FS Family Case Study

The facts in this case are regarding the petitioner, Joshua DeShaney and the respondent, the county department of social services. In 1979, Joshua DeShaney was born and in 1980, a Wyoming court granted his parents a divorce and awarded custody to his father, Randy DeShaney. In January of 1982, Randy DeShaney’s second wife complained that he had previously “hit the boy, causing marks, and was a prime case for child abuse” (DeShaney v. Winnebago County). This would turn out to be the first of many complaints against Randy DeShaney regarding the abuse of Joshua DeShaney. Winnebago County Department of Social Services interviewed the father, and when asked if he abused his son, he denied such accusations and they did not pursue him any further. In January 1983, one year later, Joshua was admitted to a local hospital with bruises and abrasions, because of which, the physician suspected child abuse and notified the DSS. The DSS subsequently placed Joshua in temporary custody of the hospital but decided there was insufficient evidence of child abuse. They then recommended that Randy DeShaney enroll his son in preschool, provided Joshua’s father with counselling, and encouraged

The case I found was Burris v. Dep’t. of Children And Fam. Serv. And Erwin McEwen, Ill. App. LEXIS 690 (June 29, 2011). This case talks about the agency of the Department of Children and Family Services trying to put Plaintiff on the central register list to be unfit to care for her children. Plaintiff’s first kid was found to be abused and neglected by the Plaintiff. The agency got a call regarding the concerns for Plaintiff’s second child and his safety. The agency put the second child in protective custody. The Plaintiff filed a complaint to have administrative review on the director of DCFS decision that denied the Plaintiff of her request to remove the report of neglected based on the child being put in an “environment that was injurious

The database now called the Family Advocacy Program Central Registry (FAPCR) lists cases of “domestic abuse”, as defined by the DoD. Reported cases include, “an accounting of the risk level, actions taken, assessments conducted, and clinical services provided from the initial report of an incident to case closure.” Prior to 2006 the FAPCR data contained incidents of abuse involving married couples only. Post 2006, the database’s criteria were revised to reflect the DOD’s 2004 definitions of abuse which includes, “former spouses and intimate partners with whom the alleged offender shared a child or a common domicile.” (GAO, 2010, pg.8) The DoD appeared to be heading in the right direction with the more inclusive definitions, and consequently a more comprehensive database.

The court has made the decision that the Child Welfare program should be given temporary legal custody of your child. Based on state and federal laws the placement of children is only completed with considerable evidence that the child is unsafe due to abuse or neglect. The business practices and decisions made concerning Protective Services are not determined unilaterally but involve many individuals who evaluate the safety and welfare of children with the objective of keeping them safe from abuse and neglect. Making decisions in this fashion ensures that impartial, neutral individuals will facilitate the decision-making rather than one individual. Removing children from their families can be a traumatic, life changing event and is not done without considerable deliberation and

Family composition/ Current Supports: Nasir resides with his mother and 3 younger siblings in the Lake Kennedy section of Suffolk VA. He has no hx of running away from home. The mother states she provides good supervision, however Nasir strays away from the places he’s been given permission to go. Mother states she rewards children for good behavior and enforces punishment or restrictions for inappropriate behavior. Mother reported that Nasirs family provides some opportunities for growth and usually provides love, caring and support. Nasir has a close relationship with his mother and sister. His father’s identity is known, however its unclear if Nasir has a relationship with his father. Family resides in Section 8 Housing and mother and Nasir are receiving SSI benefits. He has never been the subject of foster care or Child Protective Service Agency.

On October 25, 2016, I was contacted by Sgt. Jeff Harrington of a CPS fax for a physical abuse assessment. I received a copy of OASIS Referral # 2176663 and also had two photos of a circular purplish bruise just below the left breast area of the child and a second digital photo of another mark to the child’s thigh area. In both photos there was a center area that appeared scrapped. I was briefed by Sgt. Harrington and responded to Cora

In 2002 there was estimated to be nearly 3 million referrals to Child Protective Services (CPS) in the United States, and about 5 million in the year 2000 (McWey & Mullis, 2004). Children who are living in environments that put them in harms way, depending on the situation are generally removed from their home and placed into a foster home in attempts to keep them safe (Carlson, Egeland & Lawrence, 2006). Common examples of Child Protective Service (CPS) referrals include physical abuse, sexual abuse, and psychological maltreatment (McWey & Mullis, 2004). In 2001 it was estimated that nearly 542,000 children were in foster care in the United States and that the number of children in foster care exceeded the number of available foster homes by nearly 30-40% (Carlson, Egeland & Lawrence, 2006). For many children in foster care, reunification with biological parent or parents is the ultimate goal (McWey, Acock & Porter, 2010). In 60% of foster care cases, reunification with biological parents occurs (Carlson, Egeland & Lawrence, 2006) .In order for reunification to be possible, or to help determine whether reunification can occur, children and biological parents have scheduled visits with trained supervisors who monitor the visits (Haight, Kagle & Black, 2003). The duty of the supervisor is to look at the parent child interactions and determine whether or not they are appropriate. Supervised visitation has been shown to have positive and negative effects on children who are

