Jan 24-31: CA&N Media Articles and Resources

Posted on January 31, 2012 by Charlie Enright

Some recent media articles and resources relating to child abuse and neglect.  If you have items that you think would be helpful to include in this occasional post, please forward them to me at the email in my signature block.

These stories were chosen because of their perceived relevance to the child welfare community.  MiPSAC is not responsible for the views expressed in any of these articles, nor does it take a position for or against the positions expressed in the articles.  They are presented merely to provide a sampling of what the media is saying about child welfare.

Charlie Enright, JD, MSW
4907 Foster Rd.
Midland, MI  48642
(989) 600-9696
cenright@ymail.com
Secretary,

Michigan Professional Society on Abuse of Children, MiPSAC

This and previous posts can be found at: http://www.mipsac.org/category/can-articles

RECENT MEDIA ARTICLES

Ohio Man Sues Camden Diocese Over Alleged Abuse, Using Repressed-Memory Claim

Jan. 28, Philadelphia Inquirer: An Ohio man who alleges he was sexually abused by a Catholic priest in the early 1970s but repressed all memory of the assaults is using the “late discovery” feature of New Jersey’s child endangerment law to sue the Diocese of Camden. New Jersey law gives sexually abused minors only until age 20 to file suit against their accusers, unless they can demonstrate they repressed memory of their abuse, according alleged victim’s lawyer.

“Her client suffered “traumatic amnesia,” she said. The alleged perpetrator, 75, was accused in the 1990s of sex abuse by at least four other males. Although he denied the allegations, the diocese in 2002 paid settlements to several of his accusers as part of an $880,000 lawsuit involving 15 priests. Peter Feuerherd, spokesman for the Camden Diocese, said the priest was removed from ministry in 1990 and “lives under close supervision in a treatment facility outside the diocese.” The alleged victim’s suit charges the diocese with having “fraudulently concealed” its knowledge of Shannon’s alleged predation of young boys, and knowingly exposed other victims to the priest. Like repressed memory, fraudulent concealment can also “toll,” or pause, the statute of limitations in civil sex abuse cases in New Jersey. Link to Article

City of Albion Competing for $200,000 State Grant to Push Forward Community Plan

Jan 26, Jackson News: Albion is competing for a $200,000 state grant, and one of the big steps toward securing it took place last week at Crowell School. About 60 community members heard data on risk factors that affect the city’s youth through a presentation by the Substance Abuse Prevention Services (SAPS), Albion Community Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition (ASAPC) and the Policy Prevention Board (PPB). Attendees could give feedback on the data presented, which will then be integrated into a three-year community plan to address specific risk factors affecting Albion locally. That will help the city of Albion compete for the $200,000 grant from the Michigan Department of Human Service’s Bureau of Juvenile Justice. The funds would be used to implement the plan, which officials hope to submit along with their grant application, April 27th. Link to Article

Home Births Grow More Popular In U.S.

Jan 26, NPR/All Things Considered: The number of women delivering babies at home in the United States has increased significantly, according to the latest government data released Thursday. Home births increased by 29 percent between 2004 and 2009. The upward trend is being welcomed by some advocates of home births and midwives, but it’s also raising concern among some doctors. Births at home still remain pretty uncommon. Only 0.72 percent of births in 2009, or 29,650, were at home, up from 0.56 percent in 2004, according to the National Center for Health Statistics. Link to Program and Transcript

Adoptees Using DNA to Find Family

Jan 26, Diane Rehm Show/NPR – Audio only: Adult adoptees are turning to DNA tests and social media to find biological family members and trace their roots: balancing privacy with the need to know. Guests: Deborah Riley executive director, The Center for Adoption Support and Education, Inc.; Bennett Greenspan CEO, Family Tree DNA; Kimberly Leighton Assistant Professor of Philosophy at American University. Link to Program Audio

