The Division of Child Protection and Permanency is New Jersey's child protection agency. It is part of the Department of Children and Families. From 1996 through 2012, it was called Division of Youth and Family Services (DYFS)[DYE-fuss]. [1] Before 1996 It was called Child Protection Services.
Its stated mission is to "ensure the safety, permanency and well-being of children and to support families." The division is responsible for investigating allegations of child abuse and neglect and, when needed, arranging for the child's protection... [2] In 2004 New Jersey's Child Advocate, Kevin Ryan called DYFS a "systematic failure" and "a debilitated agency that was in need of a complete overhaul." [3] [4]
The Administration for Children and Families (ACF) is a division of the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). It is headed by the Assistant Secretary of Health and Human Services for Children and Families. It has a $49 billion budget for 60 programs that target children, youth and families. These programs include assistance with welfare, child support enforcement, adoption assistance, foster care, child care, and child abuse. The agency employs approximately 1,700 staff, including 1,200 federal employees and 500 contractors, where 60% are based in Washington, DC, with the remaining in regional offices located in Boston, New York City, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Kansas City (Missouri), Denver, San Francisco, and Seattle.
Nixzmary Brown was a seven-year-old American girl from Brooklyn, New York, whose physical abuse, parental neglect and murder led to reforms in New York City's Administration for Children's Services.
Child protective services (CPS) is the name of an agency responsible for providing child protection, which includes responding to reports of child abuse or neglect. Some countries and US states use other names, often attempting to reflect more family-centered practices, such as department of children and family services (DCFS). CPS is also sometimes known by the name of department of social services, though these terms more often have a broader meaning.
Scouting sex abuse cases are situations where youth involved in Scouting programs have been sexually abused by someone who is also involved in the Scouting program. In some instances, formal charges have been laid, resulting in specific legal cases.
Ronnie Antonio Paris was an American three-year-old boy from Tampa, Florida, who was murdered in 2005. Paris was subject to severe physical abuse at the hands of his father, Ronnie Paris Sr., who was convinced he was homosexual despite his young age, and was forced to box repeatedly, eventually entering a coma and dying from brain injuries. His death brought attention to the Florida Department of Children & Families for failing to identify the child abuse and neglect. Controversy arose over Paris being removed from his home and placed in to foster care, only to be returned, and died within six weeks from continued abuse. Ronnie Paris Sr. was convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to 30-years in prison.
Gladys Carrión is an Adjunct Research Scholar with Columbia University's Justice Lab. She was the Commissioner of the New York City Administration for Children's Services (ACS) until 2017 and a nationally recognized advocate for improving child well-being.
The Archdiocese of Boston sex abuse scandal was part of a series of Catholic Church sexual abuse cases in the United States that revealed widespread crimes in the American Catholic Church. In early 2002, TheBoston Globe published results of an investigation that led to the criminal prosecutions of five Roman Catholic priests and thrust the sexual abuse of minors by Catholic clergy into the national spotlight. Another accused priest who was involved in the Spotlight scandal also pleaded guilty. The Globe's coverage encouraged other victims to come forward with allegations of abuse, resulting in numerous lawsuits and 249 criminal cases.
Kevin Ryan, was the president and CEO of Covenant House International, one of the largest charities in North and Central America serving homeless, trafficked and sexually exploited youth.
The Missouri Department of Social Services (DSS) is a state agency of Missouri. It has its headquarters in the Broadway State Office Building in Jefferson City. The department operates the state's social services.
Foster care is the term used for a system in which a minor who has been made a ward or a non-minor, typically aged 18–21, who volunteers for placement, is placed in a relative placement, a non-related extended family (NREFM) placement, a community family home, an institution, a group home (residential child care community, residential treatment center, etc. Relative, NREFM, and community caregivers certified by the state are typically referred to as "foster parents," "kin caregivers," "resource parents," or other local terms. The placement of the child is usually arranged through state or county social services. The institution, group home, or caregiver is reimbursed for the expenses related to caring for the child. The state via the family court and child protection agency stand in loco parentis to the minor, making all legal decisions, while the caregiver is responsible for the day-to-day care of the minor. Even while their child is in Care, typically birth parents retain Education and Medical rights and the right to contact with their child unless parental rights are terminated by the Court.
The Boy Scouts of America (BSA) is one of the largest youth organizations in the United States, with 2.3 million youth members and approximately 889,000 adult volunteers in 2017. In 1979 there were over 5 million youths in BSA.
The murder of Daniel Pełka, aged 4, occurred on 3 March 2012 in Coventry, England, United Kingdom. His mother, Magdalena Łuczak (27), and her partner, Mariusz Krężołek (33), were found guilty of the murder on 31 July 2013. Daniel's death made headlines for months, as it was evident that a number of opportunities had been missed to identify him as suffering severe child abuse. On 2 August 2013, both Łuczak and Krężołek were jailed for life with a minimum sentence of 30 years each. However, both perpetrators died in prison within three years of being sentenced, with Łuczak committing suicide, and Krężołek dying from a heart attack.
The Child Welfare Information Gateway is the congressionally mandated and funded information service of the United States Children's Bureau, Administration for Children and Families, United States Department of Health and Human Services. It was established in 2006 to replace the National Clearinghouse on Child Abuse and Neglect Information and the National Adoption Information Clearinghouse. The Child Welfare Information Gateway covers child-welfare topics, including family-centered practice, child abuse and neglect, abuse and neglect prevention, child protection, family preservation and support, foster care, achieving and maintaining permanency, adoption, management of child welfare agencies and related topics such as child and family assessment, laws and policies, statistics and coincident family issues. Its website links to sources of print and electronic publications, websites, databases and online learning tools on these topics.
Robert DeNigris McCormick (1948-2014) was the head of the Center for Child Advocacy and Policy program CHAD, run by Montclair State University. Concurrently he was also a full-time psychologist, a teacher, and a lawyer. The Child Advocacy program is supported by the Division of Child Protection and Permanency (DCPP) formerly known as the Division of Youth and Family Services (DYFS).
Christopher S. Porrino is an American trial lawyer who served as the Attorney General of New Jersey from 2016 to 2018. Porrino is currently a partner of Lowenstein Sandler, and chair of the firm's Litigation Department.
Kimberly Ricketts is a New Jersey politician. She served as New Jersey's Commissioner of Families and Children under Governor Jon Corzine.
The New Jersey Department of Human Services (DHS) is the largest state government agency in New Jersey, serving about 1.5 million New Jerseyans. DHS serves seniors, individuals and families with low incomes; people with developmental disabilities, or late-onset disabilities; people who are blind, visually impaired, deaf, hard of hearing, or deaf-blind; parents needing child care services, child support and/or healthcare for their children; and families facing catastrophic medical expenses for their children.
The New Jersey Department of Children and Families (DCF) is the state government agency dedicated to ensuring the safety, well-being and success of children, youth, families and communities in New Jersey through comprehensive oversight and programming.
On May 24, 2013, Gabriel Fernandez, an eight-year-old boy from Palmdale, California, who had been abused and tortured over a period of months, died due to a beating from his mother, Pearl Fernandez, and her boyfriend, Isauro Aguirre, two days earlier. Pearl Fernandez and Isauro Aguirre were charged and convicted of first-degree murder with special circumstances of torture. According to prosecutors, Aguirre allegedly abused Gabriel due to his perceived homosexuality. Pearl was sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole and Aguirre was sentenced to death.