MN Suicide – Child Suicide – What We Don’t Know

All Posts from Kids at Risk Action, Mental Health + Over Medication

20,000 American infants and 2 year olds were proscribed psychotropic medications in 2014 and billions in fines were levied against pharmaceutical companies for illegally selling these drugs to pediatricians for use on children (to no apparent affect).
Every year, 1/3 of foster kids in the U.S. use psychotropic medications & 2/3 of youth in the juvenile justice system have diagnosable mental health problems (half that number have multiple, serious and chronic conditions – and tons of psychotropic medications).
The lack of data and transparency about mental health services being provided to troubled children, juveniles & adults in schools, jails, prisons & child protection means that legislators and the public to avoid the hard conversations that could determine the steps required to address these problems.
When 6 year old foster child Kendrea Johnson suicided by hanging in Brooklyn Park 2 years ago, the Medical Examiner and Deputy Police Chief dithered over the cause of death and finally remarked that 6 year olds very rarely committed suicide. While it is true that six year olds have a very hard time succeeding at suicide, it is not true that state ward children don’t try.

KARA Readers Reminder

All Posts from Kids at Risk Action, Reporting and News - US Based

There is a situation here in Troy, New York. Regarding our Rensselaer County CPS Office. As of April, 2015, when the four children involved first went back to live with their mother. There have been at least 8 calls to Rensselaer County CPS regarding a mother and these four children, soon to be 4, 6, 8 and 10, years of age this year. There have been continuous calls made to both Rensselaer & Albany County CPS offices on this mother since 2007. There were calls/reports given to Rensselaer County CPS back in June, July, September, October, November and twice in December, 2015. The ones in December, 2015 was made by the children’s school nurse for lack of medical care. Then again in January, 2016 of the little boy, present age of 7 whose mother’s live in boyfriend punch him in the mouth, resulting in a broken front tooth.

Then again in March of 2016, a report was made to the same Rensselaer County CPS office ( same case worker) that the present age of 5 little sister of the 7 year old boy. Said she saw a few times, the mom’s live in boyfriend kissing their present age of 9 year old sister “ like boyfriend & girlfriend. That the 9 year old sister was touching the live in boyfriends’ private area. My question to you is, why after all these numerous calls made, and esp. the last two calls regarding physical assault and sex abuse is this CPS office allowing the total of these four siblings to still be living with this mom and her live in boyfriend? And why, when asking this same question to this CPS office, the caseworker, her supervisor and the Director of this CPS office. We get the BS answer of “ Oh, it takes time, but we are investigating”.

Sad Stories California – March & April 2016

All Posts from Kids at Risk Action, Reporting and News - US Based

CA: Social Workers Charged in Death of 8-Year-Old Gabriel Fernandez (Includes video)

NBC Washington – April 07, 2016

Four Southern California social workers have been charged with child abuse and falsifying public records in the beating death of 8-year-old Gabriel Fernandez three years ago.

http://www.nbcwashington.com/news/national-international/Gabriel-Fernandez-Child-Abuse-Case-Social-Workers-Charged-374903631.html

CA: Inside Los Angeles’ Ambitious Public-Private Child Welfare Partnership

Inside Philanthropy – April 12, 2016

Public-private partnerships are the philanthropy of the future, and there’s a big one starting up in Los Angeles right now. Los Angeles County and 13 local foundations have recently banded together around improving the well-being of vulnerable children. And to solidify this collaboration, the county launched the Center for Strategic Public-Private Partnerships, a first-of-its-kind office squarely focused on child welfare.

http://www.insidephilanthropy.com/los-angeles/2016/4/12/inside-los-angeles-ambitious-public-private-child-welfare-pa.html

CA: Social workers blast DA Jackie Lacey for prosecuting colleagues

City News Service – April 12, 2016

Dozens of county social workers protested downtown Tuesday, accusing District Attorney Jackie Lacey of criminalizing child welfare work by bringing child abuse charges against four of their colleagues.

http://www.dailybreeze.com/social-affairs/20160412/social-workers-blast-da-jackie-lacey-for-prosecuting-colleagues

The Teachers Dilemna (and what is not talked about in education)

All Posts from Kids at Risk Action, Day Care and Education

Assaults on teachers, starting with first graders hitting teachers with chairs & stabbing with pencils & knives. In some of the bigger inner city schools, teachers are afraid to walk to their cars after the school day ends and guns are now appearing in classrooms with growing frequency. Too many districts are suggesting that teachers be armed.

*The lack of books & basic resources for educators to complete their tasks is unacceptable. Detroit teachers were threatened this spring with working without pay this coming summer. If they had not reacted as they did, that might have actually happened.

To not support the people engaged in the important work of building our next generation of service providers, business people and lawmakers is an atrocious mistake. We will benefit by or suffer from the things that are happening in our schools today. We build and support those schools (or we don’t).