Michigan Man Gets 25 Years For Role In Child Sex Ring

Jan 25, CBS Detroit:- A Southern California federal judge has sentenced 34-year-old Joshua Boras, a Lapeer man, to 25 years in prison for his role in an international child exploitation group. Prosecutors say Boras was affiliated with the “Lost Boy” online bulletin board — which, according to court documents and proceedings, was dedicated to men who have a sexual interest in young boys and was established to provide a forum to trade child pornography. In addition to his participation in Lost Boy, Boras filmed his sexual abuse of a minor boy and distributed these images to some of the site’s members. According to court documents, law enforcement discovered the Lost Boy bulletin board after receiving information from Eurojust, the judicial cooperation arm of the European Union. Eurojust provided U.S. law enforcement with leads obtained from Norwegian and Italian authorities indicating that a North Hollywood, Calif., man was communicating with an Italian national about child pornography and how to engage in child sex tourism in Romania. Acting on the information from Europe, the FBI executed search warrants that led to the discovery of the Lost Boy network. Investigators say the group had 35 members in the United States, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, New Zealand and the United Kingdom. The Internet site was shut down three years ago and 15 defendants have pleaded guilty or have been convicted at trial. Link to Article

Kids Count in Michigan Data Book: Health Matters

Jan 24, Michigan League for Human Services: The Kids Count in Michigan Data Book: Health Matters finds that child abuse and neglect in Michigan jumped 34 percent over the past decade while nearly half of public school children statewide now qualify for free and reduced price lunches. Included are profiles for 83 counties, the city of Detroit and the Upper Peninsula. Read full report

As He Prepares for College, Michigan Teen Carries Baggage Few Students Do

Jan 24, Detroit Free Press: When he was just 9, Marcus Buggs became a man. It’s not that he wanted to. He had to. Up until that point, he was living what he says was a typical childhood in Flint. It wasn’t the best environment. There were drug dealers and thieves — the kind of place where you can get into trouble easily. But Marcus had his family. Even if his father was dealing drugs and his mother had her own issues, they were around. And then everything changed. It happened on his ninth birthday, the day he became a man. Marcus watched his uncle shoot his dad, pumping a bullet into his chest. He lost his father. He lost his mother a few weeks later. Not to death, but to prison. And right then, he lost his childhood. Marcus became the adult, caring for his sister and later three more siblings, shouldering most of the responsibilities as they bounced around between a foster home and two separate grandparents’ homes. Thrust into adulthood far too early, Marcus could have gone either way. For a while, he went the only way he knew, getting kicked out of school and starting fights. But with some help from a principal who refused to give up on him, Marcus went the other way. He’s 18 now and getting ready for college. Link to Article

10 Years On, Clergy Abuse Scandal Still Reverberates

Jan 24, NPR, Talk of the Nation: The Boston Globe broke the story of sex abuse within the Catholic Church’s Boston diocese, and a systematic cover up, in 2002. Since then, hundreds of victims have come forward with their stories. After resistance, the Church changed course, but many complain it hasn’t gone far enough. Link to Program/Transcript

Catholic Church Corrupt To Its Core, Says Survivor

Jan 13, Tell Me More/NPR: We want to focus on a story that changed the way many Americans view the Catholic Church. It’s been 10 years since the Catholic sex abuse scandal at the Archdiocese of Boston was first reported by the Boston Globe. The story was filled with detailed descriptions of how priests had abused numerous children over many years, and how top leaders in the church covered it up. In the decade since the report was published, thousands of people across the country have come forward, to share their own stories of the abuse suffered at the hands of priests. We want to turn to a man with a unique perspective on this issue. Bob Hoatson served as a priest for decades but in 2003, he revealed that he had been abused by Catholic brothers as a teen. He now runs a nonprofit for survivors of clergy sex abuse, called Road to Recovery. Link to Article

RESOURCES WITH ONGOING VALUE

ABA Practice & Policy Briefs

The ABA Center on Children and the Law has announced that its latest Practice & Policy Brief — Psychotropic Medication and Children in Foster Care: Tips for Advocates and Judges — is now available from the Child Welfare Information Gateway in both hard copy and pdf versions: (under Research and Reports)

