June 5, 2006
State owes $86.6m to the
US, audit says
Medicaid overcharges blamed
on lax oversight
By Michael Levenson, Globe Staff State Medicaid officials repeatedly violated federal laws and regulations and must return $86.6 million to the US government, a new federal audit has found. The audit, by the inspector general for the US Department of Health and Human Services, found that from 2001 to the first quarter of 2004, state Medicaid officials overcharged the federal government for services provided by the state Department of Social Services. The audit found that the violations did not involve willful misconduct, but resulted instead from lax oversight. In all of the reported violations, state Medicaid officials billed the federal government for care that was not directly related to arranging medical services. The audit documented hundreds of thousands of instances of those improper claims over the period studied, times when the state overcharged Medicaid by amounts ranging from $209 to $295. State Medicaid officials labeled the audit ``seriously flawed and erroneous" and said they would contest the findings in a reply to the federal government that they plan to submit at the end of the month. March 29, 2005 Cold cases Foster care tragedies remain mysteries In the wake of the traumatic death of a 4-year-old boy placed in foster care in Dorchester, Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino is asking police to revisit the decade-old unsolved murders of two children, both in foster care. Michelle Walton, 9, was killed in October 1994 and Gage Guillen, 3, in September 1995. A Boston Herald report notes that no arrests or charges have been brought in either case. March 17, 2005 Boy’s death is mourned BOSTON— Hundreds of people filled a Dorchester church yesterday for the funeral of a 4-year-old who died in foster care, applauding as a minister to the family urged the mourners not to blame the boy’s birth parents. A DSS spokeswoman yesterday said investigators were still awaiting autopsy results to determine the cause of death. An internal DSS investigation into the handling of the case is also pending. Dickerson, whose booming address brought mourners to their feet, acknowledged Spence in the pews, saying he invited DSS to the funeral “because they needed to know what was going on.” March 8, 2005 Death of boy in foster care probed in Hub Autopsy of 4-year-old slated; biological family claims abuse BOSTON— Authorities are investigating the death of a 4-year-old boy who was living in a foster home in the city’s Dorchester neighborhood........ Jeffers’ biological family alleged that the boy had shown signs of physical abuse while in foster care, according to Spence. He declined to elaborate on those claims or discuss why Dontel had been taken from his mother’s home. January 25 From the Orange police log: 2:30 p.m. -- Department of Social Service requested a safety check of West Main Street location as he got a complaint of children in the home and there is no heat. Attempted several times at the residence with no answer. Message left. January 21, 2005 More city students referred to courts WORCESTER— The number of Worcester public school students that are referred to Worcester Juvenile Court because of their behavioral and attendance records is climbing, according to a report presented to the School Committee last night. According to the report, 101 students were referred to the Juvenile Court in 2001-2002 because of chronic school absences and behavioral problems. Those court referrals climbed to 156 in 2002-2003 and 195 last year. Although school adjustment counselors visit a student’s home
as soon as that student has 2-3 consecutive days of unexplained absences, there
is no numerical cutoff for the number of absences that would trigger a court
referral, Mr. Murray noted September 3, 2004 Two women allegedly sent photo to inmate WORCESTER- Two women were arraigned yesterday on kidnapping
and assault charges after a 2-year-old girl, the daughter of one of the
suspects, was bound with tape and photographed..... August. 9. 2004 DSS to work with family of boy hit by car LEOMINSTER -- The Department of Social Services will try to "strengthen" a family whose 5-year-old son was hit by a car earlier this week. DSS investigated Wednesday how Matthew Derry, 5, of 22 Lorchris St., was hit by a pickup truck on Tuesday while walking with his father. "A worker will assess them and go in and talk to everyone about their strengths and some of their weaknesses," said Denise Monteiro, a spokeswoman for DSS. Monteiro said Thursday the agency will open a case and offer services to the family. Voice note: What DSS is really saying is the Derry parents have been found SUPPORTED of NEGLECT and now guilty of child abuse. Their name will be placed on the F-NET computer program which by the states own contention has an in inaccurate rate 67 % of the time. The Derry's will be forced to comply with a service plan, which will require the parents to perform certain task. What service is DSS going to provided a street crossing classes? DSS in reality provides no services and this word "service" is used fraudulently to keep the truth from the general public. DSS is a terrorizing organization, which acts as judge and jury. No person with a BRAIN believes this is a case of child abuse. Good Job Worcester DA John Conte, you have just allowed another family to be terrorized and falsely convicted. DSS probes case of boy hit by truck LEOMINSTER -- The Department of Social Services is investigating how a 5-year-old boy was hit by a pickup truck Tuesday while walking with his father. Matthew Derry, 5, of 22 Lorchrist St., was struck by a Chevrolet pickup truck driven