CPS has the Right To Lie, even though the 9th Circuit Court said it did not, but, then again, who is going to enforce this basic concept that a lie is nothing less than fraudulent manipulation of the public record in order to maximize revenues of these privatized, tax exempt child placing organizations?
We most certainly know "The Elected Ones" have no intention of lifting a finger, as demonstrated for the last 20 years by ignoring the most staunch, outspoken advocates calling for the entire child welfare system of Michigan to be examined.
God forbid "The Elected Ones" compromise their campaign funding.
Will the federal court which is monitoring the State's child welfare system ever address the fact that a lie, in a child welfare court proceeding, is cost reimbursed through the filing of a false claim to Medicaid?
Nope, which is because Children's Rights, who is the plaintiff in the federal case, never thought what I had to say about Medicaid Fraud in Child Welfare was relevant to their attorney fees.
Will the Michigan Attorney General step up to the plate and speak upon "lying" in a child abuse and neglect proceeding by its privatized, tax exempt child welfare contractual arms?
Hell no. That would mean the Attorney General would have to snitch upon itself as Wayne County is the only county in the state where child abuse cases are prosecuted by Assistant Attorney Generals, and not the County Prosecutors.
How could the Attorney General possibly, contemporaneously "advise and advocate"?
Will the Michigan Attorney General Medicaid Fraud Control Unit lift a finger to prosecute & recover, contractually bar, invoke license revocation against these contractual child welfare arms of the state which "lie" in a court of law to fraudulently bill Medicaid?
Why start now when the state has a good thing going on through privatization fraud schemes?
Besides, if the state did go after "lying" in the court, it would mean the state would eventually have to reimburse the federal government all that Medicaid money, which typically goes into political campaigns, tax exempt as dark money, of course.
So what lying in a CPS proceeding basically means is that Michigan will remain #1 in human trafficking of children.
I have serious concerns with the concentrated powers relegated to these Child Advocacy Centers, and rightfully so.
Michigan House Representative Jim Runestad has been on the ground floor in dealing with child welfare dysfunctioning for quite some time.
Bills would make CPS tape interviews with kids
Mecosta County father who lost custody of his daughters urges passage of measure
LANSING, Mich. (WOOD) — On a sunny, early spring day in Lansing, Cary Flagg was itching for a fight.
“I can’t fight legally anymore for my kids. Now I fight for other parents,” he said.
The 35-year-old father from Mecosta County lost custody of his four daughters over allegations of sexual abuse, even though he was never charged with a crime.
Flagg was accused of sexually abusing two of his young daughters after an investigation by Children’s Protective Services. The court’s decision was based on the testimony of a state-paid psychologist, a state-administered polygraph and an investigation that even the judge said deviated from protocol. It was a civil rather than criminal matter, where the rules of evidence were less stringent.
Now Flagg is fighting for change in Lansing.
Appearing before the state House Judiciary Committee this month, Flagg told lawmakers his child custody case is a prime example of why forensic interviews with small children should always be video recorded.
“The videotaping of the forensic interviews (is important). If the jury would have actually heard what was said, I would have never lost my children. I wouldn’t have been terminated,” Flagg testified.
CARY FLAGG’S STORY
In 2013, Flagg and his ex-wife were going through a bitter divorce and custody fight. CPS was involved and there were complaints on both sides, though nothing was ever substantiated. Later that year, the girls’ mother took their then-5-year-old daughter to the hospital after blood was found in her underwear. A CPS investigation was opened and investigators immediately focused on Flagg.
Flagg insists he never touched his daughter.
CPS investigators and a Mecosta County sheriff’s deputy interviewed the children — but none of those interviews were documented on video, leading to ambiguities as to what the child said or didn’t say. That confusion would have been eliminated if the interview had been taped.
“I would have been able to use these tools to prove my innocence and to prove what was actually said in their own voices to the jury and that jury would have never given jurisdiction,” Flagg said.
Last year, Target 8 asked former CPS caseworker Ben Hall to look at Flagg’s case. Hall said what happened to Flagg is an example of a department employing investigators who were inexperienced, overworked and often at the mercy of supervisors who never had any contact with the families under investigation.
“Children are being removed from families not because of the law, not because of safety, but because of policy,” Hall said.
BILLS WOULD REQUIRE RECORDED INTERVIEWS
Since his termination, Flagg and his new wife Sara have lobbied lawmakers to support CPS reforms. They have formed online support groups and have gotten active, throwing their support behind a trio of bills that would mandate investigators videotape forensic interviews of children.
“It’s something that protects everybody, if there’s abuse we would like to see that excised. If it’s not we would like a clearer picture of that as well,” Sara Flagg said.
The proposal has detractors. The interviews would span each county and family court statewide, creating potential storage and maintenance issues. Others insist the camera itself may retraumatize vulnerable children, although supporters say the device would be hidden.
The bills have bipartisan support, including from state Rep. Jim Runestad, R-White Lake.
“It is a major, major issue with families and our system today,” Runestad proclaimed.
Michigan Department of Health and Human Services spokesman Bob Wheaton said in an email to Target 8 that the agency “has not taken a position on the bills.” Wheaton said they “are working with the bill sponsors.
“Our goal with any legislation is to make sure our staff have the tools they need to adequately protect children,” the statement said.
CPS Manager Colin Parks acknowledged to Target 8 last year that there were areas for improvement.
“There are cases where we could have done better,” Park admitted.
Cary Flagg says the state owes it to parents to be better, and recording the interviews with small children would be a start.
“I know not being able to play that recording in front of a jury is what cost me my kids,” he said.
Below, is another example of how Michigan refuses to stop Medicaid fraud in child welfare because we all know, well, at least those of you who are fans, that the feds will not do a damn thing, but let us keep the faith that this, too, shall soon come to pass.
First Amended Petition of Quo Warranto by Beverly Tran on Scribd
Why you can lie in child welfare, per U.S. HHS, Administration on Children, Youth and Families.
Seriously.
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