STOP Florida Department Of Children And Families Circuit 20

March 6, 2013

Department of Children and Families News Letter

Social Workers Help Children, Families, Vulnerable Adults in Need

Marian B. Scirrotto

There are several Social workers who really care and take their cases very personal and not just a job or paycheck. Those are few that are deserving of recognition, here in the 20th circuit.

Since 2005, I have been a court watcher at the Lee County Justice Center, I have seen success stories, However, I have seen more Horror in Family and Dependency courts.

In my experience with the Florida Child Protection System, I can assure you what I have seen and heard is beyond disbelief. I know every one of the Fl Status 39 and stay up to date on all revisions, which I find that the Sub-Contracting Agencies are NOT complying with at all.

I and my fellow court watchers across this state , find this Extremely Disturbing.

As a voice for the last 8 years, I have made my position very well known. So known, that my door was knocked on too many times with false allegations with the hope that one day, Something would stick.

Having the knowledge I do, Your case workers were unable to prove or pursue.

In 2010, They finally found something to suck us into the system of corruption. With NO Allegations or Association, My grand-daughters estranged mother, who had abandoned her in 2004 and lost her rights to 1 child in New Jersey (2010) , Gave birth while having a drug addiction, which was passed to another new innocent child. Now, we have a legitimate case with this mother..

Because my son and her were never married and there was NO legal court order of custody, We became victims to the system. My son had to jumped threw hoops of fire for 2 1/2 years before his portion of the case was closed.

The mother and other father, did not attend court hearings and were non-compliant with their case plans

The one thing I have found to be a benefit from being a victim and a court watcher, Is I know all the players. I have done my research, I have watched them closely, I listen to them intensely and I can see the money trail that hold families hostage.

The system is Black and White, There should be No shades of Grey for either the Court or the case management. The Status are defined as such to be followed, Not to be interpreted by anyone differently.

Here in the 20th , I can say honestly that only 1 Supervisor and her staff at DCF , Follow the laws, Genuinely, in the best interest of the children and help to the fullest degree, Above and Beyond, To help the children or families reunite.

The Courts, Family Court does not reaffirm Standing orders from Dependency Court, Dependency Court holds NO weight in Family court at all. The entire Family Court system is for profit. Regardless of any standing order, You must BUY your child to have legal custody. The entire Family court system is not in the best interest of the family or the children…

In closing, I have some very strong advice. The 20th Should be investigated and NOW.. Rumors are that several seasoned DCF employees are leaving . Those in charge, have Never done their job to know their job. You are about to see the this circuit implode. Working lunches at the bar are not meant to be.. Lucifer Services supervisors and case managers should not be entertained by DCF Operations.

The click of drunks, Should NOT be openly seen and heard during court recess.

Professionalism is Non-existent, when the public can hear them cursing and bad mouthing fellow workers. One of which was referred too as a fucking cunt for knowing how to do her own job and the job of that OPA . Making sexual remarks about male staff members is very inappropriate to say the least and offensive..

(Not to jeopardize the job of the seasoned well known person, she was speaking of, I will keep that to myself unless needed in the future.)

I will be watching and listening in the coming weeks, The interest of what will be happening is too hard to resist and I sincerely Hope, You take my advise. Remember the Black Eye the media will have in store, as they feed off failure. And, The BEST INTEREST of the families..

Marian B. Scirrotto

Founder : And Justice 4 all

“Committed to Change”

“If you can read this, thank a teacher-and, since it’s in English, thank a soldier !!”

And they did NOT take my advise,However,They
DID go back for my grand-daughter !
https://sites.google.com/site/stopflcircuit20dcf/

STOP Florida Department Of Children And Families Circuit 20 Corruption

March 6, 2013

Department of Children and Families News Letter 

Social Workers Help Children, Families, Vulnerable Adults in Need

There are several Social workers who really care and take their cases very personal and not just a job or paycheck. Those are few that are deserving of recognition, here in the 20th circuit.

