DCF Takes Custody Of Girl Born To Woman Visiting U.S.(Florida)

[tlcandie]

http://news.tbo.com/news/MGBEB6AWR9E.html



<snip>
Those responses to a Florida Department of Children & Families social worker and a possible language barrier triggered a chain of events that led to the state taking custody of the newborn last week.
<snip>

<snip>
Patel's attorney, Scott Davis, of Tampa, said the case is unique and filled with irony. He said if Patel followed some of the DCF guidelines, she would be breaking the law.

``She is here on a visitor's visa and is not able to work,'' Davis said. ``Under the federal law, she would be in violation. A substantial part of it is a language barrier and they believe she is homeless and has no resources. That's not correct at all.
<snip>

[truthisfreedom]

1. they're just doing wonders with children down there in Florida! now the

government is abducting them as well!

[lostnfound]

2. How awful. No excuse for taking 3 week old away from mother unless

she's abusing her which is apparently not the case.

Even if she is homeless and has "no resources", any support MUST include the mother to be humane.

[LeighAnn]

3. I'll bet they've already got that baby on antidepressants n/t

[Mythsaje]

4. What the--

This is a load of crap, and a primary reason why I tell EVERYONE to stay the hell out of the 'system' if at all possible. The system puts rules before people, and doesn't understand that all circumstances are unique. Responses become codified and people are put through the wringer just because some idiot with (probable) good intentions can't see their way past the goddam red tape.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

8. How does one stay out of the system?

I'd love to know...
Surely we are more than a number, a tax write-off, an investment, or a business loss.

[Mythsaje]

10. Avoid bureaucrats

whenever possible. If there's a bureaucracy involved, chances are you'll end up regretting whatever it is that brought you into the circumstance.

Question is--how to do it successfully...as I'm not always successful myself, I'll have to say, 'very carefully.' Other than that, I'm not sure I have an answer.

[silverweb]

5. WTF?

So now that they know the whole thing was an unconscionable screwup by terminally incompetent fuckups, why doesn't she have her baby back???

:grr:

[Richard Steele]

14. HUMANS have BRAINS, and LAWS are paper...LAWS don't have BRAINS...

...And bureaurocratic FUNCTIONARIES who SERVE the 'LAW' are seldom smarter than the pieces of paper they WORSHIP as their local 'Pagan DIETIES'.

Situations like this are the reason that the first TEN amendments to our constitution were passed OVERWHELMINGLY as a single group.

This situation is BULLSHIT, and EVERYONE involved knows it.

Any of our "Founding Fathers" would solve this problem in a heartbeat.

[deadparrot]

6. Gawdamnit, Florida *again*?

And I thought Missouri was bad.

[Solly Mack]

7. Seriously. What's wrong with DCF in Florida?

What's the deal there? Can they not be investigated by an outside source?

[converted_democrat]

20. Uh, it's privatized........That's the problem....

[Rainscents]

9. There's something seriously wrong with FL system!

Ever since, FL turn into Republican state... it all went to shit!

[silverweb]

11. My daughter had a good question.

Is the Indian Embassy involved and if not, why not?

[The Animator]

12. Seriously, I don't remember a whole lot of problems like this back when...

Lawton Chiles was Govenor. I live in this state, and let me tell you, the idiocy has no bounds.

And I just found out about this little nugget of gold today:

At least in Hillsborough County, (don't know if it is more widespread or not) Schoolboard members are no longer elected, they are appointed. Let me ask you something, how can a community have any say in the education of their children if they can't even elect their own representatives to run their schools?

Oh and by the way, Summer vacation has been reduced to approximately 2 months, instead of the usual three. Classes start again on August 4th.

[ninkasi]

13. In a case like this...

I am sorely tempted to make some sarcastic comment. Being from Texas, however, removes any moral high ground I might use comparing our two states.

Both under Republican control, both very violent and running a race to see who gets to the bottom first when it comes to providing social services to it's citizens.

[newswolf56]

15. This Is Not Only an Outrage...

...it is truly obscene. A combination of administrative indifference (and possibly racism) at the hospital and bureaucratic arrogance (and possibly racism) at DCF. Mark my words: DCF already knows it made a mistake, but rather than admit it, it will fight this unfortunate woman and her family every step of the way. The Indian consul should become involved. Since exposure is often the only antidote for bureaucratic venomousness, let us hope the media continues to give this case the coverage it deserves.

