By far the largest category of complaints against parents is "neglect". Often, these are cases in which the primary problem is a family's poverty.

Arizona: 5-Month-old Infant Hospitalized While In Foster Care

December 11, 2005

Baby A.L., a lively five-month-old baby living in foster care, has sustained a severe head trauma while in the temporary custody of DES.

The child's father was informed by Annette Scroggins, a CPS case worker on Thursday, December 8th that his daughter had sustained a head injury the previous Tuesday. The father was told the infant had taken a fall from a couch in the home of foster parents where she resides.

The baby was hospitalized and discharged on Wednesday, and placed back in the very same foster home, where she had received the injuries. The distraught father has not been allowed to see his daughter. The case worker claimed it was not a good idea for him to see her because she was medicated.

It is unclear why Scroggins waited two-days to inform the father of the injuries. The baby has been in foster care since she was one-month old. The father is currently allowed a two-hour visit with his child once each week.

The father was refused a visit when he requested to see the infant after hearing of her injuries. It remains to be determined if his regularly scheduled Monday visit will resume this week.

CPS officials gave two additional reasons for the injury, when pressed for details, stating that the child fell while in a highchair and later stating that the child was in a chair on the counter and fell to the floor, leading to speculation of exactly how the infant sustained such a serious head injury.

No investigation has been conducted.

The infant had suffered a skull fracture and was released the following day. According to the case worker the neurosurgeon stated it was an accident.

The biological father's rights have never been terminated altered or changed and he has continued to work towards completing the case plan set forth by caseworkers, even though he disputes the reason CPS agents removed his child from the home. The baby had resided with him since birth. The father reports that CPS agents now allege that he had abandoned his child.

Updates to this situation will be posted as they become available.

Arizona Family Rights Advocacy Institute
PO Box 876
Peoria,AZ 85380
(623) 205-1136

Press Release
Contact: Robin Scoins

Hosted & Designed by: