Poca's Foster parents-The Langleys will appear on The Today Show on NBC (KING 5) on Thursday morning.
Comments
112 | Recommend 
25Governor intervening for girl taken from foster home
10:54 PM PDT on Wednesday, May 13, 2009
EVERETT, Wash. – In a stunning turn of events Wednesday in the case of a 4-year-old special-needs foster child nicknamed Poca, the Governor has decided to intervene, opening the door for Poca to possibly return to the place she calls home..... To read the rest of the article and read the governors comments click on the comment link above or go to:http://www.king5.com/topstories/stories/NW_051309WAB-poca-rally-KS.20fbd1bb.html
Gov. Gregoire's statement on foster care
05:49 PM PDT on Thursday, April 30, 2009
Gov. Chris Gregoire released the following statement today regarding foster care in Washington state:
“When a child is abused or neglected, finding that child a safe, permanent home and family is our highest moral and legal duty as a society.
“That demands decisions that are both carefully considered and timely. The sooner a child is placed in a safe, stable home the better it is for the child.
“As a former social worker, I can tell you that the issues and emotions in these case are always complex and the decisions almost never come down to simple choices of black or white, good or evil, as they are often portrayed....
to read the rest of the article click on comment link above title of this article or go to:http://www.king5.com/specialreport/stories/NW_043009INV-gregoire-statement-KS.87a828a.html?ocp=1#slcgm_comments_anchor
One of the comments of someone who wants to help Poca is below:
WHAT YOU CAN DO TO HELP
What is happening is an outrage. You can help us stop the insanity.1. Join us at a PROTEST RALLY at 10 AM on Wednesday, May 13, in front of the courthouse at the Denny Juvenile Justice Center, 2801 10TH STREET, Everett, Washington.
2. Join us this Facebook cause and invite everyone on your friends list. Copy the KING 5 link onto your Wall and Share it.
3. Get on our mailing list for updates:
http://www.fosterjustice.com/about/contact.htm
4. DONATE TO PROTECT THE RIGHTS OF FOSTER KIDS: Make a tax deductable donation online, or at any Bank of America branch for "Foster Care Justice Alliance": http://www.fosterjustice.com/donate/donate.htm
5. Contribute to the "Amy Langley Fund" at any Wells Fargo branch.
6. Write to your legislator expressing outrage. We are asking the legislature during their one day special session to pass a resolution honoring the exemplary foster care given by the Langleys. Find your legislators here: http://apps.leg.wa.gov/DistrictFind er/Default.aspx
7. Write to the governor. It's time she stops the outrageous behavior of the Everett DCFS office. This is just ONE CASE out of MANY where foster parents have been attacked for advocating for the child.
There are 10,000 kids in foster care in Washington State. Half have been there for more than three years. Don't these kids have rights? Don't they deserve a life?
They are defenseless. They have no voice. That's why they need you.
Gary Malkasian
President
Foster Care Justice Alliance
www.FosterJustice.com
CONTACT US
Foster Care Justice Alliance
P.O. Box 233
Woodinville, WA 98072-0233
E-mail: fosterjustice@live.com
24 Hour Message Line: (484) 288-4364
Fax: (206) 493-2773
Gov. Gregoire’s statement After
discussions with the incoming Secretary of the Department of Social and
Health Services, Susan Dreyfus, I am directing her to make it an
immediate priority to initiate an independent, third party
investigation of this case. This review must look into how this case
was handled by every component of the child welfare system, and provide
a report of findings and recommendations to me no later than the end of
June. The acting secretary of DSHS has
informed me that the department will renew its request to the Attorney
General to file a petition to terminate parental rights with the court,
and ask the court to consider the proper placement of the child pending
the outcome of the case. As a former
social worker, I know that nothing is more important than placing a
child in a safe, stable home. We should not forget that the goal in
these and other cases is to do what is best for the child. (KING 5's Rob Piercy and Karin Czulik contributed to this report.)
The governor should step in and give this little girl a chance to stay with this foster family the only family she has ever known, instead of moving her to another foster home, not to her birth parents either. The governor has the power to have a stay of execution, she should be able to save this little girls sanity and childhood from being moved from foster family to foster family to foster family.
These stories show how vindictive some of the state social workers are. Its not the foster families who are moving these children all the time. They want you to be quiet and don't speak up for the child you are caring for, you are just a sitter in there eyes.
