California CPS News Archive

Local Family Fights For Child

by Sarah Hoxie

Family and friends are working to get a little boy back to his mother. 15 month old Jacob Perry has a cleft palate and Child Protective Services took him away when he was just 13 days old because of what CPS called "failure to thrive."

However, Dorothy Perry, who is mentally challenged, says she was working to get treatment for her child. She planned to care for Jacob with the help of her parents. Now they are constantly in and out of the courtroom. The child's grandfather, Al Perry, is trying to help get his daughter's child back. "We're fighting a never ending battle."

KHSL TV News 12

June 13, 2010

Fundraiser planned for Ventura house for women who leave foster care

by Joshua Molina

A group of Ventura County foster care advocates and McGrath's daughter have come together to open Alice's House, a home designed to be a safe refuge for women who are too old for the foster care system, but aren't yet ready to live on their own.

The Ventura nonprofit organization Kids & Families Together, a counseling and resource center for families that have come together through foster care and adoption, is working with D'Auri to open the home to three young women by the end of June. Organizers plan a project launch reception and fundraiser today at the home of Chris Kimball, president of California Lutheran University. The project will be funded through grants and private donations.

Ventura County Star

June 12, 2010

County approves funds to help place foster children with family

by Tom Joyce

When you crunch the numbers, the outlook for children placed with strangers for foster care isn't encouraging, according to York County Human Services Director Bev Mackereth.

Studies by the federal government show that nationally, only 20 percent of the young adults who make it through foster care report that they're "doing well." The remaining 80 percent are more likely to end up incarcerated, homeless or dead.

Mackereth said those findings led to a change in federal law requiring agencies such as hers to make an effort to connect foster children with family members, because children do better statistically in those circumstances. The York County commissioners approved grant money to pay for trainers from California to travel to York County and instruct county employees on how to seek out children's extended families.

The York Daily Record

June 9, 2010

Foster couple accused of stealing child funds

by Rob McMillan

A foster couple is accused of taking in thousands of dollars meant for child care and spending it on themselves.

They are also accused of trying to collect more money after the children had left their care. Over the past six years, Purcell and Laverne Johnson were trusted with taking care of nearly 90 foster children in their Riverside County foster home. For that, they were paid a salary of $144,000 a year.

ABC News 7

June 2, 2010

Opinion: Restoring families

by Cynthia Godsoe

Laws permitting reinstatement of parental rights are admirable, but in many cases the rights shouldn't have been terminated in the first place.

New York state will likely soon enact groundbreaking legislation to restore parental rights in limited cases to neglectful parents who have been rehabilitated. Only a few other states, including California and Washington, have enacted similar laws to help restore families. Although New York Bill A8524/S03868 is necessary to help some of the many children waiting in foster care "limbo" with no prospects of adoption to return to safe and loving families, it wouldn't need to exist in a world that cared more about keeping families safe and together.

The National Law Journal

May 28, 2010

Adventures in Homeschooling

by Ken Ashford

Kevin and Elizabeth Schatz face one count of murder, one count of torture and one count of child abuse.

The torture count alleges that the parents beat their 11-year-old adopted daughter so severely she ended up in the hospital with kidney failure.

The Seventh Sense

May 27, 2010

Heads Up, California Voters!

by Diane Flynn Keith

A Vote for Leonard Martin is a Vote Against Homeschooling! On June 8th, California voters will elect a new Superintendent of Public Instruction.

"There has also been a tremendous amount of fraud connected with home schooling. Corporate organizations have sprung up to drain precious taxpayer dollars from the state budget to "supervise" home schooling. That has been to the detriment of those children, who by necessity, must be home schooled."

Homefires Journal - Kindling a Love of Learning

May 24, 2010

Baby girl placed into protective custody following abduction ordeal

by Daniel Tedford

EL MONTE - A baby abducted Wednesday by her mother's ex-girlfriend has been placed in protective custody by the Los Angeles Department of Children and Family Services.

The baby was set to be returned to her mother, Connie Walters, until police discovered Walters had a warrant from an outstanding misdemeanor drug case in Whittier, police said. Police arrested Walters, 35.

Whittier Daily News

May 21, 2010

Calaveras County Will Receive FEMA Funding

by B.J. Hansen

San Andreas, CA -- A combined $45 million will be available to help cover repair and cleanup costs for six California counties hit hard by the winter storms.

Grants are available to the counties of Calaveras, Imperial, Los Angeles, Riverside, San Bernardino and Siskiyou thanks to an emergency declaration of President Obama.

My Motherlode

May 12, 2010

Parents Of Murder Victims Spend Mother's Day Protesting

by Kevin L. Jones

Standing on the steps of San Francisco City Hall Sunday afternoon, a group of parents who call themselves "the Healing Circle" called for an end to street violence while being surrounded by portraits of their lost ones and other mementos.

The mothers and fathers of the Healing Circle share a bond in their personal experience and their loss. "That was my only son. It's very hard for me because now I don't have a son to bring me those flowers and candy on Mothers Day," said Francia Powers, mother of homicide victim.

KTVU San Francisco

May 9, 2010

County eyes smaller budget with fewer workers, services

by Mark Walker

San Diego County will make more cuts in child welfare and substance abuse services if the Board of Supervisors agrees to adopt a $4.9 billion budget for the fiscal year beginning July 1.

Steuer said the budget includes a $7.2 million reduction in substance abuse services and a $5.2 million cut in child welfare programs primarily the result of cuts in state funding. The reduction in child welfare services is expected to result in larger caseloads, increased response times and difficulties in meeting court-ordered timelines for handling those cases, she said.

North County Times

May 8, 2010

Governor Vetoes Smoking Ban

by B.J. Hansen

Sacramento, CA -- Legislation that would have affected local state parks was vetoed by Governor Schwarzenegger.

The Senate and Assembly had both passed a ban on smoking at all state parks and beaches, but the Governor vetoed it, saying that it crossed the line on government intrusion.

My Motherlode

May 4, 2010

Soquel man sentenced to life in prison for molestation

by Alia Wilson

SANTA CRUZ - After a motion to appeal his conviction was denied, a Soquel man convicted in 2009 of molesting a girl he was close to was sentenced to 68 years and eight months in prison Friday.

Anthony Poletti,36, was sentenced for 15 of 17 charges, including multiple counts of lewd acts with a child, aggravated sexual assault and rape. Prosecutor Ross Taylor of the District Attorney's Office said Poletti abused the girl for about five years, beginning when she was 10. After a couple of years, the girl told a friend about the abuse and eventually someone made an anonymous report to Child Protective Services, which prompted an investigation by Sheriff's Office sex crimes detectives.

San Jose Mercury News

April 30, 2010