To The Arc of King County – HELP!

A letter from another mom – families such as ours are shunned and dismissed by The Arc.  It’s such a shame – people are not aware that the Arc does not advocate for those who have the highest support needs or for those who need the support needs of a Residential Habilitation Center.   My dream is to have a united advocacy for ALL people with intellectual disabilities – an advocacy group which understands the continuum of care services model.

Here is what the ARC is banning (written my another mother of a child with autism who is 21 and aging out of the school system – no program available for him next year)

Dear ARC,

I recently returned from Hawaii with my husband Denny and while we were there we stopped in at the Hilo ARC to see what type of services that they offer. I was really so pleased to find that they have an Adult Day Health Program, Personal Assistants Program and Commercial Services  .We were greeted by their wonderful executive director who explained how they run their adult programs on a very limited budget yet have quality programs.  I believe we could replicate something similar for adult day programs here. If the ARC of King County really wanted to help families who desperately need adult services this a good place to start.

This is how the Hawaiian Hilo ARC does it.

Referrals for the Hilo day program come from a DSHS caseworker. When a family calls and needs a day program for their adult child the caseworker calls the ARC to register the adult child. If a family needs one on one for their adult child at the day program the ARC will provide it. Their adult day programs are from 7:00 to 2:00 Monday thru Friday. Talk about great respite! The best part is that the adult day programs are free!

ARC of King County we need to actually do something for our community and stop the ongoing slam about Fircrest. We must move forward to also set up programs like the ones in Hilo Hawaii.  As we all know families whose 21 year olds are now about to graduate from High School really have no future and this must change. ARC you have a large talented staff that could easily put together programs like the ones in Hilo.  ARC I bet you can start day programs for adults by this summer.

ARC of King County please let us parents know if you are willing to help us moms, Dads, and loved ones with opening up adult day programs.  ARC if the answer is no
Please explain to us why. I will not take, that you do no have funds for supporting your members. I just don’t believe it.

Let’s stop the talk and start The ARC of King County an Adult Day Health Program, Personal Assistance program, and commercial services program. Just like the ones at the Hilo Hawaii ARC.

http://www.hiloarc.org/ourwork.html

Is Segregation back?

 

We are all part of the community – don’t try to segregate us away behind closed doors. You’ll be amazed at how your life can be touched or what benefits you may receive by having relationships with people who happen to have a intellectual disability. My life is forever changed for the better.

http://shoreline.patch.com/articles/letter-to-the-editor-quit-making-fircrest-children-scapegoats

NO Safety Net? It’s a possibility unless we make our voices heard!

We need a supportive coalition to prevent future cuts to our most vulnerable citizens. Our Governor and legislators need to hear from us, the people. We are the ones living the experience of crisis after crisis with a bare bones safety net. What happens when there is NO safety net?

Please uphold our 1999 US Supreme Court Decision Olmstead and the US DD Act by supporting a continuum of care service model. You can sign this petition to pass the message on to our Governor, Governor-to-be and legislators. We need to uphold our own State Constitution, Article 13 which states institutions need to be fostered and supported by the state.

The citizens of our state did win a major battle in the McCleary v State lawsuit.  This looks at the same part of the Washington State Constitution which we look at for care of our most vulnerable who need the high intense supports provided at our Residential Habilitation Centers (RHCs) to maintain their health and safety.  The issue is that there was a lawsuit to provide funding for education and there has not been a lawsuit against our state to “foster and support” the care of those in the RHC.  (I’m not advocating for a lawsuit – only for our State to do what is right and just and as is outlined in our Constitution)

Our state has no new revenue sources to fund the education which needs to be provided.  Without a source of revenue – what do you think will happen?  My guess is that our legislators and Governor will again look at our most vulnerable and again pull away their life sustaining support.  We can not let this happen.  We need to find other places which have at least a morsel of meat on the bones or provide a revenue source.

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/853/982/813/i-support-a-continuum-of-care-service-model/?cid=FB_Share

Fircrest PTA Steering Committee Forming

I am looking for people who are interested on being on the steering
committee for Fircrest PTA which is forming.

WE will be working with the Regional Director of Washington State PTA
in setting up our new  PTA unit.

This is what we will be working on:

ORGANIZE STEERING COMMITTEE This committee will work with Region
Director (RD) and Shoreline Council PTSA representative to consider
the purposes and needs of a potential PTA.  This groundwork enables RD
and potential PTA representatives to fill out the application for
affiliation, a Washington State PTA (WSPTA) document.  (Steering
Committee can also work on:  Standing Rules; Composition of Board of
Directors; Job Descriptions, etc.)

