Guest fx Posted September 14, 2007 Share Posted September 14, 2007 Skid row baby died as social worker delayed stepping in http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/front/la-me-jasmine11sep11,1,4484357.story?coll=la-headlines-frontpage Ordered to take the child to a doctor, she went home instead. By Jack Leonard and Richard Winton, Los Angeles Times Staff Writers September 11, 2007 The investigation into the death of a baby at a skid row shelter last month is focusing on a social worker who was ordered by a supervisor to take baby Jasmine from her mother to see a doctor but instead went home because she had worked a long shift without a break. The social worker arrived early the next morning to find the 7-week-old child dead. The Los Angeles County coroner's office has ruled the death a homicide, saying Jasmine died of starvation, dehydration and neglect even though she had lived all of her seven weeks with her mother at the Union Rescue Mission. The social worker from the Department of Children and Family Services, whose name has not been released, had checked the child during an emergency visit early on Aug. 9, and had reported that the baby's face was "narrow and skinny." She made an appointment for the child at a nearby clinic but learned later that day that the mother hadn't kept the appointment. When her supervisor then told her to take Jasmine to a 24-hour clinic herself, the social worker decided to wait, even though overtime pay had been approved for her to take the child that night, according to county records obtained by The Times. The social worker logged a message into her department's computer system saying she was "unable to go back" to the mission because she had already worked "11 hours without a break" and thought she could take the child the next day. The investigation raises new questions about how Jasmine died despite both social workers and counselors at the Union Rescue Mission knowing about her dwindling size and health. Though she weighed 6 pounds at birth, the infant weighed just 4 pounds when she died on Aug. 10. And although the county social worker and shelter employees looked into possible neglect, none of them knew enough about the child to know her sex until she died. Before then, they thought she was a boy because the child's mother often called her Michael Gabriel. The case has prompted both the rescue mission and the county to consider changes in policy to better protect children on skid row. But some county officials said Jasmine's death is particularly perplexing because the county started an extensive program more than two years ago to better serve young children who live in the blight and homelessness of downtown L.A. "Quite bluntly, we think it's appalling," said Roxane Marquez, a spokeswoman for Supervisor Gloria Molina. "This is the type of work that the social worker is being paid by the taxpayer to do. If she couldn't do the visit herself, it's incumbent upon her to find someone who can," she said. If Department of Children and Family Services social workers need help, they can call the department's command post and ask for another social worker to assist. The documents show that Jasmine's social worker did call the command post, but there is no record that she sought help. Instead, she asked a supervisor whether she should wait until the morning. She wrote in her department's computer log that she did not get an answer. Police initially arrested Jasmine's mother, Ranetta Maxwell, on suspicion of murder, but they released her four days later when prosecutors said they needed a coroner's ruling on a cause of death before deciding whether to file charges. On Monday, Los Angeles Police Department officials said they began searching for Maxwell, who has not returned to the mission since her daughter's death. A district attorney's spokeswoman said prosecutors plan to file felony charges against Maxwell today, accusing her of inflicting injury on a child. The charges carry a maximum sentence of 16 years in prison. During the social worker's visit, Maxwell described herself as a weight trainer who "watches what she eats," according to the documents released by the county. She insisted Jasmine was fine but acknowledged that she needed to "put some fat on the baby." CURRENTLY CHILD PROTECTIVE SERVICES VIOLATES MORE CIVIL RIGHTS ON A DAILY BASIS THEN ALL OTHER AGENCIES COMBINED INCLUDING THE NSA / CIA WIRETAPPING PROGRAM.... CPS Does not protect children... It is sickening how many children are subject to abuse, neglect and even killed at the hands of Child Protective Services. every parent should read this .pdf from connecticut dcf watch... http://www.connecticutdcfwatch.com/8x11.pdf http://www.connecticutdcfwatch.com Number of Cases per 100,000 children in the US These numbers come from The National Center on Child Abuse and Neglect in Washington. (NCCAN) Recent numbers have increased significantly for CPS Perpetrators of Maltreatment Physical Abuse CPS 160, Parents 59 Sexual Abuse CPS 112, Parents 13 Neglect CPS 410, Parents 241 Medical Neglect CPS 14 Parents 12 Fatalities CPS 6.4, Parents 1.5 Imagine that, 6.4 children die at the hands of the very agencies that are supposed to protect them and only 1.5 at the hands of parents per 100,000 children. CPS perpetrates more abuse, neglect, and sexual abuse and kills more children then parents in the United States. If the citizens of this country hold CPS to the same standards that they hold parents too. No judge should ever put another child in the hands of ANY government agency because CPS nationwide is guilty of more harm and death than any human being combined. CPS nationwide is guilty of more human rights violations and deaths of children then the homes from which they were removed. When are the judges going to wake up and see that they are sending children to their death and a life of abuse when children are removed from safe homes based on the mere opinion of a bunch of social workers. CHILD PROTECTIVE SERVICES, HAPPILY DESTROYING THOUSANDS OF INNOCENT FAMILIES YEARLY NATIONWIDE AND COMING TO YOU'RE HOME SOON... BE SURE TO FIND OUT WHERE YOUR CANDIDATES STANDS ON THE ISSUE OF REFORMING OR ABOLISHING CHILD PROTECTIVE SERVICES ("MAKE YOUR CANDIDATES TAKE A STAND ON THIS ISSUE.") THEN REMEMBER TO VOTE ACCORDINGLY IF THEY ARE "FAMILY UNFRIENDLY" IN THE NEXT ELECTION... