CPS files still closed as more queries raised
http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/local/articles/0507roberts0507.html
May. 7, 2008 12:00 AM
Need another reason why the Arizona Legislature needs to pry open a few
of those lead-lined windows that allow Child Protective Services to
protect itself from the prying eyes of outsiders?
Two words: Dave Wigton.
For nearly 30 years, Wigton has worked at the agency whose only job is
to protect children. Then last week, he was accused of turning a little
girl into his own personal *** toy and, as a bonus, sharing kiddie ****
with a teenage boy.
CPS issued a statement the day after his arrest, assuring us that none
of the victims was a client, explaining that they were as shocked as the
rest of us. No problems here. Nothing to see. Move on.
They have declined, however, to prove it.
And unless House Bill 2159 becomes law, they won't.
The bill would open the disciplinary files of state employees so that we
could see whether CPS brass should have seen trouble coming - or did and
ignored it. While Phoenix and other cities routinely open such files, as
required by Arizona's public-records law, state agencies have tried to
exempt themselves.
So that when a guy suddenly turns out to be - if police are to be
believed - a pervert who preys on a preschooler, we can't see whether
he's had any history of problems during the three decades we've been
paying him to protect kids.
It is, according to the state, none of our business.
"This is exactly the reason why we wanted to have this bill in the first
place, so people would know what the heck was going on," said Rep.
Jonathan Paton, who co-sponsored HB 2159 in the wake of a story about
CPS looking the other way when a caseworker was dating an abusive father
she should have been investigating.
Now comes Wigton.
According to Phoenix police, the 57-year-old CPS supervisor repeatedly
engaged in ***ual conduct earlier this year with a 4-year-old girl, once
promising her pizza afterward.
In addition, police say he often downloaded adult and child ****ography
in the view of minors. He was arrested April 30 and denied bail.
According to CPS, Wigton has been with the agency since 1979, other than
10 months in the mid-1980s when he left. For 16 years, he worked
directly with children, then became a supervisor and thus had less
frequent direct contact.
Here's where I would normally tell you what sort of a record he's
amassed while working with children. But I can't.
CPS spokeswoman Liz Barker Alvarez said state personnel rules prevent
her from releasing such information.
As it stands, all I can tell you is that he passed a background check
and that "there was never any allegation that Wigton had acted
inappropriately while working with children."
The question is: Were there any warning signs that should have raised
questions about whether he should have been working with the state's
most vulnerable children?
Beats me. CPS won't release the records that would tell us.
We evidently aren't entitled to know whether CPS weeds out those who
have no business working with abused and broken children.
"It's a very good illustration of what's wrong with the agency's
approach to the public-records law," said The Arizona Republic attorney
David Bodney, who helped draft HB 2159.
"You've got a public official accused of criminal activity involving the
well-being of children and that public employee works for a state
agency. It's difficult to imagine an overriding interest in secrecy."
Difficult to imagine, that is, from the outside trying to look in.
Reach Roberts at laurie.roberts@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
or 602-444-8635.
Read her blog at robertsblog.azcentral.com.
An Inconvenient Truth about Child Protective Services, Foster care, and
the Child Protection "INDUSTRY"
Child Protective Services Does not protect children...
It is sickening how many children are subject to abuse, neglect and even
killed at the hands of CPS.
every parent should read the free handbook from
connecticut dcf watch...
http://www.connecticutdcfwatch.com
Number of Cases per 100,000 children in the US
These numbers come from The National Center on
Child Abuse and Neglect in Wa****ngton. (NCCAN)
Recent numbers have increased significantly for CPS
Perpetrators of Maltreatment
Physical Abuse CPS/Foster care 160, biological Parents 59
***ual Abuse CPS/Foster care 112, biological Parents 13
Neglect CPS/Foster care 410, biological Parents 241
Medical Neglect CPS/Foster care 14 biological Parents 12
Fatalities CPS/Foster care 6.4, biological Parents 1.5
Imagine that, 6.4 children die at the hands of the very agencies that
are supposed to protect them and only 1.5 at the hands of parents per
100,000 children. CPS perpetrates more abuse, neglect, and ***ual abuse
and kills more children then parents in the United States. If the
citizens of this country hold CPS to the same standards that they hold
parents too. No judge should ever put another child in the hands of ANY
government agency because CPS nationwide is guilty of more harm and
death than any human being combined. CPS nationwide is guilty of more
human rights violations and deaths of children then the homes from which
they were removed. When are the judges going to wake up and see that
they are sending children to their death and a life of abuse when
children are removed from safe homes based on the mere opinion of a
bunch of social workers.