This is VERY exciting to be working on this and I hope to find
committed advocates to participate.  Remember, Fircrest School does
not stop at age 21 – we are a life long learning facility and our
residents need the support and advocacy which the PTA organization can
help us with.

Do not be afraid – there is much support and back up to help us 
organize and stay on track!! 

Once we have this, we progress to:

APPLICATION FOR AFFILIATION When completed and approved by RD, the RD
sends this to WSPTA Executive Committee for final approval.  N.B.:
You will have 60 days from the date of approval of the application to
hold your first charter meeting.

ORGANIZING NOTEBOOK Once the application is approved, the RD delivers
Section I of this notebook to your contact person.  This section
details steps to becoming a non-profit association and PTA.

HOLD A CHARTER/ORGANIZATIONAL MEETING This is the meeting at which the
group formally votes to affiliate with WSPTA.  Minimum number of
charter members is 25. The RD has detailed instructions for organizing
the meeting.  You will receive Section II of the Organizing Notebook
at this meeting.

COMPLETE THE ORGANIZING PROCESS The charter period is 45 days from the
date of the charter meeting.  You will receive Section III of the
Organizing Notebook after the following has been received by WSPTA:
1) “Affiliation agreement” – fully executed; 2) “President/Treasurer”
card – fully completed; 3) Enrollment sheet with minimum of 25
members, including contact info; 4) A check for membership fees for
all members listed.

This is VERY exciting to be working on this and I hope to find
committed advocates to participate.  Remember, Fircrest School does
not stop at age 21 – we are a life long learning facility and our
residents need the support and advocacy which the PTA organization can
help us with.

Do not be afraid – there is much support and back up to help us 
organize and stay on track!! 

Please forward to anyone who you think may be interested.  Let me know
at Cheryl – ddadvocacy@gmail.com

Shame on DRW (Disability Rights Washington)

AS an advocate for our community members with developmental and intellectual disabilities with the highest support needs, I have been thoroughly ashamed and disappointed in the position of Disability Rights Washington (DRW).  DRW is supposed to be the protection and advocacy agency for these very citizens yet I see they are actually doing much harm to this population which has the greatest need.

DRW operates a blog entitled DisAbility Rights Galaxy.  One would think that they would welcome comments but I believe they only welcome comments which they find agree totally with what they have written.  I find it interesting that Mark Stroh, the editor, refers to the following rule as to why my comment will not be posted:

Comments we know or suspect to be inaccurate which are presented as factual. We will error on the side of caution here. As an unknown wise person once said, you are entitled to your own opinions but you are not entitled to your own facts. However, we do not guarantee the accuracy, completeness or usefulness of any information in the comment section and expressly disclaim any liability for any information posted, or websites linked, to here.

as a reason that posts that I have written will  not be allowed and sit in limbo of “awaiting moderation” forever.  I think what he means to say is “our opinions are facts and therefore if anyone questions them they are only stating their opinion which is not fact since it does not agree with our “facts.”

The most recent issue of conern is that regarding “Sheltered workshops”  I have copied and pasted the original posting from Disability Rights Galaxy and my comment which is still in moderation and will not be posted.

Report: Sheltered workshops “exploit” people with disabiliites (sic)

Andy Jones | April 8, 2012

The National Disability Rights Network released a new report April 3 detailing how federal funding priorities entice states to funnel people with disabilities into sheltered workshop programs that segregate them from the regular workforce.

Opportunity Ahead Road Sign

People with disabilities want inclusive jobs

The report, titled “Beyond Segregated and Exploited,” is an update on ascathing report, released by NDRN in January 2011, that called for an end to subminimum wages and poor working conditions for people with disabilities.

“What we found was a system that does not provide truly meaningful employment opportunities for people with disabilities and in many instances exploits theirdisability for the financial gain of employers,” said NDRN executive director Curt Decker in the most recent report. “We found a system that traps these workers in endless “training” programs that prepare them for nothing and often leaves them impoverished. Worse, federal laws and programs as well as many provider organizations within the disability service system help facilitate this travesty.”

States receive money for sheltered workshops, separate work programs meant to provide employment for people with disabilities, from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and the Rehabilitative Services Administration. However, these programs are not balanced with funding for programs to assist individuals with transitioning into the workforce.

