Testimony From Kansas Attorney On Foster Care Corruption

3/3/10

Twitter Posts from the KansasWatchdog on hearings today in Topeka, KS on Children's Issues, "Foster Care"

#ksleg Summers: refuses to stop a second time as she gives her summary about 8 hours ago via web
#ksleg Summers: refuses to stop when asked by State Rep Neufeld. says she has another page and a half of testimony. Neufeld yields (so far) about 8 hours ago via web
#ksleg Summers: Three witnesses were ignored by the court. Background checks delayed reunification. about 8 hours ago via web
#ksleg Summers: child had been abused and was threatend "not to tell" about 8 hours ago via web
#ksleg Summers: "travesty of justice" is the title of a book she is writing about harm done to children in this state. about 8 hours ago via web
#ksleg Summers does not understand why case was not prosecuted when abuse was obvious in her opinion. about 8 hours ago via web
#ksleg Summers testifying about Judge Burgess not allowing evidence to be heard in court room. about 8 hours ago via web
#ksleg Frankie Summers, a fFormer educator, talking now about personal experiences about what child experienced while in custody. about 8 hours ago via web
#kslefg Judge Burgess: I cannot hold parents accountable if contractors are also not held accountable. about 8 hours ago via web
#ksleg Judge Burgess wants to reply to Attorney's comments. Talking about relationship with contractors. Judge for closer communications about 8 hours ago via web
#ksleg State Rep Holmes: Where is problem? Attorney: multi-facted prolbem. Remove financial incentive. Some rules need to be changed. about 8 hours ago via web
#ksleg Attorney: Reality is once there's a problem you're in court for month and months. Need to take money incentives out of system. about 8 hours ago via web
#ksleg Live tweeting from Kansas Fed and State Affairs Committee Hearing about 8 hours ago via web
#ksleg Attorney: privatization creates financial incentives for contractors that are not in the best interest of the child. about 8 hours ago via web
#ksleg Attorney: children can be removed. SRS doesn't investigate. about 8 hours ago via web
#ksleg Attorney: Need fair judges. Judges being too close to workers, contractors can be a problem. about 8 hours ago via web
#ksleg Attorney: Case worker's report was in error and court acted on it. Judge said "it didn't matter". Need checks and balances. about 8 hours ago via web
#ksleg: Attorney: Case worker had child removed. Worker had too much power. Best interest of child not served. about 8 hours ago via web
#ksleg JoCo attorney (can't spell the name) talking about removal of child for spanking that could not be substantiated. about 8 hours ago via web
#ksleg State rep talking about CASA: Court Appointed Special Advocates for children. There are not enough CASAs to meet the need. about 8 hours ago via web
#ksleg State Rep Neufeld asking about GAL training. Hogan: Training is one way to help support attorneys about 8 hours ago via web
#ksleg State Rep Kiegerl: GAL paid $60/hr in JoCo; Hogan: In SG County $35K/year for half-time work but usually more than half-time. about 8 hours ago via web
#ksleg Hogan: many parents don't have money for legal representation. Guardian ad litems (GAL) are paid less than many attorneys. about 9 hours ago via web
#ksleg Attorney Kelly Hogan, child legal services. Talking about a how a guardian ad litem represents the child's best interest. about 9 hours ago via web
#ksleg Judge says grandparents always allowed to comment. "Call me" to state reps if you ever have a problem with a case. about 9 hours ago via web
#ksleg State Rep Kiegerl asking judge why there seems to be more cases in Sedgwick county. Perhaps judges and contractors too close? about 9 hours ago via web
