JULY 30 2010

Child voices not heard on P.E.I.: social workers
P.E.I. needs to appoint a child and youth advocate to ensure the best care for children, says the Island's association for social workers.
It is the only province without such an advocate. "I do think there are many, many instances when children's voices aren't being heard because they don't have that independent representation," Kelly MacWilliams, president of the P.E.I. Association of Social Workers, told CBC News Wednesday. "An advocate would be someone who is exclusively there for the children, no other mandate or no other agenda but the child or the youth in question, to independently represent the child's interest and hold the service providers accountable." An advocate would, for example, make sure a child's best interest is at the centre of a complicated custody hearing or that child protection services is considering a child's needs.
Full story

Scotland: Foster kids meeting Commissioner
Foster children from across the county are to meet with the Children’s Commissioner’s office next week in Port Seton. The meeting is part of a national consultation with children and young people called ‘A Right Blether’. The visit, involving about 20 kids and young people from across East Lothian, is part of a nationwide tour which has already seen Tam Baillie, Scotland’s Commissioner for Children and Young People, and his staff meet with thousands of children at more than 40 schools, youth centres and care units around Scotland, to hear their views and help them understand more about their rights. The national consultation aims to capture and use the views, ideas and advice offered by young people to inform a national vote in November, to mark the 21st anniversary of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. The participating children and young people will be asked to vote on 20 of the biggest and most challenging issues facing children in Scotland today, and to identify the top four that the commissioner’s office will integrate into a four-year work plan.
Full story

Omaha: Cooper Village to close
An Omaha center that provides psychiatric treatment for adolescent boys will close next May, raising concerns about the availability of such care. Officials of Cooper Village — one of just two organizations in Omaha providing residential care for that population — confirmed the decision to The World-Herald. Uta Halee Girls Village, which runs Cooper Village, and the Omaha Home for Boys, which helps pay for it, informed their staffs on Wednesday. Uta Halee’s management agreement with the 47-bed Cooper Village will end next May. Uta Halee provides residential psychiatric treatment for adolescent girls, along with a range of community-based programs for girls and boys. Uta Halee is not at risk of closing, its leaders say.
Full story

Canada: Girl tries to kill self at MYC
A 15-year-old girl from a northern Manitoba reserve is clinging to life in a Winnipeg hospital after she tried to kill herself in the Manitoba Youth Centre Tuesday morning. A source told the Free Press the tiny girl struggled with depression and previous suicide attempts. She was under the care of Child and Family Services before this latest attempt to take her own life by hanging. Justice officials said MYC staff is devastated by the suicide attempt. The last suicide death at MYC occurred in December 1975. "It's been a challenging time for all of our staff and our residents, and I guess our need right now is to attend to their needs," said Louis Goulet, Manitoba Justice's executive director for youth correctional services. "Hopefully... this young girl will come through, and our thoughts and prayers are with her." The Free Press cannot name the girl, in part because she is facing charges under the Youth Criminal Justice Act that resulted in her being at the MYC.
Full story

Pennsylvania: Bradford County placing kids in foster care due to housing shortage
Bradford County Children & Youth Services has had to place six children from various families in foster care over the past year, because the families were evicted from their residences during the current housing shortage and there was no housing available that their families could afford to move to, the county's human services director said. The placements appear to represent at least the beginning of a new trend. In the past, Bradford County Children & Youth Services has placed children into foster care because of unsanitary or unsafe living conditions, "but not usually because their families were being evicted," said Elly Smith, director of the Bradford County Children & Youth Services.
Full story

UK: Hampshire children's services to lose 185 staff as budget slashed by almost £25m
Hampshire County Council is to slash almost £25m from its children's services budget, as part of a restructure and efficiency savings drive that will see 185 staff lose their jobs. According to a council report, the savings will "offset" government cuts and increasing demand for services. The council’s area-based grant (ABG) from the Department for Education has already been reduced by £4.9m this year, and local officials are predicting that further cuts to grants will leave children’s services almost £16m out of pocket next year. Increasing numbers of looked-after children and demand for home-to-school transport are also expected to cost the council an extra £3m.
Full story

South Dakota: Schools see spike in homelessness
The Sioux Falls district has seen the number of homeless children jump 44 percent during the past five years. Today, more than 1,000 pupils - about one child per classroom - don't live in permanent homes. "We have homeless students identified in every school in the district," said Gail Swenson, supervisor of the district's Office of Homeless Education. "Some would like to believe one part of town would not have a homeless child and another part would. It's across the board." The report said there were almost 680,000 homeless students, classified as those without permanent housing, in the 2006-07 school year. By 2008-09, that number had climbed to almost 957,000 because of increasing bankruptcies, foreclosures and unemployment. Forty-three states saw their rolls increase, including five states with more than double the national growth rate: Texas (139 percent), Iowa (136 percent), New Mexico (91 percent), Kansas (88 percent), and New Jersey (84 percent).
Full story

JULY 28 2010

30,000 Canadian children & youth waiting for adoption
The Adoption Council of Canada (ACC) announces our 2nd annual grassroots fundraising event, AdoptWalk, which this year is expanding to Saskatchewan as well as Ontario. Following our successful inaugural walk in Mississauga, ON last fall, this year's walks will help to raise awareness about the need to find permanent homes for more than 30,000 children and youth in foster care across Canada. The 5-kilometre Ontario AdoptWalk will take place Sunday, September 26, 2010 at Riverdale Park West, Toronto. The Saskatchewan AdoptWalk will take place in November 2010 at the Shaw Centre, Saskatoon. To register for the walk, please visit www.adoptwalk.ca and click on "Join the Walk!". In Canada, nearly 80,000 children and youth are in the care of child welfare organizations. Of these, some 30,000 are legally free for adoption. The majority of these children are aged 6 and older. "There are so many myths surrounding the adoption of older children," says Scarth. "A lot of parents assume these kids are troubled, but that's not necessarily the case." Scarth herself adopted two children when they were aged 5 and 9. Both are now adults, and will be walking by her side at the Toronto AdoptWalk in September.
Full story

Maryland remains middle of the pack in child well-being
As the state continues to struggle with a high infant mortality rate that undercuts its relative wealth, Maryland's overall rank in child well-being remained in the middle of the pack nationally, according to an annual report released by the Baltimore-based Annie E. Casey Foundation. The 2010 Kids Count Databook released Tuesday placed Maryland 25th in overall child well-being, the same ranking as a year ago. Although Maryland has the second-lowest percentage of children living in poverty (10 percent), the state placed 42nd in infant mortality rate, a statistical discrepancy that puzzled the report's authors. Maryland "doesn't act like other states, as far as the connection between overall well-being and child poverty rate," said Laura Beavers, national Kids Count coordinator for the foundation. "Both median income and child poverty tend to drive the indicators. Children born into poverty tend to have low birth rates and are less likely to graduate from high school."
Full story

ADHD, conduct disorder and smoking most strongly related to dropping out of high school
Teens with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) — the most common childhood psychiatric condition in the United States — are less likely to finish high school on time than students with other mental-health disorders that often are considered more serious, a large national study by researchers at the UC Davis School of Medicine has found. The study found that nearly one third of students with ADHD, twice the proportion as students with no psychiatric disorder, either drop out or delay high school graduation. The study also examined the effects of substance use and abuse on high school graduation and found that among students who engage in substance use, including alcohol and other drugs, teens who smoke cigarettes are at greatest risk of dropping out.
Full story

Boy Scouts march in D.C. to mark 100 years of service
Cyclists, tourists and the occasional jogger stood out in the sea of Boy Scout troops wearing tan shirts, green shorts and thick green-and-red socks some rolled hastily down to their ankles. Spectators lined the sizzling sidewalks along Constitution Avenue in clusters wherever they could find shade. The troops and accompanying bands were all smiles and appeared to be unaffected by the heat as they marched to celebrate the group's 100th anniversary. The Grand Centennial parade marked the first time since 1937 that Boy Scout troops had marched through Washington. On Sunday, troops young and old marched in the parade, and some stood cheering. Among them was Ted Parker, 71, of Oakton, Va. He joined Troop 1956 as a child in Portsmouth, N.H., and said he made lasting friendships while learning values that served him throughout his life. Parker said most of the troops marching Sunday were probably too young to understand the importance of the program's moral teachings, — such as being honest, respectful and open with others. Time, Parker said, would unveil the importance of these values to the young men.
Full story