Since 2005, I have been a court watcher at the Lee County Justice Center, I have seen success stories, However, I have seen more Horror in Family and Dependency courts.

In my experience with the Florida Child Protection System, I can assure you what I have seem and heard is beyond disbelief. I know every one of the Fl Status 39 and stay up to date on all revisions, which I find that the Sub-Contracting Agencies are NOT complying with at all.

I and my fellow court watchers across this state , find this Extremely Disturbing.

 

 

As a voice for the last 8 years, I have made my position very well known. So known, that my door was knocked on too many times with false allegations with the hope that one day, Something would stick.

Having the knowledge I do, Your case workers were unable to prove or pursue.

In 2010, They finally found something to suck us into the system of corruption. With NO Allegations or Association, My grand-daughters estranged mother, who had abandoned her in 2004 and lost her rights to 1 child in New Jersey (2010) , Gave birth while having a drug addiction, which was passed to another new innocent child. Now, we have a legitimate case with this mother..

Because my son and her were never married and there was NO legal court order of custody, We became victims to the system. My son had to jumped threw hoops of fire for 2 1/2 years before his portion of the case was closed.

The mother and other father, did not attend court hearings amd were non-compliant with their case plans

      The one thing I have found to be a benefit from being a victim and a court watcher, Is I know all the players. I have done my research, I have watched them closely, I listen to them intensely and I can see the money trail that hold families hostage.

The system is Black and White, There should be No shades of Grey for either the Court or the case management. The Status are defined as such to be followed, Not to be interpreted by anyone differently.

 

 

Here in the 20th , I can say honestly that only 1 Supervisor and her staff at DCF , Follow the laws, Genuinely, in the best interest of the children and help to the fullest degree, Above and Beyond, To help the children or families reunite.

The Courts, Family Court does not reaffirm Standing orders from Dependency Court, Dependency Court holds NO weight in Family court at all. The entire Family Court system is for profit. Regardless of any standing order, You must BUY your child to have legal custody. The entire Family court system is not in the best interest of the family or the children...

 

 

In closing, I have some very strong advice. The 20th Should be investigated and NOW.. Rumors are that several seasoned DCF employees are leaving . Those in charge, have Never done their job to know their job. You are about to see the this circuit implode. Working lunches at the bar are not meant to be.. Lucifer Services supervisors and case managers should not be entertained by DCF Operations.

The click of drunks, Should NOT be openly seen and heard during court recess.

Professionalism is Non-existent, when the public can hear them cursing and bad mouthing fellow workers. One of which was referred too as a fucking cunt for knowing how to do her own job and the job of that OPA . Making sexual remarks about male staff members is very inappropriate to say the least and offensive..

  

(Not to jeopardize the job of the seasoned well known person, she was speaking of, I will keep that to myself unless needed in the future.)

I will be watching and listening in the coming weeks, The interest of what will be happening is too hard to resist and I sincerely Hope, You take my advise. Remember the Black Eye the media will have in store, as they feed off failure. And, The BEST INTEREST of the families..  

Marian B. Scirrotto

Founder : And Justice 4 all

"Committed to Change"

"If you can read this, thank a teacher-and, since it's in English, thank a soldier !!"

And they did NOT take my advise,However,They DID go back for my grand-daughter !

 

https://sites.google.com/site/stopflcircuit20dcf/

California Promotes Cps Caseworkers

California Promotes CPS Caseworkers Who Lie to Judges and then teaches other Caseworkers how to do the Same

April 27, 2011

by Kimberly Edds, Staff Writer

An Orange County social worker who lied to a juvenile court commissioner in order to take away a woman’s two daughters — and cost the county $4.9 million in a court judgment — was later promoted to a supervisor, county officials confirmed.
She now trains other social workers.