Other ABA Practice & Policy Briefs address:
* Advocating for Very Young Children in Dependency Proceedings: The Hallmarks of Effective, Ethical Representation (2010)
* Visitation with Infants and Toddlers in Foster Care: What Judges and Attorneys Need to Know (2007)
* Healing the Youngest Children: Model Court-Community Partnerships (2007)
Healthy Beginnings, Healthy Futures: A Judge’s Guide (2009), produced in collaboration with the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges and Zero to Three, explores infant brain development, caregiver attachment, medical and mental health, and permanency planning strategies to ensure the health and well-being of very young children who enter the child welfare system.

All can be downloaded from the Center’s website.

Free hard copies and bulk orders of the Practice & Policy Briefs are available through Shante Bullock at Shante.Bullock@americanbar.org Free hard copies of Healthy Beginnings are available from the ABA Service Center at 800-285-2221 (ask for product code 3490003B; shipping and taxes apply).

MICHIGAN APPELLATE COURT CASES

Court: Michigan Court of Appeals (Unpublished)
Case Name: In re McKinney/Booker
The Legislature has not defined the criteria for determining the best interests of a child in the context of a termination proceeding, but case law indicates that a trial court may consider a variety of factors including the parent’s past history, the age of the children, any inappropriate parenting techniques, and any continued involvement in domestic violence. See In re Jones, 286 Mich App at 131. A trial court may also consider the strength of the bond between the parent and child, the visitation history, and the parent’s compliance with treatment plans. See In re BZ, 264 Mich App 286, 301; 690 NW2d 505 (2004); In re AH, 245 Mich App 77, 89; 627 NW2d 33 (2001). Also relevant to the best interests determination is the child’s need for permanence and the length of time the child may be required to wait for the parent to rectify problematic conditions; this inquiry includes consideration of the child’s age and particular needs. See In re McIntyre, 192 Mich App 47, 52-53; 480 NW2d 293 (1991). Full Text Opinion

Court: Michigan Court of Appeals (Unpublished)
Case Name: In re Headen
Appeal from Jackson County

Respondent-father appeals as of right from the trial court order terminating his parental rights to the minor child under MCL 712A.19b(3)(b)(i), (g), and (j). We affirm. The conditions that led to the adjudication involved serious physical abuse of an 11-week old child. It was undisputed that the minor child was physically abused. He sustained multiple injuries, including a right radial buckle fracture, a right ulnar corner fracture, a right hematoma on his head, multiple rib fractures, and a right femur fracture. He also had failed to thrive. “Medical evidence showed that some of the fractures had already begun to heal, proving that the child was abused on more than one occasion.” The minor child’s mother acknowledged that she may have caused some of the more recent fractures. However, the identity of the perpetrator of the earlier physical abuse while the child was in his mother and father’s custody and care was not conclusively established. The trial court reasonably concluded that respondent, although he may not have directly inflicted the injuries, was culpable because he failed to adequately safeguard the child. Termination of a parent’s parental rights under “is permissible‚ even in the absence of definitive evidence as to the identity of the perpetrator, where the evidence does show that the respondent or respondents must have either caused or failed to prevent the child’s injuries.” “Neither parent could explain the cause of the child’s earlier injuries, including two broken arm bones and additional broken ribs.” The trial court heard credible evidence that the mother roughly handled the minor child by forcibly grabbing him from respondent’s arms on at least two occasions while the parents were verbally arguing. The trial court found that “the minor child had been abused on more than one occasion and, had respondent taken appropriate action to remove the child from the dangerous situation, one or more of the injuries could have been prevented.” The court reasonably concluded that his failure to act resulted in physical injury to the minor child. Full Text Opinion

 

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Jan 17-24: CA&N Media Articles and Resources

Posted on January 24, 2012 by Charlie Enright

Some recent media articles and resources relating to child abuse and neglect.  If you have items that you think would be helpful to include in this occasional post, please forward them to me at the email in my signature block.