UK: Coventry's Youth Offending Team praised after inspection
Inspectors have declared Coventry is getting a “good” overall service from the city’s Youth Offending Team. After a visit from the Youth Justice Board, the service was praised for its assessment of the needs of young people and the risks they pose to themselves or others. The service was commended for its work to reduce the number of young people committing crimes, and the range of programmes and interventions it offers. The number of young people offending in Coventry has reduced by 40 per cent in the last two years, and YOS has seen a reduction in the number of young people committing crime for the first time. Colin Green, director of services for children and young people, said: “Being subject to a thorough process such as this helps us to really scrutinise what we are doing, how and why, and to assess the resulting benefits to young people with whom the service works. “Many of those who are involved in offending behaviour are potentially vulnerable and at risk themselves, so it is vital programmes to challenge their behaviour also offer support for them to change.”
Full story

Young Istanbul inmates get a chance for reform
The lives of young inmates are being changed through a Justice Ministry project providing psychological support, classes in self-improvement and anger management, as well as vocational skills to prepare them for post-prison life. Maltepe Juvenile Prison in Istanbul is a pilot site for the program, which aims to help prevent recidivism among youths aged 12 to 18 incarcerated at the facility. Young offenders entering the prison, regardless of the crime they have committed, first have a conversation with a psychologist before entering a three-step program that comprises sections focusing on self-improvement, anger management and “secure behavior.” The inmates’ families are also included in the training; to date the families of 345 incarcerated youth have participated in the program. Prisoners completing the psychological-support trainings advance to the educational stage of the program, which incorporates various types of instruction depending on the level of education the young inmates received before being jailed.
Full story

JULY 26 2010

Child advocate pushes new N.B. youth centre
The New Brunswick government could save millions of dollars annually by creating a specialized centre that would deal with at-risk youth, according to Child and Youth Advocate Bernard Richard. Social Development Minister Kelly Lamrock announced on Friday that Richard and Shirley Smallwood, a parent of a child with special needs, have agreed to lead a consultation process that will develop a specialized youth centre proposal. Similar projects have been discussed for more than a decade, Richard said, but nothing has ever been done. He hopes the provincial government will finally create such a centre. And Richard said the investment could also help save money into the future.
Full story

Connecticut: New program keeping troubled youths out of judicial system
A system of referring troubled teens to Family Support Centers rather than to detention facilities is keeping a large number of them out of the juvenile justice system, according to a new study drawing national attention. Since the program's launch in 2007, there has been a 41 percent decline in the number of youth who break rules but not the law referred to juvenile court, and a 94 percent decrease in the number of those youth cases handled by the judicial system. Developed by the Connecticut Judicial Branch's Court Support Services under the direction of an advisory board led by two University of Connecticut professors, the model is seen as so successful it's being touted as a "best practice" by the U.S. Department of Justice's Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. So-called "status offenders" are youth who are chronic runaways, habitually truant, engage in risky behavior or are unruly at home. In the past, many of them would end up in detention centers. The General Assembly put the end to that in 2005, then followed up by naming the advisory board to come up with treatments that status offenders and their families could access without getting locked up.
Full story

New Mexico: Crisis Center aims to stem tide of child abuse
Modeled after the 30-year-old Child Crisis Center of El Paso, the idea for the Las Cruces center came out of the horrific death of baby Brianna Lopez, who died eight years ago after having been raped, her skull fractured in two places, her ribs, legs and an arm broken. She was covered in bruises and her face and body bore 15 human bite marks. If the child crisis center can provide just a little respite for a parent at the end of their wits, perhaps more children won't have to suffer. "Both the parents and the kids can have their break. My son is with his dad for the summer. My daughter's dad works a lot. He gets frustrated, too, but we'll try to get away for the weekend. That's how we deal with our issues," Garcia said. "I hope this program will help. I really do." The 12-bed child crisis center hopes to provide respite before abuse happens, said Donna Richmond, executive director of La Pi on Sexual Assault Recovery Services of Southern New Mexico, which operates the center.
Full story

Britain is the European capital of broken homes
A horrifying picture of the extent of Broken Britain has been painted by an international report which exposes our moral failure on family values. The study found we have the worst record on teen pregnancy in Europe and more children living in one-parent families than any other European country. More of our single mothers are unemployed and on benefit than anywhere else in the continent, largely because we hand out so much in benefits. Britain’s rates for divorce and illegitimate births are among the highest in the Western world, and our mothers are among the oldest, putting their health and that of their baby at risk. Critics said the UK is paying the price for its promotion of sex education to ever younger children and for the fact that, since the permissive society of the 1960s, so few value the institution of marriage. The report, by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, which represents industrialised nations, is the first time that Britain’s poor record has been illustrated so starkly.
Full story

Ex-Pa. judge pleads guilty in kids-for-cash scheme
A former judge in northeastern Pennsylvania pleaded guilty Friday to a racketeering conspiracy charge for his role in a kickback scheme that put juvenile defendants, many without lawyers, behind bars for sometimes minor offenses. Michael Conahan, 58, faces up to 20 years in prison after his plea in Scranton federal court. No sentencing date was set. Court documents do not indicate if Conahan will testify against the other former Luzerne County judge charged in the case, Mark Ciavarella Jr. Conahan's lawyer, Philip Gelso, declined to comment Friday. Ciavarella has maintained his innocence and plans to go to trial. Prosecutors accuse the pair of taking $2.8 million in kickbacks from two private detention facilities. Conahan, as president judge, shut down a county-owned juvenile center while Ciavarella, the juvenile court judge, filled beds at the for-profit facilities, they charged.
Full story

New Zealand: Youth facility just gateway to jail, says judge
New Zealand's worst youth offenders will get million-dollar beds in the country's newest youth prison. Social Development Minister Paula Bennett will today open Te Maioha o Parekarangi, a 30-bed, $47 million youth justice facility 4km south of Rotorua, just the fourth in the country. On top of the $1.6 million a bed initial cost, the facility will cost $7.3 million a year to operate. It is part of an ongoing Government clampdown on youth crime. Latest figures show violent offending by New Zealand youth rose 21 per cent in the 10 years to 2008, led by a 50 per cent increase in aggravated robberies and 44 per cent increase in grievous and serious assault. Total youth offending, however, fell 15 per cent. The Government in February began an initiative to target the country's 1000 most serious and persistent youth offenders with tougher measures.
Full story

JULY 23 2010

Bermuda: Senate approves parental responsibility bill
Parents of unruly children will soon pay the price of their actions under a tough new law approved by Senators yesterday. The parental responsibility legislation cracks down on young people involved in crime and antisocial behaviour, and the parents who let them wreak havoc. "The face of the accused in many of the recent instances of violent crime has revealed a disturbing trend the commission of such crime by young people who in some cases are still in their teen years," said Attorney General Kim Wilson yesterday. "Furthermore, those who we would no longer classify as 'young,' more often than not have a track record of dysfunctional behaviour going back to their formative years. The challenge therefore confronts us to address the root causes of this appalling trend at a crucial time in Bermuda as relates to the escalation of serious crime." She said a lack of responsible parenting is one of the issues contributing to the problem, but commented: "I never thought that the day would come when we would have to be sitting here discussing legislation requiring parents to do their jobs, and it just boggles the mind. But at the end of the day we have a responsibility as a Government to uphold society as a whole and we have to do what we have to do."
Full story