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest fx Posted September 14, 2007 Share Posted September 14, 2007 Skid row baby died as social worker delayed stepping in http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/front/la-me-jasmine11sep11,1,4484357.story?coll=la-headlines-frontpage Ordered to take the child to a doctor, she went home instead. By Jack Leonard and Richard Winton, Los Angeles Times Staff Writers September 11, 2007 The investigation into the death of a baby at a skid row shelter last month is focusing on a social worker who was ordered by a supervisor to take baby Jasmine from her mother to see a doctor but instead went home because she had worked a long shift without a break. The social worker arrived early the next morning to find the 7-week-old child dead. The Los Angeles County coroner's office has ruled the death a homicide, saying Jasmine died of starvation, dehydration and neglect even though she had lived all of her seven weeks with her mother at the Union Rescue Mission. The social worker from the Department of Children and Family Services, whose name has not been released, had checked the child during an emergency visit early on Aug. 9, and had reported that the baby's face was "narrow and skinny." She made an appointment for the child at a nearby clinic but learned later that day that the mother hadn't kept the appointment. When her supervisor then told her to take Jasmine to a 24-hour clinic herself, the social worker decided to wait, even though overtime pay had been approved for her to take the child that night, according to county records obtained by The Times. The social worker logged a message into her department's computer system saying she was "unable to go back" to the mission because she had already worked "11 hours without a break" and thought she could take the child the next day. The investigation raises new questions about how Jasmine died despite both social workers and counselors at the Union Rescue Mission knowing about her dwindling size and health. Though she weighed 6 pounds at birth, the infant weighed just 4 pounds when she died on Aug. 10. And although the county social worker and shelter employees looked into possible neglect, none of them knew enough about the child to know her sex until she died. Before then, they thought she was a boy because the child's mother often called her Michael Gabriel. The case has prompted both the rescue mission and the county to consider changes in policy to better protect children on skid row. But some county officials said Jasmine's death is particularly perplexing because the county started an extensive program more than two years ago to better serve young children who live in the blight and homelessness of downtown L.A. "Quite bluntly, we think it's appalling," said Roxane Marquez, a spokeswoman for Supervisor Gloria Molina. "This is the type of work that the social worker is being paid by the taxpayer to do. If she couldn't do the visit herself, it's incumbent upon her to find someone who can," she said. If Department of Children and Family Services social workers need help, they can call the department's command post and ask for another social worker to assist. The documents show that Jasmine's social worker did call the command post, but there is no record that she sought help. Instead, she asked a supervisor whether she should wait until the morning. She wrote in her department's computer log that she did not get an answer. Police initially arrested Jasmine's mother, Ranetta Maxwell, on suspicion of murder, but they released her four days later when prosecutors said they needed a coroner's ruling on a cause of death before deciding whether to file charges. On Monday, Los Angeles Police Department officials said they began searching for Maxwell, who has not returned to the mission since her daughter's death. A district attorney's spokeswoman said prosecutors plan to file felony charges against Maxwell today, accusing her of inflicting injury on a child. The charges carry a maximum sentence of 16 years in prison. During the social worker's visit, Maxwell described herself as a weight trainer who "watches what she eats," according to the documents released by the county. She insisted Jasmine was fine but acknowledged that she needed to "put some fat on the baby." CURRENTLY CHILD PROTECTIVE SERVICES VIOLATES MORE CIVIL RIGHTS ON A DAILY BASIS THEN ALL OTHER AGENCIES COMBINED INCLUDING THE NSA / CIA WIRETAPPING PROGRAM.... CPS Does not protect children... It is sickening how many children are subject to abuse, neglect and even killed at the hands of Child Protective Services. every parent should read this .pdf from connecticut dcf watch... http://www.connecticutdcfwatch.com/8x11.pdf http://www.connecticutdcfwatch.com Number of Cases per 100,000 children in the US These numbers come from The National Center on Child Abuse and Neglect in Washington. (NCCAN) Recent numbers have increased significantly for CPS Perpetrators of Maltreatment Physical Abuse CPS 160, Parents 59 Sexual Abuse CPS 112, Parents 13 Neglect CPS 410, Parents 241 Medical Neglect CPS 14 Parents 12 Fatalities CPS 6.4, Parents 1.5 Imagine that, 6.4 children die at the hands of the very agencies that are supposed to protect them and only 1.5 at the hands of parents per 100,000 children. CPS perpetrates more abuse, neglect, and sexual abuse and kills more children then parents in the United States. If the citizens of this country hold CPS to the same standards that they hold parents too. No judge should ever put another child in the hands of ANY government agency because CPS nationwide is guilty of more harm and death than any human being combined. CPS nationwide is guilty of more human rights violations and deaths of children then the homes from which they were removed. When are the judges going to wake up and see that they are sending children to their death and a life of abuse when children are removed from safe homes based on the mere opinion of a bunch of social workers. CHILD PROTECTIVE SERVICES, HAPPILY DESTROYING THOUSANDS OF INNOCENT FAMILIES YEARLY NATIONWIDE AND COMING TO YOU'RE HOME SOON... BE SURE TO FIND OUT WHERE YOUR CANDIDATES STANDS ON THE ISSUE OF REFORMING OR ABOLISHING CHILD PROTECTIVE SERVICES ("MAKE YOUR CANDIDATES TAKE A STAND ON THIS ISSUE.") THEN REMEMBER TO VOTE ACCORDINGLY IF THEY ARE "FAMILY UNFRIENDLY" IN THE NEXT ELECTION... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.