet for two days while his foster parents went to a family reunion in Kentucky in August. He was dead when his foster parents, Liz Carroll and David Carroll Jr., returned home.
Liz Carroll was convicted of murder and David Carroll pleaded guilty to murder last month. It was only after the boy's death that authorities discovered David Carroll had an arrest on a domestic-violence charge that had gone undetected because of infrequent background checks.
The Hamilton County Department of Job and Family Services has refreshed background checks on 304 parents licensed through the county. Another 445 licensed through private agencies still have to be reviewed, but infighting between the department and county officials has stalled the process, clerk of courts Greg Hartmann said.
In most of the 27 cases, the charges were dismissed or reduced to lesser charges that would allow the foster parents to continue caring for children. Hartmann released the list of arrests but not the foster parents' names, citing privacy laws. Under state law, convictions on some felony charges preclude applicants from becoming foster parents.
Still, child-welfare officials can review the fitness of parents case by case, County Commissioner Pat DeWine said.
In one instance, a foster father was accused of leaving two children in a car in 93-degree heat while he went shopping. A child-endangering charge was reduced to inducing panic.
"You would think somebody at (the department) would say he should not have a child," DeWine said.
Job and Family Services Director Rick Roberts said his office was checking to make sure the arrest reports were accurate before deciding whether to remove children from the homes.
DeWine and Hartmann complained that the department's refusal to release the names of foster parents overseen by private agencies is holding up the checks and creation of the alert system.
"This is very frustrating," Hartmann said. "It's not my information. I can only deal with what they are willing to give me."
The department supports the notification system, but it also must ensure it acts appropriately toward foster parents, Roberts said. New foster parents must submit to the checks and enroll in the system, but the county needs permission before adding the existing foster parents.
The two sides are scheduled to meet today to work out details of how the notification system should work.
"We are committed to this. We are not dragging our feet," Roberts said.
"I know it sounds like bureaucratic red tape, but I'm trying to protect the rights of everyone involved, including the county. We're trying to do everything we can for children."
Caption: Liz Carroll was found guilty of murder in the death of foster child Marcus Fiesel. After that verdict, her husband, David Carroll Jr., right, pleaded guilty.
Hamilton County officials not finished running records on all adults in program
Columbus Dispatch, March 5, 2007, pg. 3B.
A foster parent served nine days in jail for receiving stolen property and was ordered into a drug-treatment program. Another was accused of pulling a knife on someone and was sentenced to a year's probation and ordered to take anger-management classes.
Yet they continued to care for foster children, officials said.
Just halfway through background checks of Hamilton County's foster parents, officials discovered 27 licensed foster parents with arrests on charges including welfare fraud, assault and domestic violence -- and even one for child endangering. They had gone unnoticed because eventual convictions, if any, weren't felonies that would require removing the child.
The review was prompted by the death of 3-year-old Marcus Fiesel in neighboring Clermont County. County officials are creating a system that would send an alert to child-welfare investigators every time a criminal charge against a foster parent is entered in court computers.
The developmentally disabled boy, originally from Hamilton County, was left wrapped in a blanket and tape in a closet for two days while his foster parents went to a family reunion in Kentucky in August. He was dead when his foster parents, Liz Carroll and David Carroll Jr., returned home.
Liz Carroll was convicted of murder and David Carroll pleaded guilty to murder last month. It was only after the boy's death that authorities discovered David Carroll had an arrest on a domestic-violence charge that had gone undetected because of infrequent background checks.
The Hamilton County Department of Job and Family Services has refreshed background checks on 304 parents licensed through the county. Another 445 licensed through private agencies still have to be reviewed, but infighting between the department and county officials has stalled the process, clerk of courts Greg Hartmann said.
In most of the 27 cases, the charges were dismissed or reduced to lesser charges that would allow the foster parents to continue caring for children. Hartmann released the list of arrests but not the foster parents' names, citing privacy laws. Under state law, convictions on some felony charges preclude applicants from becoming foster parents.
Still, child-welfare officials can review the fitness of parents case by case, County Commissioner Pat DeWine said.
In one instance, a foster father was accused of leaving two children in a car in 93-degree heat while he went shopping. A child-endangering charge was reduced to inducing panic.
"You would think somebody at (the department) would say he should not have a child," DeWine said.
Job and Family Services Director Rick Roberts said his office was checking to make sure the arrest reports were accurate before deciding whether to remove children from the homes.
DeWine and Hartmann complained that the department's refusal to release the names of foster parents overseen by private agencies is holding up the checks and creation of the alert system.
"This is very frustrating," Hartmann said. "It's not my information. I can only deal with what they are willing to give me."
The department supports the notification system, but it also must ensure it acts appropriately toward foster parents, Roberts said. New foster parents must submit to the checks and enroll in the system, but the county needs permission before adding the existing foster parents.
The two sides are scheduled to meet today to work out details of how the notification system should work.
"We are committed to this. We are not dragging our feet," Roberts said.
"I know it sounds like bureaucratic red tape, but I'm trying to protect the rights of everyone involved, including the county. We're trying to do everything we can for children."
Caption: Liz Carroll was found guilty of murder in the death of foster child Marcus Fiesel. After that verdict, her husband, David Carroll Jr., right, pleaded guilty.
Single woman chooses foster care, rather than husband
No Mr. in the picture
By choice or chance, a majority of women in Columbus don't have a husband
Williams, Sherri. Columbus Dispatch, Feb. 25, 2007, pg. A1.
For Sherrie Key, the single life is brand new at age 62.
She went basically from her parents' home to her marriage home, where she stayed for 23 years until her husband, Brian Key, died in 1991.
Key, who works in the purchasing department at Worthington Industries, raised the couple's sons after her husband's death and later lived with one of them for years.
It wasn't until last year that she moved into her own apartment after decades of being surrounded by the voices of children.
"It's really something different," Key said. "But I love it. You can go till you want to go. ... There are perks of being alone which I never realized."
Key of the Far North Side is among the majority of women in Columbus, 53 percent, between the ages of 20 and 74 living without a husband in their home, according to U.S. census data. Nationally, 42 percent of women in the same age group are living without husbands.
Whether single by choice or chance, women are adapting to living without spouses even though some want to marry, said Melinda Swan, chief operating officer of the YWCA Columbus.
They are saying, "This is my lifestyle, and I want to make the best of it and contribute to the community," Swan said.
Columbus' rate of women living without spouses might be higher than the national rate because of the large number of professional women here, Swan said.
And women are surviving longer than men, getting married later and increasingly cohabitating with men, said Elizabeth Cooksey, an associate sociology professor at Ohio State University.
But the number of women reported living with men outside of marriage is small, according to census data. In Columbus, households of unmarried partners of the opposite sex account for nearly 7 percent of the city's households.
Columbus' college population also might slightly affect the city's rates.
For some, the absence of men is felt, especially for women with children.
"Sometimes they feel like they don't have anywhere to unwind," Swan said. "They feel stressed more than people realize."
For other women, affection takes a back seat while pursuing education and careers, said Zhenchao Qian, a sociology professor at Ohio State.
"They don't go to college for the purpose of finding spouses," he said. But they still value marriage.
"If you asked 90 percent of the women if they want to get married, they would say yes," Qian said. "Marriage and family are still very important. But they want to make sure certain things are there so they can get married."
As baby boomers age, the pool of women living without husbands should widen, and society needs to prepare a support system for them, he said.
Facing the world on her own
During the years she was raising 11 foster children and three adopted children, Key didn't have time to share with others.
Now, she delivers 120 meals a month as a Meals on Wheels volunteer, she's active at Northside Fellowship Church and has a network of support she didn't have when she was married.
"I have expanded my world from only relatives to a lot of friends," said Key, who is interested in obtaining a college degree.
Her husband has been dead 16 years, but she still misses his companionship and sharing her passion for NASCAR racing, dancing, movies and life.
Key has dated, but, "I just haven't met my prince," she said. "I don't care if he's on a white horse or not."
But until Prince Charming rides in on a horse or rolls by in a Mustang, Key plans to enjoy living life on her own.
"Being single means opening up the world to a lot more different things," she said. "It brings you out of your own little world."
From solo to duo
For a decade, Tiffany Sims, 32, played the dual roles of mother and father to her children and was not involved in a relationship.
"When you're alone, it seems like everybody else is together," she said. "I felt like everybody else was married before me. Turning 30 was hard. I was single."
Her loneliness was filled with the love and laughter of her children, Jordan, 13, and Tyesha, 10. But she still longed for a companion and a male role model for the children.
However, she was content being single. "It seemed like once I was OK with being single, that's when I met my fiance," said Sims of the Northeast Side.
Sims, a marketing director for a professional engineering firm, met Willy Gibson almost two years ago.
The two plan to marry in September.
Although marriage will mean the end of the independence of making decisions alone, Sims said, it also will mean the beginning of sharing experiences and responsibility.
"I'm looking forward to being that complete, whole family," she said.
A decade of living without a husband offered her lessons for her new life with one.
"Being single means you have to learn to love yourself," Sims said.
Single with sons
After 20 years of marriage, Cindy Bush, 46, decided that her life should take a new direction. But less than two years after her divorce, her faith in marriage is strong.
The mother of two and the executive managing director of eWomenNetwork said her life is full with her family and an exciting career. But a husband who is a collaborator would be "the icing on the cake."
The absence of a man has meant a decreased income and not having someone to do various chores. But a new support system of friends fills the void.
"Having friends and connections is really important," said Bush, of New Albany.
"You don't realize that when you're married. When you're married you focus on that relationship and family. Being single forces you to get out of that box."
Being a single mother and dating for the first time in two decades was different. Bush had the feelings of two other guys to consider: her sons, Bryan, 18, and Daniel, 15.
As she grows older, Bush thinks it won't be easy to find a husband, but it's possible.
"I know there is a man out there for me," she said. "He may be harder to find, but he's waiting."
Hitched to happiness
Two years ago, Jess Snell, 23, of Westerville, was looking at houses with her boyfriend and talking about marriage.
She had even heard from friends that he had bought a ring. But reality crushed the fairy-tale romance when Snell discovered he was cheating on her.
"It's really for the best," said Snell, who graduated from Otterbein College last year with a degree in speech communication and broadcasting. "I like my life now."
Dating is part of the carefree social life she leads with her two roommates. "We're not on the prowl. If the right guy comes along, then he does."
If Snell had stayed with her boyfriend, they possibly would have been married now.
"It freaks me out now to think that, because I've learned so much more about my life and the world," she said. "I think it's perfect to be single now.