Minister calls for mandatory daycare accreditation
Alberta's minister of child and youth services is calling for all daycares in the province to be accredited amid recent allegations of daycare staff abusing children. "It only makes sense that if you have a daycare that's accredited and that the daycare is of the highest standards that the children are safer and their well being is assured more than it would be if they weren't accredited," said Yvonne Fritz. Since 2004, Alberta's accreditation process has been voluntary. Currently just over 80 per cent of daycares in the province are accredited. There are also day homes. Fritz said in the next three months her department will introduce new regulations or increase funding to help daycares become accredited. Full story

Increase in indigenous children who are part of violent youth gangs in Barcelona
The number of indigenous children who are part of violent gangs of youths has increased in recent years, and the number of children of North African origin and from the eastern countries, so that it can no longer can be considered a phenomenon linked to Latin American immigration, said Juanjo Marquez. Marquez, in a meeting with journalists, has clarified that the total volume of crimes committed by these gangs has "not increased", but added that it is concerned that "it has not dropped and numbers in such gangs are increasing. As regards the fight against youth gang violence, Márquez has called for a joint effort between prosecutors, police and the Department of Care of Children and Adolescents of the Generalitat, similar to what took place with a group of children of Romanian origin that "ended with good results."
Full story

Wales: Guide to the rights of young Gypsies launched
A children's charity has launched an information booklet to help young Gypsy travellers in Wales understand their rights. The guide is aimed at 11 to 18-year-olds and presents young people with information such as the rights they have in education. The first of its kind in Wales, it was commissioned by Save the Children after research revealed there was little or no information available to Gypsy and Traveller children. Readers can now use the new resource to learn how the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) applies to them. It includes advice on education and the help available if they are bullied at school, their rights on how their homes, family life and culture should be respected by others and their rights regarding the police and health care. The booklet also includes contact details for the Children’s Commissioner for Wales office, Childline and The Traveller Advice Team, which provides legal advice to Gypsies and Travellers.
Full story

Ireland: HSE to hand over papers on child
The High Court has made orders allowing the HSE hand over information provided during a 2001 court case involving a child who died while in State care to an inquiry into such deaths. The information will be given to the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs and will be considered by the independent review group into the deaths of children in State care. The review group members are Norah Gibbons and Geoffrey Shannon. Yesterday, Mr Justice Iarfhlaith O’Neill, who had dealt with the case in 2001, granted orders allowing the HSE hand over to the Minister all the papers provided in connection with the judicial review proceedings.
Full story

Singapore: More children being abandoned
The economy may be improving but it does not seem to be preventing more children from being abandoned. This is according to statistics given by Sanctuary House, a voluntary welfare organisation that provides crisis pregnancy services and emergency foster care services. In 2008, there were 28 cases, followed by 54 last year. So far, this year, there have been 50 cases - with the number expected to touch 55 in the coming weeks, said programme director and co-founder Noel Tan. He said half the cases seen every year are new, while the other half are old cases. Mr Tan, 39, told MediaCorp he did not see a direct link between an improving economy and fewer babies being abandoned.
Full story

UK: Cuts to children's play confirmed by education secretary
Cuts of more than £169.5m are to be made to a range of projects aimed at children and young people, education secretary Michael Gove has confirmed in a letter to local authorities. In the letter, dated last Wednesday (14 July), Mr Gove names capital funding for children’s play as one area that is being targeted for cutbacks. He wrote that funding allocated for projects such as children’s playgrounds that has not yet been spent may be retained by the Department for Education (DfE), and that the DfE is to ask for information from local authorities on the status of all capital play projects. The letter also advises local authorities not to enter into any new contracts involving play capital grants. Mr Gove wrote, ‘Government is committed to supporting local people to have an active role in shaping the play opportunities that they care so much about. However, play has to make its contribution to tackling the deficit along with other important programmes. We will be looking to achieve the most equitable distribution of reductions possible in this process. The Play Strategy team will be contacting local authorities to request information on the liabilities already incurred and to confirm revised allocations by August.’
Full story

Florida: DCF to announce Post-foster care reforms
The Florida Department of Children and Families is set to announce changes to the way it helps foster children when they turn 18 and leave the state system. DCF officials have scheduled a news conference for today to unveil details about the proposed changes. The agency is overhauling the program after foster graduates showed poor performance in school and increases in homeless and jobless rates after aging out of the system. The department and its private contractors have spent more than $100 million in the past three years preparing foster graduates to live on their own but critics say there has been little oversight of the program.
Full story

JULY 21 2010

Canada: A one-of-a-kind family treatment centre to be built
The Ministry of Health has approved a funding agreement with the Prince Albert Parkland Regional Health Authority for the construction and operation of a family treatment centre that will allow families to stay together while receiving addiction treatment services. In addition to eight family suites, the facility will also accommodate a ten-bed child and youth mental health unit. “The presence of a provincial family treatment facility will greatly increase access to inpatient addiction services for mothers of young children who would not necessarily have accessed treatment services in the past due to child care issues,” Health Minister Don McMorris said. “We are committed to developing addiction treatment services that best respond to the needs of residents living in Saskatchewan. Considerable work has been done to develop a program that will best meet the needs of these clients.”
Full story

New York youth jails settle complaints
New York State and its Office of Children and Family Services agreed to settle a federal complaint alleging civil rights violations at four juvenile detention centers The investigation of the Finger Lakes Residential Center, Lansing Residential Center, Tryon Residential Center for Boys and Tryon Girls Residential Center followed Gov. David Paterson's creation of a Task Force on Transforming New York's Juvenile Justice System. Prosecutors saw a pattern of violations after four "on-site inspections of the facilities with experts in protection from harm, use of force and mental health care," according to the 30-page settlement. "Defendants have disregarded known or serious risks of harm to youths at the facilities, as detailed in the letter issued by Acting Assistant Attorney General Loretta King on August 14, 2009, describing the investigative findings of conditions at the facilities," according to the complaint.
Full story

Chair optimistic About 2010 United Way campaign
In a tough economy, Meghan Dicke isn't overwhelmed with the task of trying to raise $450,000 to support United Way member agencies. "We've been meeting with a lot of the business leaders in town, and we're finding that they seem to be more optimistic this year about what they think they'll be able to contribute to our campaign," stated the 2010 Campaign Chair. "They're optimistic with their own business, so in turn, we are hoping that will benefit us as far as raising dollars." The United Way has officially kicked off this year's fundraising efforts after a successful 2009 campaign. The goal was eventually reached, but an additional $32 mini-campaign was needed to push the total over top. Last year's Campaign Chair Rob Gamble admitted, "We had a lot of people who had already given and then they gave again. A lot of people sent in more than the $32. It was a great response and it got us to the $450,000 campaign goal."
Full story

UK: The birth of Social Work Now
This week sees the arrival of the latest addition to the CYP Now family. Social Work Now, a new monthly publication, joins sibling monthly title Youth Work Now. While CYP Now continues to cover the issues facing the full spectrum of children and young people's services every week in print and every hour online, Social Work Now is dedicated to children's and families' social workers and all those for whom safeguarding is key to their role. It contains insight on best practice, career development, a news round-up and expert comment and advice.
Full story

Nova Scotia boy abused at Ontario facility: advocate
An advocacy group is calling for an investigation into allegations that a Nova Scotia youth struggling with a conduct disorder was physically abused on the weekend by staff at a treatment facility in eastern Ontario. Roch Longueepee, founder of Restoring Dignity, a non-profit group that seeks justice for victims of institutional child abuse, said Monday that the 15-year-old should be removed from the Bayfield facility in Consecon until a specialized treatment program can be set up for him in Nova Scotia. Longueepee said the youth, who can't be named, told his aunt that two male staff members refused his request to go to the washroom on Sunday, then threw him to the floor, punched him in the ribs and kneed him in the throat. The aunt issued a statement saying he was left with a black eye, cuts to his head and scratches on his body.
Full story