#ksleg Judge Burgess: implementation of privatization was rough at first. "Perfectly fine with it now" about 9 hours ago via web
#ksleg Judge Burgess: We have problems in Sedgwick County that western Kansas does not have. about 9 hours ago via web
#ksleg Judge Burgess: When "Kansas is rich" prevention would be a better approach. about 9 hours ago via web
#ksleg Judge Burgess: Transition to privatization was difficult. Now meet with contractors once a month. about 9 hours ago via web
ksleg Judge Burgess: Only 3% of children taken in are truants. Child has never been removed from home for truancy. Truancy is a huge issue about 9 hours ago via web
#ksleg: Almost 60 people at Fed & State hearing to learn about child welfare issues. about 9 hours ago via web
#ksleg: Judge Burgess: Biggest problem is service delivery. Most families don’t ask for help until crisis hits. about 9 hours ago via web
#ksleg: Judge Burgess is next to testify. Introductions could be better to identify who is speaking. about 9 hours ago via web
#kslefg Judge asked about her concerns about privatization: Judge: Done quickly, more bureaucracy, service barriers. about 9 hours ago via web
#ksleg Judge Shepherd: "not a good thing" sometimes when transfers occur between contractors about 9 hours ago via web
#ksleg Rep Neufeld asking Judge Shepherd about privatization. She was not a supporter; hurt us initially. about 9 hours ago via web
#ksleg Judge: We don't have cases where someone comes in and asks to give up their kids about 9 hours ago via web
#ksleg Judge: Child may be in police protective custody for up to 48 hours until judge signs order. Then in SRS custody. about 9 hours ago via web
#ksleg State Rep Mike Kiegerl asking when contractors first see a child after a judge's order about 9 hours ago via web
#ksleg Judge Shepherd (I think Jean F Shepherd from Lawrence) talking about legal steps for removing a child from the home about 9 hours ago via web
#ksleg Judges talking at Fed & State Committee hearing about child welfare. about 9 hours ago via web
JoCo Unofficial Final Election Results: Prairie Village Ward 4, Shawnee Ward 3, Gardner recalls http://tinyurl.com/yzf86wd about 24 hours ago via web
#ksleg Most of the ~50 in the audience at the Fed and State Affairs hearing cannot see speakers' slides -- need two screens. 1:01 PM Mar 2nd via web
#ksleg NCSL: Two federal funding streams: title 4 b child welfare, and 4e foster care. 12:45 PM Mar 2nd via web
#ksleg NCSL: State and local funds more than federal but federal rules drive the system. 12:43 PM Mar 2nd via web
#ksleg Sheri Steisel(?) from NCSL DC talking about complexity of child welfare system. Now talking about federal funding. 12:42 PM Mar 2nd via web
#ksleg Chair Neufeld: Remember history. ACLU law suit 15 years ago and other problems resulted in privitization. What are best practices? 12:36 PM Mar 2nd via web
#ksleg State Rep Kiegerl: Any data that privitization doing what was expected? How is performance measured? How do other states compare? 12:32 PM Mar 2nd via web
#ksleg State Rep Loganbill asking if any evidence whether privitization is better or worse. NCSL: Some data, but no conclusion. 12:31 PM Mar 2nd via web
#ksleg Kieger: Removal in other states for non mal-treatment. NCSL rep willl get that data. 12:09 PM Mar 2nd via web
#ksleg State Rep Mike Kiegerl: 53% removed in Kansas for reaons other than neglect. Asking for reason, comparison with other states. 12:08 PM Mar 2nd via web
#ksleg NCSL Rep: Kansas is somewhat unique in number of children removed from home for reasons other than neglect. 12:07 PM Mar 2nd via web
#ksleg Chair Melvin Neufeld asking about a particular statistic for Kansas that was about twice the national average. 12:03 PM Mar 2nd via web
#ksleg Representative from National Conference of State Legislature (NCSL) talking about child welfare system. http://www.ncsl.org/ 11:59 AM Mar 2nd via web

