:( :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Warning: Heartbreaking, Infuriating, & Much Worse...

[WillyT]

786 Abused Kids Died In Plain View Of Authorities: Report
Associated Press/HuffPo | By HOLBROOK MOHR AND GARANCE BURKE
Posted: 12/18/2014 7:34 am EST Updated: 1 hour ago

<snip>

BUTTE, Montana (AP) — At least 786 children died of abuse or neglect in the U.S. in a six-year span in plain view of child protection authorities — many of them beaten, starved or left alone to drown while agencies had good reason to know they were in danger, The Associated Press has found.

To determine that number, the AP canvassed the 50 states, the District of Columbia and branches of the military — circumventing a system that does a terrible job of accounting for child deaths. Many states struggled to provide numbers. Secrecy often prevailed.

Most of the 786 children whose cases were compiled by the AP were under the age of 4. They lost their lives even as authorities were investigating their families or providing some form of protective services because of previous instances of neglect or violence or other troubles in the home.

Take Mattisyn Blaz, a 2-month-old Montana girl who died when her father spiked her "like a football," in the words of a prosecutor.

Matthew Blaz was well-known to child services personnel and police. Just two weeks after Mattisyn was born on June 25, 2013, he came home drunk, grabbed his wife by her hair and threw her to the kitchen floor while she clung to the newborn.

Jennifer Blaz said a child protective services worker visited the day after her husband's attack, spoke with her briefly and left. Her husband pleaded guilty to assault and was ordered by a judge to take anger management classes and stay away from his wife. Convinced he had changed, his wife allowed him to return to the home.

She said the next official contact between the family and Montana child services came more than six weeks later — the day of Mattisyn's funeral.

The system also failed Ethan Henderson, who was only 10 weeks old but already had been treated for a broken arm when his father hurled him into a recliner so hard that it caused a fatal brain injury.

Maine hotline workers had received at least 13 calls warning...

<snip>

More: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/12/18/ap-us-child-abuse_n_6346966.html

[Faux pas]

1. ...

[onecaliberal]

2. :

[Scuba]

3. America apparently only cares about children before they're born.

[randome]

4. I have no doubt child protective services needs more resources and supporting laws.

But the wife who 'allowed him to return home' is as much to blame, as is the judge who let the husband off with attending anger management classes. We need a better system to support abused family members, to the point where someone is jailed immediately when abuse is uncovered.

But that approach has its own flaws.
[hr][font color="blue"][center]All things in moderation, including moderation.[/center][/font][hr]

[Bettie]

5. Those poor babies

We can find money for corporate welfare, tax cuts and giveaways to the 1%...but we can't fund social services to the point where they have enough resources to take care of these helpless innocents.

[mmonk]

6. Very sad.

[n2doc]

7. I'll bet all of these CPS workers consider themselves "Good Christians" too n/t

[Stryst]

8. My sister (an athiest, btw)

Works for CPS in Colorado. The religious side of this mess almost entirely comes from parents who think that they have a "god given right to raise their children as they see fit". In fact, the worst abuse she ever had to deal with was from a father who thought his son was "acting gay" and the behavior had to be beaten out of him before this poor kid damned himself to hellfire.

[duhneece]

11. Saw same here

in New Mexico...and I posted further down about other 'causes'

[riverbendviewgal]

9. state has a population of just over 1 million

Inexcusable. Raise taxes on the oil and gas industry and help keep children alive ny funding the child protective agency.

[duhneece]

10. I'm NOT excusing, just understanding cuts to CYFD

Republicans cut funding to CYFD agencies first, considered 'soft' agencies...that is, they no power....R's just don't care
Case loads increased by 10% then 20% 50%...and more
Saw it here in NM, talked to others in other states...same story