The two links below are to the entire article about this wonderful development (I have printed part of it) and to a copy of the letter sent to the agency by the state. This warms the cockles of my heart, to the max. I am hoping that Stephanie Bennett's attorney will take this and run with it. If ever a young mother was taken in by unethical adoption practices, it is Stephanie. She has gone through many a court appearance, trying to regain custody of her, now, two-year-old little girl and the adopters still hide her and the opposition's attorney keeps stalling. Same shitty tactics, different day. Stephanie's case is the BSE , all over again, with the exception that she had her parent's support but was influenced by fear of another person.
I would love to see a similar investigation into other agencies, such as A Chosen Child, here in FL just for the sake of more regulation. They might also have a lot to answer to, but then, this entire state is a boiling cauldron of self-entitled adopters and those who cater to them. We have that famous 24-hour period in which a mother is given a chance to rescind surrender of parental rights. You can't get a good attorney in just 24 hours, especially one that will go up against the adoption industry in this state.
I am sure that, if the court rules (as they already have on one occasion) that Evelyn Bennett should be returned to her family, the same tactics will be used that have been used in the past....the would-be adopters will get the child all upset and then stage a hysterical scene for the reporters as they turn her over to her mother. Of course they will have to find them, first. They grabbed the baby and ran and hid. You know, if a natural parent in a custody battle did that, they would be arrested and thrown under the jail. Where's the real justice?
Get ready for another Oscar-winning performance by the arrogant, greedy and needy who feel they are more entitled to a child than the mother of that child. God, what a sick society it is in which we dwell. It is a society that makes it impossible for people to communicate in a manner that would prevent such a thing from happening in the first place...a society that protects molesters and punishes their victims....a society that practices eugenics with nary an apology or explanation....a society that refuses to recognize that most sacred of bonds, the bond between the mother and her child. We are in the death-throes of our time as a world power and we are still trying to rule the world by using the rule of supply and demand only with a human product.
The adoption industry and the government are hand-in-glove, involved in the flesh trade just as surely as it was during the days of slavery. The state DSS departments and the CAS (in Canada) are so taken with their own power that they remove babies from parents on the flimsiest of whims and move them around like pieces on a chess board. I once worked a jigsaw puzzle depicting two dragons playing chess with humans as the chess pieces. I can't help but think of this vivid picture in relation to the agencies and government entities that play the old game of eugenics. Dragons they are and dragons they will be. Follow the links and read all about it.
State seeks to close adoption agency
Ohio department to yank A Child's Waiting license; Copley operation to appeal
By Rick Armon Beacon Journal staff writer
Published on Wednesday, Mar 19, 2008
The state is seeking to shut down a local adoption agency, citing numerous violations, including placing a child in an uncertified foster home and not documenting background checks.
A Child's Waiting of Copley Township was notified last week in a 12-page letter that the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services won't renew its certification and plans to revoke its license.
The agency is appealing the decision and continuing to operate, co-director Crissy Kolarik said Tuesday.
''We are going through the appeal process, which can take months,'' she said. ''We are optimistic that this will have a positive outcome after the appeal process.''
Working Mother magazine last year named the agency as one of the nation'sbest 25 small companies because of its family-friendly culture. A Child's Waiting, which has handled about 1,400 adoptions since it was founded in 2000, also was featured glowingly on ABC News' 20/20 a few years ago.
Sloppy paperwork
The state says violations indicate a pattern of sloppy paperwork in the adoption process. For example, some records are incomplete, documentation of background checks isn't included in files and mandatory face-to-face visits weren't held in the required time frame.
State spokesman Dennis Evans declined to identify any violations as more serious than others, saying they ''collectively led to the decision.'' He said the state had not received an official appeal from the agency as of Tuesday afternoon.
The state also notified all public and private adoption agencies in Ohio of its decision. In all, the state alleged that A Child's Waiting violated 20 adoption rules, some of them numerous times between 2005 and 2007. They include:
• Placing a few children in other states and receiving children from other states without first receiving state permission. The agency also placed several children without having permanent custody of the child.
• Placing a child in an uncertified foster home.
• Failing to document discussions with a child about injuries or determining how the placement was progressing.
• Asking the state to reimburse the agency for foster care training for individuals who were not eligible for payments. The agency also ''failed to make stipend payments to foster caregivers for training sessions they successfully completed.''
• Failing to make sure a child received appropriate medical care after identifying injuries. ''The child was removed from the foster home by local law enforcement due to allegations of physical abuse,'' the state said. The foster family, and not the agency, was accused of the abuse.
The state did not provide details about each violation. One violation was erased from the letter provided to the Beacon Journal.
Evans cited privacy concerns.
Kolarik said some of the violations ''were clerical in nature'' and others have already been resolved.
Penny Wyman, executive director of the Ohio Association of Child Caring Agencies, said the number of violations shows a pattern of problems.
''It's the details that keep kids safe,'' she said.
Families surprised
Some families who have adopted through A Child's Waiting expressed surprise at the state decision, saying they have had positive experiences with the agency.
Joel and Mary Testa of Cuyahoga Falls adopted their daughter, Zoe, in late 2005.
''They were extremely diligent and informative,'' Joel Testa said. ''We've referred several people to them and they've had a similar experience.''