[ngGale]

16. If only we had a free media who would give attention...

24/7 to this story instead of Jacko. This is a crime, taking a baby from its mother. There is no way to even defend the state's position. It's such a Christian thing to do, this country would go into a rabid rage if only they knew.

[wakeme2008]

17. Yesterday there was a LBN that got deleted about a Grandpa taking Kiddie

Porn of his two yo, thread was deleted or I would link to it.

What got me, was when the father's daughter picture showed up on TV, the father called the Police turning in his father.

OK Police put a child's picture on TV and asking people if they know this child to call them for she "could be in danger" and the child's father did.

Why the Fxck does DCF have the child???????????

The girl was being cared for by authorities in Florida after she was identified on Wednesday. A call to the Florida Department of Children & Families to determine her status on Thursday was not immediately returned.

From http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/F/FL_TODDLER_PORN_FLOL-?SITE=FLPET&SECTION=STATE&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT


THE CHILD'S PARENTS WERE NOT IN THE PICTURES .....

[WildClarySage]

18. In their defense, I'm certain

that FL's DFC workers are heavily overburdened, undertrained, underpaid and undervalued. That has to be the worst state in the US to be a child protective services worker. If they are screwing up, it's because FL's republican state gov't won't give the department the $$ they need to do their jobs properly (including training and hiring good people), and I'm certain there are upper management issues as well. The average worker is either extremely dedicated, or extremely desperate for employment. The lack of respect and appropriate supervision from upper management combined with the poor compensation drove the rest off. In fact, even the really dedicated ones have probably found other jobs. This is what you get when you vastly underallocate your department. You get this kind of publicity.

[melnjones]

21. Thank you! ...

Yes, this whole situation sounds ridiculous, but first of all we don't know all the details of the case (hence confidentiality, duh) and second, we don't know the DCF workers' working conditions. We know next to nothing about the housing situation the mother is in right now, only that she's living with friends. Children are not taken into custody for no reason...even if the reason ends up being unsubstantiated, there is some kind of concern there for the safety of the child. I really do feel for this woman, but chances are she is dealing with a systemic problem, not with specific evil caseworkers.

[newswolf56]

26. Having repeatedly dealt with state welfare workers...

...both in my many years as a reporter and during my relatively brief tenure as a press officer for a conference of community- action coalitions that included a fiercely activist welfare-rights organization, I can truthfully state that -- in my experience -- rates of pay and levels of training have nothing whatsoever to do with the welfare bureaucracy's arrogance. Indeed, arrogance levels seem related only to power -- the greater the power, the greater the tyranny, and the more absolute the related arrogance. Bluntly, Washington state's welfare workers are some of the best-paid state employees at all levels, and -- this in a journalism career spanning 45 years -- they are the most vindictively arrogant, viciously self-protective state employees I have ever encountered anywhere. Not only will they never, ever admit an error; they will also viciously retaliate against anyone "in the system" who rocks their proverbial boat -- even public exposure is no guarantee of protection. Florida's problems are undoubtedly worsened by the localized Bush hostility to working families and impoverished people in general, but in more diffuse form, these problems are endemic to U.S. welfare operations everywhere -- a reflection of something that might aptly be labeled the "welfare bureaucrat mentality" -- authoritarianism run amok in a realm in which the victims are increasingly denied even basic human rights.

A partial solution would be creation of an office of welfare ombudsmen in every state -- just as the National Welfare Rights Organization demanded 35 years ago -- but our DemoPublican politicians would never allow it.

[steve2470]

19. The problem with DCF is #1- Bush, ...

#2- Money, lack therof, which leads to problem #3- poorly paid and undertrained workers, and #4- a semi-idiotic Florida legislature which is elected by #5 - an ignorant populace.

[OKthatsIT]

22. F*cking racists.

They acting like SS over a woman's right to be a mother?

[BooScout]

23. The whole story.....

...does not seem to be told here. If she arrived here in October on a Visitor's Visa, she would be overstayed on her visa by April.

DCF should certainly butt out but I want to know more about her Visa situation. There's not a Visitor's Visa over 6 months that I am aware of unless she was somehow able to get it extended.

[LostinVA]

24. The article states her Visa was extended because of a car

accident. Since she was pregnant, she needed to stay here because of medical reasons. She is above board and legal with the US Government.

[BooScout]

25. Thanks

I missed that in the article and figured maybe the BCIS(INS) was messing with her as well.