These stories were chosen because of their perceived relevance to the child welfare community.  MiPSAC is not responsible for the views expressed in any of these articles, nor does it take a position for or against the positions expressed in the articles.  They are presented merely to provide a sampling of what the media is saying about child welfare.

Charlie Enright, JD, MSW
4907 Foster Rd.
Midland, MI  48642
(989) 600-9696
cenright@ymail.com
Secretary,
Michigan Professional Society on Abuse of Children, MiPSAC

This and previous posts can be found at: http://www.mipsac.org/category/can-articles

RECENT MEDIA ARTICLES

Funding at Risk for Detroit’s Social Services State Officials Detail Misspending in Review of Detroit’s Finances

Jan 23, The Detroit News: The city is managing federal funding so poorly that it’s risking future dollars for social service programs intended to help disadvantaged residents, officials examining Detroit’s finances say. Link to Article

City’s Spending

Here are some examples of how the city spends federal funds in social service areas:

  • Head Start: $49.1 million
  • Energy Assistance: $1 million
  • Weatherization Program: $3.3 million
  • Low-income Home Energy Assistance Program: $4.1 million

Same-Sex Couple Fights to Change adoption Laws So Their Kids Have Same Rights as Other Children

Jan 22, WXYZ: Imagine not being allowed to adopt a child you had raised since birth. That is what some same-sex partners are facing. Michigan is among a handful of states that still offers no legal protections for gays and lesbians – and that can have major consequences for their children. A local lesbian couple has been raising three children since birth, kids who otherwise would have been in the foster care system. One of the women adopted one child – while the other woman had to adopt the other two – that’s because the law in Michigan won’t let them jointly adopt all three kids. And they’re hoping this lawsuit will change the lives of children all over Michigan. Link to Article

Michigan in Dire Need of Adoptive and Foster Parents

Jan 21, Oakland Press: Although 92 percent of children placed in foster care because of neglect, abuse or family problems are adopted by relatives or foster parents, more than 400 have no relatives or families being considered for their adoption. The Michigan Adoption Resource Exchange is an organization working to find homes for the children who have been waiting the longest for permanent families. The truth is that your marital status, age, income and sexual orientation will not disqualify you from adopting a child who is in foster care in Michigan. You don’t need to own your own home, have children already, be young, wealthy or a stay-at-home parent to adopt or foster. Link to Article

Mount Clemens Hospital Intern Says Baby Fell Down Stairs

Jan 21, Macomb Daily: The defendant, who two months before the incident left his intern post at Mount Clemens Regional Hospital, is charged with two counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct and first-degree child abuse, accused of assaulting a 13-month-old child while under his care. He was dating the girl’s mother, who also worked at the hospital. The prosecutor said the injuries are inconsistent with a fall. The girl suffered multiple skull fractures, bruises on her face and torso, and tears in her vaginal area and anus. Link to Article

Prosecutors Say Anger, Not the Devil, Made Warren Step-dad Attack Boy

Jan: 20, Oakland Press: The Assistant Macomb prosecutor, in opening statements in the Randall Caballero trial preemptively countered the defense’s claim that Caballero was legally insane — that “the devil” made him try to kill the child. Caballero, 36, is charged with attempted murder and first-degree child abuse, accused of walking the barely dressed boy about a quarter-mile from their home where he choked him and pushed him in a snow bank. The boy was found by a police officer a short time later with a body temperature of 79.5 degrees and taken to a hospital. Caballero told police, “I just killed my stepson. I strangled my 3-year-old stepson and left his body. He made another comment, the devil made him do it.” The defense claims Caballero has been diagnosed as bipolar for which he has been hospitalized at least four times since 2007. Caballero’s treating psychiatrist is expected to testify in agreement that Caballero was insane, although that will be opposed by the state expert who will accuse Caballero of faking insanity. The prosecutor said the victim’s mother will testify that Caballero successfully pretended to be mentally ill to receive Social Security Disability. A professional at a facility that housed him says in a report that Caballero was faking. The prosecutor said “He’s a malingerer and a liar,” “Manipulation is what he did to doctors and the state to get disability. “Now he’s (trying) to manipulate to escape punishment for his behavior, trying to kill that child.” The victim, who is now 5, has recovered from his physical injuries and receives counseling, according to his paternal grandmother, Rhonda Castillo. He resides with his father and twin brother in Madison Heights as well as with Spring Caballero in Sterling Heights. Link to Article