 It took Seal Beach mother Deanna Fogarty-Hardwick six-and-a-half years to regain custody of her children, who were 6 and 9 when they were taken from her in 2000.
Fogarty-Hardwick’s oldest daughter, Kendall, is now 20, and filed her own lawsuit against the county and three of its social workers for depriving her of a relationship with her mother.
Orange County Social Services social workers Marcie Vreeken and Helen Dwojak filed false reports and held back evidence which would have cleared Fogarty-Hardwick, an Orange County jury found in 2007. A third social worker was cleared of liability.
The jury awarded Fogarty-Hardwick $4.9 million in damages, with the county responsible for the bulk of the award. The county appealed all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court, which denied the county’s request to be heard last week.
Vreeken and Dwojak were never disciplined.
In fact, Vreeken was later promoted, according to county records. She earned $103,441.48 last year as a senior social services supervisor, according to county records.

Dwojak, who was Vreeken’s supervisor, retired from the county in 2006, according to county records.
“I am certain and I stand by my social workers that they did not fabricate, they did not suppress any information and they did not perjure themselves,” said Dr. Michael Riley, director of the Orange County Social Services Agency. “If they had I would have dismissed them.”
Social Services conducted an investigation into how the social workers handled the case and found no wrongdoing, Riley said. “This woman is the epitome of integrity,” Riley said of Dwojak. “They did nothing wrong.”
According to court papers, Vreeken threatened that if Fogarty-Hardwick did not “submit” to her will, she would never see her children again. The social workers also tried in 2000 to coerce Fogarty-Hardwick to sign a document saying she was a bad parent by threatening to take her daughters away, Fogarty-Hardwick alleged.
Fogarty-Hardwick refused.
According to daughter Kendall Hardwick’s lawsuit, Vreeken “attempted to coerce Kendall into visiting her father by threatening that if Kendall did not visit with her father she would be taken away from her mother and ‘put in a home.’ ”
Kendall Hardiwick’s lawuit accuses Vreeken of lying in a Feb. 17, 2000 court report, including failing to disclose her threats against Kendall and her sister that left the two girls in tears and a subsequent argument between Vreeken and Fogarty-Hardwick.
A county commissioner ordered Fogarty-Hardwick’s daughters taken from their mother and put in Orangewood Children’s Home immediately. Vreeken and another social worker went with a uniformed police officer to to take Kendall’s younger sister, who was “screaming and crying for her mother as she hid under the principal’s desk,” according to Kendall’s lawsuit. Kendall was also forcibly removed, leaving her “devastated.”

 The girls were later put in foster care.
Kendall Hardwick’s lawsuit also accuses Vreeken of repeatedly lying in court reports and on the stand to thwart Fogarty-Hardwick’s attempts to regain custody of her daughters.
In a March 31, 2000 letter, a therapist wrote to the agency that “Kendall … shows signs of emotional regression. She was tearful throughout the session, begging to go home. … She doesn’t know how much longer she can cope and visibly shook while relating this.”
“Defendants knew of Plaintiffs emotional collapse,” the suit reads. “Yet, while testifying in the juvenile court trial, Vreeken refused to acknowledge the children were mentally deteriorating.”
The social workers instead reported the children “were doing well,” according to the lawsuit.
Fogarty-Hardwick gave her ex-husband full custody in 2002, hoping to protect her daughters. She was then allowed two supervised visits a month for two years. She eventually won 50-50 custody in 2006.
Fogarty-Hardwick sued the county in 2002, arguing the Social Services Agency and its two social workers violated her civil rights. A jury ruled against her.

 She sued again, arguing this time county’s policies violated her constitutional rights, including her Fourth and Fourteenth Amendment rights.
Fogarty-Hardwick’s accused the county of violating her constitutional rights by removing her children without making a finding of imminent danger or serious physical injury; interviewing her daughters without a parent present; holding her children without cause; fabricating evidence; and failing to properly train employees about parents’ constitutional rights.
The jury voted 10-2 in favor of Fogarty-Hardwick. The county appealed.
In the Fourth District Court of Appeal opinion, Justice William Bedsworth wrote, “the evidence adduced at trial obviously caused both the jury and the judge to conclude not only that something seriously wrong was done to Fogarty-Hardwick in this case, but also that the wrongful conduct was not an isolated incident.”