"You're still learning and experiencing things."
By choice or chance, a majority of women in Columbus don't have a husband
Williams, Sherri. Columbus Dispatch, Feb. 25, 2007, pg. A1.
For Sherrie Key, the single life is brand new at age 62.
She went basically from her parents' home to her marriage home, where she stayed for 23 years until her husband, Brian Key, died in 1991.
Key, who works in the purchasing department at Worthington Industries, raised the couple's sons after her husband's death and later lived with one of them for years.
It wasn't until last year that she moved into her own apartment after decades of being surrounded by the voices of children.
"It's really something different," Key said. "But I love it. You can go till you want to go. ... There are perks of being alone which I never realized."
Key of the Far North Side is among the majority of women in Columbus, 53 percent, between the ages of 20 and 74 living without a husband in their home, according to U.S. census data. Nationally, 42 percent of women in the same age group are living without husbands.
Whether single by choice or chance, women are adapting to living without spouses even though some want to marry, said Melinda Swan, chief operating officer of the YWCA Columbus.
They are saying, "This is my lifestyle, and I want to make the best of it and contribute to the community," Swan said.
Columbus' rate of women living without spouses might be higher than the national rate because of the large number of professional women here, Swan said.
And women are surviving longer than men, getting married later and increasingly cohabitating with men, said Elizabeth Cooksey, an associate sociology professor at Ohio State University.
But the number of women reported living with men outside of marriage is small, according to census data. In Columbus, households of unmarried partners of the opposite sex account for nearly 7 percent of the city's households.
Columbus' college population also might slightly affect the city's rates.
For some, the absence of men is felt, especially for women with children.
"Sometimes they feel like they don't have anywhere to unwind," Swan said. "They feel stressed more than people realize."
For other women, affection takes a back seat while pursuing education and careers, said Zhenchao Qian, a sociology professor at Ohio State.
"They don't go to college for the purpose of finding spouses," he said. But they still value marriage.
"If you asked 90 percent of the women if they want to get married, they would say yes," Qian said. "Marriage and family are still very important. But they want to make sure certain things are there so they can get married."
As baby boomers age, the pool of women living without husbands should widen, and society needs to prepare a support system for them, he said.
Facing the world on her own
During the years she was raising 11 foster children and three adopted children, Key didn't have time to share with others.
Now, she delivers 120 meals a month as a Meals on Wheels volunteer, she's active at Northside Fellowship Church and has a network of support she didn't have when she was married.
"I have expanded my world from only relatives to a lot of friends," said Key, who is interested in obtaining a college degree.
Her husband has been dead 16 years, but she still misses his companionship and sharing her passion for NASCAR racing, dancing, movies and life.
Key has dated, but, "I just haven't met my prince," she said. "I don't care if he's on a white horse or not."
But until Prince Charming rides in on a horse or rolls by in a Mustang, Key plans to enjoy living life on her own.
"Being single means opening up the world to a lot more different things," she said. "It brings you out of your own little world."
From solo to duo
For a decade, Tiffany Sims, 32, played the dual roles of mother and father to her children and was not involved in a relationship.
"When you're alone, it seems like everybody else is together," she said. "I felt like everybody else was married before me. Turning 30 was hard. I was single."
Her loneliness was filled with the love and laughter of her children, Jordan, 13, and Tyesha, 10. But she still longed for a companion and a male role model for the children.
However, she was content being single. "It seemed like once I was OK with being single, that's when I met my fiance," said Sims of the Northeast Side.
Sims, a marketing director for a professional engineering firm, met Willy Gibson almost two years ago.
The two plan to marry in September.
Although marriage will mean the end of the independence of making decisions alone, Sims said, it also will mean the beginning of sharing experiences and responsibility.
"I'm looking forward to being that complete, whole family," she said.
A decade of living without a husband offered her lessons for her new life with one.
"Being single means you have to learn to love yourself," Sims said.
Single with sons
After 20 years of marriage, Cindy Bush, 46, decided that her life should take a new direction. But less than two years after her divorce, her faith in marriage is strong.
The mother of two and the executive managing director of eWomenNetwork said her life is full with her family and an exciting career. But a husband who is a collaborator would be "the icing on the cake."
The absence of a man has meant a decreased income and not having someone to do various chores. But a new support system of friends fills the void.
"Having friends and connections is really important," said Bush, of New Albany.
"You don't realize that when you're married. When you're married you focus on that relationship and family. Being single forces you to get out of that box."
Being a single mother and dating for the first time in two decades was different. Bush had the feelings of two other guys to consider: her sons, Bryan, 18, and Daniel, 15.
As she grows older, Bush thinks it won't be easy to find a husband, but it's possible.
"I know there is a man out there for me," she said. "He may be harder to find, but he's waiting."
Hitched to happiness
Two years ago, Jess Snell, 23, of Westerville, was looking at houses with her boyfriend and talking about marriage.
She had even heard from friends that he had bought a ring. But reality crushed the fairy-tale romance when Snell discovered he was cheating on her.
"It's really for the best," said Snell, who graduated from Otterbein College last year with a degree in speech communication and broadcasting. "I like my life now."
Dating is part of the carefree social life she leads with her two roommates. "We're not on the prowl. If the right guy comes along, then he does."
If Snell had stayed with her boyfriend, they possibly would have been married now.
"It freaks me out now to think that, because I've learned so much more about my life and the world," she said. "I think it's perfect to be single now.
"You're still learning and experiencing things."
Starvation isn't the answer to fear of diabetes
Licking County
Mom in starving case gets 4 years
Sheehan, Tom. Columbus Dispatch, March 6, 2007, pg. D1.
Moments after she pleaded guilty, apologized and received a four-year prison term, a Newark mother convicted of starving her mentally disabled teenage son finally broke down.
Mildred McMannis hung her head and softly cried as she sat shackled in chains next to her attorney in a Licking County courtroom yesterday.
Assistant County Prosecutor Dave Mallett earlier related a tale of months of abuse that included forcing her son, now 17, to live on a diet of canned green vegetables between March and August last year. By late August, the 5-foot-6-inch teen weighed only 76 pounds.
"He was found to be extremely malnourished and dehydrated," Mallett told Common Pleas Judge Jon Spahr.
The boy, Patrick Faller, has cerebral palsy and is mentally disabled. After Newark High School officials noticed his physical condition, Newark police began an investigation and arrested McMannis. Patrick now is in foster care and has gained more than 20 pounds.
His 40-year-old mother, who has diabetes, told authorities he had begun eating too much, such as 4 pounds of spaghetti at a meal, and become physically aggressive and combative. She said she put him on a restrictive diet because she didn't want him to become diabetic.
Police arrested McMannis in late August. A month later, a county grand jury indicted her on two counts of child endangering and one count of domestic violence. She has been in the county jail for the past 176 days in lieu of $500,000 bail. Yesterday, she pleaded guilty to one count of child endangering. The other two charges were dismissed.
"I love my son. I would not intentionally try to hurt him," McMannis told Spahr. "I hope I can be reunited with him soon and show him I am really sorry for what I did."
J. Tullis Rogers, McMannis' attorney, described a mother overwhelmed by financial, alcohol and other problems who tried her best to raise her son and two other children, who now also are in foster care. Her husband of 12 years is a long-distance truck driver and frequently away from home.
Chuck McMannis said after yesterday's hearing that he supports his wife and hopes she will be granted early release from prison after serving six months.
"I know Patrick loves her very much and she loves him," Mr. McMannis said.
The boy's father, Darrell Faller, said after the hearing that he is satisfied with the prison sentence and that he is trying to gain custody of his son. He last saw Patrick about two weeks ago and said he is doing very well.
Mildred McMannis pleaded guilty to child endangering.
Mom in starving case gets 4 years
Sheehan, Tom. Columbus Dispatch, March 6, 2007, pg. D1.
Moments after she pleaded guilty, apologized and received a four-year prison term, a Newark mother convicted of starving her mentally disabled teenage son finally broke down.
Mildred McMannis hung her head and softly cried as she sat shackled in chains next to her attorney in a Licking County courtroom yesterday.
Assistant County Prosecutor Dave Mallett earlier related a tale of months of abuse that included forcing her son, now 17, to live on a diet of canned green vegetables between March and August last year. By late August, the 5-foot-6-inch teen weighed only 76 pounds.
"He was found to be extremely malnourished and dehydrated," Mallett told Common Pleas Judge Jon Spahr.
The boy, Patrick Faller, has cerebral palsy and is mentally disabled. After Newark High School officials noticed his physical condition, Newark police began an investigation and arrested McMannis. Patrick now is in foster care and has gained more than 20 pounds.
His 40-year-old mother, who has diabetes, told authorities he had begun eating too much, such as 4 pounds of spaghetti at a meal, and become physically aggressive and combative. She said she put him on a restrictive diet because she didn't want him to become diabetic.
Police arrested McMannis in late August. A month later, a county grand jury indicted her on two counts of child endangering and one count of domestic violence. She has been in the county jail for the past 176 days in lieu of $500,000 bail. Yesterday, she pleaded guilty to one count of child endangering. The other two charges were dismissed.
"I love my son. I would not intentionally try to hurt him," McMannis told Spahr. "I hope I can be reunited with him soon and show him I am really sorry for what I did."
J. Tullis Rogers, McMannis' attorney, described a mother overwhelmed by financial, alcohol and other problems who tried her best to raise her son and two other children, who now also are in foster care. Her husband of 12 years is a long-distance truck driver and frequently away from home.
Chuck McMannis said after yesterday's hearing that he supports his wife and hopes she will be granted early release from prison after serving six months.
"I know Patrick loves her very much and she loves him," Mr. McMannis said.
The boy's father, Darrell Faller, said after the hearing that he is satisfied with the prison sentence and that he is trying to gain custody of his son. He last saw Patrick about two weeks ago and said he is doing very well.
Mildred McMannis pleaded guilty to child endangering.
11-month-old child beaten by his father
Bellafontaine
Logan County parents charged in beating of child
Columbus Dispatch, March 3, 2007, pg. D5.
The parents of a critically injured 11-month-old boy face hearings this month on felony charges stemming from the alleged beating of the child.
Michael B. Robinson, 43, and Sue Hutchins, 35, remained in the Logan County jail after appearing yesterday before Bellefontaine Municipal Judge John Ross.
Robinson, who is being held in lieu of $100,000 bail, is to have a preliminary hearing Tuesday. He is charged with felonious assault, child endangering and domestic violence.
Hutchins is being held in lieu of $50,000 bail and has a preliminary hearing set for March 12. She is charged with permitting child abuse.