UK: Camp accused of discrimination
A government-funded holiday scheme has been accused of discriminating against looked-after children by excluding them from paying discounted rates. The Do it 4 Real scheme, run by the youth hostel organisation YHA, charges £49 for a place on one of its five-night summer camps for young people aged 10 to 19. But children in care are exempt from the offer, instead having to foot the full £299 bill, more than six times the cheaper rate. The Do it 4 Real website states: "The price of a place on camp for a looked-after child is the higher price. This is because all looked-after children have access to a range of alternative funding streams." John Kemmis, chief executive of advocacy charity Voice, said the fees would particularly disadvantage children in foster or kinship care, whose families may not be able to afford the camp and do not have access to "alternative funding streams".
Full story

Late judge says Arab drug mafia uses Palestinian kids
Arab drug cartels are trafficking children and youths from Palestinian refugee camps into Germany, according to excerpts published yesterday of a book by a Berlin youth judge who committed suicide last month. Kirsten Heisig, who took a zero-tolerance approach to repeat juvenile offenders in a deprived Berlin neighbourhood, wrote in an unpublished book that young Palestinian asylum seekers often gave suspiciously similar reasons for coming to Germany. In her book, The End of Patience, Heisig described the process by which children and youths were flown in from the Lebanese capital, Beirut, by traffickers who took their passports and promised them a better life.
Full story

UK: Campaigners call for judicial review into 'abusive' restraint techniques
Children's rights campaigners are calling for a judicial review to examine the use of "abusive" restraint techniques in secure training centres (STCs). The move by the Children’s Rights Alliance for England (CRAE) comes after it won its three-year battle to gain access to the government’s Physical Control in Care Manual, which governs the use of force in STCs. CRAE national co-ordinator Carolyne Willow said: "The 119-page manual is deeply disturbing and it's barely believable that former government ministers sanctioned such abusive and violent treatment of children as young as 12." The children’s rights group will seek a judicial public inquiry through the European Convention on Human Rights to investigate whether the use of restraint and self-defence detailed in the manual contravenes young inmates’ rights. In particular their right to protection from torture or degrading treatment.
Full story

JULY 19 2010

British juveniles get harsh treatment in private prisons
The Observer has revealed details of brutal techniques used in Britain's private child prisons. Some measures outlined in a previously secret document include rib punches and raking shoes down the shins. After the Youth Justice Board agreed to hand over the document to the Observer newspaper, details of restraint methods were published, including placing an inverted knuckle into the prisoner's breast bone and driving "inward and upward". Another authorised measure read: "Continue to carry alternate elbow strikes to the young person's ribs until a release is achieved." The manual, entitled Physical Control in Care, was only released under a freedom of information order after a six month legal battle. Its contents were intended only for staff working in secure training centres, run by private firms under government contracts.
Full story

Ontario: Safety net for at-risk kids may be removed
The controversial use of physical restraints on some of Ontario’s most vulnerable children may soon go unreported to reduce the hassles of paperwork, a provincial report reveals. The move to end the reporting of all but the most serious incidents undermines a critical safeguard for kids in group homes and treatment residences, Irwin Elman, the provincial children and youth advocate, told the Star. “Then nobody knows what happened in that house but the people in that house,” Elman said. Roughly 20,000 “serious occurrence reports” were filed last year where a child in residential care was subdued by staff with physical force, according to provincial statistics. Agency workers are allowed to use these techniques only when a child appears in imminent danger of hurting himself or somebody else, a rule put in place nearly 10 years ago following two inquests where children died after being pinned to the floor or sat on by workers. A provincial commission tasked with revamping Ontario’s child welfare system is recommending reports should only be filed if the restraint causes an abuse allegation, injury or death. It is unknown how many of the 20,000 meet this criteria.
Full story

Criminal record check fee may have adverse impact on Guelph youth programs
It’s unfortunate that a $10 fee for volunteers to get a criminal record check to work with young children might see an impact with youth programs, says the Guelph Minor Hockey Association’s executive director. The Guelph Police Services Board passed a motion at Thursday’s board meeting that would see a $10 fee as of Sept. 1 for volunteers to have the police service perform a criminal record check. Regular record checks done for employment purposes cost $33.90. Clive Smith said Hockey Canada requires the association to have a criminal record check done on all of their nearly 200 volunteers that interact with youth. The association would consider whether it would pay the fee, he said, rather than the volunteers.
Full story

New York: Crashing juvie jail's orgy
The state's youth detention agency was ripped as incompetent in a blistering report yesterday for allowing three murderers and a robber to attend a sex-soaked "social dance" at a facility in Orange County with less security than one would find "at a high-school prom." The scathing report from the watchdog state Commission of Correction called for disciplinary action against the Goshen Secure Center's top administrators and took a major swipe at state Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS) Commissioner Gladys Carrion, who authorized the "social" as part of a new inmate-friendly policy. Carrion, who has been defended by Gov. Paterson, revealed in response to the report that she had initiated disciplinary actions aimed at firing five OCFS employees as a result of the incident.
Full story

Pennsylvania: CASA program helps foster children
On June 21 and 22, more than 200 Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) volunteers from across this state gathered at the Central PA College Conference Center for the first annual PA CASA state volunteer training conference. Our CASAs shared experiences, heard testimony from former foster youth, and received training from experts across the state in a variety of topics. York County's own Judge Maria Musti Cook provided a heartfelt testimonial to the work of the late Honorable Emanuel Cassimatis, a humble man who dedicated his career to serving youth and their families. The conference was a wonderful opportunity for our CASA volunteers to ultimately come away even better trained and inspired to serve our community's children who have been abused and neglected. It was certainly an exciting two days. CASA advocacy has grown to include nearly 800 citizen volunteers throughout the commonwealth, presently serving the courts in 21 counties. Yet many children are waiting, as there are more than 18,000 children in the foster care system on any given day. CASA can only continue to serve these vulnerable children with the ongoing help and involvement of citizens like the York Daily Record readers. CASA volunteers dedicate their time to ensure that children in the foster care system do not languish there, as every child deserves a safe and permanent family. The dedicated child welfare caseworker may have 20 or more children on her caseload, while a CASA volunteer is assigned
Full story

Rage rises over Stony Plain daycare closure
Fingers pointed, voices raged and anger boiled over Thursday night in Stony Plain as a group of parents confronted provincial officials who ordered the closure of a local daycare. Government staff called the meeting chiefly to outline other childcare options in the area, but instead parents used it as a forum to express support for Stony Day Care Centre owner Sandra Trautman and condemn the province's decision to close the facility. "You are making people lose their jobs. You are hurting parents," one woman shouted at two provincial managers at the front of the room. "This was a one-sided investigation. You said, 'Let's shut the door and then ask questions later,' " said a father. Virtually all of the 50 people in attendance said they were supporting Trautman in the controversy and did not believe allegations of mistreatment at her daycare.
Full story

New York: Injustice for children
If New York abides by the settlement it reached this week with the Justice Department, mentally ill children in four of the state’s infamous youth prisons will finally get decent psychiatric care and will no longer be subject to brutal disciplinary practices. As important as it is, however, the settlement cannot be a substitute for the overhaul of the state juvenile justice system proposed by Gov. David Paterson’s juvenile justice task force. The Justice Department focused on New York because of people like Darryl Thompson, an emotionally disturbed 15-year-old who died after being pinned face down on the floor at the infamous Tryon Residential Center. A federal investigation found that children in the system were often brutally punished for minor offenses like laughing too loud or sneaking an extra cookie. The investigation also suggested that charges of abuse by guards were being swept under the rug and that psychiatric services for mentally disabled children were shockingly inadequate. As Nicholas Confessore reported in The Times the other day, the state’s juvenile justice system does not employ even one full-time psychiatrist to treat young offenders.
Full story

Indiana: Program to help foster kids ease into adulthood
Indiana is getting $75,000 for a new national program designed to help young people bridge the gap between foster care and adulthood. The program, called Fostering Futures, was developed by the National Court Appointed Special Advocate Association with help from the Walmart Foundation. Based on a study at the University of Michigan, Fostering Futures helps young people build a positive self-image and set goals. The Indiana Supreme Court says youth who outgrow foster care are at risk of homelessness, unemployment, substance abuse, criminal involvement and mental health issues. The court says the new program can help youth make a successful transition. The Indiana program is one of 16 pilot programs across the nation.
Full story