“Despite Fogarty-Hardwick’s complaints, and the concerns expressed by others about the handling of this dependency case, SSA did not investigate the situation or consider assigning different social workers to the matter. Neither of the social workers involved was disciplined. Instead, Vreeken was promoted to supervisor in 2001,” Bedsworth wrote.
Child Protective Services cases are not open to the public, a fact which Riley says prevents him from providing the whole picture.
“We have no agenda to disrupt families,” Riley said. “Our goal is to keep families together.”
http://taxdollars.ocregister.com/2011/04/25/lying-social-worker-promoted-now-trains-others/81173/#comment-150701

Categories: Abuse by CPS Tags: Abuse by CPS, corruption by cps, greed by cps, Helen Dwojak, Marcie Vreeken, stolen children for profit, 

Florida Department Of Children And Families Has Failed

Angela Guinn:

So I have to start by saying the Florida Department of Children and Families Has Failed many people through the years…. While they were still HRS they Failed me I was not removed from my home while I was being Sexually abused by my step father while there had been proof that something had happened nothing was done this man also got off on a technicality and served no time in Jail. Many years later the system is still a failure losing kids in the system, placing kids where they should not be placed and even breaking protocol. Why do I say this well, Starting March 31, 2009 My children were removed from my care for two months prior i had been fighting with DCF for Medicaid I was receiving unemployment 600 a month but yet myself, and my two kids that were with me (Jason and heather) were making too much to qualify for Medicaid….I begged because I knew my mental state was fading I knew I was in depression and needed help but couldn’t get that help unless i had Medicaid. A week before March 31, 2009 my ex husband brought my daughter Katlin to me and said he couldn’t handle her so I said fine i would take her… I didn’t seem to have any problems out of her while she was with me. except realizing a child with adhd needs to come home do homework and then play. The day she had a half day of school I figured she could do her homework at 4 when she usually did it so i let her go outside to play. well honestly the homework didn’t get done and i sent a note to the teacher and to my amazement the teacher understood and let her make it up. March 31, 2009 DCF showed up with two sheriffs’ officers and took the kids I did explain to the worker that I knew I was depressed and that yes i had issues and i needed help they had already contacted Katlins dad to come get her. When asked if they could contact my mother or other family members for Jason and Heather They said they already had a place they were going to. It is my understanding of the law before the court hearing with in 24 to 48 hours that they are to try to place with family and they did not. we went to court the next morning and the judge told DCF they had 24 hours to get me in for an evaluation this being court ordered I had to work on it myself at 4pm the next day I made myself the appointment and took the court papers with me. Diagnosis PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder), major Depressive Disorder, and Anxiety.

I was told if I needed help with apts etc to contact the worker and they would help, when I did ask for help it was not provided except on occasion. this went on for several months saying I was not complying with the case and I was trying but I needed help they wanted me to work which I was doing but did not want to provide visits after work hours so i would have to take days off. That is a catch 22 basically you don’t work you don’t get your kids back you don’t follow visits you don’t get your kids back you lose your job because you talk off work too much you don’t get your kids back you lose your transportation cause you cant afford gas or your car payment cause you take off and lose your job… well you get what i am saying. This went on through July… July 17, my mother came over to let me know I had to be in court for another case involving my Daughter Katlin and William at their Fathers house. They were removed from his care as were his other two children. Katlin had bruises on the scalp two black-eyes and her ear was black and blue.
and another bruise found on her back, just under the shoulder blade…. I went to court talked to the caseworker and she showed me the pictures of Katlin it was horrifying I could not believe what i was seeing and the fact that her father allowed this to happen. Not only was that but her father allowing William 8 at the time to medicate himself. William was placed in a foster home without Katlin. She was in another foster home, in another county. Brandy (Dustins wife/ the step mother of my children/ and my cousin) was arrested for child abuse of Katlin. She was Charged and eventually plead guilty, Third degree Felony Child Abuse.
About a month after the children were removed I got a call saying that I needed to go to the centers to meet William that he had tried to commit suicide. When I got to the centers I met William who was happy to see me. I gave him a hug he looked at the clock on the wall and turned and said “Mommy I have to take this now” as he pulled an orange pill out of his pocket, there was no bottle no prescription on him in anyway… I asked William what it was and he said it was his rispridone….

