I may be the only dork that watches Frontline on PBS but tonights was rather interesting and extremely sad. The episode was called Failure to Protect and the story centered around the death of 5 yr old Logan Marr, this poor child was in foster care along with her sister and while there she died after being sat in a highchair and being wrapped in duct tape. The foster mother says she did it herself but the state disagreed. The kicker is this woman was a caseworker for the DHS in that state and had experience working with troubled children. Throughout the programs she kept trying to (in my opinion) deflect blame on to this child, saying that she was in a rage... Rage or not you do not duct tape a child into a highchair and leave her in the basement. That's just sickening. I have a 5 yr old and she's no picnic sometimes and has had her share of tantrums but I have always stopped short of duct taping her into a highchair so she could scream safely. Everything about this case is heartbreaking. The full story can is at www.pbs.org[/URL] it includes the interviews with both the birth mother and foster mother. This is the second time today I have seem something about a child being abused or abandoned. It's a sad world we live in when children seem to be so disposable now. I know that somewhere out there, there are people who truly care about kids and that not all foster parents are monsters but this just sickened me. I'm rambling at this point so I'll wrap this up, but i just wanted to get some other opinions on this subject.

Well guys, fasten your seatbelts, Carrie is getting on her soapbox again.
The entire system of CPS and foster care need desperately to be revamped. Throw it out and start fresh, cause in ain't workin'!!!
While teaching, I taught a precious little five year old girl in Kindergarten. Cute as a button, smart as a whip! This was a foster child for a family I can only call repulsive. There were five foster children in this family, and by all accounts, nice little kids. These children were dressed in rags, while the foster parent dressed in a three piece suit and drove a new vehicle. He bragged about receiving $600 a month per child. Now folks, I know school supplies, food, various things bite into a budget, but you can't tell me for that amount of money you can't buy a child better clothing than what these babies were wearing.
We attempted several times to go to authorities about this, but were always met with "but they aren't being abused..." Of course, the social worker was a bleached blonde (hey, I'm one to talk) bimbo who looked like she had just spent the night at the local beer joint. Casual dress is dandy, but this blurred the lines to downright unprofessional (real red-neck area).
He was finally disqualified from the program (and forced to work again for a living) when it was found that he was making a four year old sleep outside for not obeying his rules. This guy was in a pretty far-out Fundamentalist Christian sect, who incidentally protected him from further legal action.
Just prior to moving to the town I'm in now, a foster parent killed a three year old with Cerebral Palsey by beating him. She still works at the local WalMart.
James and I had our own brush with this group. While researching our adoption, we decided we would look into domestic adoption, in the hopes of adopting one of the children from CPS. We met with the agency, and stated that we were looking for a child that was healthy, white or Hispanic, or with minor, correctable needs. We were told we were not "open" enough, because we didn't want to adopt a handicapped child or a Black child (I have no problem adopting a Black child, but East Texas is not a place I would want the child to grow up in.)
Trust me folks, there were some folks in that meeting that I would be amazed if they could tie their shoe laces, much less raise a child.
Most people who foster children are good decent people and in it for the right reason: to make a positive difference in a child's life. Others are in it to make a living. It is a sad, sad commentary on the way the system works. In our foreign adoption, everything about our lives was scrutinized, but I can truthfully say that international adoption is easier and less expensive than domestic adoption. Lawmakers are woefully ignorant on this issue. In some states, mine included, foreign adoptions are not always recognized. The reason? Judges feel that we should adopt domestically. Heck, I would have, if I had been willing to wait 10 years, accept a child who would suffer a great deal of hardships because of the area we live in, go thru tons of legal red tape, and spend $10,000 more than I'm doing already. Sadly, the true victims in all of this are the children who so desperately need good homes.

It seems like everytime we turn around, there is another horrendous story of child abuse. I know there are many, many good loving parents and foster parents out there, but sadly we only hear about the bad ones.

This story made me sick! There is no excuse to ever treat a child the way poor little Logan was treated. Children do act up at times and it would stand to reason that a child who has been taken away from her birth mother would be even more prone to temper tantrums and emotional upset. That foster mother should have been the first to recognize this and handle Logan in a much more loving and calm manner

I know on my best days, my kids can make me crazy by fighting and acting up, but never in my wildest dreams could I imagine mistreating or abusing them. When they were young, both of mine had a few of those nasty temper tantrums too and I know how that can push you to the limit! Regardless, it is up to US as the adults to be responsible enough to react appropriately.

Carrie, I agree with you! It is high time we totally wipe out the system and start over. How many children have to die in the system before something is finally done for good??

I agree that there are way too many foster parents out there who are just repulive! Let me give you all a lift and tell you about my experience.

I was heavily into drugs and alcohol for a while when I had relapsed the first time. My children went into care. I did what need to be done and had weekly visits with them.

It got to the point where I was invited to go to the foster home to pick up my children. These were generous people who were patient and understanding. Sarah trough the foster mother down the stairs, went someplace else for a short time and was welcomed back into this home with open arms. The foster mother and I became good friends and is still considered a family member. She has taken my children for a weekend here and there just to give me a break and has said that she will always have room for my girls. We talk on the phone and every once in a while I pop up on her doorstep just so the girls can say hello.

I just thought this would be a nice switch so that the good ones get just a touch of recognition.