During the past three years we have seen 4 children in the immediate southern Illinois area killed in their own homes by family or friends. Countless other incidents of abuse and neglect are now of crisis proportion in our area. It ought to be the responsibility of every citizen to assure that every child has a safe person, a safe home and a safe community. Our failure to protect our most vulnerable children is one of the great short comings of our society. The Poshard Foundation for Abused Children (618-985-3741) has the goal of protecting these children and will assist volunteers who wish to help.

Glen Poshard of Carbondale

Protecting our Children
Children who are sexually and physically abused can not protect themselves. If they could, or if we had adults caring for them who were nurturing and protective we could wipe out childhood abuse forever.
In reality children are beaten, sexually abused and treated harshly every minute of every day. If their caregivers are not protecting them, and they cannot protect themselves, then who will?
Every citizen needs to care and say "enough is enough". Our children deserve to be nurtured and protected. To do this, state agencies become the entity given the responsibility to do this. Unfortunately, this means strangers to the child are the ones who "take up the torch" and attempt the protect them. Strangers, who are trained as best they can be (and often very caring individuals) must make critical judgment calls based on whatever information they can obtain. At the same time, they are also human beings that are forced to make decisions affecting the lives of many and do not take that responosiblity lightly.
When you have a child welfare system, responsible for this overwhelming task, have it,s source of funding depleted on a regular basis due to budget cuts, how can we as citizen expect them to keep up with the every increaseing case loads that they have. How can children be protected when a child welfare worker is supposed to have a caseload of 8 when they actually have a caseload of 18.
How can we expect them to make the best judgments possible when we tie their hands by overworking and stretching them beyond the reasonable limits anyone should have to endure.
I know all states, even Illinois are struggling with budget cuts. Why can't we look to trimming away the excesses of government and put funds and resources into efforts to insure the nurturing and protection of our children.

Kathy Schimpf; Carbondale, IL

Protecting our Children
We are in our 11th year of working with DCFS & LCFS in our area to provide support to kids from abuse/neglect environments by providing a week long summer camp called Royal Family Kids Camp(RFKC).
Sadly, there is more need in Southern Illinois than our group of 10-15 churches working together can provide on an annual basis.
For those interested, more information can be found at www.rfkc.org or www.mvcfc.org or by calling the telephone numbers listed on those sites. Our local RFKC Camp Directors are Jim & Mary Cramer. They can be reached at cram4god@juno.com. The above local agencies, as well as the Wexsttens, can speak to the impact this summer camp has had in the lives of these children.
If additional information is desired from me, please call my office at 618-244-7466.

Dennis Preston, Pastor
Christian Fellowship Church
2416 Cherry Street
Mt. Vernon, Illinois

Protecting Our Children
I applaud the efforts of WSIU to bring this issue to the forefront. I would love to see a series on child abuse prevention efforts in the region during the month of April(Child Abuse Prevention Month). As an employee of Prevent Child Abuse Illinois, I have resources available to the community and would be happy to share information. Thanks you for putting a link to our web site on your program description page.

Theresa Williams
Marion, IL

Southern Illinois Survey
I would like to address the issues of funding for DCFS and follow up services, to families in southern Illinois. In the first part of Protecting Our Children, two caseworkers that provide follow up care to families in need stated that there were huge cuts in funding to needy families. They also expressed concern for these families and potential risk of harm to children. Their statements were refuted by the deputy director of DCFS; he stated that there is even more money available for follow up services than in the past.
I am voicing my concern as a skeptical southern Illinoisan. I believe the issue of funding needs to be addressed immediately. We can not accept the possibility of more child deaths in southern Illinois, because of lack of funding to protect our children, and at the same time provide family preservation support.
Therefore we are bringing the question to the people of southern Illinois. If you are a person that provides social services to people in need -- whoever you work for -- whether in DCFS or any agency affiliated with them, please e-mail, write, or phone your concerns. Strict confidentially will be used. If the social services in southern Illinois are adequate let us know that as well. We can not fix problems if we don't know what they are. Pulling together, we can make positive changes. We are proud of the positive changes that have been made in southern Illinois by DCFS, however, we can not regress to DCFS' negative past issues because of funding.
Additionally, if you are a family in need, and have been refused services due to budget cuts, please contact us with your problem. Together we can make a difference!

Jeffrey "Bear" Dupuy
Carterville, IL

The children
I do NOT understand the whole "system"! It seems that if a child is taken AWAY from an abusive situation, WHY would they EVER be allowed to return? You know that the parent or parents are going to do what ever the court wants them to just to make them look like they care. It's happened too many times that a child is removed and placed in protective custody where they are loved and can thrive, to be taken out of that home and put back into the abusive home. I know of a parent that lost 4 of her children and just had a baby, that the court is most likely going to give back to her. Why should she be given a FIFTH chance? One of her children were neglected so babdly she died. To me it sounds like she can't be responsible enough to care for the children she seems to be having every nine months. I know too many people unable to have children and get turned down for adoption because they don't have the money! What's fair about giving a person more children to abuse knowing they have NO money or giving the
Thank you!

