Social Worker Speaks for Children and Families

Wichita, KS
Feb. 20, 2010
Below is the written text of a speech given on Saturday, Feb. 20th, 2010 at the Wichita Winter Rally Tea Party by a Kansas licensed therapist and Social Worker on behalf of children and families caught in the corrupt foster care system.

Good afternoon and welcome to the Tea Party!! My name is Deborah Wilson and I am a licensed therapist and school social worker here in Wichita. I am here today to speak on behalf of many children and families whose rights have been violated and continue to be violated.

I have been an advocate for a mother who lost custody of her 2 young boys one year ago because she reported suspected sexual, physical and emotional abuse of her boys. She is a protective parent; however, her rights and the rights of her children have been ignored and they remain in SRS custody on the basis of an illegal court order. I am learning of many more cases that are very similar to hers where the protective parent has lost their rights and their children were placed with their perpetrator or in SRS custody by a judge of the court through family or juvenile court.

Our work is for the purpose of giving those parents, grandparents and other caregivers a voice, and the avenue to have legal recourse so they can provide safety for their children.

Parents and children have lost their rights in this city, in this county and in this state. The organizations that have been put into place to protect our children are doing just the opposite. Exploited and Missing Children’s Unit, police officers, SRS, Youthville, Juvenile and Family court judges, case managers, District and assistant District Attorneys, and Guardian Ad Litems are misusing their power, even breaking laws all in the name of “THE BEST INTEREST OF THE CHILDREN”!!! I know of many cases where EMCU and SRS have done minimal investigations, where they have not interviewed all parties, considered all evidence, have tampered with evidence, have deleted information that was relevant to a case and have NOT made sound decisions that keep children safe!!

We have pedophiles walking our streets, who have custody of their own children at the hands of judges in Sedgwick County. We have many children in this county who have been placed in SRS custody and parents are told it is “IN THE BEST INTEREST OF THE CHILD”!! Removing children from their home should be a LAST RESORT MEASURE and only done in extreme cases of abuse or neglect!! I also know there is a breakdown among the systems and that the District Attorney’s office DOES try to influence SRS social workers when they have a Child In Need of Care Case. I know this because I used to work for SRS in Wichita! The DA’s office brings up every legal action ever taken against the parents and their family members – traffic violations, DUI’s and etc. and enters that into the case information when they file their petition to remove children from the home!! They look for everything that will make the parent look like an unfit parent, and then in the courtroom bring up that information and influence the direction that the case will go. Parents are ENTITLED to a 72 hour hearing after their children are removed from their custody. This ensures that children are not out of the home too long if the problem can be easily resolved. This does not always occur. In fact, the mother who lost custody of her 2 boys did not get a “72 hour hearing” for 2 months after the fact!!!

Once your children are placed in SRS custody, it is VERY difficult to get them out. SRS and the foster care provider, usually Youthville, start a case plan that lines out months of “interventions” which are court orders required to be completed by parents and children before they can be placed back in the home. Yes, there are cases where this needs to occur, however, there are many cases where it harms children to be placed in foster care, and to continue in foster care. Research shows that children are more likely to be abused in foster care than in their own homes!! Research also shows that 80% of the prison inmate population had been in foster care as a child.

The Constitution of the United States of America:
Article XIV.
Section 1. All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.
The Kansas Constitution states in article 15, item #6: Rights of women. The legislature shall provide for the protection of the rights of women, in acquiring and possessing property, real, personal and mixed, separate and apart from the husband; and shall also provide for their equal rights in the possession of their children.
Parent’s constitutional rights are being violated, and our children have NO RIGHTS!! It is up to us to protect our children and all children within our community.
The Senate Judiciary Committee approved a bill, Senate Bill 468, on Wednesday, February 17th that would make it more difficult for citizens to call for a grand jury investigation when they believe the law is not being followed. If the bill passes then it will go before the House Judiciary Committee, and if passed then it will go to the floor to be voted on.
Barbara Hollingsworth, reporter for The Topeka Capital-Journal wrote on February 17th:
“Currently, a citizen petition signed by 100 voters plus 2 percent of county residents who voted in the previous election for governor will prompt a grand jury to be summoned. Once established, those grand juries can investigate multiple cases. Under an amended version of the bill, citizens would need the signatures of 100 voters plus 5 percent of people who voted in the previous election”.

Please let your voice be heard and sign the petition to vote AGAINST this bill that would further limit our constitutional rights as citizens.

Thank you and may God Bless you.