by Bennie Baca of 5 Calva St., on Viscoloid Avenue. The boy's father, Timothy Derry, said Wednesday the driver was at fault, despite DSS's investigation into possible neglect in the case. Denise Monteiro, a spokesman for DSS, said the agency received an anonymous complaint Tuesday night on the 24-hour Child-At-Risk Hotline. The matter was transferred to the North Central Massachusetts branch of DSS, which was investigating the matter with the Derry family Wednesday. Note: A 6 year old FOSTER child, in state custody can fall out a second floor window unsupervised, then be discovered alone two blocks away injured and DSS finds no neglect. A truck in a street hits a 5 year old child who darts out and the Natural parents are now subject to a neglect charge from a so called anonymous complaint! DSS is out of control, and should be subject to a CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION. However, your children are of little concern to DA John Conte who continues to turn a blind eye and fail our children. All while his friends that surround the child abuse "cottage Industry" continue to line their pockets and grow wealthy at the expense of Worcester County children. 2 boys in DSS case turn up Fitchburg parents grilled by judge Children appear at court WORCESTER- The two sons of a Fitchburg couple charged with contempt of court for refusing to disclose the sons' whereabouts were left yesterday by an unknown adult at Worcester Juvenile Court, then turned over to the state Department of Social Services."I had nothing to do with it. I saw the children here," said Mr. Hession, who has been involved in many cases against the DSS and has an anti-DSS Web site, MassOutrage.com, which describes "actual tactics used by the DSS to illegally kidnap children from families." Outside court, Ms. Richard and Mr. Hession lashed out against the DSS. "The children were safe and they didn't want to go to the DSS," Ms. Richard told reporters. "I did nothing wrong. I've been a mother for 16½ years and I've been wrongly accused of neglect, and my husband has been accused of abuse and my children have never been abused." Mr. Richard, whom his wife described as self-employed, declined comment. Ms. Richard said she cleans houses and takes care of children for a living. Mr. Hession charged that the DSS had pressured Ms. Richard to get restraining orders. "This is totally contrived," he said. "This involves egos and judges. These restraining orders are used as a weapon. This is one of the dirty tricks they use to break up families." The Richards, Mr. Hession continued, "have a good relationship despite the stress of this and they look forward to living together." August 20, 2004 Mother of two behind bars WORCESTER- A judge ordered yesterday that a Fitchburg woman remain behind bars until she reveals the whereabouts of the two children she and her husband were supposed to surrender to the state Department of Social Services last month. Judge Carol A. Erskine found Annette Richard, 36, in civil contempt after a hearing in Worcester Juvenile Court and ordered that she be held in custody at Framingham State Prison until Aug. 30, when another hearing will be held. Voice note: The Richard family made the only choice to protect their children. Judge Carol A. Erskine, should be removed from the bench and brought up on charges of gross misconduct. Based on DSS interruption any parents that argues is guilty of abusing their children! This is OUTRAGEOUS! With out any evidence of a crime, this family was convicted. DSS will destroy your family, kidnap your children all with no fear of accountability from the legal system. District Attorney John Conte, and the Massachusetts state police once again have fail the children of Worcester county ! August 3, 2004 Police, DSS say boy's fall from window accidental FITCHBURG- Fitchburg Police and the state Department of Social Services said a 6-year-old boy's fall out of a second-story window Saturday appears to have been an accident. ....... "The 6-year-old's fall out of a second-story window appears to be accidental. We are investigating. At the time of the fall, he was being baby-sat by an older teenager," Ms. Monteiro said. ............A passer-by saw the boy crying as he sat against a wall at the corner of Arlington and Prospect streets, about a block from his home. The woman noticed he had scratches on his face and she called the police, Chief Cronin said. Note: When this type of accident happens at the home of biological parents, the parents are immediately guilty of child neglect, the case is then screened in for a 45 day assessment. Again we see the DOUBLE standards when a incident occurs at a foster home, which obvious was allowed to operate without being properly prepared with safety precautions. July 31, 2004 DYS worker kept job after alleged abuse A Department of Youth Services employee was allowed to continue working in a Worcester juvenile jail for nearly two months after conducting a humiliating and sexually explicit strip search on a 13-year-old boy, sparking a review of how such cases are handled, officials said. May 13, 2003 Teen sex reported on school bus Monitor fired after catching pair in act School bus monitor found neglectful WORCESTER- Two students were engaging in a sexual act on a school bus and the bus monitor who caught them was fired after an inquiry by the state Department of Social Services. He told them to stop. He notified the bus driver and suggested they call the police. Mr. Valentin said the bus driver told him he did not want to stop and that Mr. Valentin should submit a report to Laidlaw, which is a vendor for the public schools. At hearings, DSS found Mr. Valentin and Michael Leger, the bus driver, neglectful. The DSS ruling said the agency found reasonable cause to support the neglect allegation. NOTE: Reasonable cause, is only a