For example, in Ohio, where 97 percent of the state’s disability employment funding is directed toward sheltered workshop programs, more than 5,200 workers are earning an average of $1 an hour. As detailed in a series of articles by the Columbus Dispatch, these programs receive almost no oversight. Despite havimg the largest number of individuals employed in sheltered workshops nationwide, the state’s 40 percent poverty rate for people with disabilities is among the nation’s highest.

“Despite CMS’ and RSA’s expressed preference for integrated employment, the heavy flow of Medicaid dollars spent on prevocational services and RSA’s policy allowing workers to get those services in sheltered settings does not support the call for community-based employment,” the report states.

Federal law allows sheltered workshops to employ pay individuals less than the minimum wage under a Great Depression era law designed to bolster employment for people with disabilities.

The report provides an overview of a number of efforts by Protection & Advocacy organizations around the country to improve conditions and opportunities for people in sheltered workshops, including a class action lawsuit filed in January by Disability Rights Oregon which argues that Oregon’s system of sheltered workshops violates the Americans with Disabilities Act by unnecessarily segregating people with disabilities.

The report calls for an end to federal and state funding to sheltered workshops that segregate people with disabilities from the workforce, the creation of new tax incentives for employers to hire people with disabilities and increased labor protections and enforcement.

Posted April 11, 2012 at 3:35 pm | Permalink

Your comment is awaiting moderation.

It is true that Sheltered Workshops do not train people for “truly meaningful employment” and there may be people who work or spend time in these facilities who could benefit from other opportunities. I fully support employment for people with developmental disabilities but there are also many misconceptions about sheltered workshops which advocates publicize which simply are not true.

There are benefits to sheltered workshops and they should not be banished. Maybe if the name was changed to something else and the pretense of “training” for another job was removed, they might be better accepted by some disability advocates.

Regarding the pay – most of these workshops do not pay by the hour – they pay by piece work. If a person decides to not work but socialize all day – they won’t get paid for the “work” because they are not working. Yet, if they sit and do some work for awhile, get some things done, take a social break for a couple of hours then do some more work, they will get paid for the work they have done.

For many, the workshops provide not only employment but a pattern to their day, personal support, socialization, community involvement and more. If this is taken away without a replacement for these supports and relationships what are the people left with?

We are finding this every day with more and more supports being taken away. Many are now left with nothing. There are few day programs and if people are able to find a supported employment situation that time is only for a few hours a week. Who supports the person for the remaining hours?

With the turnover rate about 40% for caregivers in supported living homes, these people will then be left at home – that means more people to care for in their homes and fewer caregivers to care for them.

I’m sorry but for me that spells disaster.

The letter below is the first letter that I sent to inquire about the state of limbo.  I did not receive a response.  Today, when I again emailed Mr. Stroh, he sent me the rules and highlighted the informaion above as the reason that my comment will not be allowed.

To: mstroh@dr-wa.org
Subject: Disability Galaxy posting
Date: Sat, 21 Apr 2012 18:15:13 -0700

Dear Mr. Stroh,

I’m curious about the timeline for having a reply to a posting moderated?  I posted the message below on April 11, 2012 and it is still “awaiting moderation.”  This is not the first time that a message that I have written to clarify some issue has been in this state of limbo for an extended period of time.

I understand that my letter does not necessarily support the posting on Disability Galaxy but I do believe that it is in the best interest of all to read other opinions about the issues.  Without a full understanding of how these issues affect our families and loved ones, how are people going to be fully informed.

Thank you very much,

 

I would love to know what Mr. Stroh finds so offensive or inaccurate in my comment.  Of course I do not believe that a sheltered workshop is the best place and they do not train workers for other jobs.  Yet, I do believe that sheltered workshops serve a purpose.  Just ask families of people with very high support needs – the people who now have no meaningful activities or structure to their day – ask them what they think are benefits of sheltered workshops.  DRW may be surprised but one would never know because these opinions are never allowed to be shared since they do not agree with the “facts” of DRW.

My response this morning to Mr. Stroh:

Thank you.  This is the right of your agency but I find that the editorializing that is done is harmful to those who DRW claims to advocate for.  This is a very sad state of affairs.  My posting is not inaccurate but it does not agree with your opinion and since this site is yours, you are welcome to post your opinion as fact but then do not allow others to question it.  This is not democracy.

I’m so sorry that your agency which is supposed to be the P&A agency for our vulnerable citizens is not living up to the job.