Dana Robinson remained in critical condition yesterday in Children's Hospital in Columbus. His father is accused of beating him and then calling 911 early Monday to report that the child was hurt.
"The baby is alive and has shown improvement," said Assistant County Prosecutor Eric Stewart. "They have said there will be disabilities."
Dana, who was hooked up to life-supporting tubes and hoses, is starting to breathe on his own, authorities said yesterday. The boy remains a ward of the county. Six other children, including three sons of Robinson's, have been placed with relatives or in foster care.
Logan County parents charged in beating of child
Columbus Dispatch, March 3, 2007, pg. D5.
The parents of a critically injured 11-month-old boy face hearings this month on felony charges stemming from the alleged beating of the child.
Michael B. Robinson, 43, and Sue Hutchins, 35, remained in the Logan County jail after appearing yesterday before Bellefontaine Municipal Judge John Ross.
Robinson, who is being held in lieu of $100,000 bail, is to have a preliminary hearing Tuesday. He is charged with felonious assault, child endangering and domestic violence.
Hutchins is being held in lieu of $50,000 bail and has a preliminary hearing set for March 12. She is charged with permitting child abuse.
Dana Robinson remained in critical condition yesterday in Children's Hospital in Columbus. His father is accused of beating him and then calling 911 early Monday to report that the child was hurt.
"The baby is alive and has shown improvement," said Assistant County Prosecutor Eric Stewart. "They have said there will be disabilities."
Dana, who was hooked up to life-supporting tubes and hoses, is starting to breathe on his own, authorities said yesterday. The boy remains a ward of the county. Six other children, including three sons of Robinson's, have been placed with relatives or in foster care.
Abusive treatment of children
Baby fighting to survive injuries
Jailed parents of 11-month-old boy have history of problems caring for children, authorities say
Zachariah, Holly. Columbus Dispatch, Feb. 28, 2007, pg. E1.
A baby lay tethered to life-supporting tubes and hoses in Children's Hospital. His father sat in jail, accused of beating him.
And as 11-month-old Dana Robinson struggled to breathe yesterday, police arrested his mother, too.
Parents Michael B. Robinson and Sue Hutchins were in the Logan County jail yesterday, and Dana became a ward of the county.
Six other children -- three sons of Robinson's, two daughters of Hutchins' and another son they have together -- were taken into protective custody Monday. All have been placed with relatives or foster families.
John Holtkamp, director of Logan County Children's Services, said his office opened a case with the couple more than two years ago, but it was closed in December "because the mother had made significant improvement."
The couple did not live together, but police said Dana had spent Sunday night at his father's house on the south side of Bellefontaine, 40 miles northwest of Columbus.
A civil-protection order had been in place preventing Robinson from spending time with Dana, his 2-year-old brother and Hutchins' two girls from a previous relationship. But Hutchins asked to have herself and the boys removed from that order, and the court approved the change in August.
This latest incident unfolded Monday when Robinson, 43, called 911 just before 7:30 a.m. and said his son wasn't breathing.
"Has he been sick?" a dispatcher asked.
"Yes ... he's been sick," Robinson said. "He fell one day and hit his mouth on a table because he's trying to walk. Please hurry."
An emergency squad took Dana to Bellefontaine's Mary Rutan Hospital, and doctors there summoned police.
Police Lt. Ron Birt said Dana "had multiple bruises in multiple areas from what was apparent and obvious abuse."
Dana was flown to Children's Hospital and put on a ventilator. But Holtkamp said neurologists reported some activity in the baby's brain and called it "an encouraging sign." A hospital spokeswoman said Dana was in critical condition.
As long as Dana is in the county's custody, medical decisions will be the responsibility of Children's Services.
"Should it come to that, the court would get involved, a team of professionals would get involved and we would undertake that grim task together," Holtkamp said.
The boy's mother likely won't play much of a role. Hutchins, 35, appeared at the Logan County jail yesterday to attend the emergency-care hearing for Dana and was arrested on a probation violation.
Both she and Robinson had been charged in 2005 with child endangering in a case that began on Christmas Day 2004. That's when Children's Services workers were notified that Dana's older brother, Draven Robinson, who was just 1 month old at the time, had a broken leg. Draven was placed in foster care but later reunited with his mother.
While that investigation was under way, the couple had a run-in with police in March 2005 concerning the possible abuse of Hutchins' two daughters from a previous relationship.
According to police reports, the 7-year-old girl had bruises on her face, elbow, leg and back. When a caseworker visited the house, it was found that someone had used heavy makeup to try to conceal the marks.
In interviews with detectives at that time, Robinson admitted that he had spanked the girl and gave her "horse bites" when they were joking around but said he didn't see why it was a big deal.
At yesterday's custody hearing, Holtkamp said, Robinson said things are being blown out of proportion, and he told the court: "I never said I was a perfect dad. But I'm good enough." - NO, YOU'RE NOT
Jailed parents of 11-month-old boy have history of problems caring for children, authorities say
Zachariah, Holly. Columbus Dispatch, Feb. 28, 2007, pg. E1.
A baby lay tethered to life-supporting tubes and hoses in Children's Hospital. His father sat in jail, accused of beating him.
And as 11-month-old Dana Robinson struggled to breathe yesterday, police arrested his mother, too.
Parents Michael B. Robinson and Sue Hutchins were in the Logan County jail yesterday, and Dana became a ward of the county.
Six other children -- three sons of Robinson's, two daughters of Hutchins' and another son they have together -- were taken into protective custody Monday. All have been placed with relatives or foster families.
John Holtkamp, director of Logan County Children's Services, said his office opened a case with the couple more than two years ago, but it was closed in December "because the mother had made significant improvement."
The couple did not live together, but police said Dana had spent Sunday night at his father's house on the south side of Bellefontaine, 40 miles northwest of Columbus.
A civil-protection order had been in place preventing Robinson from spending time with Dana, his 2-year-old brother and Hutchins' two girls from a previous relationship. But Hutchins asked to have herself and the boys removed from that order, and the court approved the change in August.
This latest incident unfolded Monday when Robinson, 43, called 911 just before 7:30 a.m. and said his son wasn't breathing.
"Has he been sick?" a dispatcher asked.
"Yes ... he's been sick," Robinson said. "He fell one day and hit his mouth on a table because he's trying to walk. Please hurry."
An emergency squad took Dana to Bellefontaine's Mary Rutan Hospital, and doctors there summoned police.
Police Lt. Ron Birt said Dana "had multiple bruises in multiple areas from what was apparent and obvious abuse."
Dana was flown to Children's Hospital and put on a ventilator. But Holtkamp said neurologists reported some activity in the baby's brain and called it "an encouraging sign." A hospital spokeswoman said Dana was in critical condition.
As long as Dana is in the county's custody, medical decisions will be the responsibility of Children's Services.
"Should it come to that, the court would get involved, a team of professionals would get involved and we would undertake that grim task together," Holtkamp said.
The boy's mother likely won't play much of a role. Hutchins, 35, appeared at the Logan County jail yesterday to attend the emergency-care hearing for Dana and was arrested on a probation violation.
Both she and Robinson had been charged in 2005 with child endangering in a case that began on Christmas Day 2004. That's when Children's Services workers were notified that Dana's older brother, Draven Robinson, who was just 1 month old at the time, had a broken leg. Draven was placed in foster care but later reunited with his mother.
While that investigation was under way, the couple had a run-in with police in March 2005 concerning the possible abuse of Hutchins' two daughters from a previous relationship.
According to police reports, the 7-year-old girl had bruises on her face, elbow, leg and back. When a caseworker visited the house, it was found that someone had used heavy makeup to try to conceal the marks.
In interviews with detectives at that time, Robinson admitted that he had spanked the girl and gave her "horse bites" when they were joking around but said he didn't see why it was a big deal.
At yesterday's custody hearing, Holtkamp said, Robinson said things are being blown out of proportion, and he told the court: "I never said I was a perfect dad. But I'm good enough." - NO, YOU'RE NOT
Tuesday, March 06, 2007
Playground for children with special needs honors Marcus
Playground honoring Marcus in works
Kemme, Steve. Cincinnati Enquirer, Feb. 25, 2007.
ANDERSON TWP. - Efforts to raise money for an Anderson Township playground that will memorialize Marcus Fiesel have been so successful that construction to finish the playground will begin this spring.
Nearly $400,000 has been raised to build the playground in Beech Acres Park on Beechmont Avenue. It will accommodate children with physical and mental disabilities.
Part of the playground will be dedicated to Marcus, the 3-year-old developmentally delayed boy whose foster mother, Liz Carroll, was convicted last week of murdering him. The murder trial of his foster father, David Carroll Jr., is scheduled for March 19 in Clermont County Common Pleas Court.
"Not in our wildest dreams did we think we'd get the money we needed this quickly," said Duffy Beischel, an Anderson Park District commissioner.
About $70,000 was raised in a campaign initiated by Clear Channel Cincinnati and WLWT television for a memorial for Marcus in Anderson, Beischel said.
Hundreds of people last August searched for Marcus in Juilfs Park, another Anderson Township park, after Liz Carroll falsely claimed he was lost in the park. That led Clear Channel Cincinnati and WLWT to kick off a fund drive for a Marcus memorial.
Much of the money donated for the playground was not necessarily connected to Marcus, Beischel said. Some donations were made before Marcus' death and some were given to help special-needs children in general, he said.
The park district has not solicited donations for the playground in Marcus' name, because park officials don't want to exploit the tragedy.
The only recreation equipment in the playground now is a set of swings. The playground will include a canyon climb, a train station and train, a riverboat shelter, a treehouse and a playhouse.
"It will be awesome," said Molly McClure, park district executive director.
The park district needs $180,000 more to finish the playground. McClure said the district has applied for grants to help close the gap. Donations of in-kind services are being accepted.
The park district is consulting with a child psychologist and others about what might be an appropriate memorial for Marcus.
"We want to make sure that the memorial's message has a positive spin so that children will feel safe and secure and not fearful," McClure said.
Kemme, Steve. Cincinnati Enquirer, Feb. 25, 2007.
ANDERSON TWP. - Efforts to raise money for an Anderson Township playground that will memorialize Marcus Fiesel have been so successful that construction to finish the playground will begin this spring.
Nearly $400,000 has been raised to build the playground in Beech Acres Park on Beechmont Avenue. It will accommodate children with physical and mental disabilities.