REPORTER: The reporter/father (W. J. Coleman Jr.) called to report verbal and physical abuse. On Sunday, the reporter contacted Law enforcement, and they went out to the home; the police officer suggested that the reporter contact DHS. According to the reporter, Tonya (mother) slaps the child in the face (unknown when/on going). It is unknown if the child had any visible marks or bruises. The reporter said Tonya verbally (cursing) abuses the child. Also, the grandmother (Shirley) and mother (Tonya) was disowning the child and threatening her because she said she wanted to stay with her father. The grandmother and mother told the child “you’re going to be just like your father”. Also, the reporter said the uncle (Detrick) and grandmother (Shirley)

The reporting party (RP) stated a 16 year old female foster child (name not provided) was receiving respite care in the home when foster child Genavasi (Gena) Tauiliili disclosed she was having sexual interactions with foster child Henry Argueta. The female foster child disclosed the conversation she had with Gena to her social worker (name not provided). The RP stated the disclosure is being investigated by the social worker with the foster family agency however; the foster children have not been question regarding the allegation. The RP stated the agency is investigating if the female foster child is truthful before moving forward. The RP stated Henry has been in the foster home since 1/6/11 and in the process of being adopted. The RP also

Although the stress level in the house is high at times affection is shown by all parties JM and MM greet each other with an embrace and kiss when another enters the home. The children are showered with love and praise when the parents arrive home.

The reporting party (RP) stated her daughter Anislee Jells age 3 attend The Parent Cooperative Community preschool. According to the RP her daughter's paternal grandmother Joanne Jelle works for Heart to Heart 2401 Olympus Dr., Roseville, CA 95661 (916) 788-0199. Heart to Heart is supposed to provide structured child care while adoptive parents attend training courses, however children attend the preschool all day when their parents are not in training. The RP stated she worked full time and shared custody with her ex-husband who would drop off and pick up the child on a regular basis which is suggested by the attached letter. The RP stated the facility was staffed with teachers who provided care and supervision to her child along with several

For cases accepted in the Alternative Response track, DHR will work collaboratively with the family to provide services without the threat of a formal finding of abuse or neglect. Morley and Kaplan

Reporter stated the following: I already initiated it. William Brown said he did not want to go to the dad's house because the dad is emotionally abusive to him. I do not know how long he has been emotionally abusing him. He is cursing the child. The child appeared depressed and anxious. The dad does not like when the child goes to his mom's folks but he did not say why. He is with the grandmother (Ms. Maulbin). He is not in DHS custody. This happened today. Per Intake Worker (Gail Funchess) while reading the report back to the reporter (Bryan Estes) the phone hung

The client’s family structure was disrupted by divorced when he was between the ages of 12 or 13. Prior to the divorce his mother did not work outside the home, his father was employed as a civil engineer. He describes his family as “not rich, but always had food on the table”. Client stated that “his family attended a Christian church when he was a child, but no longer attends church”. Client reported “his father was in foster care”, no other additional information was reported concerning his father’s growing up years, nor any information concerning the mother’s family or growing up years. The client describes his father as “harsh physical punishment-till he was “old enough to fight back”, but he did not consider the physical punishment as abusive. After the divorce, the client’s mother moved to California, the client resided with his father: the relationship between his parents varies from no contact with the mother to some contact with the father. The client reported that both parents are still living, but he is not close to his mother. His father lives closer and he contacts him for the holidays and talks to him once or twice per month by phone. The client had an uncle who committed suicide.

Families who are currently undergoing investigation or have been investigated within the past year for child maltreatment in Pennsylvania will be asked to participate in the study. Each person will be informed that participation is voluntary and informed consent will be collected at sign-up by the researchers. The ideal sample size for this study would be 100 families chosen at random from a list of possible volunteers. The sampling frame is families undergoing investigation for child maltreatment. The inclusion criteria for the study is that the participants are being/have been investigated for child maltreatment within the past year and are experiencing housing instability. The exclusion criteria would include failure to partake in quarterly interviews and observations. No one will be excluded from this study based on gender, race, religion, and/or sexual orientation.