Reporting compiled and submitted by KARA volunteer Corey Wasser – All Adults Are The Protectors of All Children
NY: Foster agency previously sent kid to abusive foster mom
Daily News 724 – March 30, 2016
The nonprofit agency that repeatedly sent kids to accused perv Cesar Gonzales-Mugaburu was previously forced to pay about $17 million to foster children caged, beaten and tortured by another sick foster parent.http://www.dailynews724.com/new-york/foster-agency-previously-sent-kid-to-abusive-foster-mom-h673900.html
NY: Equal justice for all kids on sexual abuse
New York Daily News – March 30, 2016
Allowing a victim to press criminal charges or to file a civil suit forever for some crimes but limiting them from going to court for other, very similar sex offenses is nonsensically unjust.
http://www.nydailynews.com/opinion/equal-justice-kids-sexual-abuse-article-1.2581782
NY: Former foster child alleges she was sexually assaulted for years, city ignored cries for help in $21M suit
New York Daily News – March 30, 2016
St. Vincent’s and the city ignored red flags indicating improprieties and abuse and failed to properly check on the kids once they were placed in foster care, according to the suit. Additionally, CB says she told various people about the alleged sexual abuse and living in a different apartment from the approved home. She claims both the city and St. Vincent’s “were informed” but did nothing, the suit says.
http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/manhattan/ex-foster-child-claims-years-sexual-abuse-21m-suit-article-1.2582118
NY: School social worker filed multiple complaints about alleged L.I. pedophile, but authorities didn’t take seriously (Includes video)
New York Daily News – March 28, 2016
Edwards complaints to the New York State Central Registry, which were forwarded to the Suffolk County Child Protective Services, date as far back as 14 years ago. That’s when children in Gonzales-Mugaburu’s care apparently first began to attend the Longwood school district. Also: Keep the foster kids safe, Bill (Opinion): http://www.nydailynews.com/opinion/foster-kids-safe-bill-article-1.2578266
http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/social-worker-repeatedly-warned-school-pedophile-article-1.2580519
NY: Victims of childhood sexual abuse often limited by N.Y. law (Opinion)
New York Daily News – March 28, 2016
A child who is a victim of childhood sexual abuse in New York is often victimized a second time because of our state’s archaic statute of limitations. Current codes sharply limit the time a victim has to bring charges against someone who molested them. A victim must now come forward within five years after the age of 18 to bring criminal or civil charges against their abuser — or any agency or organization that should have reported them.
http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/victims-childhood-sexual-abuse-limited-n-y-law-article-1.2580545
NY: NYC dumps agency that sent foster kids to live with alleged Long Island pedophile
New York Daily News – March 28, 2016
The Administration for Children’s Services also plans to inspect the homes where 760 city kids currently live after being placed by the SCO Family of Services. Those 500 homes are located throughout the city and surrounding counties, records show. Also: L.I. pedophile probed 9 times for abusing foster kids: http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/pedophile-probed-9-times-abusing-foster-kids-article-1.2579573
http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/nyc-dumps-agency-foster-kids-alleged-pedophile-article-1.2579593
NY: Staten Island, and the nation, would suffer without immigrants (Commentary)
SILive – March 23, 2016
Without Deferred Action, and ultimately national immigration reform, the American born children of undocumented immigrants can end up in an already overburdened the foster care system. Preservation of the family is a life-affirming family value we would all agree is worth upholding.
http://www.silive.com/news/index.ssf/2016/03/staten_island_and_the_nation_w.html
NY: Cuomo signs amendment to child-records law
Times Union – March 21, 2016
Gov. Andrew Cuomo has signed legislation that corrects a law giving speedier access to child abuse records to police investigating a missing child report.
http://www.timesunion.com/local/article/Cuomo-signs-amendment-to-child-records-law-6935060.php
NY: Cheryl Dinoflo selects new Department of Human Services Commisioner
WHAM TV – March 21, 2016
Cheryl Dinolfo has named Corinda Crossdale as the new Department of Human Services Commissioner.
http://13wham.com/news/local/cheryl-dinoflo-selects-new-department-of-human-services-commisioner
NY: Q&A with Child Protective Services supervisor
Daily News – March 21, 2016
Sandy Wojtaszczyk, commonly referred to as “Sandy W” to keep people from stumbling over her last name, has been at Genesee County’s Department of Social Services for 17 years. She has worked her way up to supervisor of Child Protective Services and oversees eight case workers. April is Child Abuse Awareness month. As it approaches, she is reminded of the importance of CPS and how “the caseworkers here at DSS do an excellent job working with the families and doing everything possible to keep children safe,” she said.
http://www.thedailynewsonline.com/bdn01/qa-with-child-protective-services-supervisor-20160321
NY: Increase in CPS cases tied to heroin (Includes video)
WGRZ – March 19, 2016
Case workers with Child Protective Services in Erie County have noticed an increase of child neglect cases tied to the growing heroin epidemic.
http://www.wgrz.com/news/increase-in-cps-cases-tied-to-heroin/91222961
NY: Monroe County to replace human services head
Rochester Democrat and Chronicle – March 15, 2016
Reed oversees a department with more than 900 employees and a roughly $538 million budget. That includes about $383 million in county funding — just over a third of the county’s $1 billion budget.