interpretation that DSS who acts a judge and jury routinely makes in order to
"JUSTIFY" their jobs. DSS is the "major perpetrator" of child abuse and children
once "KIDNAPPED" from their home are three times morel likely to become "REAL"
victims of childhood abuse. Computer system used for tracking children Foster care records full of errors BOSTON- The state's $50 million computer system for tracking children in foster care is riddled with errors, according to a report released yesterday by state Auditor A. Joseph DeNucci. The report found the Department of Social Service's main foster care computer system, known as FamilyNet, has a 67 percent error rate, based on auditors' review of more than 4,000 cases in the system. The system is used to make key decisions about foster families. DSS: Teacher neglected female student "The investigators just finished," said Denise Monteiro, the DSS spokeswoman. "They met yesterday and supported a claim for neglect." The findings of neglect by DSS will be forwarded to Monty Tech Acting Superintendent James Culkeen and the state Department of Education, Monteiro said. "We didn't feel he was appropriately caretaking or being a
responsible adult," she said of Mahon. Agency officials said no other action is needed at this time because Jamieson's two teenage children do not fear their father and do not appear to be in or to have been in any danger, said department spokeswoman Denise Monteiro. Jamieson was arrested for domestic assault and battery, resisting arrest, and possession of marijuana, a Class D drug on Jan. 13. Monteiro said police are required to report an allegation of domestic violence to the department if a child is in the home. "It's just for us to help sort things out," said Monteiro. Alleged victim: Teacher innocent of misconduct FITCHBURG -- The girl named as a victim of alleged misconduct by a high school teacher is declaring the teacher innocent, according to her attorney. "The alleged victim and her family are irate," said Steven W.
Panagiotes, who also represents Ray Mahone, the Montachusett Regional Vocational
Technical School teacher under investigation. January 31, 2004 FITCHBURG -- Ray Mahon, the cabinet-making teacher accused of
misconduct with a student, is a victim of "rumors" and "gossip," according to
his attorney. January 19, 2004 Fake ID suspect left state Brazilian family said to head homeWORCESTER- A 15-year-old who allegedly sold fake documents to illegal Brazilian immigrants has left the state along with his 11-year-old brother and their mother, according to the Department of Social Services. We are always monitoring children's attendance," he said. "We have CHINS (Children in Need of Services)the court system and it's the law for children under 16 ... to go to school. We hold parents accountable." December 22, 2003 Foster child found good foster parents By Selma A. Carr, Southbridge I have been in five foster homes and some were really bad, but the sixth one was great. I never read anything in the newspaper about good foster parents. When the Paquettes took me in they treated me like their daughter. Even my own mother didn’t treat me like a daughter. They took me out wherever they were going and even took me on vacation, and these parents didn’t stop being parents when I turned 18. I am 36 years old now and they are still my parents and good parents. They still invite me on all the holidays, plus I have three foster brothers, but to me they are my real brothers. My nieces and nephews even call me Aunt Sally. I just wanted people to know that there are good foster parents around; you just have to look around because they are there. Voice note: How sad that this child had to first go threw (5) FIVE bad foster care homes first. Who is responsible for that abuse to this child????? Police say Webster father beat son Man held on $50,000 bail in alleged infant assaultWEBSTER- Police yesterday arrested a Webster man for assaulting his 3½-month-old son and he is being held on $50,000 bail. Police said Rocco Defilippo, 47, of 9 Granite St. was arrested about 12:45 p.m. yesterday at his home, and was booked at the police station on a charge of assault and battery on a child causing bodily injury. He was taken to Dudley District Court for arraignment. Police said last night he is being held in the Worcester County Jail and House of Correction, West Boylston, on $50,000 cash bail. The boy was discharged Dec. 12 from UMass Memorial Medical Center in Worcester and placed in the custody of the state Department of Social Services. The baby's mother brought him to a Worcester hospital Dec. 3 suffering from head injuries, according to Worcester District Attorney John J. Conte. Physicians treating the infant reported suspicious injuries to DSS, which notified his office and Webster police. Local police, the DSS and state police detectives attached to Mr. Conte's office investigated the case. Police said the case was sent to Mr. Conte's office for review and the decision to arrest Mr. Defilippo was made yesterday. He was arrested by Detective Michael Shaw and acting police chief Sgt. William J. Keefe. Webster Detective James T. Hoover, the lead investigator on the case, said this week that, based on the conclusion of the UMass doctors, the baby's injuries were not caused by being shaken. DSS spokeswoman Denise Monteiro has said the child's injuries were "consistent with physical abuse." She said two siblings were placed with relatives while DSS officials tried to determine if they would be in any danger if they went back home. It could not be determined