Decision in case
Meanwhile, A Child's Waiting won a decision last week in Summit County Probate Court involving a contested adoption, an attorney said.
Teenager Stephanie Bennett of Canton has been trying to regain custody of her daughter, Evelyn, since 2006. She had agreed to the adoption but later regretted the decision. Evelyn a few months old at the time.
Bennett has alleged that she was forced into the adoption by the child's father and that the agency urged her to run away from home to avoid scrutiny from her parents.
A magistrate determined that there was no duress involved, Bennett's attorney, Jennifer Lowry, said. Lowry said she is appealing the decision.
State investigators also have concluded that there was no evidence that Bennett was asked to run away. But the agency was cited for several procedural and paperwork violations related to the adoption.
The state announced last May that it was reviewing the agency's state license because of the Bennett case and a history of similar violations.
Bennett's case was not cited in the state's 12-page letter provided to the Beacon Journal.
''I'm kind of glad that they lost their license and they are being shut down,'' said Judy Bennett, Stephanie's mother. ''If they wanted to be in business, they shouldn't have started doing things (improperly).''
Ohio department to yank A Child's Waiting license; Copley operation to appeal
By Rick Armon Beacon Journal staff writer
Published on Wednesday, Mar 19, 2008
The state is seeking to shut down a local adoption agency, citing numerous violations, including placing a child in an uncertified foster home and not documenting background checks.
A Child's Waiting of Copley Township was notified last week in a 12-page letter that the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services won't renew its certification and plans to revoke its license.
The agency is appealing the decision and continuing to operate, co-director Crissy Kolarik said Tuesday.
''We are going through the appeal process, which can take months,'' she said. ''We are optimistic that this will have a positive outcome after the appeal process.''
Working Mother magazine last year named the agency as one of the nation'sbest 25 small companies because of its family-friendly culture. A Child's Waiting, which has handled about 1,400 adoptions since it was founded in 2000, also was featured glowingly on ABC News' 20/20 a few years ago.
Sloppy paperwork
The state says violations indicate a pattern of sloppy paperwork in the adoption process. For example, some records are incomplete, documentation of background checks isn't included in files and mandatory face-to-face visits weren't held in the required time frame.
State spokesman Dennis Evans declined to identify any violations as more serious than others, saying they ''collectively led to the decision.'' He said the state had not received an official appeal from the agency as of Tuesday afternoon.
The state also notified all public and private adoption agencies in Ohio of its decision. In all, the state alleged that A Child's Waiting violated 20 adoption rules, some of them numerous times between 2005 and 2007. They include:
• Placing a few children in other states and receiving children from other states without first receiving state permission. The agency also placed several children without having permanent custody of the child.
• Placing a child in an uncertified foster home.
• Failing to document discussions with a child about injuries or determining how the placement was progressing.
• Asking the state to reimburse the agency for foster care training for individuals who were not eligible for payments. The agency also ''failed to make stipend payments to foster caregivers for training sessions they successfully completed.''
• Failing to make sure a child received appropriate medical care after identifying injuries. ''The child was removed from the foster home by local law enforcement due to allegations of physical abuse,'' the state said. The foster family, and not the agency, was accused of the abuse.
The state did not provide details about each violation. One violation was erased from the letter provided to the Beacon Journal.
Evans cited privacy concerns.
Kolarik said some of the violations ''were clerical in nature'' and others have already been resolved.
Penny Wyman, executive director of the Ohio Association of Child Caring Agencies, said the number of violations shows a pattern of problems.
''It's the details that keep kids safe,'' she said.
Families surprised
Some families who have adopted through A Child's Waiting expressed surprise at the state decision, saying they have had positive experiences with the agency.
Joel and Mary Testa of Cuyahoga Falls adopted their daughter, Zoe, in late 2005.
''They were extremely diligent and informative,'' Joel Testa said. ''We've referred several people to them and they've had a similar experience.''
Decision in case
Meanwhile, A Child's Waiting won a decision last week in Summit County Probate Court involving a contested adoption, an attorney said.
Teenager Stephanie Bennett of Canton has been trying to regain custody of her daughter, Evelyn, since 2006. She had agreed to the adoption but later regretted the decision. Evelyn a few months old at the time.
Bennett has alleged that she was forced into the adoption by the child's father and that the agency urged her to run away from home to avoid scrutiny from her parents.
A magistrate determined that there was no duress involved, Bennett's attorney, Jennifer Lowry, said. Lowry said she is appealing the decision.
State investigators also have concluded that there was no evidence that Bennett was asked to run away. But the agency was cited for several procedural and paperwork violations related to the adoption.
The state announced last May that it was reviewing the agency's state license because of the Bennett case and a history of similar violations.
Bennett's case was not cited in the state's 12-page letter provided to the Beacon Journal.
''I'm kind of glad that they lost their license and they are being shut down,'' said Judy Bennett, Stephanie's mother. ''If they wanted to be in business, they shouldn't have started doing things (improperly).''
2 comments:
That's really sad. Parents and children shouldn't have had to go through any of that.
It's sad any time a mother and her baby are separated for the financial gain of an agency and the covetous greed of adopters. The money spent would be better used by helping these little families stay together. What they did to the Bennett family is past unethical and into criminal. I hope that justice takes its course and their license is yanked for good.
Post a Comment