Part of the playground will be dedicated to Marcus, the 3-year-old developmentally delayed boy whose foster mother, Liz Carroll, was convicted last week of murdering him. The murder trial of his foster father, David Carroll Jr., is scheduled for March 19 in Clermont County Common Pleas Court.
"Not in our wildest dreams did we think we'd get the money we needed this quickly," said Duffy Beischel, an Anderson Park District commissioner.
About $70,000 was raised in a campaign initiated by Clear Channel Cincinnati and WLWT television for a memorial for Marcus in Anderson, Beischel said.
Hundreds of people last August searched for Marcus in Juilfs Park, another Anderson Township park, after Liz Carroll falsely claimed he was lost in the park. That led Clear Channel Cincinnati and WLWT to kick off a fund drive for a Marcus memorial.
Much of the money donated for the playground was not necessarily connected to Marcus, Beischel said. Some donations were made before Marcus' death and some were given to help special-needs children in general, he said.
The park district has not solicited donations for the playground in Marcus' name, because park officials don't want to exploit the tragedy.
The only recreation equipment in the playground now is a set of swings. The playground will include a canyon climb, a train station and train, a riverboat shelter, a treehouse and a playhouse.
"It will be awesome," said Molly McClure, park district executive director.
The park district needs $180,000 more to finish the playground. McClure said the district has applied for grants to help close the gap. Donations of in-kind services are being accepted.
The park district is consulting with a child psychologist and others about what might be an appropriate memorial for Marcus.
"We want to make sure that the memorial's message has a positive spin so that children will feel safe and secure and not fearful," McClure said.
All foster parents in Hamilton Co. subject to ongoing background checks
Foster parents get ultimatum
Allow background checks or lose children, agency orders
Coolidge, Sharon. Cincinnati Enquirer, March 6, 2007.
Within 30 days all foster parents in Hamilton County must agree to ongoing background checks - or children will be removed from their homes, Hamilton County's top foster care official said Monday.
His comments came a day after two county officials attacked his agency for bureaucratic foot-dragging in making sure all foster parents had ongoing criminal background checks.
At a morning meeting with county commissioners, Rick Roberts, director of the county's Job and Family Services, also revealed that:
His agency was unaware of six of the 27 arrests discovered in a background check by Hamilton County Clerk of Courts Greg Hartmann. Those six arrests did not result in convictions and thus were not caught by the department's background check, which looks only at convictions, he said.
Of the 27 foster parents arrested, 16 are under investigation by his department - and may lose their foster children.
An ombudsman position with independent oversight will be created.
Foster mother Danita Atwood, 43, of Springfield Township said she's in favor of the background checks - and signed her consent form the day it arrived.
"The bottom line is when you decide you're going to take on the responsibility of foster care, from the time you put in the application, your life is put under a microscope," said Atwood, who has adopted two foster children placed with her.
The county's announcements came at a Monday morning meeting among Hamilton County commissioners, Roberts and Hartmann.
Hartmann, along with Hamilton County Commissioner Pat DeWine - both Republicans - had revealed last week that JFS was allowing background checks only of foster parents licensed through the county - and not of foster parents licensed through private agencies.
They questioned why children were permitted to live with some of the parents, one of whom was arrested on a charge of child endangering.
There are 750 foster children in Hamilton County. There are 410 foster parents licensed through the county, caring for 305 children. The other 445 children are cared for by foster parents licensed through private agencies. JFS could not say Monday how many parents are licensed through private agencies.
Of the county-controlled foster parents, 106 have not been checked. Of the privately licensed parents, none have been checked. Consent forms are still coming in, according to JFS.
An agreement between Hartmann and JFS about how the checks will be done is expected to be signed Wednesday.
"We have a serious problem," Hartmann said. "We have to make sure we are not putting children in environments that jeopardize their health and safety."
Roberts said agency staff worked all weekend reviewing the 27 cases. The reviews were done by quality assurance employees who typically work outside the foster care program, Gregg said.
Roberts added it's his responsibility to make sure these children have homes and there is already a shortage of foster parents.
He promised to follow the rules, "despite any trauma the disruption might create for the child," Roberts said in the release. "We are unsure of the ramifications of this decision.
"We do know that we have a severe need for foster parents at this time and losing any foster parent from our 285-home network or from the private agencies that care for 445 of our children would put additional strain on the system."
Hartmann uncovered the arrests while implementing a criminal background check system that allows for immediate notification if a foster parent is arrested. It's believed to be the first of its kind in the state.
Allow background checks or lose children, agency orders
Coolidge, Sharon. Cincinnati Enquirer, March 6, 2007.
Within 30 days all foster parents in Hamilton County must agree to ongoing background checks - or children will be removed from their homes, Hamilton County's top foster care official said Monday.
His comments came a day after two county officials attacked his agency for bureaucratic foot-dragging in making sure all foster parents had ongoing criminal background checks.
At a morning meeting with county commissioners, Rick Roberts, director of the county's Job and Family Services, also revealed that:
His agency was unaware of six of the 27 arrests discovered in a background check by Hamilton County Clerk of Courts Greg Hartmann. Those six arrests did not result in convictions and thus were not caught by the department's background check, which looks only at convictions, he said.
Of the 27 foster parents arrested, 16 are under investigation by his department - and may lose their foster children.
An ombudsman position with independent oversight will be created.
Foster mother Danita Atwood, 43, of Springfield Township said she's in favor of the background checks - and signed her consent form the day it arrived.
"The bottom line is when you decide you're going to take on the responsibility of foster care, from the time you put in the application, your life is put under a microscope," said Atwood, who has adopted two foster children placed with her.
The county's announcements came at a Monday morning meeting among Hamilton County commissioners, Roberts and Hartmann.
Hartmann, along with Hamilton County Commissioner Pat DeWine - both Republicans - had revealed last week that JFS was allowing background checks only of foster parents licensed through the county - and not of foster parents licensed through private agencies.
They questioned why children were permitted to live with some of the parents, one of whom was arrested on a charge of child endangering.
There are 750 foster children in Hamilton County. There are 410 foster parents licensed through the county, caring for 305 children. The other 445 children are cared for by foster parents licensed through private agencies. JFS could not say Monday how many parents are licensed through private agencies.
Of the county-controlled foster parents, 106 have not been checked. Of the privately licensed parents, none have been checked. Consent forms are still coming in, according to JFS.
An agreement between Hartmann and JFS about how the checks will be done is expected to be signed Wednesday.
"We have a serious problem," Hartmann said. "We have to make sure we are not putting children in environments that jeopardize their health and safety."
Roberts said agency staff worked all weekend reviewing the 27 cases. The reviews were done by quality assurance employees who typically work outside the foster care program, Gregg said.
Roberts added it's his responsibility to make sure these children have homes and there is already a shortage of foster parents.
He promised to follow the rules, "despite any trauma the disruption might create for the child," Roberts said in the release. "We are unsure of the ramifications of this decision.
"We do know that we have a severe need for foster parents at this time and losing any foster parent from our 285-home network or from the private agencies that care for 445 of our children would put additional strain on the system."
Hartmann uncovered the arrests while implementing a criminal background check system that allows for immediate notification if a foster parent is arrested. It's believed to be the first of its kind in the state.
Monday, March 05, 2007
$110, 000 consulting contract displeases County Commissioners
Children Services levy in doubt
Higgins, Candice Brooks. Cincinnati Post, March 1, 2007, pg. A2.
Voter support for a levy renewal this year for Butler County Children Services already was questionable after foster child Marcus Fiesel's death.
But county commissioners said Wednesday the agency's board added another strike against the levy's passage when it awarded the departing director a $110,000 consulting contract."Stunned, disappointed, and now angry" was how county Commission President Gregory Jolivette described his emotions in a letter to the board Wednesday after learning of the contract he called "unwarranted and unprecedented." His letter asked the board to reconsider its decision.
"This action by the board doesn't send the right message that we want to send to the public about restoring confidence in the agency," Jolivette said.
County Commissioners Michael Fox and Charles Furmon concurred with Jolivette's disappointment and frustration.
The Children Services Board unanimously approved the agreement Tuesday that will keep Executive Director Jann Heffner on its payroll for nearly 15 months beyond the effective date of her resignation. On Feb. 16, she announced her plans to step down, saying she had become a target of criticism since Marcus' death and a distraction from the agency's progress.
The 3-year-old boy died in August after his foster parents, Liz and David Carroll, left him wrapped in a blanket for two days in their Union Township home while they attended a family reunion in Northern Kentucky. Both are beginning long prison terms after being convicted of murder and other charges in the past week.
Heffner will depart her position April 15, but will stay on as a consultant as she continues to collect on a $125,000 annual salary until June 30, the board said Tuesday night. Beginning July 1, the new one-year consulting contract will pay Heffner $110,000 as she assists with the transition of a new director.
"The letter from Commissioner Jolivette seems reactionary and does not take into consideration the real intent of the board," the board's chairman, the Rev. Johnny Wade Sloan, said in a prepared statement.
Sloan said Heffner is assigned to several specific projects -- some yet to be determined -- and her new contract is "not a severance agreement nor just a consulting agreement."
Tuesday night -- at the same meeting the contract was approved -- the board decided to place a 2-mill renewal levy on the Nov. 6 ballot. The existing levy costs taxpayers $56.74 for every $100,000 of home value and a renewal would not tack on new taxes. More than $15 million in tax income -- about 60 percent of the agency's budget -- is on the line as an existing 2-mill levy is set to expire Dec. 31.
"It's difficult to get any kind of levy passed, but hopefully the citizens will see that this is for the children and see past this," Furmon said.
Higgins, Candice Brooks. Cincinnati Post, March 1, 2007, pg. A2.
Voter support for a levy renewal this year for Butler County Children Services already was questionable after foster child Marcus Fiesel's death.
But county commissioners said Wednesday the agency's board added another strike against the levy's passage when it awarded the departing director a $110,000 consulting contract."Stunned, disappointed, and now angry" was how county Commission President Gregory Jolivette described his emotions in a letter to the board Wednesday after learning of the contract he called "unwarranted and unprecedented." His letter asked the board to reconsider its decision.
"This action by the board doesn't send the right message that we want to send to the public about restoring confidence in the agency," Jolivette said.
County Commissioners Michael Fox and Charles Furmon concurred with Jolivette's disappointment and frustration.
The Children Services Board unanimously approved the agreement Tuesday that will keep Executive Director Jann Heffner on its payroll for nearly 15 months beyond the effective date of her resignation. On Feb. 16, she announced her plans to step down, saying she had become a target of criticism since Marcus' death and a distraction from the agency's progress.