http://www.democratandchronicle.com/story/news/2016/03/15/monroe-county-cheryl-dinolfo-replace-human-services-commissioner-kelly-reed/81803930/
NY: Elite Chabad Yeshiva Says School Is Free of Abuse Despite Newsweek Expose
Forward – March 13, 2016
The abuse allegations, which appeared in a March 3 Newsweek article, detailed past instances of alleged misconduct at Oholei Torah, a religious school of about 2,000 male students, kindergarten through high school, in the Brooklyn neighborhood of Crown Heights. In one such case, a student was said to have been thrown into a glass door or window. In other cases, reports of sexual abuse were allegedly ignored.
http://forward.com/news/335778/elite-chabad-yeshiva-says-school-is-free-of-abuse-despite-newsweek-expose/
NY: Cheryl Dinoflo selects new Department of Human Services Commisioner
WHAM TV – March 21, 2016
Cheryl Dinolfo has named Corinda Crossdale as the new Department of Human Services Commissioner.
http://13wham.com/news/local/cheryl-dinoflo-selects-new-department-of-human-services-commisioner
NY: Q&A with Child Protective Services supervisor
Daily News – March 21, 2016
Sandy Wojtaszczyk, commonly referred to as “Sandy W” to keep people from stumbling over her last name, has been at Genesee County’s Department of Social Services for 17 years. She has worked her way up to supervisor of Child Protective Services and oversees eight case workers. April is Child Abuse Awareness month. As it approaches, she is reminded of the importance of CPS and how “the caseworkers here at DSS do an excellent job working with the families and doing everything possible to keep children safe,” she said.
http://www.thedailynewsonline.com/bdn01/qa-with-child-protective-services-supervisor-20160321
NY: Increase in CPS cases tied to heroin (Includes video)
WGRZ – March 19, 2016
Case workers with Child Protective Services in Erie County have noticed an increase of child neglect cases tied to the growing heroin epidemic.
http://www.wgrz.com/news/increase-in-cps-cases-tied-to-heroin/91222961
NY: Monroe County to replace human services head
Rochester Democrat and Chronicle – March 15, 2016
Reed oversees a department with more than 900 employees and a roughly $538 million budget. That includes about $383 million in county funding — just over a third of the county’s $1 billion budget.
http://www.democratandchronicle.com/story/news/2016/03/15/monroe-county-cheryl-dinolfo-replace-human-services-commissioner-kelly-reed/81803930/
NY: Aging Out of Foster Care, And Into the Kitchen: New Bronx Program
City Limits – March 08, 2016
Project Renewal, a nonprofit organization empowering homeless New Yorkers to renew their lives through comprehensive medical, housing and job programs, is offering a new track of its award-winning Culinary Arts Training Program to young men and women who are aging out of foster care — a population that faces disproportionately high risks of unemployment and homelessness in their adult lives.
http://citylimits.org/2016/03/08/aging-out-of-foster-care-and-into-the-kitchen-new-bronx-program/
NY: State budget analysis addresses child abuse reports, poverty in Monroe County
Brighton-Pittsford Post – March 07, 2016
“Unfortunately, child abuse and poverty continue to make headlines and we’re even seeing increases in Monroe County,” said Brigit Hurley, policy analyst for The Children'[s Agenda. “New York State funding and policies directly impact the lives of children in our community, and we are a voice for those kids in Albany.” Report: http://thechildrensagenda.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/TCA-Review-NYS-FY2017-EXEC-BUDGET-FINAL.pdf
http://www.brightonpittsfordpost.com/news/20160307/state-budget-analysis-addresses-child-abuse-reports-poverty-in-monroe-county?rssfeed=true
NY: Buffalo Urban League files court papers to try to clear its name
Buffalo News – March 08, 2016
Buffalo Urban League officials said they want “stricken from the record” a report from the comptroller’s office that concluded the organization overbilled the county by tens of thousands of dollars, failed to properly train its staff, failed to protect children’s privacy in digital records or honor Department of Social Services reporting requirements.
http://www.buffalonews.com/city-region/erie-county/buffalo-urban-league-files-court-papers-to-try-to-clear-its-name-20160308
NY: Rush to the rescue of NYC’s nonprofits: It’s a crisis moment
New York Daily News – March 02, 2016
Most New Yorkers are aware of the homelessness crisis because they see people sleeping on the sidewalks and read tragic stories of families in terrible shelter conditions. Largely unnoticed, however, is another crisis: the impending insolvency of many of the nonprofit human services agencies that we depend on to care for the homeless and 2.5 million other struggling city residents.
http://www.nydailynews.com/opinion/sesso-wylde-rush-rescue-nyc-nonprofits-article-1.2549531
NY: How to Measure Foster Care Outcomes (Includes video)
WGY – March 03, 2016
Foster care. Two words that conjure up all kinds of imagery. Many different possible outcomes enter our field of vision as we strive to get it right. So how are we doing? The federal government and states are attempting to find out through a massive research project.
http://www.wgy.com/onair/upstate-issues-57169/how-to-measure-foster-care-outcomes-14440707/