JULY 16 2010

Canada: Ex-daycare workers allege force-feeding
The RCMP have been notified about allegations of force-feeding, humiliation and rough discipline at a Stony Plain day care, says Child and Family Services. "It's (referred) when the feeling is there may be something of interest to police," said CFS spokesman Trevor Coulombe. But parents and staff at the facility are fighting back, blaming the complaints on three staff members who quit after the allegations were levelled. "I believe what they should've done is looked into the persons who made the allegations," said Lisa Poitras, whose two-year-old daughter Jayme has attended the Stony Day Care for more than a year. "We all support (day-care director) Sandra, and we're all screwed for day care. We're all freaking out," said Poitras, "(Jayme) loves her day care, she always loves coming here."
Full story

New Brunswick: Extended protection can't come soon enough - youth advocate
New Brunswick has agreed to extend child protection services to age 18 beginning Sept. 20. The move is being applauded by Bernard Richard, the province's ombudsman and child and youth advocate, who has long held that too many vulnerable youth were denied vital services because of a cutoff age of 16. He argued it amounted to discrimination stemming from a conflict within the Family Services Act. In his 2008 report, Richard said that young people, including those with highly complex needs, had been routinely denied services due to an arbitrary cutoff age. The provincial government announced the changes to regulations last month but Richard says they cannot come soon enough.
Full story

Federal oversight for troubled NY youth prisons
Four youth detention centers in New York will be placed under federal oversight with strict limits on the use of restraint under a settlement reached with the U.S. Department of Justice. Gov. David Paterson announced the settlement Wednesday. It prohibits guards from using physical force except in limited circumstances, including cases in which a youth's safety is threatened. It also requires prompt and adequate mental health care be provided at the facilities. The settlement comes after a federal probe found that workers at the Lansing and Louis Gossett Jr. residential centers outside Ithaca and the Tryon residential centers for boys and girls in Johnstown caused serious injuries while routinely using force to restrain juveniles. [See today's full Press Release]
Full story

Illinois: Director leaving Juvenile Justice Department
The director of the Illinois Department of Juvenile Justice has resigned as the department wrestles with Gov. Pat Quinn's controversial proposal to fold it into the larger Department of Children and Family Services. By nearly every account, Kurt Friedenauer has improved his department since it was broken off four years ago this month from the much larger Department of Corrections, though his tenure has been marked by a lack of funding and little support from the state legislature, especially when Gov. Rod Blagojevich was in office. Friedenauer said in an interview Wednesday that the proposed merger with DCFS "was not and is not the basis" for his resignation, which is effective at the end of the month. He wants to pursue other career opportunities, he said.
Full story

Romania: Government crisis measure threatens to place more children back into institutions
Hundreds of personal carers for adults and children with disabilities and HIV and AIDS in Romania's Constanta County have lost their jobs while hundreds of others haven't been paid for months, in response to a crisis measure taken by the Romanian government. Constanta is the first Romanian County to bear the brunt of the measure, which threatens to push more families into placing adults and children with disabilities or HIV and AIDS into institutional care. 'This collective dismissal is illegal and unjustified by the economic crisis. Disadvantaged categories of people must be a priority even in these difficult conditions. They not only lack protection and help but they are also exposed to prostitution, trafficking, underground work. A rapid and legal intervention is necessary in order to stop reviving a 1990's grave version of Romanian reality', said Raluca Bratu, 'Together for the future' Project Coordinator with World Vision Romania.
Full story

Oregon foster care improves in latest federal review
Three years after Oregon failed most of the federal requirements for the safety and well-being of children in foster care, a second review has shown significant improvement. Oregon met or exceeded all six federal goals, including returning foster children to their families sooner, reducing abuse and maltreatment, and moving children less frequently while they're in foster care. Regional officials from the U.S. Administration for Children and Families, which conducts the reviews, commended Oregon's improvement. But there's still a long way to go, state officials in child welfare said. Three Oregon-specific goals approved by federal officials were not met: keeping children out of long-term foster care, providing services to families to help children remain safely at home, and responding in a timely manner to reports of abuse and neglect.
Full story

Ireland: Dublin foster care 'in crisis'
Health Service Executive bosses are reeling from the latest damning investigation which said foster care in parts of Dublin was in a state of crisis. Politicians called for Health Minister Mary Harney to step in and take control of the agency to ensure it puts child protection top of the agenda. Inspectors reported a catalogue of failures among social work teams in two areas of the capital - Dublin North West and North Central - with more than 200 youngsters placed with relatives who had not been vetted.
Full story

JULY 14 2010

Philadelphia: DHS says housing, other assistance available for foster kids until age 21
The Department of Human Services said there are services available for high-school students like Jason Rodriguez who have "aged out" of traditional foster-care services. When one of the counselors at Rodriguez's high school first contacted DHS, she was told that he was no longer eligible for foster-care services that now are available for youth until age 21 as long as they remain in school. But Dell Meriwether, DHS deputy commissioner for children and youth, said even after a former foster child turns 18, he or she wouldn't be excluded from other DHS services, such as transitional living programs available through the Office of Supportive Housing. "We would advocate for him or any other youth who has been in foster care" or has been in an adoptive situation that didn't work out, Meriwether said.
Full story

UK: Outspoken youngsters will be in the spotlight at council
A special event in Bristol next week will highlight three groups of youngsters who are already making the movers and shakers sit up and take notice. They will tell some of the city's most influential people how they have done it – and they want other youngsters with views on all sorts of subjects to join them. The meeting next Monday at Bristol's Council House on College Green will hear from The Children in Care Council – 10-15 teenagers who meet monthly to talk about the issues that matter to children in care. What they talk about is sent to the managers at Bristol City Council who make big decisions about children in care. The event, called Leading for change – voices of young people, takes place on Monday, July 19, from 5-7.30pm at the Council House on College Green.
Full story

New therapy brings results for troubled young people
Re-offending in troubled and aggressive young people can be significantly cut using a pioneering new mental health approach known as Multisystemic Therapy, a UK conference was told this week. Reporting on the initial findings of the first UK evaluation pilot, researchers found in families with multiple problems that the use of Multisystemic Therapy reduced the risk of re-offending, particularly among boys. The research was led by Dr Geoffrey Baruch, director of the Brandon Centre in Camden, North London and Dr Stephen Butler and his team from UCL (University College London). They found that lower re-offending behaviour was evident two years down the line compared to existing service approaches, and can be cost effective, because young people are kept out of custody or local authority care, and parents are encouraged to use the voluntary sector and local supports instead.
Full story

Sioux Falls: Children's Home Society growing
A $5.6 million expansion project under way at The Children's Home Society will provide enough space that therapists no longer will have to work in closets. The 117-year-old nonprofit's project includes a $2.3 million renovation of the Loving School education facility and a $3.3 million renovation of the Van Demark Building, the school's residential complex, said Bill Colson, Children's Home Society executive director. "Right now, we have therapists that are serving the needs of parents and families in closet space," he said. "Our campus was built for a much smaller number of children than exist here now." While the project will provide much-needed space for the Children's Home Society, it also will be a shot in the arm for the local economy, said Jeffrey Schmidt, assistant director of planning and building services for the city of Sioux Falls. His office considers any nonresidential construction projects of more than $1 million significant.
Full story

Ireland: HSE "not fit for purpose"
Childcare needs to be removed from the ambit of the Health Service Executive as it is no longer “fit for purpose”, Fine Gael’s Charlie Flanagan said today. The party's spokesman on children said HSE’s “ongoing failure” to respond to concerns of the Health Information and Quality Authority (Hiqa) in respect of the safety of children in foster care shows the executive is “failing in its core duties and impervious to complaints”. “It is now clear that the HSE is totally out of control,” he added. Labour’s Roisín Shortall said “hardly a month can pass” without the HSE becoming embroiled in new controversy over child protection services. She said the HSE’s defence that it could not fully comply with regulations and standards for children in care due to legacy issues emerged before the executive was established, ”is ridiculous”.
Full story