The 3-year-old boy died in August after his foster parents, Liz and David Carroll, left him wrapped in a blanket for two days in their Union Township home while they attended a family reunion in Northern Kentucky. Both are beginning long prison terms after being convicted of murder and other charges in the past week.
Heffner will depart her position April 15, but will stay on as a consultant as she continues to collect on a $125,000 annual salary until June 30, the board said Tuesday night. Beginning July 1, the new one-year consulting contract will pay Heffner $110,000 as she assists with the transition of a new director.
"The letter from Commissioner Jolivette seems reactionary and does not take into consideration the real intent of the board," the board's chairman, the Rev. Johnny Wade Sloan, said in a prepared statement.
Sloan said Heffner is assigned to several specific projects -- some yet to be determined -- and her new contract is "not a severance agreement nor just a consulting agreement."
Tuesday night -- at the same meeting the contract was approved -- the board decided to place a 2-mill renewal levy on the Nov. 6 ballot. The existing levy costs taxpayers $56.74 for every $100,000 of home value and a renewal would not tack on new taxes. More than $15 million in tax income -- about 60 percent of the agency's budget -- is on the line as an existing 2-mill levy is set to expire Dec. 31.
"It's difficult to get any kind of levy passed, but hopefully the citizens will see that this is for the children and see past this," Furmon said.
She will already be in jail until age 85, what does it matter now?
Liz Carroll may admit lesser charges
Kelley, Eileen. Cincinnati Enquirer, Feb. 28, 2007, pg. B2.
Hamilton County Prosecutor Joe Deters said Tuesday it is unlikely Liz Carroll will face a trial on the charges she faces in Hamilton County.Instead, Deters said Tuesday, he expects Carroll to enter a plea of guilty. Liz Carroll could have faced eight more years in prison if found guilty on the charges of perjury, making false alarms and inducing panic.
Deters said if Carroll goes ahead with a plea, he will ask a judge to run the charges concurrently with her 54-years-to-life sentence. "I think 54 to life is sufficient," he said.
She was found guilty of murdering her foster child Marcus Fiesel and six other charges in Clermont County last week.
Deters stood by the decision to grant family friend Amy Baker immunity, though he admitted she has shortcomings.
"She's no saint," Deters said.
He said that on Aug. 28, the day Carroll and Baker were taken to speak with the grand jury, he believed Liz Carroll, David Carroll and Baker all were lying about what really happened to Marcus.
He said Baker was given one last chance to tell the truth or she would be charged with perjury.
He said Baker spoke privately with an attorney for about 45 minutes.
After emerging from the meeting, she was "emotionally distraught and told us what we now know," Deters said of the story that Marcus was bound and left in a closet, and that his cries could be heard as they pulled away to attend a family reunion.
Deters said that in the end, Baker was believable and all the pieces of information she gave them panned out.
"The Carrolls told more stories," said Deters.
When asked what he thought about David Carroll's apology in court Tuesday and his admission that he was there when he said Baker bound Marcus, Deters responded: "If he was half the man ... Why didn't he go to Liz's trial and tell the jury what happened?"
Judge OKs settlement
A Butler County judge Tuesday signed off on a settlement with Lifeway for Youth and the estate of Marcus Fiesel. Under the terms of the settlement, up to $800 a month will be given to the caregivers of Marcus' brother and sister. Donna Trevino, Marcus' mother, is trying to gain custody of her children after telling social workers last April she was unable to care for Marcus and his siblings. The original $5 million suit was filed shortly after Marcus' death. The estate gets $207,000 and the judge reduced the attorney fees to roughly 25 percent of that settlement. Lifeway placed Marcus with the foster parents convicted of killing him.
Kelley, Eileen. Cincinnati Enquirer, Feb. 28, 2007, pg. B2.
Hamilton County Prosecutor Joe Deters said Tuesday it is unlikely Liz Carroll will face a trial on the charges she faces in Hamilton County.Instead, Deters said Tuesday, he expects Carroll to enter a plea of guilty. Liz Carroll could have faced eight more years in prison if found guilty on the charges of perjury, making false alarms and inducing panic.
Deters said if Carroll goes ahead with a plea, he will ask a judge to run the charges concurrently with her 54-years-to-life sentence. "I think 54 to life is sufficient," he said.
She was found guilty of murdering her foster child Marcus Fiesel and six other charges in Clermont County last week.
Deters stood by the decision to grant family friend Amy Baker immunity, though he admitted she has shortcomings.
"She's no saint," Deters said.
He said that on Aug. 28, the day Carroll and Baker were taken to speak with the grand jury, he believed Liz Carroll, David Carroll and Baker all were lying about what really happened to Marcus.
He said Baker was given one last chance to tell the truth or she would be charged with perjury.
He said Baker spoke privately with an attorney for about 45 minutes.
After emerging from the meeting, she was "emotionally distraught and told us what we now know," Deters said of the story that Marcus was bound and left in a closet, and that his cries could be heard as they pulled away to attend a family reunion.
Deters said that in the end, Baker was believable and all the pieces of information she gave them panned out.
"The Carrolls told more stories," said Deters.
When asked what he thought about David Carroll's apology in court Tuesday and his admission that he was there when he said Baker bound Marcus, Deters responded: "If he was half the man ... Why didn't he go to Liz's trial and tell the jury what happened?"
Judge OKs settlement
A Butler County judge Tuesday signed off on a settlement with Lifeway for Youth and the estate of Marcus Fiesel. Under the terms of the settlement, up to $800 a month will be given to the caregivers of Marcus' brother and sister. Donna Trevino, Marcus' mother, is trying to gain custody of her children after telling social workers last April she was unable to care for Marcus and his siblings. The original $5 million suit was filed shortly after Marcus' death. The estate gets $207,000 and the judge reduced the attorney fees to roughly 25 percent of that settlement. Lifeway placed Marcus with the foster parents convicted of killing him.
Jolivette doesn't want Heffner to get consultant contract
Board rapped for $110K plum
Children services' outgoing head Heffner given consultant pact
McLaughlin, Sheila. Cincinnati Enquirer, March 1, 2007, pg. C1.
HAMILTON - A Butler County commissioner called for children services officials to yank an agreement that will keep outgoing executive director Jann Heffner on the payroll with a six-figure salary for another year.
"I am stunned, disappointed and now angry," board President Greg Jolivette wrote to the agency Wednesday about the children services board's decision to pay Heffner $110,000 as a consultant.
Jolivette said the timing is especially bad when the embattled agency is trying to restore public trust in the hope of getting a 2-mill renewal levy passed in November.
Heffner tendered her letter of resignation earlier this month, saying she had become a distraction at the agency that has weathered a storm of criticism since the August death of 3-year-old Marcus Fiesel in foster care.
Last month, Heffner's leadership again came into question after the agency's ombudsman criticized her involvement in a controversial custody case involving contract coordinator Michelle Money.
Heffner leaves her $125,000 job officially April 15 and will move back to Delaware County, but will continue to be paid a salary and work on a court improvement project through June.
The Butler County Children Services Board voted Tuesday night to approve the additional consulting contract with Heffner, even raising the annual amount from the $87,600 that was first proposed. She'll be paid $9,166 a month through July 1, 2008, under the contract she signed Tuesday.
The board's chairman criticized the backlash from Jolivette.
"This is a reactionary political letter," said the Rev. Johnny Wade Sloan, the board chairman. "This is not some kind of pay-off or buyout or severance pay."
Heffner, a lawyer with a longtime involvement in the child welfare system, will be assigned to specific projects, some already decided, others not, Sloan said.
A copy of the contract, provided to The Enquirer, did not spell out anything except the court improvement project. Otherwise, Heffner "will focus on legal and clinical issues" and "deliver advice and guidance" to the board.
Jolivette said he has nothing against Heffner, but he thinks the board should instead hire Heffner on an as-needed monthly basis.
"Jann has done some good things, some positive things for the agency. But, I think this is just unprecedented for a person who is retiring - that they will give her a consulting contract like this," Jolivette said.
"They've stated they are concerned about renewal of the levy and then they go about spending in this fashion. It sends the wrong message out to the public."
Children services' outgoing head Heffner given consultant pact
McLaughlin, Sheila. Cincinnati Enquirer, March 1, 2007, pg. C1.
HAMILTON - A Butler County commissioner called for children services officials to yank an agreement that will keep outgoing executive director Jann Heffner on the payroll with a six-figure salary for another year.
"I am stunned, disappointed and now angry," board President Greg Jolivette wrote to the agency Wednesday about the children services board's decision to pay Heffner $110,000 as a consultant.
Jolivette said the timing is especially bad when the embattled agency is trying to restore public trust in the hope of getting a 2-mill renewal levy passed in November.
Heffner tendered her letter of resignation earlier this month, saying she had become a distraction at the agency that has weathered a storm of criticism since the August death of 3-year-old Marcus Fiesel in foster care.
Last month, Heffner's leadership again came into question after the agency's ombudsman criticized her involvement in a controversial custody case involving contract coordinator Michelle Money.
Heffner leaves her $125,000 job officially April 15 and will move back to Delaware County, but will continue to be paid a salary and work on a court improvement project through June.
The Butler County Children Services Board voted Tuesday night to approve the additional consulting contract with Heffner, even raising the annual amount from the $87,600 that was first proposed. She'll be paid $9,166 a month through July 1, 2008, under the contract she signed Tuesday.
The board's chairman criticized the backlash from Jolivette.
"This is a reactionary political letter," said the Rev. Johnny Wade Sloan, the board chairman. "This is not some kind of pay-off or buyout or severance pay."
Heffner, a lawyer with a longtime involvement in the child welfare system, will be assigned to specific projects, some already decided, others not, Sloan said.
A copy of the contract, provided to The Enquirer, did not spell out anything except the court improvement project. Otherwise, Heffner "will focus on legal and clinical issues" and "deliver advice and guidance" to the board.
Jolivette said he has nothing against Heffner, but he thinks the board should instead hire Heffner on an as-needed monthly basis.
"Jann has done some good things, some positive things for the agency. But, I think this is just unprecedented for a person who is retiring - that they will give her a consulting contract like this," Jolivette said.
"They've stated they are concerned about renewal of the levy and then they go about spending in this fashion. It sends the wrong message out to the public."
Heffner will serve as resource for interim and successive director
Children Services picks fill-in boss
Finance director gets Butler County job temporarily
McLaughlin, Sheila. Cincinnati Enquirer, Feb. 28, 2007, pg. B2.