Drug Arrests Create Racial Caste System, Says Author Michelle Alexander

Jan 19, Grand Rapids Press: Alexander authored an award-winning book asserting the punitive obsession of the modern criminal justice system is an extension of the so-called Jim Crow laws, which legalized discrimination against blacks and other minorities until the 1960s. The book “The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness” contends the war on drugs is the biggest cause of a disproportionate number of mostly black nonviolent offenders being placed behind bars than ever in our nation’s history. Alexander, who was a clerk for a U.S. Supreme Court justice and is on the faculty at Ohio State University, said her research for the book shows crime rates have steadied during recent decades while prison populations have quintupled. Those behind bars are largely young black men serving time for drug convictions that lead to a cycle of unemployment, family breakdowns and a host of other social problems. She said drug law enforcement, which has done little to stem the flow of narcotics, has not been aimed at kingpins and traffickers. Instead, it is used to bolster the numbers of arrests for an agency seeking federal funding. Racial stereotypes have driven the drug war into major urban areas, inhabited largely by minorities, when studies show blacks are no more likely to use drugs than their white suburban counterparts. Link to Article

WMU’s Seita Scholars Program Mentioned by Gov. Rick Snyder During State of the State

Jan 18, Kalamazoo Gazette: Western Michigan University’s Seita Scholars Program was mentioned by Gov. Rick Snyder tonight during his second State of the State address. Snyder mentioned the program when he talked about the accomplishments the state has made to help foster children, including extending foster-services to age 21. Link to Article

Pawn Shop Owner Says Woman Offered Sex Act by Her Daughter and Herself

Jan 17, 7 Action News: The owner tells 7 Action News he called police. A statement issued by Child Protective Services says they are grateful for people who report suspected abuse. They say they check out reports of abuse, along with law enforcement, and if they feel a child is in immediate danger, the child would be removed from a home. In this case that did not happen. It is reported police did do a welfare check on the child at the home and that they believed she was safe. Southgate Police say they have a report and an investigation will be started. Link to Article

Michigan Has a Quarter of the Nation’s For-Profit Charter Schools. Should We Care?

Jan 15, Kalamazoo Gazatte: A newly enacted state law allows expansion of charter schools, but it turns out Michigan already has a disproportionate share of the nation’s for-profit charter school market, according to a recent report by a Western Michigan University professor. Michigan has 181 of the nation’s 758 for-profit charter schools, the most of any state. No. 2 is Florida, with 150 for-profit schools. “The idea behind charters was to have locally run, autonomous schools that would foster innovation,” he said. “But now you have schools in Michigan that are operated by companies based as far away as Florida and California,” with a minimum of local control and using a cookie-cutter approach. Link to Article

RESOURCES WITH TIME LIMITED VALUE

Upcoming SCAO Webinar Programs

Enjoy the convenience of learning from the comfort of your office-desk and save valuable travel time! Check and enroll in a live simulcast. Please review the list of programs below. Click on each program title to review a summary of the program and featured faculty.

Instructions: Click on a seminar title to view its planned agenda, and then choose Register to enroll. On the designated day, please come back to the lobby page and click the Attend button.

Upcoming SCAO Off-Site Programs

Review the list of programs below. Click on each program title to review a summary of the program and featured faculty.