This is an example of the divisive advocacy and silencing of those who are very involved and know what it’s like in the “trenches”. We are not respected or valued for our opinions, insights and concerns. The very concerns which Olmstead upholds.   If these agencies are there to be the protection and advocacy agencies one would hope that they uphold the 1999 US Supreme Court Decision Olmstead which clearly states the individual has choices.  These choices are being taken away by those who believe their OPINION is fact.

It might be wise for Mr. Stroh to go back and read the Olmstead decision.  He may be enlightened by what it actually says.

Again, I will repeat my message to Mr. Stroh - I’m sorry but for me that spells disaster.

Family in need of justice

Please read the attached document regarding a tragedy with one of our children with Autism. CPS got involved due to misinformation and rather than being stopped this has been allowed to continue. The boy has not been removed from the group home in which the mother has alleged mistreatment but rather this mother is being investigated only for attempting to get safe and appropriate care for her son. Child Welfare Services has done this family and our community a great disservice in allowing this situation to continue. The mother now has to hire her own attorney to be able to visit her son – who is in “protective custody” at the home in which the alleged mistreatment occurred. This is a true story – as unbelievable as it may sound.

https://docs.google.com/open?id=0Byhpzwg2XSemT0ozcUxCM0VnSTg

 

Donations for John Doe

It’s Natural to Belong Part 2

In addition to learning about a very worthwhile resource for many I came away from the workshop with some new realizations.  The community guides really focus on finding meaningful activities for each person.  They had many methods in seeking out what an individual finds interesting.

From this, I realized that many may not know what their child or family member with disabilities finds interesting.  I found this very sad.  Some families just left this to the schools to do and seemed to have little interaction with their child or have any idea of what their child would like to do.  Some families, had vague ideas of interests but needed help in making these activities happen to be successful and meaningful experiences for their children.  This seemed to be the largest group represented.

Community guides are great for what they can do but there are limitations which I discovered in the conversations.  The people who they work with are people that will be able to get from point A to point B independently or for people who are quite high functioning.  Their services are geared toward finding opportunities but they are not for finding support people to assist in the activities.   I realized this during some conversations regarding issue with our son.

My son has a wealth of interests and we are NEVER lacking to find activities that he would be interested in.  What we do lack is personal support to be with him in all activities that he may want to do.  Our son has no interest or capabilities of doing anything with his hands (art), no attention span for games, very poor fine motor skills for anything that he may want to do so needs assistance with all fine motor skills.  He DOES have an insatiable interest in talking.  Not necessarily conversational talking but stream of consciousness, almost manic talking, not able to focus on any one thing for more than a few seconds.  Our son will never be able to take a city bus without someone with him nor will he ever be able to walk outside his campus without someone with him.  His social skills and awareness for danger are scary.

Many disability advocates do not understand the intense needs of people like our son.  One can not tell by seeing our son out with us the extremely high support needs he requires to be safe.  Someone is ALWAYS with him to help him maintain his orientation and safety.   Our son does not look as complexly disabled as some people who need wheelchairs or who are obviously more physically impaired but his support needs are extremely high.

Even with his needs as high as they are – he is fully able to participate in community activities.  It just takes more work, preparation, understanding and people but it is doable with the right supports.  Below is an example of one very worthwhile experience for him and the reasons it worked are because he had the right support person (THIS IS THE KEY TO SUCCESS) and the right cooking school and teacher who was open to his special needs.

Thomas has always wanted to be chef since he could talk.  He often refers to “when I’m a chef” meaning when he’s grown up.  His definition of a chef is anyone being around food so he very well could be a chef and we  fully support his dreams of becoming a chef.

There is a local cooking school and I saw their class list.  There was a pasta making class and I thought Thomas would just love it.  I went and spoke to the owner and she was very receptive to the idea and had worked with kids with disabilities before.  Thomas was also blessed to have the most wonderful middle school teacher of all time (Gretchen).  Gretchen was the first person who had ever offered to take Thomas out – someone who loved him and wanted to spend time with him, taking him to places that he just loved to visit.  Gretchen was a lifesaver for not only Thomas but for us too.  Gretchen agreed to take Thomas to the pasta making class.  We knew it would not be easy – it was 3 hours long – but it would be a great experience.

Gretchen knew Thomas really well – she knew when the talking was going on too long, she knew when he needed to go outside and walk around while the rest of the class was doing things he either had no interest in or would be too disruptive.  They would come back and pick up where they left off.  Everything went as planned and Thomas and Gretchen enjoyed the class and made a great dinner!

To this day, (5 years later) Thomas says “there’s my cooking school” every time we drive by.  This was a very successful experience but was only made so by having the right support person.