SRS, Foster Care, Children Issues brought up at JoCo Legislator Forum

Marlene Jones CALLS For Quo Warranto "It's Time To Stop"

Wichita-area Legislators Hear From Citizens Before Session Starts
By Paul Soutar on January 6, 2010
http://kansas.watchdog.org/2010/01/06/wichita-area-legislators-hear-from-citizens-before-session-starts/

Citizens from South Central Kansas gave their legislators plenty of ideas and opinions to take to Topeka for the upcoming 2010 Legislative session. State Representatives and Senators from Wichita and the surrounding area listened as 31 citizens expressed their interests and opinions for nearly two hours Tuesday evening in the jury room of the Sedgwick County Courthouse in Wichita.
Legislators will hear from several governments and interest groups Thursday afternoon during their annual meeting at Wichita State University. The public is also invited to attend Thursday’s meeting but will not be allowed to address the delegation.
Speakers at Tuesday’s meeting addressed a broad range of topics and nearly all thanked the delegation for their service. Many said they recognized the challenges legislators face in balancing the state’s budget during tough economic times.
Concerns about judicial corruption and children unnecessarily taken from their families by state agencies were the most common topics. About a third of the speakers asked for better checks on the state’s judicial system. Some made allegations of corruption and called for granting subpoena power to the Government Efficiency and Fiscal Oversight Committee chaired by Rep. Jim Morrison, (R-Colby) or creation of a citizen’s grand jury independent of the judiciary.
Several speakers said too many children are being taken from their parents by judges and state agencies. A few said a profit motive was involved and alleged collusion with contractors to garner childcare payments from parents as well as money from state and federal sources.
A recent Legislative Post Audit report (pdf) examined allegations that Social and Rehabilitation Services (SRS) workers were “bullied” by district attorney’s offices. The audit found that about 80% of social workers statewide didn’t feel pressured to distort their reports but in Sedgwick County about half felt that way.
Recent hearings by the Joint Committee on Children’s Issues heard statistics and examples illustrating the problem. Rep. Bill Otto (R-LeRoy) told KansasWatchdog, “the State of Kansas takes children away from parents — severing their parental rights — when the parent in question has committed no crime. The child has committed no crime. But they just didn’t do what the nanny state told them to. I think I need to do something about that.”
Possible tax increases were also on the minds of citizens addressing the delegation. Kip Schroeder of Wichita said it would be hard for legislators to balance the budget without tax increases as private sector employment falls and public sector employment increases. “I ask that as you go (to Topeka) you allow us the opportunity to persevere through adversity, that you not raise our taxes under any circumstances.”
John Todd, representing Americans for Prosperity, asked legislators to not raise taxes. “This is not a time to raise taxes on businesses and families that are struggling to pay their bills and trying to maintain their jobs. Economic recovery will come from the private sector, particularly small businesses that don’t need a rollback of hard-fought tax relief gained in previous legislative sessions.”
Kansas Policy Institute President Dave Trabert summarized recent research showing significant opportunities for savings through increasing efficiency and spending down cash balances before cutting services or raising taxes.
Several speakers asked legislators to cease or reduce funding for Planned Parenthood.
Speakers were uniformly courteous, though one speaker gave the delegation an earful of criticism. He named and facetiously thanked several members of the delegation for their votes in the last session against coal-fired electric plants in Western Kansas and in favor of wind-generated power, votes he blamed for rising electric bills.
“What were you thinking? Haven’t any of you toured electric plants? Didn’t any of you know the drawbacks of wind power? Did you know how much electricity costs from any power source?” He reminded legislators that wind-powered electric generators are heavily subsidized by taxpayers and that wind, even in Kansas, is not a reliable source of electricity.
Rep. Melody McCray-Miller (D-Wichita), who chaired the forum, extended the meeting beyond its scheduled 8:30 p.m. wrap-up to allow all who sighed up to speak to do so. The last speaker, Paul Rhodes of Wichita, thanked the legislators and noted the many hard decisions they would face in the upcoming session.
Rhodes, in effect, summarized the tenor of the preceding speakers by asking that legislators reduce the tax burden on citizens, provide better access to justice for all and “correction of high crimes under the color of law.”
“My belief is that under every bad economy is a moral or ethical problem. Some say the opposite of love is hate. The opposite of love is indifference.”