Instructions for Enrolling in an Upcoming Off-Site Program
To enroll click on a program title below then choose “Register” in the summary box. Complete the registration form as requested and click “Continue”.

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Jan 11-17: CA&N Media Articles, Resources and Cases

Posted on January 17, 2012 by MiPSAC

Some recent media articles and resources relating to child abuse and neglect.  If you have items that you think would be helpful to include in this occasional post, please forward them to me at the email in my signature block.

These stories were chosen because of their perceived relevance to the child welfare community.  MiPSAC is not responsible for the views expressed in any of these articles, nor does it take a position for or against the positions expressed in the articles.  They are presented merely to provide a sampling of what the media is saying about child welfare.

Charlie Enright, JD, MSW
4907 Foster Rd.
Midland, MI  48642
(989) 600-9696
cenright@ymail.com
Secretary,

Michigan Professional Society on Abuse of Children, MiPSAC

This and previous posts can be found at: http://www.mipsac.org/category/can-articles

RECENT MEDIA ARTICLES

Proof of Woman’s History of Violence to be Allowed in Child Abuse Case

Jan 16, Daily Press: Previous acts of violence by an Escanaba woman – accused of seriously abusing her baby – will be allowed to be presented as evidence of domestic violence during her trial in March, the court decided Friday. Angel Dawn Micheau, 21, accused of first-degree child abuse, is scheduled to go to trial in March. Micheau was arrested for child abuse stemming from an April 2011 incident involving burns on her three-month-old daughter. Link to Article

More U.S. Catholics Take Complaints to Church Court

Jan 15, Detroit News: Parents upset by the admission policy at a parochial school. Clergy and parishioners at odds over use of their building. A priest resisting a transfer to another parish. It was once assumed that disagreements like these in the Roman Catholic Church would end one way: with the highest-ranking cleric getting the last word. But that outcome is no longer a given as Catholics, emboldened following the clergy abuse scandals that erupted a decade ago this month, have sought another avenue of redress. In recent years, clergy and lay people in the United States have increasingly turned to the church’s internal legal system to challenge a bishop’s or pastor’s decision according to canon lawyers in academia, dioceses and in private practice. Sometimes, the challengers even win. Link to Article

Michael Terpening heading to trial

Jan 13, Newschannel 3: On Friday, Michael Terpening learned that he will stand trial. Terpening was bound over on two counts of first degree criminal sexual conduct with a child under thirteen.

Terpening is also accused of inappropriately touching boys at a group home he ran near Bellevue. He’s facing twelve other sexual abuse charges. He was the director of Earth Services Youth Home in southeast Barry County’s Assyria Township. In court on Friday, Rodney Reams sat just one row behind Terpening. In August, Reams had also accused Terpening of sexual abuse. Then, in December he told Newschannel 3 that he made the allegations up and is now supporting Terpening. Terpening had several other friends and family present who insist he is innocent.  Link to Article

Mattawan Teacher in Hot Water After Racy Gift Exchange at High School

Jan 13, Newschannel 3: At Mattawan High School, during school hours and in class, the superintendent says students exchanged sex toys during a Christmas party with their teacher. However, opinions on who is to blame vary greatly. Mattawan Schools’ superintendent says the teacher didn’t encourage or have prior knowledge of the students’ sassy gift selections. The teacher was suspended. No discipline was handed down to the students. Link to Article

Police Investigating Injuries to 3-Month-Old as Child Abuse

Jan 12, Jackson Citizen Patriot: The boy’s foster mother took him to Allegiance Health on Dec. 29, and hospital personnel alerted police. His eyes were bloodshot or pink. The boy went to the U of M Mott Children’s Hospital in Ann Arbor. No one has been arrested or charged, and the boy was put in a different foster home. A detective is looking into the case. It is not clear what happened. The boy’s biological mother was the victim in a criminal sexual conduct case. A possible father of the boy, went to prison for 18 to 30 years for having sex with the mother when she was 12. The girl now is 14. The boy was removed from the girl’s care in November and placed in foster care, according to court records. Link to Article

Diocese of Saginaw Helps Spread Human Trafficking Awareness

Jan 12, Saginaw News: The Diocese of Saginaw teamed up with some of its religious sisters, the Diocesan Office of Christian Service and the Black Catholic Advisory to host a conference coinciding with Human Trafficking Awareness Day in Saginaw Township. Cherie Sammis, who has been giving presentations about human trafficking for 10 to 12 years, said that she also has spoken with law enforcement officers throughout the state and the FBI on the matter.