Our support people are the people who can make or break opportunities for our kids.  We need to honor our support people.

Thank you, Gretchen!

It’s Natural to Belong

 

It’s Natural to Belong was a workshop presented by the Community Guides from Total Living Concept  to help in creating community opportunities for people with disabilities.   These services are available to anyone (paid or not paid) on the DDD caseload who are not receiving residential services.

These two women who presented were dynamic and had a seemingly endless wealth of information on finding community opportunities.  I would highly recommend a call to them to inquire to see if they may help you or your family in making connections in the community.

See below for the information from the Division of Developmental Disabilities Webpage about the Community Guide program.  This is FREE to those who are eligible – Take advantage of these wonderful services!

 

 

Community Guide

A Community Guide is a support person whose role is to help your family become more connected to resources in your community. Working with your family on a short-term basis, the Guide will focus on specific concerns that you have identified on your Family Support Opportunity plan. Guides are knowledgeable about developmental disabilities, community resources, family concerns and problem solving.

How can a community guide assist my family?

Depending on your family’s needs, the role of the Community Guide can vary. Some of the ways a Community Guide can assist your family are:

  • Providing information about parent support groups
  • Linking you to recreational resources in your community
  • Providing you with additional information about your son or daughter’s disability
  • Helping you locate equipment, or coordinate household modifications for your son or daughter
  • Connecting you to counselors, therapists, doctors
 A pencil illustration by Martha Penske of a man talking with a woman in a wheelchair. Read success stories about Community Guides.
read success stories
Sometimes a Community Guide will directly access services for you. In other instances, the Guide will give you information that will support you in accessing resources on your own.

How do I get connected to a community guide?

Your family support case manager will help connect to a community guide. As part of the Family Support Opportunity, you may be offered the following services: Medicaid Personal Care/CAP, Short-term Intervention Funding, and a Community Guide. If you choose the services of a Community Guide, your case manager will link you with a guide in your area who is personally suited for your family.

You have the option of requesting a different guide if you feel the connection is not suitable. No explanation is needed. Call your case manager to request a change.

How much time will a community guide work with me?

Your Community Guide is assigned to work with you for approximately eight (8) hours annually. Generally the Guide will provide this service within a one to three month period. At the beginning of your renewal year, you can request Guide services again.

What can I expect working with a guide?

Initially, the Guide will meet with you in person and help you prioritize the area in which he/she will assist you. The guide may link you directly to resources or may provide you with detailed information. At the conclusion of your time together, the guide will meet with you in your home for a final review of your plan.

I’m not on a Side

I believe in advocating for safe, quality care for our most vulnerable populations.  I believe in a continuum of care service  – a model which provides safe care to the individual as stated in the U.S. Supreme Court Decision Olmstead.  This court decision states that it is the individuals and/or their families/guardians choice to decide where they want to live.  There is nothing in this decision which states all must move out of the institution or that institutions should be closed.  It is this choice that I believe in.

Why is it that those who advocate for a continuum of care are viewed as “pro RHC” as if that is the only choice they advocate for?  This is what frustrates me.  Personally, I don’t care where a person chooses to live but I do care that they are getting safe, quality care.

I have written about a very disturbing situation this week  (see This must STOP). There has been no resolution to this situation yet.  The facts, as unbelievable as they are, are the facts.   Yes, they may seem convenient to make a point – but again, they are the facts.  As one of our Senators refers to his recommendation of a lawyer and writes “It seems to me that a family that has been abused by this conspiracy between DSHS, SL Start, and CPS—and perhaps Childrens Hospital—ought to get a lawyer and sue.”   This senator does not believe these allegations to be true and follows up his recommendations with the next paragraph:

“But I suspect this won’t happen.  I could be wrong, but I suspect that this story’s real value to the RHC advocates is in its expected political effect.  It portrays the RHC families—even the residents—as pawns in a game in which the malevolent community advocates are the operators.  SL Start is the villain in this instance, maybe the Arc the next time, maybe the Governor.  And you are “silenced” by these conspirators.  The victims are rendered mute, while only the conspirators may speak.  The conspirators “manipulate some of our community members.”   Oh, please!”

Obviously, this Senator believes this situation is fabricated to make an issue.  I wish it was but it’s not. This Senator goes on to berate me for being an advocate for safe and appropriate care and categorizes me into the “pro RHC” side.  When will he and others realize that it’s not about sides – it’s about safe and appropriate care for each individual.