last night whether those children have been returned home. A telephone directory assistance operator said last night the telephone number for Mr. Defilippo is not published. Charges awaited in baby abuse case By Jean Laquidara Hill T&G STAFF WEBSTER- Police Detective James T. Hoover expects charges to be filed soon in connection with the abuse of a local 3½-month-old boy hospitalized two weeks ago and discharged last week. Injuries to the infant, whom authorities have not identified, were described by a state official as suspicious and consistent with physical abuse after he was brought to UMass Memorial Medical Center Dec. 2. The baby was placed in the custody of the state Department of Social Services after being discharged from the hospital Friday, police said yesterday. District Attorney John J. Conte said the case is still being investigated by Detective Hoover, assisted by detectives assigned to Conte's office. Detective Hoover said yesterday that the baby's injuries are not from being shaken, based on the conclusion of UMass Memorial doctors. Asked the baby's condition, Detective Hoover said: "The baby is well enough to be released"; he declined to provide any information about the injuries. He also declined to identify the baby or the baby's parents, or to disclose whom he expects to be charged in the case. Mr. Conte said Dec. 3 that the baby had head injuries and that physicians treating the infant had reported suspicious injuries to the state Department of Social Services, which notified Mr. Conte's office and Webster police. Also Dec. 3, DSS spokeswoman Denise Monteiro described the injuries as consistent with physical abuse. She has said the baby's parents were not known to DSS before this incident. Mr. Conte had said the boy had been at home and at day care before being brought to the hospital by his mother. December 10, 2003 Foundation gets grant to aid children WORCESTER- The Health Foundation of Central Massachusetts announced a $398,653 project implementation grant yesterday to Community Healthlink. The grant will allow Community Healthlink, as administrator of the Child Abuse Prevention and Protection Collaborative, to continue work to prevent child abuse and neglect and develop a system of care for child victims in Central Massachusetts September 18, 2003 Romney's threat to cut DSS blasted Governor wants $11M approvedShaun Sutner, TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF BOSTON- With House Speaker Thomas M. Finneran out of town until next week, one of his deputies is blasting Gov. Mitt Romney's threat to lay off 137 Department of Social Services employees and close six DSS offices. The governor has called on the Legislature to approve $11 million so he won't have to make the move, but Mr. Finneran said before he left for a two-week trip to Hawaii that he would not be rushed into passing such a supplemental budget. Most observers expect the House to move on the funding soon after the speaker returns on Tuesday and before the Oct. 1 deadline Mr. Romney has set for carrying out the layoffs. Some House members complain privately that Mr. Romney is trying to make political hay out of the dispute by painting the Legislature as reluctant to provide funding for vulnerable citizens. And few believe the governor would follow through on his pledge. Administration officials, meanwhile, maintain that they are simply being fiscally prudent. They point out that the governor included money for the positions in his original budget proposal last February but had it rejected by lawmakers. State Rep. Marie J. Parente, D-Milford, in a letter to Mr. Romney Monday, maintained that the type of cuts he is proposing customarily aren't carried out until near the end of the fiscal year or unless there is a fiscal emergency. "Surely, lack of funding cannot be the reason for doing away with the core services required by these needy families?" Ms. Parente, House chairwoman of the Long-Term Debt Committee, wrote. "Where have the funds from our recently approved $22 billion (fiscal 2004) budget gone?" The lawmaker argued that if Mr. Romney were to carry out his threat to fire the workers, the state's adoption process would be seriously harmed. She said that federal rules governing adoption requires a plan to be in place for each child, and that the proposed cuts would make it difficult to meet the requirement and put federal funding at risk. "I am appalled at the impact this will have on some of our most fragile children and families," Ms. Parente wrote. She is also House chairwoman of the Special Legislative Committee on Foster Care. Administration officials responded that lawmakers have an easy way to avoid the cuts. "Our hope is the Legislature will act and approve the $11 million the administration has asked for," said Shawn Feddeman, a spokeswoman for the governor. "We think in the context of a $22 billion budget, $11 million is a small amount, and the Legislature, given the seriousness of the consequences of failure to act, will approve the funds." The longer the wait before additional money is pumped into the budget, "the worse the cuts will be" later in the year, Ms. Feddeman said. June 13, 2003 Home-schooling standoff in Waltham By Melissa Beecher / CNC Staff Writer WALTHAM -- A legal battle over two home-schooled children
exploded into a seven-hour standoff yesterday, when they refused to take a
standardized test ordered by the Department of Social Services. The Bryants contend that the city and state do not have the
legal right to force their children to take standardized tests, even though DSS