NY Times investigation exposes police practices
Attorneys from the Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR) will be available today for comment on stops-and-frisks and other New York Police Department (NYPD) policies and practices that rights groups say have been implemented in an unconstitutional and racially discriminatory way. CCR is currently suing the NYPD in a federal civil rights class action lawsuit challenging the NYPD's stop-and-frisk practices, which among other policing issues was the topic of a New York Times article Monday morning. Through Floyd v. City of New York, which stems from CCR's landmark racial profiling case, Daniels v. City of New York that led to the disbanding of the infamous Street Crime Unit, CCR procured over 10 years worth of the NYPD's own data on officer stop-and-frisk activity. The data revealed that over 80 percent of NYPD initiated stops are of Blacks and Latinos while Whites comprised only 20 percent; that nearly 90 percent of all stops uncovered no weapons, contraband or evidence of criminal activity; that Blacks and Latinos are more likely to be frisked after a NYPD-initiated stop than Whites; and that Blacks and Latinos are more likely to have physical force used against them during a NYPD-initiated stop than Whites.
Full story

JULY 12 2010

Montana: Sex-ed provisions to get public hearing Tuesday
Ever since a revised health enhancement curriculum was introduced to the public a month ago, controversy has surrounded the human sexuality portion and evoked strong reactions from both supporters and opponents alike. But the stirring debate in the community has centered on a few pages about human sexuality. Some of the sticking points are introduction of body parts by their correct names in kindergarten; understanding in first grade that human beings can love people of the same gender; and understanding in fifth grade that sexual intercourse includes, but is not limited to vaginal, oral or anal penetration. Administrators are expecting many community members to address the board on the draft document at the meeting at 6 p.m. Tuesday at the Front Street Learning Center, where public testimony will be taken for the first time on the draft curriculum. Some will voice support of the school’s proposed methodology, while others will share their concerns.
Full story

Guam: Workshop addresses homeless youth
About 40 island residents are better equipped to care for homeless adolescents, thanks to a workshop hosted by Sanctuary Inc. yesterday. The nonprofit sponsored a free workshop at the Westin Resort and Spa to coach residents on parenting styles and skills, anger management, relationship intelligence, and basic banking skills. The workshop was aimed at bringing about an awareness of adolescent homelessness, to educate residents on foster care and how they can become host families for foster children. According to a Guam Housing and Urban Renewal Authority 2009 Point-In-Time Count, 337 of the 906 people surveyed were children of 17 years of age or younger. The study was commissioned to determine the number of sheltered and unsheltered homeless individuals on Guam.
Full story

Trust grants $180,000 to NL organizations
A perpetual trust designed to benefit organizations and residents in New London has awarded more than $180,000 to a host of charitable organizations and nonprofit agencies. The James P. & Mary E. Shea Perpetual Trust awarded $180,060 to 16 organizations, including the city's public library and its office of youth affairs. Tim Londregan, a local real estate executive and advisory board member for the trust, said Friday the awards are done on an annual basis, adding that this year's $180,000-plus in awards was larger than in previous years.
Full story

DC Council considers revoking welfare benefits if teen is regularly truant
Today, DC Council member David Catania suggested passing a bill that threatened to revoke the welfare benefits of families should their student frequently skip school. As Chair of the DC's Health Committee, Catania plans to introduce legislation that would pressure parents to enforce school attendance or they will lose services and their government financial support. The Washington Post reported: "During the 2008-09 school year, more than one in five District public school students had more than 20 unexcused absences, according to statistics cited by Catania at the hearing."
Full story

Canada: Help for the victims of crime - and the offenders
In 2006, the newly elected Conservative government announced, with much pomp and ceremony, the appointment of the first federal Ombudsman for Victims of Crime. Four years later, Steve Sullivan's role came to an unceremonious end. Upon leaving office earlier this year, Sullivan condemned the Conservatives for failing to address victims' needs. "The tough-on-crime agenda will not meet the needs of victims of crime," he told Canwest News Service, while emphasizing that imposing stiffer sentences on offenders doesn't amount to serving victims. Instead, Sullivan argued that victims desire greater participation in the justice system: "If they are engaged in the process, if they understand why decisions are made and are given a voice, they are more satisfied with the result, regardless of the sentence given." This is something victims' groups have stressed for decades. The justice system fails to give victims and their families a voice, because the system is entirely focused on the offender.
Full story

JULY 9 2010

New Jersey: More fed dollars for Trenton homelessness
Two city programs for the homeless got $550,000 earlier today from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development -- part of the $189.5 million being sunk into plans to end homelessness everywhere in America. Trenton Housing First projects run by groups called Mercer/Trenton 09 and Samaritan were awarded the grants by HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan. The first group got $353,580 and Samaritan received $196,440. Donovan said the money is part of the Obama administration’s bid to “end homelessness in all its forms. We know that these programs are critical in moving people beyond a life on the streets and placing them on a path toward dignity and self sufficiency." The money for comes only weeks after Trenton got $22 million to blow up the two long vacant Miller Homes high-rise apartments and redevelopment the property with modern housing for those in need.
Full story

UK: Baby P social worker wins libel damages
The only social worker to voice fears over the care of tortured tot Baby P has won libel damages from Haringey Council - after it claimed she never did. Senior social worker Sylvia Henry had even found a foster care place for Peter Connelly rather than see him returned to his mother Tracey - but her efforts were overruled. She sued the council for "directly contradicting" her account of events in the months before Peter's death in August 2007. Tracey Connelly was convicted alongside her partner and his brother for causing or allowing Peter's death in her Penshurst Road home, Tottenham, in August 2007.
Full story

"Towards Sustainable Child Welfare in Ontario."
The Commission to Promote Sustainable Child Welfare has released its first report entitled Towards Sustainable Child Welfare in Ontario. The report reflects the first seven months of the Commission's work with Children's Aid Societies in Ontario and the Ministry of Children and Youth Services. The report describes a vision for a sustainable child welfare system and sets out the Commission's plan of action from now until 2012. The three member-commission has a three-year mandate to develop and implement solutions to promote the sustainability of child welfare in Ontario. Laurel Broten, Minister of Children and Youth Services, announced the launch of the commission in late November 2009. On Wednesday Ene Underwood, chair of the commission, met with members of the Kawartha-Haliburton Children's Aid Society to discuss the report and its possible implications. The report outlines a four-tiered strategy for sustainable child welfare: reconfigure the organization of CAS structures and service delivery, change the approach to funding child welfare, implement a new approach to accountability and system management and strengthen and improve service delivery.
Full story

Pan American Conference on Child-Youth Psychiatry begins in Havana
Experts from several countries meet in the Cuban capital on Wednesday for the Fourth Pan American Conference on Child-Youth Mental Health that begins today at Havana’s Convention Center. The event opens with a lecture by Dr. Miguel Valdes Mier, president of the Cuban Psychiatry Society, who will speak about the importance of child psychiatry for metal health, the organizing committee announced. Cuban specialists, including Dr. Cristobal Martinez, the head of the national group of child-youth psychiatry and president of the event’s organizing committee, will also speak about Cuba’s experience in the face of natural disasters. Wednesday’s agenda includes a lecture by Cuban experts on the comprehensive management of neuro-development disorders while Uruguayan specialists will talk about their experience on psycho-education for teaching personnel.
Full story

Tasmania Focus on kids in state care
Auditor-General Mike Blake will conduct an inquiry into how well the government looks after children in state care. Mr Blake told the Bartlett Government late last month he had decided circumstances warranted a broad investigation and audit of government processes and institutions responsible for looking after state wards. The Auditor-General's decision follows the shocking case of a 12-year old girl under a state care order returned to live with her mother, only to be forced into prostitution. Mr Blake said yesterday he had not yet decided the full scope or terms of reference of his "out-of-home care" inquiry. But he pledged the investigation would be complete within eight months.
Full story