HAMILTON - The finance director of the Butler County Children Services Board was named interim director Tuesday to replace Jann Heffner when she steps down April 15.
Jeff Centers, who was executive director at Warren County Children Services for eight years before leaving in October and joining Butler County, does not want Heffner's job permanently, said the board chairman, the Rev. Johnny Wade Sloan.
But he said Centers, 43, will be a good fit short term because of his experience.
"He also is new to our agency and has not been here long enough to create enemies," Sloan said.
Heffner, who has served as Butler County's top-ranking children services official since 2002, will be around for a while to help in the transition.
The county is paying her through June 30, the end of her one-year contract as executive director. She said she will be working for the county from April through June on a court improvement project. Then the board will pay her $110,000 through June 2008 to stay on as a consultant for children services.
"We want her to be a resource available to the interim director and the successive permanent director," Sloan said.
Heffner, who was paid $125,000, handed in her letter of resignation earlier this month in the wake of the death of Marcus Fiesel in foster care and questions about her actions in a controversial custody case involving contract coordinator Michelle Money.
Her departure comes at a time the agency's independent board is in jeopardy of being disbanded while officials try to bolster public support for a 2-mill renewal levy in November.
Heffner had said she felt she had become a "distraction" to the agency's mission of helping children. She was at the board's meeting Tuesday.
"Life's just too short," she said Tuesday of the troubles that faced her as the agency's executive director.
Heffner announced her plan to leave the job this month in the midst of the trial of Liz Carroll, the foster mother convicted of murder and other felony charges in the death of 3-year-old Marcus, a developmentally delayed boy from Middletown. Carroll was sent to prison this week for 54 years to life.
Butler County Children Services Board placed Marcus with the Carroll family through a private foster care company, Lifeway For Youth.
Finance director gets Butler County job temporarily
McLaughlin, Sheila. Cincinnati Enquirer, Feb. 28, 2007, pg. B2.
HAMILTON - The finance director of the Butler County Children Services Board was named interim director Tuesday to replace Jann Heffner when she steps down April 15.
Jeff Centers, who was executive director at Warren County Children Services for eight years before leaving in October and joining Butler County, does not want Heffner's job permanently, said the board chairman, the Rev. Johnny Wade Sloan.
But he said Centers, 43, will be a good fit short term because of his experience.
"He also is new to our agency and has not been here long enough to create enemies," Sloan said.
Heffner, who has served as Butler County's top-ranking children services official since 2002, will be around for a while to help in the transition.
The county is paying her through June 30, the end of her one-year contract as executive director. She said she will be working for the county from April through June on a court improvement project. Then the board will pay her $110,000 through June 2008 to stay on as a consultant for children services.
"We want her to be a resource available to the interim director and the successive permanent director," Sloan said.
Heffner, who was paid $125,000, handed in her letter of resignation earlier this month in the wake of the death of Marcus Fiesel in foster care and questions about her actions in a controversial custody case involving contract coordinator Michelle Money.
Her departure comes at a time the agency's independent board is in jeopardy of being disbanded while officials try to bolster public support for a 2-mill renewal levy in November.
Heffner had said she felt she had become a "distraction" to the agency's mission of helping children. She was at the board's meeting Tuesday.
"Life's just too short," she said Tuesday of the troubles that faced her as the agency's executive director.
Heffner announced her plan to leave the job this month in the midst of the trial of Liz Carroll, the foster mother convicted of murder and other felony charges in the death of 3-year-old Marcus, a developmentally delayed boy from Middletown. Carroll was sent to prison this week for 54 years to life.
Butler County Children Services Board placed Marcus with the Carroll family through a private foster care company, Lifeway For Youth.
Jeff Centers does not want Jann Heffner's job permanently
Children Services picks chief
Finance director gets Butler County job temporarily
McLaughlin, Sheila. Cincinnati Enquirer, Feb. 28, 2007, pg. B1.
HAMILTON - The finance director of the Butler County Children Services Board was named interim director Tuesday to replace Jann Heffner when she steps down April 15.
Jeff Centers, who was executive director at Warren County Children Services for eight years before leaving in October and joining Butler County, does not want Heffner's job permanently, said the board chairman, the Rev. Johnny Wade Sloan.
But he said Centers, 43, will be a good fit short term because of his experience.
"He also is new to our agency and has not been here long enough to create enemies," Sloan said.
Heffner, who has served as Butler County's top-ranking children services official since 2002, will be around for a while to help in the transition.
The county is paying her through June 30, the end of her one-year contract as executive director. She said she will be working for the county from April through June on a court improvement project. Then the board will pay her $110,000 through June 2008 to stay on as a consultant for children services.
"We want her to be a resource available to the interim director and the successive permanent director," Sloan said.
Heffner's departure comes at a time the agency's independent board is in jeopardy of being disbanded while officials try to bolster public support for a 2-mill renewal levy in November.
Heffner had said she felt she had become a "distraction" to the agency's mission of helping children. She was at the board's meeting Tuesday.
"Life's just too short," she said Tuesday of the troubles that faced her as the agency's executive director.
Heffner announced her plan to leave the job this month in the midst of the trial of Liz Carroll, the foster mother convicted of murder and other felony charges in the death of 3-year-old Marcus, a developmentally delayed boy from Middletown. Carroll was sent to prison this week for 54 years to life.
Butler County Children Services Board placed Marcus with the Carroll family through a private foster care company.
Lifeway For Youth, which also operates in Kentucky and several other states, earlier announced it will turn over its foster care business in Ohio to another company, but now is appealing the state's recommendation to revoke its license.
Carroll's husband, David Carroll Jr., was sentenced to 16 years to life in prison Tuesday after pleading guilty to murder and gross abuse of a corpse in Marcus' death.
Prosecutors said Marcus died after being bound in a blanket with strapping tape and left in a closet at the Carrolls' Clermont County home Aug. 4 while the couple, their children and their live-in girlfriend, Amy Baker, left for two days to attend a family reunion in Williamstown, Ky. Authorities said the boy was dead when the family returned and that David Carroll burned Marcus' body in a remote chimney in Brown County, then tossed the remains in the Ohio River.
Baker said she helped David Carroll dispose of the child's body, but prosecutors gave her immunity in exchange for her testimony against the Carrolls.
David Carroll told The Enquirer in a jail interview that Marcus was dead before the family left for the family reunion and that his wife was not home when the child died. He maintained at sentencing that Baker tied the boy up, but admitted he was there.
To stay on as consultant:
Jann Heffner (left), who was paid $125,000, handed in her letter of resignation earlier this month in the wake of the death of Marcus Fiesel in foster care and questions about her actions in a controversial custody case involving contract coordinator Michelle Money.
Finance director gets Butler County job temporarily
McLaughlin, Sheila. Cincinnati Enquirer, Feb. 28, 2007, pg. B1.
HAMILTON - The finance director of the Butler County Children Services Board was named interim director Tuesday to replace Jann Heffner when she steps down April 15.
Jeff Centers, who was executive director at Warren County Children Services for eight years before leaving in October and joining Butler County, does not want Heffner's job permanently, said the board chairman, the Rev. Johnny Wade Sloan.
But he said Centers, 43, will be a good fit short term because of his experience.
"He also is new to our agency and has not been here long enough to create enemies," Sloan said.
Heffner, who has served as Butler County's top-ranking children services official since 2002, will be around for a while to help in the transition.
The county is paying her through June 30, the end of her one-year contract as executive director. She said she will be working for the county from April through June on a court improvement project. Then the board will pay her $110,000 through June 2008 to stay on as a consultant for children services.
"We want her to be a resource available to the interim director and the successive permanent director," Sloan said.
Heffner's departure comes at a time the agency's independent board is in jeopardy of being disbanded while officials try to bolster public support for a 2-mill renewal levy in November.
Heffner had said she felt she had become a "distraction" to the agency's mission of helping children. She was at the board's meeting Tuesday.
"Life's just too short," she said Tuesday of the troubles that faced her as the agency's executive director.
Heffner announced her plan to leave the job this month in the midst of the trial of Liz Carroll, the foster mother convicted of murder and other felony charges in the death of 3-year-old Marcus, a developmentally delayed boy from Middletown. Carroll was sent to prison this week for 54 years to life.
Butler County Children Services Board placed Marcus with the Carroll family through a private foster care company.
Lifeway For Youth, which also operates in Kentucky and several other states, earlier announced it will turn over its foster care business in Ohio to another company, but now is appealing the state's recommendation to revoke its license.
Carroll's husband, David Carroll Jr., was sentenced to 16 years to life in prison Tuesday after pleading guilty to murder and gross abuse of a corpse in Marcus' death.
Prosecutors said Marcus died after being bound in a blanket with strapping tape and left in a closet at the Carrolls' Clermont County home Aug. 4 while the couple, their children and their live-in girlfriend, Amy Baker, left for two days to attend a family reunion in Williamstown, Ky. Authorities said the boy was dead when the family returned and that David Carroll burned Marcus' body in a remote chimney in Brown County, then tossed the remains in the Ohio River.
Baker said she helped David Carroll dispose of the child's body, but prosecutors gave her immunity in exchange for her testimony against the Carrolls.
David Carroll told The Enquirer in a jail interview that Marcus was dead before the family left for the family reunion and that his wife was not home when the child died. He maintained at sentencing that Baker tied the boy up, but admitted he was there.
To stay on as consultant:
Jann Heffner (left), who was paid $125,000, handed in her letter of resignation earlier this month in the wake of the death of Marcus Fiesel in foster care and questions about her actions in a controversial custody case involving contract coordinator Michelle Money.
Thank you, Donna Trevino, for waiving your rights and leaving the money for your children
Boy's mom signs away settlement
Money wil be split between Marcus' two siblings, ages 2 and 12
Pack, Lauren. Dayton Daily News, Feb. 28, 2007, pg. A7.
HAMILTON — An emotional Donna Trevino ran from a courtroom Tuesday after signing away her rights in a wrongful death settlement with the agency that placed her 3-year-old son, Marcus Fiesel, with the foster parents convicted of killing him.
Judge Randy Rogers of Butler County Probate Court approved a $206,000 out-ofcourt agreement that will be split between the boy's siblings — Peaches, 2, and Michael, 12.
A trust also was established to administer the payments to the children as they grow into adulthood.
Rogers said by law, the parent is the only one permitted to receive payment in a wrongful death suit. Trevino waived that right, giving the money to Marcus' next of kin.
Trevino is still fighting in county Juvenile Court to get custody of her two other children, who were taken by county children services last spring and remain in foster care.
