« March 29, 2005 | Main | March 31, 2005 »
March 30, 2005
Rendell Administration Designates April as Child Abuse Prevention Month; April 4 Breakfast to Focus on `Domestic Violence and the Connection to Child Abuse'
March 30, 2005
Press Release Source: Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare
HARRISBURG, Pa., March 30 /PRNewswire -- In recognition of April as Child Abuse Prevention Month in Pennsylvania, Department of Public Welfare Secretary Estelle B. Richman said that the best way to protect children from physical, mental and sexual abuse is to nurture and support them as they face the many challenges of life.
"Each year many children in the Commonwealth suffer from abuse and neglect, permanently disabling and psychologically affecting them," Secretary Richman said. "Child Abuse Prevention Month reminds us that it is imperative to nurture our children if we are to improve the quality of life in our society. Insuring the safety of children helps to insure the future for us all."
On April 4, Parents Anonymous of Pennsylvania will observe Child Abuse Prevention Month by holding its annual Blue Ribbon Breakfast at the Hilton Harrisburg and Towers. The breakfast will be held from 8:30 a.m. until 10 a.m. and is being co-sponsored by Pennsylvania Children's Trust Fund, Pennsylvania Children and Youth Administrators Association, Pennsylvania Coalition Against Domestic Violence and DPW.
The theme of this year's breakfast is "Domestic Violence and the Connection to Child Abuse." The keynote speaker will be Sandra L. Bloom, M.D., psychiatrist and author of "Creating Sanctuary: Toward the Evolution of Sane Societies." Karen Maddocks, from Berks County, will speak on behalf of parents.
Parents Anonymous will also unveil a new brochure on parenting when domestic violence is an issue. Blue ribbon pins and blue ribbon car magnets stating: "Building Strong Family Ties," will also be distributed.
DPW, which oversees the Children's Trust Fund, is funding 13 new mini-grants intended to develop new and innovative child abuse and neglect prevention programs. Funding is specifically aimed at programs that focus on preventing abuse before it occurs. Grant recipients are listed below.
In Pennsylvania, more than 23,000 reports of suspected child abuse were made in 2004, with more than 4,000 of the reports substantiated. Last year, 44 children died as a result of abuse or neglect.
To report suspected child abuse, call ChildLine toll free, anytime, at 1-800-932-0313.
For more information on child abuse prevention visit http://www.dpw.state.pa.us, keyword Office of Children, Youth and Families.
EDITOR'S NOTE: The following is a list by county of the Children's Trust Fund mini-grant recipients. Each grantee is receiving the funds over a three-year grant period running through Oct. 31, 2007
Cumberland County
Pennsylvania Coalition Against Rape
$150,000
Columbia County
Columbia County Commissioners
$87,500
Erie County
SafeNet - A Domestic Violence Safety Network
$96,922
Indiana County
ARIN Intermediate Unit #28
$112,954
McKean County
The Guidance Center
$150,000
Mifflin County
Mifflin County Children and Youth Services/Communities That Care
$150,000
Philadelphia County
Philadelphia Society for Services to Children
$150,000
Girls Inc. of Greater Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey
$150,000
Institute for Safe Families Inc.
$150,000
Joseph S. Peters Institute
$150,000
Somerset County
Tableland Services, Inc./Salisbury Area Family Center
$150,000
Washington County
Community Action Southwest
$150,000
Wyoming County
Wyoming County Human Services
$150,000
CONTACT: Schenley Kent, Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare, +1-717-787-4592
Posted by Nancy at 08:27 PM | Comments (0)
Former boy scout official admits child porn charge
March 30, 2005 [Associated Press]
Fort Worth, Texas - former Boy Scouts of America official who ran a task force to protect children from sexual abuse yesterday admitted a child pornography charge.
Douglas Smith, 61, was accused of receiving internet images of children engaging in sex acts. He admitted possessing and distributing child pornography.
Smith, who lives in Colleyville, near Fort Worth, Texas, faces five to 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000 (£133,000). He will be sentenced on July 12.
Smith, who worked for the scouts for 39 years, was a national programme director and for two years had led its youth protection task force which worked to shield young people from sexual abuse. However, he did not work directly with children, officials said.
He was put on leave last month as soon as the organisation learned of the allegations, and he then retired.
Gregg Shields, national spokesman for the Boy Scouts, said the organisation was shocked and dismayed.
"This is the action of one individual. It certainly doesn't represent our values or mission," Shields said.
Law enforcement officials indicated the pictures did not show boys who were scouts, he added.
Posted by Nancy at 08:27 PM | Comments (0)
DHS has backlog of over 2,000 child abuse cases, documents show
March 30, 2005 [Associated Press]
JACKSON, MS - Mississippi's child protection agency has a backlog of 2,863 child abuse case and its caseworkers take an average of 76 hours to respond to abuse allegations, documents show.
The backlog was revealed in documents obtained by lawyers suing the Department of Human Services. The backlog numbers, however, represent children who are not in DHS custody and not directly involved in the suit.
The lawsuit alleges the state failed to protect children who depend on DHS and the Division of Family and Children's Services.
Betty Mallett, an attorney with McGlinchey Stafford PLLC representing DHS, said the federal court has already dismissed similar claims by New York-based Children's Rights, which sued DHS.
"This is just another attempt by (Children's Rights) to embarrass the Mississippi Department of Human Services," she said in a written statement. "We believe that (Children's Rights) is just trying to intimidate the state of Mississippi, especially during this legislative session."
While similar data for other states is not readily available, Eric Thompson, an attorney with Children's Rights, said the numbers from Mississippi are unusually high.
"We've seen in other dysfunctional systems we have sued because they were not protecting children, we have seen backlogs in the hundreds, but I don't know of any other system where we're talking thousands," he said. "This has been a hidden crisis."
One document shows the number of investigations open for more than 30 days as of Jan. 15.
Of those 2,863 investigations, the region including Chickasaw, Clay, Itawamba and other counties had 79. The region including Covington, Forrest, George and six other counties had 817, while the region with Hancock, Harrison and Jackson counties had 823.
Thompson said DHS' policy says caseworkers need to determine whether abuse or neglect has occurred within 15 days.
Another DHS document shows the number of investigations opened in each of the department's nine regions, along with the percentage of cases in which a caseworker responded within 24 hours.
While 87 percent of the investigations had a response within 24 hours in the region including Chickasaw, Clay, Itawamba, Lee and six other counties, that number dropped to 60.2 percent for the region including Hinds and Warren counties.
For the region including Hancock, Harrison and Jackson counties, the number was 66 percent.
Caseworkers in that region also take about 270 hours - or nearly seven days - before they make an initial response, contributing to a statewide average of 76 hours, documents show.
Posted by Nancy at 08:24 PM | Comments (0)
Governor signs measure for life sentence for child abuse deaths
March 30, 2005 [Associated Press]
LAS CRUCES, N.M. Governor Richardson has signed into law a measure that requires a life sentence for child abuse resulting in death.
The governor signed the measure in Las Cruces.
It was sponsored by Dona Ana County Democratic Senator Mary Jane Garcia.
Richardson says the new law sends the message that it's unacceptable to harm a child. And he says those who kill a child in New Mexico will go to prison for life.
Posted by Nancy at 08:20 PM | Comments (0)