THIS IS AMERICA'S HIDDEN HOLOCAUST
Currently Child Protective Services violates more constitutionally
guaranteed liberties & civil rights on a daily basis then all other
agencies combined, Including the National Security agency/Central
intelligence agency wiretaping programs…
THE CORRUPT BUSINESS OF CHILD PROTECTIVE SERVICES
BY: Nancy Schaefer Senator, 50th District of Georgia
http://www.senatornancyschaefer.com/articles.php?filter=6
This is Child Protection?
By Gregory A. Hession, J.D.
http://www.jbs.org/node/4632
Mercenary Motherhood: "Memoirs of a Babystealer."
http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-oe-callahan16oct16,0,5019944.story?coll=la-opinion-rightrail
FOSTER CARE IS A 80 PERCENT FAILURE:. A Brief Analysis of the Casey
Family Programs. Northwest Foster Care Alumni Study. By Richard Wexler
http://www.nccpr.org/re****ts/cfpanalysis.doc
HOW THE WAR AGAINST CHILD ABUSE BECAME A WAR AGAINST CHILDREN
http://www.nccpr.org/issues/1.html
Adoption Bonuses: The Money Behind the Madness
DSS and affiliates rewarded for breaking up families
By Nev Moore Massachusetts News
http://www.massnews.com/past_issues/2000/5_May/mayds4.htm
A recent study has found that 12-18 months after leaving foster care:
30% of the nation’s homeless are former foster children.
27% of the males and 10% of the females had been incarcerated
33% were receiving public assistance
37% had not finished high school
2% receive a college degree
50% were unemployed
Children in foster care are three to six times more likely than children
not in care to have emotional, behavioral and developmental problems,
including conduct disorders, depression, difficulties in school and
impaired social relation****ps. Some experts estimate that about 30% of
the children in care have marked or severe emotional problems. Various
studies have indicated that children and young people in foster care
tend to have limited education and job skills, perform poorly in school
compared to children who are not in foster care, lag behind in their
education by at least one year, and have lower educational attainment
than the general population.
*Casey Family Programs National Center for Resource Family Sup****t
80 percent of prison inmates have been through the foster care system.
The highest ranking federal official in charge of foster care, Wade Horn
of the Department of Health and Human Services, is a former child
psychologist who says the foster care system is a giant mess and should
just be blown up.
http://abcnews.go.com/print?id=2017991
Four rigorous studies have found that at least 30 percent of America’s
foster children could be home right now if their parents had decent
housing.
This study found thousands of children already in foster care who would
have done better had child protection agencies not taken them away in
the first place.
Front-page story in USA Today.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2007-07-02-foster-study_N.htm?csp=34#Close
Read the studies online.
Casey "alumni" study: "Improving Family Foster Care: Findings from the
Northwest Foster Care Alumni Study,"
www.casey.org/Resources/Publications/NorthwestAlumniStudy.htm
MIT study: "Child Protection and Child Outcomes: Measuring the Effects
of Foster Care,"
www.mit.edu/~jjdoyle/doyle_fosterlt_march07_aer.pdf
Texas comptroller's "Forgotten Children" re****ts:
www.window.state.tx.us/forgottenchildren
The bottom line? - Child Protective Services and the Foster Care system
for the most part turns out young adults that are nothing more than
walking wreckage...
CURRENTLY CHILD PROTECTIVE SERVICES VIOLATES MORE CONSTITUTIONALLY
GUARANTEED LIBERTIES & CIVIL RIGHTS ON A DAILY BASIS THEN ALL OTHER
AGENCIES COMBINED INCLUDING THE NATIONAL SECURITY AGENCY/CENTRAL
INTELLIGENCE AGENCY WIRETAPPING PROGRAMS....
CHILD PROTECTIVE SERVICES, HAPPILY DESTROYING THOUSANDS OF INNOCENT
FAMILIES YEARLY NATIONWIDE AND COMING TO YOU'RE HOME SOON...
BE SURE TO FIND OUT WHERE YOUR CANDIDATES STANDS ON THE ISSUE OF
REFORMING OR ABOLI****NG CHILD PROTECTIVE SERVICES ("MAKE YOUR CANDIDATES
TAKE A STAND ON THIS ISSUE.") THEN REMEMBER TO VOTE ACCORDINGLY IF THEY
ARE "FAMILY UNFRIENDLY" IN THE NEXT ELECTION...
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