Money wil be split between Marcus' two siblings, ages 2 and 12
Pack, Lauren. Dayton Daily News, Feb. 28, 2007, pg. A7.
HAMILTON — An emotional Donna Trevino ran from a courtroom Tuesday after signing away her rights in a wrongful death settlement with the agency that placed her 3-year-old son, Marcus Fiesel, with the foster parents convicted of killing him.
Judge Randy Rogers of Butler County Probate Court approved a $206,000 out-ofcourt agreement that will be split between the boy's siblings — Peaches, 2, and Michael, 12.
A trust also was established to administer the payments to the children as they grow into adulthood.
Rogers said by law, the parent is the only one permitted to receive payment in a wrongful death suit. Trevino waived that right, giving the money to Marcus' next of kin.
Trevino is still fighting in county Juvenile Court to get custody of her two other children, who were taken by county children services last spring and remain in foster care.
Sunday, March 04, 2007
DeWine reports excuses, roadblocks and bureaucratic foot-dragging by ODJFS
Foster-parent arrests revealed
New background checks uncover 27 with accusations
Coolidge, Sharon. Coshocton Tribune, March 4, 2007.
Hamilton County court officials have discovered that 27 foster parents licensed by the county have been arrested, including one for child endangering.
Officials uncovered the arrests while implementing a background check program.
The 27 cases were detected, even though Hamilton County Job and Family Services, the agency responsible for county foster care, has allowed checks on a little less than half of the county's 750 foster parents.
The 304 parents checked this week are licensed through the county, but Hamilton County JFS refused to give Clerk of Courts Greg Hartmann the names of another 445 foster parents licensed through private network agencies, said Hamilton County Commissioner Pat DeWine.
The records, which do not list names, show 27 parents were charged with assault, domestic violence, receiving stolen property, menacing and welfare fraud among other things.
In most cases, the charges were tossed out or reduced to more minor charges. Minor charges would allow them to continue to be foster parents.
In one case, a foster father was charged with child endangering in 2001 after allegedly leaving two children, aged 7 and 2, alone in the car with closed windows cracked on a 93-degree day while he went shopping.
A conviction on that charge would have meant he could no longer be a foster parent. But he pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of inducing panic, allowing him to remain a foster parent. He was given probation and required to take parenting classes.
"You would think somebody at JFS would say he should not have a child," DeWine said.
Two Hamilton County children have died in foster care in the last seven years.
The agency is checking the 27 people on the list to make sure no mistakes were made inputting the names into the computer system, said Hamilton County Department of Job and Family Services Director Rick Roberts.
Decisions about whether children can stay in those homes will be made on a case-by-case basis, Roberts said.
Removing a child from foster care isn't as easy as picking up a child from one home and moving him to another home, said Moira Weir, assistant Hamilton County JFS director. A Hamilton County juvenile court judge or magistrate must approve all moves, she said.
"What we have to do is figure out what is in the child's best interest," Weir said.
Checks bogged down
DeWine and Hartmann teamed up last fall to create the instant notification system after 3-year-old Marcus Fiesel died in foster care in Clermont County. Marcus's foster father had been arrested for domestic violence, a charge never seen by foster-care case workers because background checks were only done sporadically.
Although Marcus was placed in foster care by Butler County through a private agency, DeWine and Hartmann said they wanted to prevent the same thing from happening in Hamilton County.
What seems like a common-sense idea to protect children has been met with stiff resistance from the agency charged with caring for the county's most vulnerable children, Hartmann and DeWine said.
"There's been nothing but excuses, roadblocks and bureaucratic foot-dragging from Job and Family Services," DeWine said.
Hartmann called the lack of cooperation "bad judgment" on the agency's part.
"This is very frustrating," Hartmann said. "It's not my information. I can only deal with what they are willing to give me."
New background checks uncover 27 with accusations
Coolidge, Sharon. Coshocton Tribune, March 4, 2007.
Hamilton County court officials have discovered that 27 foster parents licensed by the county have been arrested, including one for child endangering.
Officials uncovered the arrests while implementing a background check program.
The 27 cases were detected, even though Hamilton County Job and Family Services, the agency responsible for county foster care, has allowed checks on a little less than half of the county's 750 foster parents.
The 304 parents checked this week are licensed through the county, but Hamilton County JFS refused to give Clerk of Courts Greg Hartmann the names of another 445 foster parents licensed through private network agencies, said Hamilton County Commissioner Pat DeWine.
The records, which do not list names, show 27 parents were charged with assault, domestic violence, receiving stolen property, menacing and welfare fraud among other things.
In most cases, the charges were tossed out or reduced to more minor charges. Minor charges would allow them to continue to be foster parents.
In one case, a foster father was charged with child endangering in 2001 after allegedly leaving two children, aged 7 and 2, alone in the car with closed windows cracked on a 93-degree day while he went shopping.
A conviction on that charge would have meant he could no longer be a foster parent. But he pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of inducing panic, allowing him to remain a foster parent. He was given probation and required to take parenting classes.
"You would think somebody at JFS would say he should not have a child," DeWine said.
Two Hamilton County children have died in foster care in the last seven years.
The agency is checking the 27 people on the list to make sure no mistakes were made inputting the names into the computer system, said Hamilton County Department of Job and Family Services Director Rick Roberts.
Decisions about whether children can stay in those homes will be made on a case-by-case basis, Roberts said.
Removing a child from foster care isn't as easy as picking up a child from one home and moving him to another home, said Moira Weir, assistant Hamilton County JFS director. A Hamilton County juvenile court judge or magistrate must approve all moves, she said.
"What we have to do is figure out what is in the child's best interest," Weir said.
Checks bogged down
DeWine and Hartmann teamed up last fall to create the instant notification system after 3-year-old Marcus Fiesel died in foster care in Clermont County. Marcus's foster father had been arrested for domestic violence, a charge never seen by foster-care case workers because background checks were only done sporadically.
Although Marcus was placed in foster care by Butler County through a private agency, DeWine and Hartmann said they wanted to prevent the same thing from happening in Hamilton County.
What seems like a common-sense idea to protect children has been met with stiff resistance from the agency charged with caring for the county's most vulnerable children, Hartmann and DeWine said.
"There's been nothing but excuses, roadblocks and bureaucratic foot-dragging from Job and Family Services," DeWine said.
Hartmann called the lack of cooperation "bad judgment" on the agency's part.
"This is very frustrating," Hartmann said. "It's not my information. I can only deal with what they are willing to give me."
Saturday, March 03, 2007
Post-emancipaion program for foster care alumni
Foster kids get support from LCCS
Toledo Blade, March 2, 2007.
Your recent editorial, "Aging out of foster care," illuminated a real problem. Each year in Lucas County, approximately 40 young men and women turn 18 in foster care, and for them the world can be a scary place.
Lucas County Children Services was one of the first public agencies in the state to offer a post-emancipation program to the adolescents we serve. They can come back to LCCS for any assistance they need, including housing, job training, or counseling.
But we try to prepare our kids for their 18th birthday years earlier. Every foster child over the age of 15 participates in our Independent Living Program. This program focuses on life skills, how to find and maintain a living arrangement, meal preparation, job finding and keeping, finance management, and counseling for interpersonal problems or other life problems. We try to have each young person connected to an adult who can help them through the transition to young adulthood.
Nationwide, most kids aging out of foster care do not complete high school, and the same is true here. For the past two years LCCS has worked hard on a new educational initiative, working within our community and in cooperation with the school systems, to assess the particular needs of each of our kids, to assist them to succeed with their education, and to move on to higher education or vocational training. Many 18-year-olds remain in foster care to complete high school. Much more needs to be done.
All this is possible because of the financial support of Lucas County taxpayers. The federal government and the State of Ohio do little to fund these services. As a society, we need to invest much more to assist these young people or, as you noted, the cost to society will be far greater.
-GORDON R. BARRY
Chairman
Lucas County
Children Services Board
Toledo Blade, March 2, 2007.
Your recent editorial, "Aging out of foster care," illuminated a real problem. Each year in Lucas County, approximately 40 young men and women turn 18 in foster care, and for them the world can be a scary place.
Lucas County Children Services was one of the first public agencies in the state to offer a post-emancipation program to the adolescents we serve. They can come back to LCCS for any assistance they need, including housing, job training, or counseling.
But we try to prepare our kids for their 18th birthday years earlier. Every foster child over the age of 15 participates in our Independent Living Program. This program focuses on life skills, how to find and maintain a living arrangement, meal preparation, job finding and keeping, finance management, and counseling for interpersonal problems or other life problems. We try to have each young person connected to an adult who can help them through the transition to young adulthood.
Nationwide, most kids aging out of foster care do not complete high school, and the same is true here. For the past two years LCCS has worked hard on a new educational initiative, working within our community and in cooperation with the school systems, to assess the particular needs of each of our kids, to assist them to succeed with their education, and to move on to higher education or vocational training. Many 18-year-olds remain in foster care to complete high school. Much more needs to be done.
All this is possible because of the financial support of Lucas County taxpayers. The federal government and the State of Ohio do little to fund these services. As a society, we need to invest much more to assist these young people or, as you noted, the cost to society will be far greater.
-GORDON R. BARRY
Chairman
Lucas County
Children Services Board
Thursday, March 01, 2007
Plea bargain lets David off with an easier sentence than Liz Carroll
The death of a child
Cincinnati Post, Feb. 28, 2007.
In theory, David Carroll Jr.'s guilty pleas mark the end of the courtroom saga stemming from the death of three-year-old Marcus Fiesel last August.
But the way it played out Tuesday, we suspect there will long be a question about the quality of justice that was administered in Clermont County Common Pleas Court.
Carroll, to be sure, left no doubt about his role in the death of the autistic foster child who had been entrusted to his care. Under questioning by Judge Jerry McBride, Carroll acknowledged that he helped wrap Marcus in a blanket and lock him inside an upstairs closet in the Batavia home he shared with his wife, Liz Carroll, and his girlfriend, Amy Baker.
Investigators say Carroll, the two women and the Carrolls' other children drove to a family reunion in Williamstown, Ky., on Friday, Aug. 4, and didn't return until Sunday, Aug. 6. In court Tuesday, deputy prosecutor Daniel "Woody'' Breyer said that David Carroll had expressed concern about leaving Marcus behind, and that he was the one who roused the family early to return to Batavia to check on him.
But when they got back, David Carroll said, "he was gone...he was dead.''
After accepting Carroll's pleas, McBride imposed the maximum sentence, life in prison with no possibility of parole for at least 16 years.