workers have threatened to take their children from them. voice note: this case is again the failure of the Juvenile court system to stop DSS abuse. the judge should be prosecuted for child abuse. America is a free country unless you have children, then the State feel they not only own them they have a right to abuse them. June 8, 2003 Man assaulted 3 children Jury finds child rapist a sexually dangerous person WORCESTER- A man convicted and sent to prison for eight years after sexually assaulting three little girls here was committed to a state treatment center yesterday after a Superior Court jury found him to be a sexually dangerous person.......The crimes took place in 1993 and 1994 in Mr. Smith's Worcester apartment during a time when he baby-sat for three girls, ages 5, 6 and 7, according to court records. May 31, 2003 Man, 68, guilty of
raping boy, 12 WORCESTER-
A 68-year-old Chino Avenue man was sentenced to jail
yesterday after being convicted of sexual assaults on a child. May 28, 2003 Worcester man, called "serial molester,' gets 25 to 40 years The indictments for which he was convicted earlier this month were returned against Mr. Wilcox in October of 2001 and June of 2002. Mr. Reilly called Mr. Wilcox a "serial molester" and said a long sentence was called for "just to protect children." He said Mr. Wilcox becomes involved in the lives of his victims by volunteering his services "as a caretaker for them." His latest victim is now in the custody of the state Department of Social Services. Marianne Toole, a DSS supervisor, read an impact statement yesterday that was prepared by the girl. Voice Note: the majority of sexual abuse happens in to children in DSS custody, theses children are stolen for profit and placed in dangerous situation where no one is ever held responsible. Who placed this child? May 25, 2003 DSS worker's husband is also arrested By Megan Tench, Globe Staff, Boston police yesterday arrested the husband of Thomasine
Dale, a Department of Social Services supervisor who was charged Friday with
beating two children in her care. May 25, 2003 DSS big busted in child beatings by Laurel J. Sweet Less than 24 hours after a top social worker was pinched for the tag-team beatings of her niece and nephew, her husband turned himself over to police yesterday to face identical charges. Longtime state Department of Social Services supervisor Thomasine ``Willie'' Dale, 56, and her husband, Fred, 64, allegedly pounded their 10-year-old niece Thursday night because she failed to fetch a wooden board suitable enough for them to hammer her 12-year-old brother. May 18, 2003 DA's office misguided on child sexual abuse Cape Cod times In your April 28 article on state budget cuts to the
Department of Social Services that threaten Children's Cove, the forensic agency
that investigates allegations of child sexual abuse on Cape Cod, First Assistant
District Attorney Brian Glenny was frighteningly quoted at the end of the
article: I know this is not true, and I wonder why a member of the district attorney's staff working for sexually abused children could be so misinformed. The truth is that about 5 percent of people sexually abused as children go on to sexually abuse. Glenny has, in one sentence, painted one-third of all women and one-fifth of all men as suspect child sex abusers. There are educational opportunities for the district attorney's staff to become better informed on these issues, particularly staff working closely with survivors of abuse. For Glenny to speak so ignorantly of survivors of early childhood sexual abuse is to render it questionable whether Children's Cove really is a safe place for children to talk. SUSAN B. LANDRY Community Advocates of Cape Cod Orleans January 31, 2003 Three Answers Will Trouble Conservatives DSS Intrusion into Maternity Wards One person complained about cuts to home visitation of mothers with newborns and asked if the money would be restored later. In the past, MassNews has exposed this home visitation program
as a virtual spy network for DSS. It uses deceptive practices to inject the eyes
of the state into the homes of new mothers. After each visit, the home visitor
files detailed reports about the home, mother and child without the mother's
knowledge, which is entered into a computer database and acted on by DSS if they
so choose. January 24, 2003 Couple who fought to adopt charged with abuse by Dave Wedge and Tom Farmer, Boston Herald ``This is a situation that's been going on for a period of time,'' Worcester Assistant District Attorney Paul Bolton said of the alleged abuse by Maryellen Corbett and her husband, Shawn. Bolton said Shawn Corbett, a former Boston school cop and Rhode Island correction officer, choked one of the boys until he passed out and that Maryellen Corbett systematically abused the kids. She allegedly kicked and hit them and struck them with a belt. One of the children had visible bruises and scars, Bolton said. The couple allegedly forced the boys, ages 11 and 9, and the 9-year-old girl to clean up after horses, sheep and dogs at the Bates Road farm. The children, two of whom are special needs students, were also made to do all the housework, including cleaning the Corbetts' bedroom, Mendon police Officer Brian Massey said. ``They're supposed to do all the chores,'' Massey said. ``They were made to clean the stalls. It's been going on for a lot of years.'' Maryellen Corbett, a 42-year-old Texas A & M graduate, has taught special education at West Roxbury High School for 11 years. School officials had no comment last night. Shawn Corbett, 37, is a Gulf War veteran who served 10 years in the Army before starting his law enforcement career at a Rhode Island juvenile jail. The couple were arrested Wednesday after the older boy told school officials about the alleged choking. Maryellen Corbett faces multiple