Please read and watch the video clips below:
Comments
36 | Recommend 8Investigators: Family says it's target of DSHS retaliation
11:31 PM PDT on Thursday, April 30, 2009
http://www.king5.com/localnews/investigators/stories/NW_043009INV-langley-foster-parentsKS.6d8ad6b.html
Investigators: State agency breaks laws, robs foster child of stable home
09:30 AM PDT on Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Investigators: Report says state unfairly picks foster care over family
01:58 PM PST on Thursday, January 15, 2009
http://www.king5.com/localnews/investigators/stories/NW_011409INV-ombudsman-child-custody-report-TP.3157895.html
Investigators: Grandparents closer to permanent custody
10:45 PM PST on Friday, February 27, 2009
http://www.king5.com/localnews/investigators/stories/NW_022709INV-grandparents-custody-KC.e5c79d8.html
WA foster-care Braam settlement battle goes back to court
05:36 PM PST on Wednesday, January 16, 2008
http://www.king5.com/localnews/north/stories/NW_011608WAB_foster_care_abuse_TP.2b2a8092.html
Comments
9 | Recommend 2 Click on the comment link to the left to take you to all of King 5's investigation articles or to read full article: http://www.king5.com/localnews/investigators/stories/NW_051209INV_state-of-injustice-index-JM.1b963b7f.html
Investigators: State of Injustice
05:35 PM PDT on Wednesday, May 13, 2009
In the last year, the KING 5 Investigators have committed tremendous resources to looking into issues at the state's largest agency - the Department of Social and Health Services.
As these investigative stories reveal, there are serious problems in all three of these areas. The system has failed these children and created a State of Injustice.
May 13, 2009: Dozens rally for girl taken from foster home
May 6, 2009: Investigators: Little girl ripped from stable foster home
May 4, 2009: Investigators: Wave of support for foster parents following TV coverage
May 1, 2009: Investigators: Family says it’s target of DSHS retaliation
April 28, 2009: Investigators: State agency breaks laws, robs foster child of stable home
March 24, 2009: Investigators: $6M settlement for starved boy
March 10, 2009: Investigators: Therapist's records don't add up
February 27, 2009: Investigators: Grandparents closer to permanent custody
February 5, 2009: Investigators: 200 rally against DSHS in Olympia
January 19, 2009: Investigators: State e-mails obtained in starving boy case
January 15, 2009: Investigators: Report says state unfairly picks foster care over family
January 9, 2009: Investigators: Judge gives girl back to grandparents
January 7, 2009: Investigators: Stunning ruling opens door for grandparents
January 6, 2009: Investigators: Trial could lead to loss of grandchild forever
December 11, 2008: Investigators: Grandparents passed over in favor of foster care
Interact
Reporter Blog: Why did we do the story on Poca?
http://www.king5.com/video/index.html?nvid=356162
Reporter Blog: Why did we do the story on Alexis?
http://blogs.king5.com/archives/2008/12/behind-the-scen-2.html
Resources
Children’s Administration/DSHS
http://www.dshs.wa.gov/ca/general/index.asp
Office of the Family and Children’s Ombudsmen
For foster care to change is something that has to be done almost outside the gov. agency. Only because they spend a lot of money doing nothing but sending us in a circle. We need a private corp, there are lots of companies such as Microsoft that have tons of employees and can seem to make it run; there are floral shops that can send out 400 orders on Valentines day and track them so if you use this as a basic example it can be done. I think because they see all the money spent that could be invested, classes that could be done on video instead of paying people to do this, it could be checked out. If the day care system makes money we should be able to make this work without looking to a public official. We just need to ban together and not stand for it as individuals. We need our own sets of foster parents in each town to to band together for each advocation, not as one on one w/ a state worker helping us there is more power in numbers because no one knows what goes on in the systems but us.
Why did Matt Cleary make it such and act of congress to receive a gift and clothing donation for DSHS-DCFS was it because he had to take time out of his busy schedule to sign a piece of paper, was it a bad day because it was close to Christmas, was he overwhelmed by the department, did he need a vacation, is it that he didn't want to receive a gift for a child, or he didn't like the licensor and it was a donation she asked me to bring?
He told me he, "would do it this one time, but don't make it habit." I made it clear there wouldn't be another time. Maybe it would be best to not donate to DSHS and be better to take your donations to Children's Home Society, Olive Crest or Tent City.
This is the second time this has happened to me at this office. Anyone considering working or becoming part of our system you might do better if you switch to a private agency than work for a new supervisor like Matt Cleary who should retire, or dealing with other DSHS workers who are rude or lie to you.
