Texas 2006 figures are not yet available. 2005 - 11 deaths related to abuse or neglect. Three were caused by foster caregivers. 2004 - 15 deaths related to abuse or neglect. Four were caused by foster caregivers. 2003 - Six deaths related to abuse or neglect. Three were caused by foster caregivers.Texas |
Arizona Governor's policies put state's kids at risk Laura Knaperek My Turn Aug. 29, 2005 12:00 AM As a member of the Joint Legislative Committee on Children and Families,I am appalled at how the state is "protecting" children from harm and neglect, and how the watchdogs of children have turned away from the brutal truth. From testimony heard by the committee over the past three months, it is clear that the same system that is authorized to stop abuse seems to be one of the worst abusers. When Gov. Janet Napolitano started yanking kids out of their homes into government-funded and regulated institutions at the beginning of her administration, the situation for kids in Arizona became worse than ever. Nearly 10,000 children have been taken from their homes, with about 6,500 in foster homes and another 1,500 in a group-home setting. Amazingly, 280 are suspected runaways, children taken from bad homes and put into situations that caused them to flee Between April 2004 and March 2005, 13 children under state care died. Six of those children hadn't reached their first birthday. The governor declared her top priority would be the safety of children. That is what all of us want. Unfortunately, for 10,000 children and their families, the governor falsely equates child safety with child removal. Richard Wexler, a former investigative reporter and director of the National Center on Child Welfare Reform, and a few other voices, including mine, have warned what the outcome of "safety" vs. "reunite" would mean for kids. Data prove that the best way to keep most children safe is to provide the help needed to keep families together. Removing children from their homes can be detrimental. Children in foster homes are three times more likely to be physically abused. The rate is 10 times higher in group homes. Children in group homes are 28 percent more likely than children in the general populace to experience sexual abuse. Why is the state taking that kind of risk? Are those kids really better off now? Keep in mind, 13 children in one year died while under state care; Arizona's rate of removing children from their homes is twice the national average; and 280 children have run away from the state's care. In the 2003 CPS special legislative session, the debate revolved around whether more children should be removed from their homes. A CPS caseworker said in a Valley paper, "(Caseworkers) are scared to death to make a mistake, and you're going to see more kids removed because of that." No wonder there is a desperate plea for foster homes. The additional money, caseworkers and removals have not fixed the problem. The real fix is preventive services in the homes of families. I have only talked about the raw numbers. The real-life stories are in the legislative hearings that have been taking place all summer through the Joint Legislative Committee on Children and Families. The next meeting is at 9:30 a.m. Tuesday in House Hearing Room 4, 1700 W. Washington St., Phoenix. Now it is time for the media to look at the same numbers and, more importantly, talk to the real people behind these frightening figures. Do not be lulled into believing no news is good news. Arizona's children are not safe. Laura Knaperek, a Tempe Republican, is a state representative who serves on the Joint Legislative Committee on Children and Families. |
| Arizona Response to Rep. Laura Knaperek Information on Children Who Left CPS Care for Reason "Death of Child" — 04/01/04-03/30/05 Age at time of death Cause of death Where child was at time of death (where the 13 children over the last year have died) 2 months Autopsy information received by CPS indicates child died of SIDS Infant was born substance exposed. Foster home 2 years Medical complications following heart surgery. Child was born with multiple significant health problems including heart defect. Hospital (Child was in the custody of a relative) 7 years Medical complications following skin graft. Relative Placement 17 years Suicide. Therapeutic Group home 6 weeks Autopsy information received by CPS indicates child died of SIDS Infant was born substance exposed. Unlicensed non relative placement 5 years Accidental drowning. DDD licensed respite home. 7 weeks Medical complications. Child died during surgery to correct heart defect. Hospital (Child was living in a relative placement) 7 months Autopsy information received by CPS indicates child died of SIDS. Infant was born substance exposed. Day Care provider (Infant was living in a foster home placement) 13 years Complications of Sickle Cell anemia. Foster home 14 years Accident. Child was opening a plastic container with a pair of scissors and pushed the scissors through the package into his chest, damaging his heart. Foster home 5 years Injuries sustained from dog attack. Child was on a visit in her biological parents' home when incident occurred. (Child was living in a foster home placement) 2 months Medical complications following surgery for heart defect. Infant was born substance exposed. Foster home 18 days Autopsy information received by CPS indicates child died of SIDS. Infant was born substance exposed. Foster home From the response, it appears that elected representatives in Arizona have as much trouble getting the names of children in care as those outside of government. According to the Arizona Department of Economic Security, Division of Children, Youth and Families: In Arizona as of September 30, 2004 there were 8,839 children who were placed in out-of-home care due to abuse, neglect or abandonment. The thirteen reported deaths in a year give a rate of 147 per hundred thousand child years. |