The Teen Project' helps teenagers aging out of yhe foster system
For 18-year-old California teen Carla, aging out of the foster care system meant facing life on the streets, with no where to go and no way to support herself. She is one of over 4,000 teenagers who age out of the foster system each year -- in California alone. Luckily for Carla, The Teen Project was able to lend a hand. The organization was founded by Laura Burns, a former foster care child who found herself homeless when she turned 18. Thanks to the organization, Carla has a new home, which she will share with other former foster children, as she attends beauty school to get her cosmetology degree.
Full story

DHS denies stalling in Oklahoma foster-care case
A federal judge has set an October 2011 trial date in a class-action lawsuit against the Oklahoma Department of Human Services alleging deficiencies in the state's foster-care system. DHS has denied stalling after case files were shared with plaintiffs at a slower pace than expected. The trial date of well more than a year away was scheduled Wednesday in a class-action lawsuit that seeks changes in the state's foster-care system. U.S. District Judge Gregory Frizzell set the trial for Oct. 17, 2011, but said the date "may be a bit ambitious” in light of the scope of the case. He told attorneys that "it will require all of your efforts” to attain the goal. The lawsuit, brought by New York-based Children's Rights, alleges deficiencies in the state's foster-care system.
Full story

UK: 18-year-old says ‘social services just don’t care’
An Evesham teenager who has lived in foster care for several years has slammed a council’s social services department, accusing it of neglecting her when she needed help most. Amy Kirby, aged 18, is angry with the level of support provided for her by Warwickshire County Council’s social services department after saying it had effectively made her homeless and then made no attempt to help her find a new place to stay. Miss Kirby had been living in Honeybourne with her foster mother for two-and-a-half years when she says she “had to move” due to the council lowering the money it gave her foster mother to look after her. The teenager, who has been in about 30 different placements, gave a scathing assessment of the lack of support provided. “They have been no help whatsoever. They are supposed to come and visit me weekly but they never do,” she said.
Full story

Australia: Indigenous foster care guidelines 'fail child safety test'
A leading Aboriginal child protection advocate has warned new guidelines on placing indigenous children in foster care fail to guarantee child safety. National standards on out-of-home care were released yesterday by Indigenous Affairs Minister Jenny Macklin following consultation across the states and territories. One of the national standards, on placing Aboriginal children in foster care, states that Aboriginal communities should be consulted on such matters. The standard also specifies that "placements are made in accordance with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Child Placement Principle", which aims to ensure indigenous children maintain connection to their culture. Victorian Aboriginal Child Care Agency chief executive Muriel Bamblett said she supported the Aboriginal child placement principle, but was concerned that child protection was not mentioned in the standard.
Full story

JULY 7 2010

Ohio: Youths escape treatment facility
While many Muskingum County residents were enjoying fireworks from Zane Landing, some juveniles in a treatment facility were seeking another kind of thrill. Capt. Mike Baker with the Zanesville Police Department said around 10 p.m. Sunday when the crowds were moving out of downtown after the fireworks, 10 youths from the Center for Child and Family Development at 8 Main St. made an escape. For the next several hours, all officers on duty worked on rounding up the individuals, who come to the facility from all over the state. Baker said all 10 were returned to the facility early Monday morning.
Full story

Pakistan: Drug addicts centres to be set up
Federal Minister for Narcotics, Arbab Muhammad Zahir said that ministry is planning to establish drug addiction centres in different cities of the country to facilitate the addicts with free and cheap treatment.Talking to APP, he said that these centres will provide standard treatment to the willings and will be established in major cities of the country. He said that the ministry will also initiate a campaign and different educational programmes to create awareness among the children and youth. The minister said that law enforcement agencies, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and the education department should work together to devise special drug prevention programmes to abstain the youth from falling victims to drug traffickers. It is pertinent to mention that “Dozens of private drug addiction centres are operating in federal capital, but the poor addicts can not afford to pay their huge fees.
Full story

Cayman Islands: Truth about drugs
On the International Day Against Drugs this year (26 June) Mark Scotland, the minister with responsibility for health said, “Teenagers and young adults are particularly vulnerable to using illicit drugs. Many times they are subjected to strong peer pressure to experiment with illicit drugs. Moreover, young people tend to be either misinformed or insufficiently aware of the health risks involved in using drugs.” To some extent, he is correct. Yes, teenagers and young adults are sometimes steered in the wrong direction to use illicit drugs by their peers and responsible adults should take heed in getting them on the right track. However, it’s not because young people don’t know the health risks and consequences of drug abuse. Young adults are very knowledgeable about the various risks and effects that come with using or distributing drugs, maybe more than some adults do, that is why they do them. It’s the whole idea of taking a risk that intrigues them.
Full story

UK: Payment-by-results could drive out smaller charities, say leaders
Government plans to introduce payment-by-results for providers of children and young people's services could jeopardise early intervention work and drive small charities out of business, sector leaders have warned. The Conservatives mooted plans to expand the use of payment-by-results in public service delivery before the election, since the system has been employed to incentivise health and welfare-to-work providers for some time. Junior children's minister Tim Loughton said at a conference last week that the Department for Education is "investigating" ways in which to use payment-by-results to improve cost-effectiveness in children and young people's services. "That's only right and sensible, particularly in current circumstances," he said. Justice Secretary Ken Clarke announced also last week that payment-by-results would be used to help rehabilitate offenders. But the model would be new to wider children and young people's services.
Full story

Scotland: Call for school lessons about grooming risk
Schoolchildren should receive lessons about sexual exploitation to help them notice when a classmate is being taken advantage of, according to a major charity. Barnardo’s Scotland said young people should know to look out for danger signs, including fellow pupils who receive unexplained gifts, go missing for short periods of time on a regular basis, become disruptive or skip classes. The charity, which works in schools to provide information about the risks of sexual exploitation, carried out a survey of more than 100 pupils aged 14-15 in three Glasgow secondary schools. It says this revealed alarming levels of ignorance about issues such as grooming, and also showed that many pupils were judgmental about other youngsters who are abused in this way. The survey found that 65% of the pupils thought children chose to become involved in sexual exploitation and 54% felt it was a young person’s own fault if they got hurt as a result. Only 6% of pupils at the start of the programme understood the term grooming – which refers to an adult building a relationship in order to have sex with a young person, although 85% understood it after Barnardo’s staff had worked with them.
Full story

Director retires after steering social change for 35 years
Dan Richter saw the social work field become increasingly specialized during his 35 years as director of Ward County Social Services. His job was an exception. "That's what makes this job so unique is that you have to know, at least have a thumbnail knowledge, of all of these programs," he said. He described the job as a little bookkeeping and quite a bit of personnel management with a need for some technical savvy, a good knowledge of the legal system and an ability to read and absorb a large amount of information and to write. "It's a mixture of art and science," he said of the job he handed off to his successor July 1.
Full story

 JULY 5 2010

Canada: Campaign aimed at province's CASs
A campaign to draw attention to flaws in the system of the province's Children's Aid Societies recently made a stop in Chatham. John Dunn of Ottawa and Don Lester of Hamilton brought their Ride for Accountability of Children's Aid Societies to the local CAS office on Saturday. "We left Ottawa, and we're traveling all the way to Windsor as an awareness campaign so the public recognize there are serious issues with Children's Aid," said Lester in an interview after the Chatham rally. While Both Lester, 65 and Dunn, 39 said there is a need for the service provided by the 53 CAS branches in Ontario, they also alleged many abuses within the system, including illegal and unprofessional conduct. "We recognize that this is a system that does care for children; we're not saying there shouldn't be that kind of an agency," said Lester. "We're saying there needs to be accountability and that parents and children need to be protected."
Full story