“People don’t do this out of choice,” she said. “And people around here don’t think that this happens in Saginaw, but it does.” Sammis, vice president of mission integration at St. Mary’s of Michigan, is a nurse practitioner who opened a health center in downtown Washington, D.C. She said that during her time working at that clinic, she realized all of the missed opportunities she had to help victims of human trafficking, and since then, she has been raising awareness. “These victims are forced into labor, debt bondage and sexual exploitation,” Sammis said. “And many of them won’t speak up or help themselves because they are intimidated in force by their traffickers.”  Link to Article

For Kids With ADHD, Some Foods May Complement Treatment

Jan 9, NPR: “When [elimination] diets fail, parents can feel they’ve failed,” says Linda Brauer, coordinator of the Grand Rapids chapter of the advocacy group Children and Adults with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder. She remembers feeling guilty when her son’s symptoms did not improve. But now she says the science is on her side. A review paper published Jan 9th in the journal Pediatrics evaluated the evidence from many studies on this topic. And it concludes that changing a child’s diet is usually not enough to effectively treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. “[Diet's] main role in my clinical practice is as a complementary treatment,” Benjamin Prince, a psychiatrist at Massachusetts General Hospital tells us. That means kids with ADHD usually need medicine and good diets. Link to Story

RESOURCES WITH ONGOING VALUE

American Humane Association releases the latest issue of Protecting Children. “Bringing Back the Dads: Changing Practices in Child Welfare Systems” is a compilation of articles providing a broad range of perspectives on the issues facing non-resident fathers and the child welfare system. This journal, produced with funding from the Administration on Children, Youth and Families, Children’s Bureau, through the National Quality Improvement Center on Non-Resident Fathers and the Child Welfare System, identifies promising casework, legal and judicial best practices, awareness to reduce barriers to engagement, and policies that impact the engagement of non-resident fathers.

Cross posting a reference to a study which assesses the relationship of childhood sexual abuse (CSA) to nine other categories of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), including childhood abuse, neglect, and multiple types of household dysfunction. [PDF from annafoundation.org]

M Dong, RF Anda, SR Dube, WH Giles… – Child Abuse & Neglect, 2003 – Elsevier

Methods: Retrospective cohort study …

MICHIGAN APPELLATE COURT CASES

Court: Michigan Court of Appeals (Unpublished)

Case Name: In re Morgan

Concluded that the respondent-father’s due process right to confront the witnesses against him was not violated since the right does not apply to civil proceedings (including child protective proceedings under the Juvenile Code), the court held that the trial court properly terminated his parental rights to the minor children. Termination of respondent’s parental rights was sought primarily because he repeatedly sexually abused his oldest child. At the termination hearing, the child was not called to testify as to the sexual abuse. Instead a certified copy of respondent’s conviction for CSC was presented. Respondent argued that this procedure violated his due process right to confront the witnesses against him. Full Text Opinion

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Jan 3-10: CA&N Media Articles, Resources and Cases

Posted on January 10, 2012 by Charlie Enright

Some recent media articles and resources relating to child abuse and neglect.  If you have items that you think would be helpful to include in this occasional post, please forward them to me at the email in my signature block.

These stories were chosen because of their perceived relevance to the child welfare community.  MiPSAC is not responsible for the views expressed in any of these articles, nor does it take a position for or against the positions expressed in the articles.  They are presented merely to provide a sampling of what the media is saying about child welfare.