This sentence was notably lighter than the one imposed last week after Carroll's wife was convicted by a Clermont County jury of murder and six other charges stemming from Marcus' death. Liz Carroll, 30, won't be eligible for parole for 54 years. Baker, meanwhile, escaped prosecution in exchange for her testimony against the Carrolls, provided that no evidence emerges implicating her directly in Marcus' death.
We're not inclined to second guess the plea bargain offered to David Carroll. It was, as prosecutors noted, the same deal offered to Liz Carroll. The guilty plea from her husband saves the expense and uncertainty of a trial, which likely would have been moved to another part of the state because of pre-trial publicity here. And both the judge and the prosecutor said they expect David Carroll to remain in prison for far longer than 16 years. We can only hope those predictions are proven correct.
Liz and David Carroll have both insisted that Baker played a significant role in Marcus' death, and no doubt some who have followed this case closely will come away from it wondering if justice was fully served. But prosecutors told reporters they don't believe the Carrolls' assertions about Baker's role in Marcus' death and the subsequent attempt at a cover-up. And because there was so little physical evidence to help investigators sort out who did what, this was a case that relied heavily on testimony from those involved in the triangle.
If there was any good to come of this, it is the renewed attention now being given to the foster care system. The agency that placed Marcus has lost its Ohio license in the wake of his death, and state and local officials are tightening procedures to ensure the safety of foster children.
But the most hopeful development is the recognition of the need for good foster homes, and of the enormous contribution that is quietly being made, day in and day out, by the overwhelming majority of conscientious foster families. The Carrolls may have been in it for the money. But that's not what motivates most foster families. They're in it because they care, and some also because they hope someday to adopt one of those children as their own.
Judge McBride on Tuesday noted the obligation that Carroll had to do his best to protect the child who had been placed in his care. All of us, individually and as a society, have a similar obligation. If nothing else, we hope that Marcus' death will lead us all to take that responsibility to heart.
Cincinnati Post, Feb. 28, 2007.
In theory, David Carroll Jr.'s guilty pleas mark the end of the courtroom saga stemming from the death of three-year-old Marcus Fiesel last August.
But the way it played out Tuesday, we suspect there will long be a question about the quality of justice that was administered in Clermont County Common Pleas Court.
Carroll, to be sure, left no doubt about his role in the death of the autistic foster child who had been entrusted to his care. Under questioning by Judge Jerry McBride, Carroll acknowledged that he helped wrap Marcus in a blanket and lock him inside an upstairs closet in the Batavia home he shared with his wife, Liz Carroll, and his girlfriend, Amy Baker.
Investigators say Carroll, the two women and the Carrolls' other children drove to a family reunion in Williamstown, Ky., on Friday, Aug. 4, and didn't return until Sunday, Aug. 6. In court Tuesday, deputy prosecutor Daniel "Woody'' Breyer said that David Carroll had expressed concern about leaving Marcus behind, and that he was the one who roused the family early to return to Batavia to check on him.
But when they got back, David Carroll said, "he was gone...he was dead.''
After accepting Carroll's pleas, McBride imposed the maximum sentence, life in prison with no possibility of parole for at least 16 years.
This sentence was notably lighter than the one imposed last week after Carroll's wife was convicted by a Clermont County jury of murder and six other charges stemming from Marcus' death. Liz Carroll, 30, won't be eligible for parole for 54 years. Baker, meanwhile, escaped prosecution in exchange for her testimony against the Carrolls, provided that no evidence emerges implicating her directly in Marcus' death.
We're not inclined to second guess the plea bargain offered to David Carroll. It was, as prosecutors noted, the same deal offered to Liz Carroll. The guilty plea from her husband saves the expense and uncertainty of a trial, which likely would have been moved to another part of the state because of pre-trial publicity here. And both the judge and the prosecutor said they expect David Carroll to remain in prison for far longer than 16 years. We can only hope those predictions are proven correct.
Liz and David Carroll have both insisted that Baker played a significant role in Marcus' death, and no doubt some who have followed this case closely will come away from it wondering if justice was fully served. But prosecutors told reporters they don't believe the Carrolls' assertions about Baker's role in Marcus' death and the subsequent attempt at a cover-up. And because there was so little physical evidence to help investigators sort out who did what, this was a case that relied heavily on testimony from those involved in the triangle.
If there was any good to come of this, it is the renewed attention now being given to the foster care system. The agency that placed Marcus has lost its Ohio license in the wake of his death, and state and local officials are tightening procedures to ensure the safety of foster children.
But the most hopeful development is the recognition of the need for good foster homes, and of the enormous contribution that is quietly being made, day in and day out, by the overwhelming majority of conscientious foster families. The Carrolls may have been in it for the money. But that's not what motivates most foster families. They're in it because they care, and some also because they hope someday to adopt one of those children as their own.
Judge McBride on Tuesday noted the obligation that Carroll had to do his best to protect the child who had been placed in his care. All of us, individually and as a society, have a similar obligation. If nothing else, we hope that Marcus' death will lead us all to take that responsibility to heart.
86,000 Ohio grandparents are raising their grandchildren
Reaching out to children
Ross, Angel. Mansfield News Journal, Feb. 25, 2007, pg. C1.
MANSFIELD -- Eighty-six thousand Ohio grandparents are raising their grandchildren.
The statistic from the Public Children Services Association of Ohio is why Greg Kahl, communications supervisor for the Children Services Board of Richland County, said the 2nd annual Rally for the Kids was held Saturday at the Lakewood Racquet Club in Lexington.
"It's important to provide healthy enrichment opportunities for the children," Kahl said. "Most of the children here haven't played tennis before."
The Richland County Children Services Auxiliary invited area foster children, students from the Mansfield Elective Academy -- a school that specializes in children in grades K-6 from non-traditional families -- and children from the 21st Century Program at the Ocie Hill Neighborhood Center.
For three and a half hours, the children participated in a tennis clinic led by Lakewood Racquet Club owner Ron Schaub. They received a T-shirt, a pizza and soda lunch and also a free tennis racquet.
"Once you get a racquet, tennis is free," Kahl said. "You can go to any park and play in the summer.
"The grandparents said they appreciate the activity for the children. They can have fun in the winter and be inside burning off energy," he said.
The children also received lessons from two Lexington High School senior captains of the tennis team.
Ashley Hershner, 18, said she loves the fact that she gets to teach the children something new that they can use in their future.
"They all had the biggest smiles on their faces when they were hitting the balls," she said.
Lexi Bolesky, 18, has been playing tennis for 13 years and said she felt honored when they asked her to coach the children.
"I do want to be a coach when I grow up and work with kids," she said. "It's good to have the opportunity to work with the kids on something I love to do."
Sherman Elementary fifth-grader Kierra Ross said she liked the clinic "because you get to experience different things and it's fun."
Quincy Alexander, 10, said he hadn't played tennis before but hoped to learn "how to hit the ball pretty fast."
HOW TO HELP
You can support the Richland County Children Services Foster Parent Association by visiting CiCi's Pizza, 2156 Walker Lake Road, from 4 to 9 p.m. Wednesday. When you order, let the cashier know you are supporting the Richland County Children Services Foster Parent Association and 10 percent of the total proceeds will be donated to the organization.
Ross, Angel. Mansfield News Journal, Feb. 25, 2007, pg. C1.
MANSFIELD -- Eighty-six thousand Ohio grandparents are raising their grandchildren.
The statistic from the Public Children Services Association of Ohio is why Greg Kahl, communications supervisor for the Children Services Board of Richland County, said the 2nd annual Rally for the Kids was held Saturday at the Lakewood Racquet Club in Lexington.
"It's important to provide healthy enrichment opportunities for the children," Kahl said. "Most of the children here haven't played tennis before."
The Richland County Children Services Auxiliary invited area foster children, students from the Mansfield Elective Academy -- a school that specializes in children in grades K-6 from non-traditional families -- and children from the 21st Century Program at the Ocie Hill Neighborhood Center.
For three and a half hours, the children participated in a tennis clinic led by Lakewood Racquet Club owner Ron Schaub. They received a T-shirt, a pizza and soda lunch and also a free tennis racquet.
"Once you get a racquet, tennis is free," Kahl said. "You can go to any park and play in the summer.
"The grandparents said they appreciate the activity for the children. They can have fun in the winter and be inside burning off energy," he said.
The children also received lessons from two Lexington High School senior captains of the tennis team.
Ashley Hershner, 18, said she loves the fact that she gets to teach the children something new that they can use in their future.
"They all had the biggest smiles on their faces when they were hitting the balls," she said.
Lexi Bolesky, 18, has been playing tennis for 13 years and said she felt honored when they asked her to coach the children.
"I do want to be a coach when I grow up and work with kids," she said. "It's good to have the opportunity to work with the kids on something I love to do."
Sherman Elementary fifth-grader Kierra Ross said she liked the clinic "because you get to experience different things and it's fun."
Quincy Alexander, 10, said he hadn't played tennis before but hoped to learn "how to hit the ball pretty fast."
HOW TO HELP
You can support the Richland County Children Services Foster Parent Association by visiting CiCi's Pizza, 2156 Walker Lake Road, from 4 to 9 p.m. Wednesday. When you order, let the cashier know you are supporting the Richland County Children Services Foster Parent Association and 10 percent of the total proceeds will be donated to the organization.
Who will care for the Carroll's biological children?
Editorial: The Marcus case
Ramsey, Krista. Cincinnati Enquirer, Feb. 26, 2007, pg. B6.
With Liz Carroll found guilty, David Carroll to go on trial in March and God only knows the justice that will be served to Amy Baker, there are four other young victims of the Marcus Fiesel tragedy that are almost totally being forgotten: the Carrolls' own children.
Placed into foster care themselves, they have become invisible. Though we all hope and pray that they are being far better cared for than young Marcus, Liz and David must feel some sense of turmoil and irony. Maybe it is time for the family of Liz and David to take some constructive actions to protect and care for the remaining victims.
By Shakila Ahmad
Ramsey, Krista. Cincinnati Enquirer, Feb. 26, 2007, pg. B6.
With Liz Carroll found guilty, David Carroll to go on trial in March and God only knows the justice that will be served to Amy Baker, there are four other young victims of the Marcus Fiesel tragedy that are almost totally being forgotten: the Carrolls' own children.
Placed into foster care themselves, they have become invisible. Though we all hope and pray that they are being far better cared for than young Marcus, Liz and David must feel some sense of turmoil and irony. Maybe it is time for the family of Liz and David to take some constructive actions to protect and care for the remaining victims.
By Shakila Ahmad
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