This is only the beginning I have several more incidences and names of workers who should retire or be fired. They need to have classes for them on diversity and compassion and actually apply it.
Please post your comments and vent all you want here and add names of your workers so we know who to be aware of in the future.
Your friend,
Early Bird Mama
My Wonderful Big Hearted Friend has been a Foster Mom for many years now. She is one of the best Foster Mom's in the State. She is frustrated how she has been treated and how her foster children are treated by Washington State. Now she received help from Foster care advocates and also her licensor or she may have not made it through all of these years, so not everyone in the system is bad. But she is looking for ways to change the system. She has many ideas along with her daughter and I too. So this is why I started this site for her. She was looking for a way to vent and come up with ideas.
Something so terrible has happened recently when they moved one of the children in her home. The child was moved because of the Social Worker wasn't happy when she would let him know he wasn't doing his job, she's like a Mama bear when her kids aren't getting the services that they are supposed to be getting. Now because she is complaining they placed a referral on her (said it was over not giving meds, but when they switch meds she needs paperwork from the SW or she can't give the meds), which was a retaliation but the referral should be going against the S.W. The state is trying to cover themselves for moving the child when he could have stayed with her until he aged out of the system which is around 16 years old. The Brahm lawsuit (former foster children came back and sued the state several years ago) has some things the state is supposed to comply with and one is not moving a foster child so many times. Now the state has to have a reason for moving a child who could've stayed in her home. Update read this story below and copy or click on the below link:
WA foster-care settlement battle goes back to court
05:36 PM PST on Wednesday, January 16, 2008
http://www.king5.com/localnews/north/stories/NW_011608WAB_foster_care_abuse_TP.2b2a8092.html
Well her daughter and I wrote several letters, to the newspaper and news stations and didn't seem to get a response but we also sent a letter to the Governor's office. Well when the referral came on board, my friend phoned the governor's office in Olympia and let her know she wasn't happy how she is being treated and that the S.W. (that decides the referral outcome) coming to meet with her after having this over her head several weeks and after sw. post poning one time before. Didn't show up at her 3:00 appointment. I happened to be there going over a Wedding planning appointment for my niece. I stayed to give her support because she was nervous. The lady never called to say she was late. I thought it was strange not to call at least 5 minutes before or at 3pm or 10 minutes after 3 no calls. I stayed until 3:40 no SW. My friend had another appointment to go to and left at 3:50. I guess the SW showed up at 4 pm and was rude to her step daughter. I just don't get it. I was a foster parent only 9 months and couldn't believe how rude I was talked to by the SW and others in the system. I don't know how people stay foster parents. I believe this person who is a SW, is the judge and jury, and I believe she is vindictive and the state is covering themselves for future lawsuits from this child that was moved necessarily.
What's amazing my friends daughter got a call from the Governors office last week. They said that they decided to call the SW on the case that moved the child from their home and see the reason for the move. After speaking to the SW the governors office told her daughter to let her Mom know the head of the department of children services would be calling her Mom... I guess the SW didn't have much of a reason saying it was "a low priority case and he was busy." (This upset my friend and she got tears in her eyes when she heard this). Oh that made the Governor's office upset with the SW's response and they contacted the head of the department and called my friend this last Friday and told her if she wanted the child back all she had to do was call the SW. She did and has only been able to leave messages and he still hasn't contacted as this being written. Today she was told that they decided the referral is going to be put in her file. I hope she can appeal it. Very interesting they decided that way. She doesn't know if she is going to get the child back.
My friend is broken up about all of this and trying to be tough skinned but she may finally decide to retire from Foster care, it is a hard system to be in. She should be getting an award for all of her work. She has helped over 17 broken hearted children over the years, she only takes one child at a time. She would take children that no other foster family could handle, she would help them settle down and help them by letting them know they were safe with her and her family and she wouldn't give up on them and helped them believe they could learn and do well in school, she also would coach basketball and baseball for the ones that liked to play sports. Some kids couldn't read or write and she would help them. Oh and her brother liked taking some of the foster children to Sonic Basketball games. They all loved her and her family. I think what her and her family did for these kids is amazing and I am proud to be her friend.
DD
(Early Bird Mama's webmaster for this site)
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Karma468 said:
[this is good]Hello DD, God Bless your friend and her family for everything she has done and I hope and pray that... read more
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