counts of assault and was released on $1,000 bail after her arraignment yesterday in Milford District Court. Her husband faces assault and attempted murder charges and was held on $10,000 cash bail. Bolton said Shawn Corbett has a prior ``violent'' offense on his record and apparently changed his name so it wouldn't show up during police background checks. Providence College police Chief Phil Reilly said Corbett has been placed on administrative leave while the charges are reviewed. In an interview at the courthouse, Maryellen Corbett staunchly denied the allegations. She said the older boy fabricated the abuse to get attention. ``He's made unfounded allegations over the past four years,'' she said. ``There's no physical evidence. I don't abuse my children.'' According to Department of Social Services spokesman Michael McCormack, the agency has a history with the boys dating back to 1994, when they were removed from their biological family. The boys were placed in foster care with the Corbetts, who adopted them in 2000 after a three-year battle. The agency has had no dealings with the Corbetts until this week, McCormack said. Massey, however, said past abuse allegations were investigated but no charges were ever filed because the children recanted. The kids were taken by DSS and are staying with relatives, McCormack said. The boys' biological mother, Deborah Smith of Boston, said she lost her sons because of a drug habit she has since kicked. She expressed anger over the charges and is hoping to regain custody. ``They should be with their biological family,'' she said. ``This (alleged abuse) has been going on for six years and no one stepped forward and did anything about it. January 13, 2003 Victims lose privacy when courts release DSS records by Dave Wedge, Boston Herald Privacy rights are being trampled and the most intimate secrets of teenage girls are being thrust into the public spotlight as courts routinely release confidential Department of Social Services and counseling records to accused criminals, victims rights advocates charge. November 15, 2002 Annual adoption party planned for Sunday By NATALIA E. ARBULÚ Staff writer HOLYOKE - Nancy R. and Donald G. Veto of Westfield met Dominic last year at the Children's Museum in Holyoke The Vetos of Westfield were at the museum for the Massachusetts Adoption Resource Exchange's annual Western Massachusetts Adoption Party. The Vetos decided to adopt Dominic, now 3, and the adoption
became final July 25, Nancy Veto said. Dominic's placement was one of an average of 25 adoptions that result from the organization's adoption parties, according to director of communications Susan C. Minichiello. The organization, known as MARE, works with public and private adoption agencies to recruit parents for children in foster care, who are in need of adoption. MARE's annual adoption party for the region will once again be held 10 a.m.-noon Sunday at the Children's Museum in Holyoke. "For many years, it has been at the Children's Museum in Holyoke. It has built-in activities where the kids can have fun and prospective parents can interact with them informally," Minichiello said. This year's party will have up to 40 children, mostly of Hispanic descent, brought to the museum by their social workers. Older children in foster care are told about the party and choose if they would like to go. "At no point are the children paraded around. If prospective parents are interested, they can get in contact with the child's social worker out of view of the child. We don't want to get their hopes up and then have nothing happen," Minichiello said. Any placements resulting from the party can take up to a year. In 2001, a total of 64 children were adopted statewide, a
number which Minichiello called incredible. "I know a lot of people have reservations about adopting through DSS because they are not sure what kind of environment the children are going to come from, but they were extremely helpful. The social workers were nice, and it could not have gone any smoother," Veto said. A side benefit for children attending the party is the
opportunity to interact with other children. November 15, 2002 Abandoning Elderly to Unskilled Employees Is Increasing in
Massachusetts Geraldine A. Hawkins It's also causing our bloated budget and is driving up our taxes, according to the report. "'Human services' means paying people to have a relationship with someone who is vulnerable," according to James Stergios, co-author of the Pioneer Institute study "Innovation Out of Crisis: Making Human Services More Humane." He tells MassNews that "human services" funded by the state includes mental health, mental retardation, public health, social services, welfare, child care, youth services, health care for the needy, programs for the sight- and hearing-impaired, services for immigrants and refugees, and help for people who have been abused, battered, neglected, or are indigent. All this is expected in a state with a noble tradition of leading the way in caring for the less fortunate, but the quality of services is often poor and is getting worse, according to Stergios and co-author Michael Weekes. The rate of turnover among workers in these fields is as high as forty percent, with vacancy rates nearing thirty percent. Dependence on a workforce so transient and unskilled translates into low-quality care for those who need it most. Nonprofit groups such as the Massachusetts Council of Human Services Providers and the Road to Responsibility are attempting to address the situation with constructive solutions that require no government assistance. "There's been a lack of vision as to what human service systems ought to look like," says Weekes