View my response to this Senator’s letter to me here.

An Education for ALL

My current advocacy situation is teaching me alot – I’m sorry to say this because a family is being destroyed by the system which is supposed to help us.  But what I am learning is part of an education that we all could use so that we can be prepared for these very same things to happen to any one of us in advocating for safe and appropriate care for our children.

Mary, the mother of a 16 year old boy with autism is in crisis – all because she complained about inappropriate care which was causing health problems for her child, limiting her ability to visit with her child and her desire to have his placement changed from the group home to a residential habilitation center again.  The community experience was not working out and in addition to the above concerns there are also issues of alleged sexual abuse.

Mary, after discovering another issue of false documentation in the group home log, she had her son taken to the hospital.  She called an ambulance because she knew it was not safe for her to drive him.  She followed.  At the hospital, Mary was met by a CPS caseworker.  Mary felt relieved, thinking that they were there to look into the issues of the home.  Mary could not have been so wrong.  CPS was there because the Seattle Police had been called for an emergency dependency issue.  At this point we are unsure who made that first call but the records are being subpoenaed.

Mary’s son was taken into “protective custody” (sent back to the group home where the alleged abuse and neglect occurred) because Mary is unable to care for her son due to:

1. Lack of supervision

2.  Mother’s inability to safely care for sons’ needs (mental health and basic care)

 

Now, these issues were never in question.  This boy had been in an RHC and then was moved to a group home.  It is clear from the history that the mother cannot safely care for her son and she has not disputed that.  She is seeking safe, appropriate care.    When she took  her son to the ER, she made it clear that she wanted him safe and out of that home (she had been trying to have her son moved for about 1 year) and ALL involved knew this.  She was not running away, she was not taking her son to an undisclosed place, she was not disappearing – she was taking him to a safe place.

This boy has a history of elopement (how many of our kids with autism exhibit this behavior as part of their “normal”?)  Well, the boy ran out of the emergency room and no one could find him.  Security finally did.  The CPS caseworker wrote this up in a way to make it seem as if this boy ran away from his mom because she was not able to care for him or that she was hurting him.  The CPS caseworker either does not understand what “typical” behaviors for kids with autism are or she was writing her report to implicate the mom for something that she did not do.  Either way, this is frightening to know that our lives could be thrown into crisis by a CPS caseworker who either has an agenda or does not know what is typical for kids with certain diagnoses.

CPS has now filed an Emergency Dependency and by court order now Mary is only allowed supervised visits with her son.  CPS can only afford to pay for a supervisor for 2 hours a week so even though the court order says she can have up to 5 visits per week, she only gets 2 hours of visit time.  That is until the background checks for her other appointed supervisors come back and they are able to take the CPS class to learn what is required to be a “supervisor” of a visit.

This is tearing this family apart – as if they didn’t have enough already.

CPS is looking at this mother’s complete history to see if she is” mentally fit” to care for her son.

Now, guess what.  The mom has had a history of depression which was later changed to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.  What mom of a child with autism does not have some sort of anxiety/depression/PTSD or some health issue related to high levels of stress?  Because the mom has a “mental health” history, she is now having to prove that she is not psychotic or mentally unstable.

The mom had a previous CPS case.  The CPS caseworker wrote in the court petition “Mom refused to pick up child from hospital when he was discharged – Case unfounded”  But, it doesn’t matter, since she has a history, this is looked at.  In fact in this case, the mom called CPS because she didn’t want to get charged with abandonment.  She had an eye injury and partially detached retina from being stabbed in the eye by her son.  That was why he was in the hospital.  She is a single mom and was still in the process of healing with that eye injury and could not safely take care of her son when he was ready to be discharged.  For being a loving and caring mom and trying to do the right thing, she is being viewed as a criminal.

This scenario is horrific.  This is going on right now.  This scenario should NEVER have happened.  But once CPS is involved in an emergency dependency, there seems to be no stopping or turning back.  So in the meantime this family is destroyed, the boy is confused about why he can not have his regular and often visits with him mom and sister, why he can’t go to church, why he can’t to play basketball with his mom, why he can’t go to their weekly dinner at Applebees’ with his mom and sister.

It’s hard enough for families to work with one system (DDD) but with CPS now in charge of this case, DDD has taken a back burner until the dependency case goes to trial which could be 2 more months.

And still, the mom is very concerned and worried about her son’s health and safety.

I hope that no one else experiences these abuses of families by the systems which are set up to protect our kids.  We are not criminals!