I know that that drug is usually used for bipolar there for is a felony if there is no script with it and an 8 yr old is carrying this pill in his pocket. Not to mention his foster mom allowed this to happen she gave it to him so he could take it when he needed to and the worker that came with William didn’t know he had it in his pocket. I did tell William that he could not take it because the doctor had to look at him first and ok it. Which the doctor did not ok. William admitted he had tied a rope around his neck two days prior. This devastated me that it happened two days before and was not reported until this day he was at the centers, The foster mom is an EMT therefore she knows better than most that it should have been reported right then. I told my concerns to DCF and they told me they would look into it they did not remove him from this care… they told her “don’t do it again”…other incidents happened failure to give meds several days in a row and still nothing was done. eventually William was placed, back in the care of his father and Brandy was frequently over to see Dustin, Williams father… once again William was removed from Dustin and then placed with Barbra, brandy’s mother whom brandy was living with I questioned this action because brandy was in the home and I was told that he is not in Brandy’s care…but a couple months later he was placed in Brandy’s care I questioned this also because before a child can be placed in someone’s care they have to have a background check and a violent history is a denial in this case she was allowed to take my son and she was on probation for third degree felony child abuse on his sister Katlin. Once again he was placed back with his father, Until October of last year. William was once again removed I was notified that William was removed and had to appear in court by phone since i am now in Michigan. Williams father was admitted to the Centers and I didn’t know what for … My mother called me that evening and let William talk to me I asked no questions regarding his father but William said “you know mom, dad is in the centers cause he was going to kill himself because he failed a polygraph test” polygraph coming out of Williams mouth did not surprise me…because in first grade he went to school and asked his teacher if she knew what MRSA stood for the teacher asked him what it stood for and he said Methacillin Resistant Staphylococcus Areaus big words for a first grader but always asked to look at my medical dictionary and asked questions I held nothing back if he wanted to learn.

William was placed in foster care where Jason and Heather were for a little over a year I was being jerked around they said they were going to send him up here to live with me and i was already for it and then they said they were going to send to his father again and then his father was found guilty of sexual battery therefore William could not be returned to Dustin. Just before the last hearing the case worker Yolanda called me and told me they were thinking of placing William back with Brandy. I told her absolutely not and explained that she had been charged in the abuse of Williams sister which she already knew since this is the same worker throughout the case with the exception of the first month which was a male worker of whom i had dated in the past and it was a conflict of interest and we both asked for there to be another worker as it was a conflict of interest but did not explain to what extent it was. Yolanda told me that William was not the victim in the case and that she would be able to care for him. When asked why they were now not considering me for placement I was told that it is because i lost my job… I am not going to lie I was very heated over that and told her that there are people everyday that don’t have jobs and care for their kids just fine. I am keeping up with my bills. Yolanda also told me that the court would call me in two days cause that was our hearing. To my surprise Marion county courts did not call, when they had called every time before that. The decision was to send him to live with Brandy. William went to live with Brandy on the 28th of December 2012. I have been told by a source that wishes me not to give her name but is a family member that Brandy has had Dustin over to see the kids several times. This source is in Florida and said she knows for a fact that this has happened. I am tired of getting nowhere when I ask the news, newspapers, and other sources for help. Reporting this to the Head of DCF in Florida in Tallahassee I was basically given a lie to shut me up. This lie was that the worker had been fired when my mother showed up in court well the worker was still there…. So if the head haunchos in Tallahassee are covering things up too where do i go for help now….Washington? Where Do I start? Here? I am writing this not only to expose Florida’s DCF system and Marion county court system but also for help and answers. DCF in Florida looks at it as though I don’t care for my kids, The thing is I do I care for them enough to say yes I screwed up and I was a mess, I also care for them to try to find out answers to questions no matter how long it takes hoping to change laws.