California Almost 50 abused or neglected California children died last year in foster care after the state took them away from their parents for their own protection, according to child advocates who started counting because the state does not keep track. The tally by the Children's Advocacy Institute is the first measurement of how many of California's most vulnerable children die while under the state's guardianship. The institute, based at the University of San Diego School of Law, also found that more than 60 children in foster care died in 2004. California has about 75,000 foster children, one-fourth of the nation's foster- care population. Some of the children died accidentally or of natural causes. But others were neglected or abused by caregivers. The causes of death were not included in the study. The death count includes children such as Dylan James George, 2, whose foster parents have been charged with fatally beating him in their Fremont home in 2004. Anthony Cortez, 15, was choked to death by another child in a Stockton group home in 2003. Four-month-old Christopher Battie died of sudden infant death syndrome in a Fresno foster home in 2003. Data comparing the death rate for children in foster care to the death rate for children overall were not available because the state has not compiled updated mortality statistics for the general population. The California Department of Social Services collects data on how many children in foster care statewide are injured, but not on how many die. Advocates said a failure to monitor deaths in foster care could hamper efforts to improve the system. The state failed a federal review three years ago in part because children were not being kept safe enough after being removed from their homes. "It just makes common sense that the state should be tracking and aware of how and when their children are dying, and if there's anything they can do to stop that," said Christina Riehl, an attorney at the Children's Advocacy Institute. Riehl said the institute started its count after a state law went into effect requiring counties to release the name and date of death of each child who dies while in foster care. The group compiled the data by submitting requests to each of California's 58 counties. Mary Ault, California's deputy director of children and family services, said the state reviews individual death reports and has monitored fatality trends through the Child Death Review Council. "I believe the more facts we have, the more information we have, the better we're able to manage for better outcomes," Ault said. The review council, composed of representatives from different state agencies, looks at records of all child deaths in the state and issues periodic reports. But there is a lag time of several years before each report is released, and the council does not specify how many of the children who died were in foster care. Meanwhile, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services determined last year that the state was violating federal law by failing to publicly disclose information about deaths and near-deaths of children due to abuse or neglect. Threatened with the loss of federal child- welfare funds, the state this summer started requiring counties to file reports on such incidents. The reports are supposed to be filed on all children, not just those in foster care. Ault said the state would be able to use those reports as a tool for improving the system. So far, one report has been filed. It describes the drowning death of a 2-year- old girl found in a hot tub in Orange County in July. The report said Orange County social workers had investigated several reports that the girl's parents had neglected her and had placed her with her grandparents for several months while both parents were incarcerated. When the girl died, she was back in her parents' custody. Meanwhile, the state is continuing efforts to reduce the number of children in foster care, which has dropped since a high of 100,000 in 2000. In a couple of weeks, the Bush administration will begin allowing California to spend federal foster-care funds on programs that aim to keep children at home with their parents. The rate at which California removes children from their homes is close to the nationwide average, said Richard Wexler, director of the National Coalition for Child Protection Reform. But Wexler believes the rate should still be lower. "What you have in foster care is a system where, of course, the majority of foster parents want to do the best that they can for the children in their care," Wexler said. "But the abusive minority is significant, and there are a number of foster children abusing each other. The system is overloaded with children who don't need to be there." FAST FACTS California has about 75,000 foster children, one-fourth of the nation's foster-care population. The study by the Children's Advocacy Institute found that: •Almost 50 California children died last year in foster care. •More than 60 such children died in 2004. •The state Department of Social Services collects data on how many children in foster care are injured, but not on how many die. About the writer: The Bee's Clea Benson can be reached at (916) 326-5533 or cbenson@sacbee.com. |
Children Who Have Died in Foster Care in California, Texas and Arizona