UK: Cambs County Council appoints new children services director
Cambridgeshire County Council has appointed Adrian Loades as its new Executive Director of Children and Young People’s Services. Adrian will be responsible for all aspects of children’s education and social care across the county, including schools and educational standards, children’s social care and child protection, youth services and partnerships. He has already completed two four-month secondments to the role of Executive Director of Children and Young People’s Services - in 2007/08 and 2008/09. He succeeds Gordon Jeyes, who left the Council on June 30th after five years in charge of Children and Young People’s services in the county. Counciller Martin Curtis, Cambridgeshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Children, said: “In Adrian Loades we have a passionate champion for children and young people.
Full story

UK: Judge backs social workers in Eastbourne baby care case
A judge has backed East Sussex social workers who took a two-month-old boy into care because of fears for his safety which later proved groundless. The baby was taken into Eastbourne District General Hospital in December 2008 when his 22-year-old mother reported he had stopped breathing. Medical staff feared it could be a case of the mother making up an illness - once known as Munchausen's syndrome. Mr Justice Hedley ruled it was not right to criticise the social workers. The baby was taken into foster care after the mother said she wanted to take him home from hospital. Mother and child were reunited two days later after she agreed to go into a mother-and-baby unit - where it was found she was capable of looking after him. Proceedings were discontinued.
Full story

New center for the Children's Village
The Children's Village in Dobbs Ferry, N.Y., recently got a brand-new activities center, thanks to a generous donation. Children's Village is a 150-year-old school that serves 7,000 at-risk, foster care and runaway youth. The defense contractor L3 Communications gave $4 million toward the building. The new activities center has a fitness center, swimming pool, atrium, cafe, commercial kitchen, and a barbershop so kids can train to be apprentice barbers.
Full story

Should Maryland open juvenile records?
In Baltimore, so many youngsters are charged with crimes as adults that the state says it needs to spend $100 million to build a new jail for them. In Washington, lawmakers fed up with crime want to publicly expose the sealed criminal records of recidivist teenagers — to deter them from furthering their criminal careers and to hold the district's secretive and juvenile justice system accountable. These are just some examples of how local jurisdictions are struggling to satisfy the desire to protect, rehabilitate and salvage the lives of young criminals and at the same time assure a scared and skeptical citizenry that government is doing all it can to keep them safe. Youth advocates vigorously argue that maintaining secrecy is vital to protecting society's most vulnerable charges even as they condemn the juvenile system as a failure. Those on the other side argue just as vigorously that the system fails because its leaders can hide behind a facade of protecting the young criminal's privacy.
Full story

2 JULY 2010

Canada: Family and Children's Services has new executive director
After conducting an extensive search, the board of directors of Family and Children's Services (FCS) of Leeds and Grenville is pleased to announce the appointment of Allan Hogan as executive director, effective June 28. Hogan will succeed Robert Pickens who retired on June 30, 2010. Pickens has served as the agency's executive director since November 1994. Hogan will be responsible for the day-to-day operations of FCS of Leeds and Grenville as it carries out its child protection responsibilities across the region of Leeds and Grenville. He brings to the agency more than 25 years experience in the field of child welfare and 12 years at the senior executive level, most recently in his previous post as executive director of Family, Youth and Child Services of Muskoka in Bracebridge, Ontario. He has been instrumental in developing and implementing innovative community based services and programs in consultation with key stakeholders, and is experienced in working closely with a volunteer board of directors and in providing strategic analysis and advice to executive committees.
Full story

Scotland: Under-age drinkers will be taken to Nairn police station
Under-age drinkers in the Nairn area will be taken to the town’s police station in a major summer crackdown. Northern Constabulary and the Highland Youth Action Team are joining forces for Operation Roundup, which stars tomorrow. Youngsters found under the influence of alcohol will be taken to the police station and their parents or carers contacted. Youth workers, who will also be out on the streets with police, will provide advice about the potential consequences of drinking. Medical care will be arranged for those who require it. It is hoped the operation will prevent antisocial behaviour and vandalism.
Full story

New Mexico: More than $1 million earmarked for early childhood development
Early childhood programs hit hard by cuts taking effect Thursday will avoid that budget pain thanks to $1 million in federal stimulus money, Gov. Bill Richardson announced Wednesday. The federal dollars will replace hundreds of thousands of state dollars New Mexico state lawmakers cut from funding that pays for infant home visits in 22 New Mexico counties and for child care of homeless children in Albuquerque and Las Cruces. “This award will help New Mexico families and children during a critical time,” Richardson said in a news release issued by his office.
Full story

Conference attendees call youth obesity in Maine a crisis
Health advocates, lawmakers, educators, business representatives and outdoor leaders gathered for a one-day conference in Auburn aimed at reducing youth obesity in Maine. The 8th annual event was sponsored by the Daniel Hanley Center for Health Leadership, a Maine-based health care leadership group established in 2002. Conference organizers sought to highlight both the monetary and societal cost of obesity, which has risen exponentially in Americans over the past couple of decades. One in three children in America are overweight or obese, according to a recent study sponsored by Growing Up Healthy, from the Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Foundation. “These issues of overweight and obesity and the diseases that will result will kill far more of (our children) than the wars of the last decade and are really the greatest threat to them,” said Dr. Erik Steele, chief medical officer of Eastern Maine Healthcare Systems and co-chair of the Maine Governor's Council on Physical Activity.
Full story

New Ohio law allows youth coverage on parents' insurance to age 28
A new law taking effect tomorrow (July 1) in Ohio will require insurance companies to cover the children of policy holders until they turn 28. The measure goes beyond the federal health care law passed this year. The executive director of the Universal Health Care Action Network of Ohio, Cathy Levin, says more than one in five Ohioans between ages 18 and 34 do not have health insurance. She says the new law means needed relief for recent graduates who lose coverage when they leave school or young people who have entry-level jobs without health benefits.
Full story

Support for Starr Commonwealth's mission
Starr Commonwealth is announcing today that Chemical Bank of Marshall is once again supporting the organization's mission and service to at-risk youth and families with a $5,000 donation toward general operations. The Chemical Bank donation underscores the bank's fundamental belief in the successful outcomes Starr Commonwealth generates for youth in its care. It marks the third year in a row that Chemical Bank has demonstrated its support for Starr and how much the bank values Starr's commitment to seeing the good in every child.
Full story

Troubled foster children from Dallas are often shipped far from home, state official says
The most distressed foster children in state care too often are sent far from their home counties, especially if they're from North Texas, the state's top protective services official said today. The Dallas-Fort Worth region is home to only six of the 66 residential treatment centers that are under contract with the state to care for abused and neglected youngsters, Anne Heiligenstein told a Texas House panel. Half of the centers are in greater Houston, probably because it has no zoning, while "Dallas is pretty rigorous in terms of zoning, as are neighborhood organizations," said Heiligenstein, commissioner of the Department of Family and Protective Services.
Full story

Virginia: State eliminates behavioral aides in schools
Pittsylvania County Schools are losing approximately 60 classroom behavioral aides next year because of state budget cuts. The General Assembly funds the Comprehensive Services Act, which purchases services for high-risk youth, including paying behavioral aides in public schools. The Community Policy Management Team manages funds for Danville and Pittsylvania County and is not funding behavioral aide positions for the 2010-2011 school year. It is part of state funding cutbacks. Pittsylvania County Schools learned only recently that funds will no longer be available. Dr. Jeff Early, Pittsylvania County Schools' assistant superintendent for support services and special education, indicated there are 60 behavioral aides in county schools. Each aide takes care of one student. Early says his office is contacting parents to review concerns and develop ways to address the needs of their children.
Full story

Australia: Number of children removed from parents soars
Two in every 100 children aged under 18 in New South Wales have been removed from their families and placed in foster care or with relatives at some time in their lives, new official figures show. This amounts to about 36,000 children and young people who have had experience of out-of-home care either through abuse or neglect or because of parental illness or inability to cope. The high rate of removals in recent years is contained in a report, Estimate of NSW Children Involved in the Child Welfare System, by the evaluation and statistics branch of Community Services, now a part of the Department of Human Service. It shows that in June 2009 1 per cent of NSW's children under 18 - more than 16,523 - were living in out-of-home care.
Full story

____