That system can not honestly say they know what people feel like, their psychological evals are not realistic by no means having your children taken from you and experiencing it twice in less than a year who would not feel angry and upset not to mention calling them on their screw-up’s and nothing being done about it where a normal parent would have the child removed from their care a foster parent is slapped on the hand and told not to do it again….yeah I think I have that right to be angry with out being told that i have anger issues because lets face it anyone enduring that much hurt and loss would be normal to be angry, sad and depressed. So if anyone out there can help with information on where i can go to get help…. I dont know if i could sue the state but am so willing to do what i can to change something with that system.
Angela Guinn:

Do You Adopt For Money? Or Do You Adopt For Love?

 
Think Our Children Are Not Being Sold!

  3:28 PM Posted In Michigan Department of Human Services , Michigan DHS Edit This And we wonder why our nation is going broke. Do you adopt for money?
Or do you adopt for love?

SMITHFIELD, N.C. (CNNMoney) -- The Wards couldn't believe the news
when their tax preparer called to tell them they're getting a $54,000
refund this year.

Thelma Ward was speechless. She had to hand the phone to her husband
so she could dance around the living room floor in shock.

"I was thanking God like never before," she said.
"We're just overwhelmed -- that amount was so huge it was
unbelievable."

Even their tax preparer said she had to check the math -- 10 to 15 times.

"We couldn't believe it when we totaled everything up. We were like,
that can't be right," said Dee Carter, owner of the local H&R Block
where the Wards have brought their taxes for more than 10 years. "We
had never seen anything like it before, so we had to check it over and
over again."

So what's bringing this windfall? The federal adoption tax credit.

In the past few years, the Wards have expanded their already big clan
of seven children by adopting five new kids. For each of these adopted
children, they are eligible for a one-time tax credit of up to
$13,170.

The credit has been around since 1997, but this tax season it is
refundable for the first time -- which is the tax equivalent of
hitting the jackpot.

A refundable tax credit lets you get the cash even if you owe no
taxes. A non-refundable credit just offsets any taxes you owe, and
then rolls anything remaining to the next tax year.

The Wards adopted the five children over a span of three years, so
they've filed for the tax credit each year. But because they didn't
make enough money, the tax credit simply rolled over from year to year
and accumulated.


This year, because the credit became refundable, they are getting all
the previous years' leftovers in a lump sum. (The couple had an
earlier adoption, in 2004, but unused credits can only be carried for
up to five years.)

While the Wards haven't received the refund check yet, H&R Block
calculated that the unused adoption credits from the past five years
add up to $45,560 -- making up the majority of the $54,000 refund
they're expecting.

"When this was first coming through the tax reform legislation, we
just kept looking at it going, 'Wow, this is really, really
significant for people adopting,'" said Kathy Pickering, executive
director of The Tax Institute at H&R Block. "It's not a large
population who can claim it, but for those who do, it can really
change their lives."

A typical private adoption runs about $30,000, so the credit was
intended to help families by reimbursing expenses, such as court fees.
But the tax law allows parents who adopt "special needs" children to
receive the entire credit even if they had no expenses.

All of the Wards' foster children qualified as special needs, so
Thelma was able to claim the full credit even though there were no
adoption expenses. This is not unusual for foster children; about 80%
of these kids are considered to have "special needs."

They tried to deduct what?!
"People adopting from the foster-care community are typically lower
and moderate income, and most don't have a significant tax liability,
so the credit never helped them," said Mary Boo, assistant director of
the North American Council on Adoptable Children. "The expenses they
have are life-long, so the government really stepped up this year to
help these people."

It's significant to the Wards, who only make about $39,000 per year.

"We didn't get into foster care to adopt anyone, but when we started
being foster parents we couldn't let a child leave us without a place
to call home," said Thelma.