Anonymous
Herrin, IL

I was watching WSIU-TV on 1-31-03. Watching that man state DCFS is doing an ok job. What a liar. My daughter delivered her infant at our family home. At my granddaughter's death inquest it was OPEN VERDICT Nor did DCFS do a good job . Today would have been Darla's 2nd birthday. The hurt and anger that I have in my heart for both my granddaughter and my daughter the mother being done wrong. On March 21, 2000 I had to go to the court house for both my granddaughters -- one to get guardian of my granddaughter Angel and the 2nd to be at my granddaughter's Darla 's death inquest. DCFS done such a job my son and I got counseling for months. My daughter who was on SUICIDE WATCH at the hospital and in COUNTY JAIL got nothing , she was put in a chair and thrown into the quiet room for crying over her babies. On a last note I am a from a family of ten -- a BUSTED UP FAMILY NO THANKS TO DCFS. Thirty years ago my mom lost her first five to DCFS, yet she had a second five in the same state -- ILLINOIS. One of my sisters were illegally adopted in the state IL. I have no respect and DCFS does a LOUSY JOB .

Anonymous

Foster Care
Our agency truly appreciated the opportunity to be represented on WSIU-TV's program on "Protecting Our Children". Hopefully this program will motivate people in Southern Illinois to be conscious of every child's need to be safe and nurtured by a loving family.
LSSI and all child welfare agencies need community support. If your family would like to be part of the solution to this difficult problem, foster care is the heart and soul of of the system to protect children. If your family is able to provide love, structure, and understanding to children who need to be removed from their homesplease contact us.
This is a difficult job. You must be able to understand the child's anguish over being removed from their parents. In addition, your family must work with the child's family to model good parenting, and to assist in the hopeful reunification of the child. Foster homes are especially needed for older children, sibling groups, and children with behavioral problems. Almost all foster children show some degree of negative and reactive behavior to their removal, and often as a result of the mistreatment that resulted in removal. Foster parents must offer structure, acceptance and extreme commitment in dealing with these difficult issues. This is challenge to a foster family but the reward is helping reverse the pattern of abuse and neglect of a foster child. Larry Johnson, Regional Director, Lutheran Social Services of IL
1616 W. Main St, Marion, IL 62918, (800) 455-5774
Larry.Johnson@lssi.org

Collaboration
Many people have questioned how they can help in "Protecting Our Children." Collaboration is a key factor in assuring that children and families receive the assistance they need to maintain safe homes. There are avenues available for this in every community throughout the State of Illinois. The avenue is Local Area Network's or LAN's. The LAN is designed to be a community collaboration in the truest sense. It is open to not only agenices, but parents, community members, and businesses. Children in need can be "wrapped" in services through the devlopment of child and family teams. The teams, with direction from the family, list the family strengths and determine any needs that the are present. These needs are then examined to see where they can be met. It may be help from a local store, a movie pass, or even a mentor for a child. Services are many times donated from the community. To find out when and where your LAN meets you can check out the web site www.systemofcareillinois.org. There are contact

Theresa Williams
Johnston City, IL

IL misguided attempts to decrease # in foster care
Decreasing the # of children in foster care is not enough, even when it saves the state millions of dollars, if it means eliminating or vastly reducing services for the children after they are adopted. In an effort to save money, IL has pushed children into care without fully disclosing to the adoptive parents problems they have experienced in the past. DCFS' policy of moving juvenile sex offenders from home to home (including adopted kids whose new adoptive placements disrupt) rather than providing them and their victims with the treatment they so desperately need should be criminal. These kids continue to sexually assault in home after home. Sounds crazy, doesn't it? I assure you this is not at all uncommon. It has happened to my family and to many others I know. I won't include my name or # here, but feel free to email me if you wish and I will provide you with both. I feel very strongly someone needs to get the truth out about this situation.

LSSI
Look, DCFS can indicate anyone at anytime with any charge with virtually no evidence. This can ruin peoples lives. I have seen DCP workers that purposely leave out pertinent information which is exculpatory. They talk with people, and don't document the full contents of the conversation in order to skew their decision. They don't interview people they know would negate their findings. There is virtually no organization on how DCFS and contract agencies communicate with families in the system. Contract workers are often unlicensed. Would you go to surgery with a doctor that was unlicensed?

If you want to protect children, you first have to protect them from DCFS and their contract agencies.


Anonymous
Cook County

Protecting Children
I have noticed in going through your listing of programs to help children, that none of the Illinois Coalition Against Sexual Assault programs or centers appears. In all, the coalition has 32 centers and numerous satellites that provide victim-centered free counseling, legal advocacy and medical advocacy to victims and their significant others (family or friends) of sexual assault and abuse without regard to age. We service children as well as adults. We also provide prevention education to schools, colleges and community organizations. We offer professional trainings to those whose work enables them to work with sexual assault survivors. My center, Counseling and Information for Sexual Assault/Abuse is located in Robinson. There are centers in Mount Vernon, Centralia, Carbondale, Vandalia, Effingham and Belleville. My particular center goes to sites in three other counties to provide services so that our clients do not have to drive great distances to receive services. Please include this information in your list.

Thank you,
Mickie Owens