Washington D.C. Foster Care Abuse Scandal

As you are reading this post, and if you go on to read the original article, please think about what could have happened if this child had a Guardian ad Litem, and also, what changes need to be made in the child welfare system to ensure that tragedies like this do not happen again in the future.

Portions of this post, which are featured in italics, have been taken from The Washington Post article “D.C. settles for $10 million dollars in foster care abuse case” written by Henri E. Cauvin, Monday, November 8^th, 2010. 

The article is about a little boy named Rafael, who was just days old when he was removed from his mother’s care, after traces of cocaine were found in his system. He was then placed in foster care, where he was shaken and beaten by his foster mother, a woman who had previously returned a foster child, stating she had health problems and was unable to care for the child. According to the article, the foster mother agreed to take on Rafael, but stated that she did not have the money to care for him, but would still take him if the state rushed her assistance.

Once Rafael arrived, the stress mounted for Jenkins, according to the neighbor, who testified that Jenkins was complaining about never sleeping. Meanwhile, the city's long-troubled child welfare agency wasn't keeping tabs on Jenkins or the baby who had been entrusted to her. A social worker should have visited every week for the first eight weeks. The agency made one visit during the 43 days Rafael was in the home. It was another harrowing episode in the annals of the District's beleaguered child welfare system, and when they filed suit, Pearson's attorneys, Sidney Schupak and Michelle A. Parfitt of Ashcraft & Gerel, planned to put the entire system on trial. Instead, the District agreed to pay one of the largest settlements in its history, as well as $2 million in attorneys' fees. 

 

Rafael suffered severe brain damage and was on life support for several days. Now, five years later, he is still extremely disabled, with limited vision. He was not expected to survive his injuries, and will soon be moving into his grandmother’s home, which is being specially equipped in order to accommodate his disabilities. Although he will be out of the hospital, he will still require around the clock care. Washington D.C. has now agreed to pay a $10 million settlement, after the boy’s maternal grandmother filed charges.  The foster mother has been charged and is serving 12 years for child cruelty.

Now I know that many social workers and state agencies are extremely overworked, and I do not want to put down the work that they do. I know there are many great social workers out there. But why was this child visited once? Why was no one keeping tabs on this foster parent, who had already returned one child? Could things have been different if this child had been given a Guardian ad Litem, who could check up on the child and maybe notice some red flags that the social workers did not see? This Is such a great tragedy that unfortunately is not a unique story. We hear all the time about children in care who are not being properly watched over. Rafael was a baby, and will now be disabled for the rest of his life.

What could have been done differently? If you have any comments, please, let me hear them. This topic is too critical for is to sit back and not speak out. Rafael cannot speak for himself now, so it is upon is to do so.

Here is the link to the full article: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/11/08/AR2010110805565.html?sid=ST2010110806347