Politicians and lawyers argue who is to blame while the children continue to be abuse victims. That is the way that government works. They all speak for the most vulnerable, while the children grow older and more abused. Instead of the Mayor and the Governor enjoying press conferences taking credit for what others do why not focus on at least stopping the abuse? No one expects any of the current office holders to improve the situation. But at least stop the bleeding. Can you do a little bit of that? Huh?
[From article]
Social service officials are turning a blind eye to the horrific physical and mental abuse of kids languishing in New York City’s foster care system — which is costing taxpayers more than $2.4 billion, according to a new class-action suit.
Around 11,000 city kids are stuck in “one of the most dangerous foster care systems in the country,” according to the Manhattan federal court filing.
The massive complaint — which runs to 256 pages with exhibits — alleges systemic violations of their “right to be free from harm” and other rights granted by the Constitution and various federal and state laws.
It was filed Wednesday on behalf of 10 foster kids, including “Eliza W.,” 16, who was 4 when she was taken from her abusive, 19-year-old mom by the city’s Administration for Children’s Services, or ACS, and was “shuffled … through so many foster placements that she is unable to account for all of them,” the suit says.
She also allegedly suffered repeated instances of sexual abuse, beatings and intentional starvation that were ignored by her caseworker — and led to her asking to be committed to a mental hospital in July 2014.
“Since her hospitalization, she has been placed on heavy doses of psychotropic medication; she reports that, as a result, she can barely string a sentence together and no longer looks people in the eye because she gets nervous,” court papers say.
[. . .]
The suit seeks a court order requiring that ACS immediately address “the systemic failures that have been plaguing New York City’s foster care system for too long.”
“That the responsible state and city officials have known about these problems and done nothing to fix them is inexcusable,” the suit says.
Defendants named in court papers include the city, ACS and the state Office of Children and Family Services.
[. . .]
Tami Steckler, head of the Legal Aid Society’s Juvenile Rights Practice, blasted the suit as “short-sighted” and warned that it could “stall the progress being made by those of us actually working with these families and children.”
“As the organization that represents almost all the children in New York City foster care, we have been working very closely with the current Commissioner to improve outcomes,” Steckler said in a prepared statement.
“This lawsuit is being brought by attorneys who have never represented clients in New York City’s foster care system, yet purport to know how to fix it, at a time when foster care numbers are at an all-time low and collaboration is at an all-time high.”
http://nypost.com/2015/07/08/lawsuit-says-nyc-has-one-of-the-worst-foster-care-systems-in-us/
Lawsuit says NYC has one of the worst foster care systems in US
By Bruce Golding
July 8, 2015 | 2:12pm
New York Post
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