Charlie Enright, JD, MSW
4907 Foster Rd.
Midland, MI  48642
(989) 600-9696
cenright@ymail.com
Secretary,
Michigan Professional Society on Abuse of Children, MiPSAC

This and previous posts can be found at: http://www.mipsac.org/category/can-articles

RECENT MEDIA ARTICLES

New Federal Standards Call for Sex Education Starting in Early Elementary

Jan 09, Macomb Daily: Young elementary school students should use the proper names for body parts and, by the end of fifth grade, know that sexual orientation is “the romantic attraction of an individual to someone of the same gender or a different gender,” according to new sexual education guidelines released Monday by a coalition of health and education groups. Beyond lessons about puberty by the end of fifth grade, the guidelines say students should be able to define sexual harassment and abuse. Link to Article

Apartment Building Provides Home For Young People In Need

Jan 5, CBS Detroit: Fourteen of the building’s 24 fully furnished units will be set aside for families while the remaining 10 will provide housing for teens who have aged out of the foster care system. The development is a project of Focus: Hope, in partnership with Lutheran Child and Family Services and United Way. Link to Article

Mom Facing Jail Time for Repeated Tardiness That Adds Up to a Truancy Offense

Jan 4, WXYZ.com: After 3 years of trying to work something out, Fitzgerald school district has turned Andria’s case over to the Macomb Country Intermediate School District, where the truancy officer is prosecuting her on charges that could lead to 90 days in jail and lead her son to foster care. Should the mom be held accountable for her son’s tardies? “If they need to reprimand me or he needs to make it up in summer school or something that’s fine, but jail time is not the answer,” says 27-year-old single mother Andria Black. Andria claims her son’s autism affects the time she is able to get him to school in the morning.

RESOURCES WITH TIME LIMITED VALUE

SCAO Webinar Programs:

Click on each program title to review a summary of the program and featured faculty.
To enroll please click on a program title and then choose “Register” in the summary box. Complete the registration form as requested and click “Continue”.
Enjoy the convenience of learning from the comfort of your office-desk and save valuable travel time! Check and enroll into a live simulcast.

Instructions: Click on a seminar title to the right of this box to view its planned agenda, and then choose Register to enroll. On the designated day, please come back to the lobby page and click the Attend button. Link to SCAO Training Page   Contains detailed instructions.

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Weekend MSW Program – Application Deadline Extended until February 1st

Posted on January 10, 2012 by MiPSAC

The application deadline for the Weekend MSW Program has been extended.  In order to coordinate our Weekend Program with our other programs that start fall semester, we have extended the application deadline until February 1, 2011.  The first cohort of the Weekend MSW Program with a concentration in Organization and Community Leadership will begin late August, 2012.

In keeping with MSU’s land grant mission, the purpose of this part-time MSW programs is to respond to the professional development needs of the human services community throughout Michigan.  There are many people working in human service agencies who seek the professional growth and skill development only a graduate social work program can provide.  This program is designed for professional students who wish to continue working in the human services field while working towards their MSW degree.

Students in the Weekend Program complete the MSW program through a unique blend of face-to-face weekend sessions and online learning.  Weekend sessions will be held at the James B. Henry Center in Lansing.  This program is a part-time, 3-year program with a concentration in Organization and Community Leadership.  Additional information about the Weekend Program can be found on our website (http://www.socialwork.msu.edu/msw/weekend/index.php) and in the attached brochure.

The entire application process can be completed online at http://www.socialwork.msu.edu/msw/admissions.php.  The first part of the process is to apply to the MSU Graduate School.  The second step is to apply to the School of Social Work.  Please be sure to look at the admissions requirements for the Weekend Program by clicking on the appropriate tab.

If you have specific questions about the application process, first check the information available on the admissions website.  If you are not able to find an answer, contact Nancy Gray in our Graduate Admissions Office via email: nancy.gray@ssc.msu.edu.

Download Weekend MSW Program Brochure (.PDF / 2.1 MB)

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