She had to quit her job at a daycare to take care of her new children.
And her husband, David, who works at a concrete company, had to take a
significant pay cut last year to keep his job. The one saving grace:
As foster parents, they receive about $3,300 a month from the state of
North Carolina until the children turn 18.

"Any little bit helps, but it still doesn't cover it," said Thelma,

who has had to learn to stay on a tight budget to afford giving her

children the care they need.

Kelli, only three years old, has a serious heart condition and has
required medical attention since she was born. She is scheduled for a
major heart surgery this month.

7 best apps for filing taxes
Octavius has a heart murmur and is in and out of the doctor's office
constantly. And all of them -- including Joquavius, Zoie and Mckayla
-- require either speech therapy, psychiatry or special classes for
learning disabilities.

This attention really adds up, both emotionally and financially. So to
save money, Thelma focuses on the little things, like using coupons
everywhere she can, selling her children's clothes at consignment
stores, buying everything used and holding yard sales.

While the kids are at school, Thelma goes to three grocery stores to
do her weekly shopping. But the family's weekly grocery bill still
totals around $400, including the more than three gallons of milk and
four loaves of bread the children go through. It usually takes five or
six trips to the car to get all the groceries unloaded.

The Wards hope to use their windfall refund to take their big family
on a vacation, pay bills, and buy new windows for their home -- which
needs a little repair after housing so many foster children over the
past years.

"We'll have to see what we can afford," said Thelma. "Money comes and
money goes, so we want to make sure we spend it all wisely."

Many more families are also finding themselves in the enviable place
of planning what to do with such a windfall. Tax preparer H&R Block
said 8,000 of its own clients have already claimed the credit, and the
company expects 150,000 total taxpayers to claim it this year.

How I'll spend my refund
That's a 50% jump from the 2009 tax year -- but not because adoptions
have increased that much. Instead, many people who had no tax
liability in previous years, and thus wouldn't have been helped by the
credit, are now filing. And some of the refunds it has seen range as
high as $90,000.

A couple from Alabama, Tina and Kenny Thomas, recently adopted five
kids from foster care and are now expecting a check for a whopping
$65,000, thanks to this credit. Like the Wards, they had absolutely no
idea it existed until they went to their tax preparer.

"We went in having no clue about the credit, and we even thought we
may have to pay money," said Tina Thomas. "We never, never would have
expected it."

But before you run out to adopt a child in order to cash in on this
credit, know that the IRS is a stickler for documentation and isn't
doling out refunds like this to just anyone.

"If you're claiming the credit because of the nature of the credit and
the size of the refund, there are many documentation requirements that
Congress included along with it," said Eric Smith, a spokesman for the
IRS. "It is a generous credit for those who qualify -- that's why
policymakers want to make sure the people who deserve it get it, and
those who don't, don't.

http://abusedswanblogger.blogspot.com/2011/04/think-our-children-are-not-being-sold.html

2nd woman fired from Gaston DSS for DWI

Posted: 5:01 pm EST November 11, 2011Updated: 7:21 pm EST November 11, 2011

GASTON COUNTY, N.C. -- For the second time in a month, a Gaston County social worker has been fired for drinking and driving.

The dismissal came just weeks after a different social worker was accused of driving under the influence with a child in the car.

Aaron McSwain said he cannot forget Amanda Carrigan, the woman he said weaved in and out of traffic on busy Union Road.

He said after Carrigan rear ended his SUV two weeks ago she tried to drive away from the accident. “She started backing up. That's when I put myself behind her vehicle to keep her from leaving the scene,” he said.

He said she appeared drunk.

When police arrived, she blew a 0.19, more than twice the legal limit.

McSwain later learned she was a DSS worker. “I was actually shocked,” he said.

Carrigan is the second off duty Gaston County DSS worker charged with DWI in the past month. Yvette Smithen blew a 0.22 with her 4-year-old child in the car.

Both women were fired.