of Massachusetts Council of Human Service Providers, the largest human services trade organization in the state. "There has been an overburdening of policies and procedures, and we have a huge cadre of people who are not paid decent salaries or provided with health insurance." The state has increased its spending but has not increased remuneration for the providers of human services. Instead, "the additional money has gone to instituting new programs and increasing the complexity of the state's regulatory edifice," according to Stergios and Weekes. The system is burdened by government edicts involving minimum wages, Adults with Disabilities Act rules, and Office for Safety and Health Administration vaccinations. All of this requires training, back-up staff while employees are being trained, overtime compensation, purchase of new equipment, extra record-keeping and people to keep the records. Those in need of human services see no evidence of additional government spending that they believe is on their behalf. The Institute for the Study of Economic Culture at Boston University, the Massachusetts Council of Human Services Providers and the Pioneer Instutute have put their heads together to see what can be done about this problem by moving to a government-free perspective. In addition, Road to Responsibility (R2R), under the direction of founder and president Rick Walker, has developed small businesses, including two motels, to employ and help disabled people. "This is as much a social and community issue as an economics issue," Walker told MassNews. "It is about community-based responsibility." Walker feels that in recent years, many people have moved from the desire to serve in "helping professions" to a primary concern about personal financial security. "The first questions [when considering a job] are: 'Do they have a 401-K? Are you getting stock options?' We have to look at where and how do we go for people." Volunteerism is a further resource in human services. R2R has brought in over seventy people from abroad, in particular the Czech Republic, where English is taught as a second language and education is a cultural value, both of which Walker feels are important factors when working with the vulnerable, and which are conspicuous by their absence in state-funded agencies. "There are many countries that meet this criteria," says Walker. "Chile is one, but I don't have any contacts in Chile." Czech workers come to Massachusetts on a "J Visa" and stay for eighteen months. "It is almost like a 'work study' program," says Walker. "Anyone who works with the disabled has got to want to serve and want to give….These are people who want to come to America because that is where we all want to be. These people are enormously motivated." This has a positive impact upon clients, who can see that "if someone wants to come 4000 miles to do this work, there must be something good about this work." Walker explains that this has an entirely different effect upon clients than the sort of transience found in state-run agencies. "Even in the best of economic times, most people who come to work in human services do it as a stop in their lives," he says. "It is tremendously demanding emotionally. You commit yourself to the people we serve for a period of time, but it is a planned transition. The clients know that this group is going to come and they are going to stay for eighteen months." Stergios told MassNews that according to a recent survey of workers in state-funded human services agencies, "Sixty percent of the people on the job should never have been hired." Weekes reiterates the danger of this situation in light of the importance of the job. "Human services are for protecting those who need protection and for helping people to reach their potential. Human services are an important part of a civil society," he says. "No amount of technology can replace human beings." A copy of the report, "Innovation Out Of Crisis I: Making Human Services More Humane" is available from Pioneer Instiute, 85 Devonshire Street, Boston, MA 02109, tel: 617-723-2277. James Stergios is Pioneer's Research Director. Formerly a research associate, he assumed his current position in 2000. Prior to coming to Pioneer, he taught Economics at the Rome campus of European University, and later at Ritsumeikan University in Kyoto, Japan. His experience in the private sector includes consulting and work in food exports while in Italy, and journalism while in Japan. He graduated from Boston University summa cum laude in philosophy and economics, with distinction in economics. After studying in France for one year, he did graduate work in economics at the University of Rome, "La Sapienza." He is currently finishing his doctoral dissertation in political sociology at Boston University's November 5, 2002 University Professors Program. However, we would like to acknowledge the support of The Health Foundation of Central Massachusetts, which has provided our partners at the Center for Adoption Research at the University of Massachusetts Medical School and us with a generous grant to study the effects of attachment therapy on children and their families. MEGAN KIRBY Director New England Institute for Attachment and Bonding ,Worcester September 25, 2002 DSS Does Not Follow Own Regulations, Says State House
Advisor By Ed Oliver The system is "rigged" against parents who try to get their
children back from the agency, he said. He doesn't think he has ever seen a Service Plan drawn up according to regulations. There is not a legislative solution, he says, because the regulations as written are good, but not obeyed. He said the only recourse for parents is to have the courts enforce the regulations, either by using a lawyer or doing it themselves or with the help of an advocate. The rules mandate that parents take part as much as possible in developing the Service Plan along with DSS, and if they disagree with it, there is supposed to be a grievance procedure. If the rules were obeyed when DSS fashions a Service Plan, according to Fang, people could use a checklist approach to determine how things are progressing in their case, which would make it simple to determine if a person has a chance to have the children returned. The Plan, he said, should be something the parent can point to and say, "I have done A, B, C, D, E, but failed to do F and G, therefore I need to work on it," he said. With DSS, according to Fang, "It's always, 'We'll get back to you. We'll let you know. We don't have any idea how things are, it will take six months to get your services in place.' Then, after a year they say, 'You haven't completed the services, therefore you are unfit.' "Well, it's a rigged system because if it takes them six months to get it in place, you only have six more months to prove yourself in the year period. Government doesn't provide the services quickly enough to give a parent a chance." Fang said that according to regulations, a service plan can be developed as late as fifty-five working days from the start of the case, which works out to about eleven weeks or almost a quarter year after the child is taken by DSS. Then add six months on top of that to get the services in place. "Now nine months of a twelve month period are gone, and yet a parent is unfit because they haven't done anything. It's not that they haven't been unwilling to do anything. It is that nobody has told them to do anything. "The goal in my opinion is to give the parents a fair chance to get their children back with reasonable tasks, services and goals, and everybody should be able to judge objectively whether or not these are met." Still Believes in System Despite his criticisms, Fang believes in the system, but just wants to make it fairer. He did not seem to have a philosophical problem with a government agency that takes children away in large numbers and keeps them if parents are not deemed worthy. "If they [the goals] are not met, parents over time should lose their children because a child in theory should not live in a home where the parents cannot comply with reasonable demands on helping the children develop into adults," said Fang. "The Plans aren't adequate, the services are not provided, and
nobody knows what is supposed to happen. After a year if nothing happens, the
Department will say the parent is unfit because nothing has happened. But the
Department hasn't done what it is supposed to do either, so it is in effect a
catch-22. You can't win because you didn't know what is supposed to happen, but
the agency that was supposed to provide it didn't provide it, therefore you
lose. That's a rigged system as far as I'm concerned." "It's not a question of legislation, it is a question of enforcement of regulations, which is done through the judiciary and the court system. The legislation and the regulations as read are very good, but nobody follows it. But that's a different system than in need of legislation." Fang worked with Rep. Marie Parente informally on foster care for the last five or six years. He currently works in the State House as a legal advisor to Angelo Scaccia, Chairman of the Rules Committee. He has twenty years experience in the juvenile courts representing parents and children, and worked with DSS when necessary to require them to comply with their own regulations. Sidebar: MassNews asked Atty. Fang why the serious problems aren't
considered top priority? MassNews: But children are being torn from their parents. "It's enforcement of regulations, this is not about the need to create new regulations. The legislature creates law." MassNews: Who makes DSS follow regulations? "The court system." MassNews: Who makes the court system enforce the rules? "The parties to the case. If a parent's counsel or if a parent wants to wave the rules and say 'make them do it,' that's the way to do it." MassNews: But public lawyers basically work for the court and are not going to challenge DSS or the judge. "That's not true, they are independent contractors." MassNews: In reality, they work for the court and tell their clients to do whatever DSS says to do. So you are basically telling poor people the only answer is to hire an expensive lawyer. "They are appointed by the court, they do not work for the court." Fang said the parent can learn how to do it and go into court and have the regulations enforced themselves, or an advocate could go in with them if the parent allows that. Also, he would not comment on public defenders, but there is a group called the Committee for Public Counsel Services that can instruct appointed counsel to see that the regulations are enforced. October 18, 2002 Woman Accused Of Timecard Fraud MIAMI -- The former social worker who lost her job after a girl she was supposed to be monitoring vanished has been arrested on charges of official misconduct and theft. Prosecutors say Deborah Muskelly was working as a teacher at the same time she claimed she was on the time clock for the Florida Department of Children and Families. Fraudulent timecards were allegedly filed over a two-year period. An investigator says the arrest doesn't aid in the search for Rilya Wilson, whose disappearance went unnoticed for a year. Muskelly's attorney said the arrest is the result of a pay dispute and accuses police of "a pathetic attempt to distract the public's attention" from their failure to find the little girl. email at: indpadvocate@comcast.net |