County Commissioner and DSS Board Vice Chairman Tom Keigher said the department’s staff is large and sometimes there are issues that arise.

“When you deal with a county employee number of 1,500 you are going to have problems,” he said.

Carrigan said in a phone interview she has no memory of driving under the influence or of the accident. She said she had a mix of prescription sleeping pills and cough syrup the night before.

Carrigan has hired an attorney to help her get her job back.

Previous Stories:

• October 14, 2011: Major holes found in DSS hiring process after employee arrested for DUI
• October 14, 2011: Former Gaston DSS worker granted court attorney

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Federal Judge Should Hear Arlington CPS Case



Judge George Varoutsos



One of the most disturbing stories I've ever written for The Washington Examiner was about a 3-week-old baby girl who was snatched from her mother's arms and placed in foster care by Arlington County Child Protective Services because she lost 10 ounces after birth. Baby Sabrina's story hit me hard in the gut because that could have been me; my youngest daughter lost a whole pound postpartum.

Newborn weight loss is normal, Sabrina was under a doctor's care and had even regained all of her lost birth weight when she was taken. Kit Slitor, a freelance video editor, and his wife, Nancy Hey, a federal employee, were never charged with or convicted of child abuse or neglect, and the Virginia Department of Social Services exonerated them of any wrongdoing. It didn't matter.

After doing everything social workers and the Arlington Domestic and Juvenile Relations Court, or DJR, demanded of them -- including home inspections, supervised visitation, and psychological testing -- their parental rights were terminated and Sabrina was put up for adoption. They spent more than $250,000 fighting for her, all the way to the Virginia Supreme Court, which declined to hear their case.

Four years later, their story still haunts me.

On Sept. 16, a class-action lawsuit modeled after a similar pleading in Massachusetts was filed in federal court in Alexandria on behalf of eight children -- including Sabrina -- who have been placed in foster care by Arlington County.

The list of serious accusations contained in the lawsuit against DJR Judges George Varoutsos and Esther Wiggins, Assistant Commonwealth's Attorney Jason McCandless, and various Arlington CPS officials is long: perjury, RICO violations of civil rights, fraud upon the court, obstruction of justice, unconstitutional "ex parte" hearings, court orders that were never served, depriving parents of their due process rights, "missing" court orders, illegal searches and seizures, and felony removal of documents from court files, to name just a few.



Judge James Cacheris



Arlington CPS "has not implemented the reforms necessary to remedy the severe and persistent legal violations within its foster care system, despite its longstanding knowledge of these systemic ills," the lawsuit alleges. The allegations are so grave that if the judicial system were working properly, an emergency restraining order against DJR would be issued immediately.

Don't hold your breath. The "next friend" lawsuit was filed by nonlawyer James Renwick Manship, a disabled Navy cryptologist and court-appointed special advocate, on behalf of foster children and their impoverished parents. It's the longest of long shots aimed directly at a corrupt, unaccountable system that holds every card in the deck.

Or almost every card. Judge James Cacheris caused quite a legal stir in May when he cited the landmark Supreme Court Citizens United ruling to strike down a ban on corporate political donations. Campaign finance is an important issue, but it pales in comparison with judicial kidnapping, which strikes at the very heart of Americans' God-given rights.

If social workers and judges can take your child away without due process, the Constitution is nothing more than a piece of paper the powerful can continue to ignore with impunity.

There's still a chance that Cacheris, who was appointed to the federal bench by President Reagan, will search his conscience, rise to the occasion, and allow this David vs. Goliath case to proceed to trial despite tremendous pressure from the legal establishment to ignore the compelling evidence of official misconduct and continue covering up this rot.

Stay tuned.

Barbara F. Hollingsworth is The Examiner's local opinion editor.

Read more at the Washington Examiner: http://washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/columnists/2011/11/federal-judge-should-hear-arlington-cps-case#ixzz1elNcKuFc

http://washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/columnists/2011/11/federal-judge-should-hear-arlington-cps-case