Welfare Watch – GA Conference on Children and Families

By |

Welfare Watch - September 23, 2010 - Georgia Conference on Children and Families

The Georgia Conference on Children and Families (GCCF) comes at a most appropriate time.  Georgia's way of caring for its at-risk children in its child welfare, juvenile justice, behavioral health and developmental disabilities systems is rapidly changing. It is a time of sometimes overwhelming rapid change with new paradigms of thinking and acting. This economic crisis is causing both public and private agencies to identify their core activities.  Data is becoming increasing important as it drives all direct services to evidence based practices.  Family and community are important players in the system that once only had the "experts"  at the table.  The panacea of programs has been replaced with systems of care that includes all aspects of the child's life. This Conference serves the needs of stakeholders in child welfare to understand this change and even to embrace it. Just as Georgia is being seen as one of the leading states in the nation in child welfare work, stakeholders are struggling to keep up.

Cobb Alcohol Taskforce Seeks Youth to Participate in Summit

By |

Cobb Alcohol Taskforce to Hold Youth Council Summit Hosted by The Walker School –

Seeking 100 Cobb County Youth to Participate

September 23, 2010, Marietta, GA – Cobb Alcohol Taskforce will hold a Youth Council Summit at The Walker School on October 23, 2010. The event will be a day full of fun with interactive activities led by youth delegates of the Cobb Alcohol Taskforce Youth Council – Take It Back chapter. Youth facilitated workshops will focus on giving youth a voice that will shake up adult attitudes and beliefs about underage and youth binge drinking. Summit attendees will receive branded t-shirts and drawstring bags; beeligible for drawings for gift cards; receive community service learning and hours; and receive community recognition for participation in a project aimed at making a difference in underage and youth binge drinking. Cobb County middle and high school aged youth who represent an existing school or community youth group are invited to register to attend this free event.

“Beaten, Manipulated and Sold All Day Everyday”

By |

The issue of child sex trafficking is becoming more pointed as new research comes out about the vastness of the problem. A heart-wrenching interview with a survivor of child trafficking came out during testimony before the U.S. House Judiciary Committee last week:
When I was 12 years old, a guy I thought was just a “dope [cool] boy” kept following me in his car when I walked to school…eventually I got in the car with him. For a while we were girlfriend and boyfriend; we would go everywhere together. It didn’t take long before I experienced the real treatment— being beaten, stomped on, manipulated and sold all day every day. Shared Hope International, a non-profit committed to globally preventing and eradicating sex trafficking and slavery, testified to the Committee about the problem of child trafficking in the U.S.

Linda Smith, Founder and President, represented the organization and focused on the current issues in domestic child trafficking response.

How Young is Too Young to Babysit?

By |

Parents across the country are talking about the 11-year-old babysitter in Sandy Springs charged with murdering a 2-year-oldgirl this week. Some are asking if it's wise to leave a child in the care of an 11-year-old. Time magazine tries to answer this question. It looks like there are enough 11-year-olds babysitting that the American Red Cross has a course designed for 11 to 15-year-olds, teaching things like how to keep kids safe and how to handle emergencies. Time reports there doesn’t seem to be any government regulation on babysitting.

Black Boys Suspended from School 3 Times More than White Boys, Says New Study

By |

Middle school kids nationwide, specifically minorities, are facing out of school suspension at alarming rates, according to a study published by the Southern Poverty Law Center called Suspended Education: Urban Middle Schools in Crisis. Atlanta is one of 18 urban school districts the researchers studied. Using data from more than 9,000 middle schools they discovered a suspension rate of 11.2 percent. But the suspension rate for black boys was dramatically higher at 28.3 percent…almost three times higher than the rate for white boys.The research focuses on middle schools and warns suspensions in these grades may have significant, long-term repercussions for students. Also, few previous studies have separated middle school data from that for all grades, masking the extraordinarily high frequency of suspension in middle schools.

D.A. Considers New Charges in Babysitter Murder Case

By |

An 11 year old girl remains in the Metro Youth Detention Center in Atlanta after a hearing Wednesday morning in juvenile court.  Police have charged the child with murdering 2-year old Zeyda White, who was left in her care on Saturday night. The D.A. has already decided not to try the babysitter as an adult, according to Lt. Steve Rose of the Sandy Springs Police Department.  He told the Examiner.com the D.A. will also decide whether to charge one or both parents, who left the toddler with the 11 year old babysitter. The Fulton County District Attorney issued this statement on Wednesday:
"Our office is awaiting a full report on this matter from the Sandy Springs Police Department. Upon receipt of that report, we will conduct our investigation and make a decision regarding the appropriate charges." Mom blogs across the nation are buzzing with concern.  Here are some comments from Momania:
"I don’t know who dropped the ball on this case.

11 Year Old Babysitter Accused of Killing Toddler

By |

A two-year old girl died Saturday night and Sandy Springs police are charging her 11 year-old babysitter with murder.  Little Zyda White died of a severe head wound and other injuries, according to Fox 5 Atlanta. Police interviewed the babysitter, who allegedly told them the toddler fell off a bed, but they believe the injuries were not accidental. Zyda's mother called 911 as soon as she picked up her daughter late Saturday and saw her condition.  She told reporters Tuesday afternoon that she wants the babysitter to spend the rest of her life in prison. While police are charging the 11-year old with felony murder and cruelty to children, the charges could be modified by the Fulton County D.A.  Under Georgia law, children under 13 must be tried in juvenile court. Readers commenting on 11alive.com questioned why an 11 year old child was caring for a 2-year old.

Advocacy Group Petitions to Change GA’s Juvenile Code

By |

A national advocacy group is pushing a petition campaign for passage of a new juvenile code in Georgia. Change.org, a national website that provides daily news and information about social justice issues, is circulating an online petition in support of SB 292. According to the website, 38 people have signed up in support. Among many issues, the state bill focuses on:

Keeping kids tried as adults in juvenile detention centers until they turn 17, rather than putting them in adult prison. (Supporters say this will help protect incarcerated children from being victimized behind bars).

Elementary Kids Accused of Gang Activity – Mayoral Candidate Intervenes

By |

Should children face felony charges for a school fight? The issue has become political in Bibb County. Mayoral candidate C. Jack Ellis is supporting four boys, ages 9 and 10, charged with felony gang violence, according to WMAZ-13 TV. The boys put another child in a chokehold in March during a fight at school. Ellis maintains this was not an act of gang violence because there was no blood, broken bones or weapons.

Former Hall County School Bus Driver, Minister Sentenced To Six Years For Child Pornography

By |

A former Hall County school bus driver and self-described “Patriot Preacher” will spend the next six years behind bars for distributing, receiving and possessing hundreds of images of child pornography. Senior United States District Court Judge William C. O'Kelley handed down the sentence Friday to John Cooper Spinks, 41, of Oakwood, Georgia. His punishment also includes 20 years of supervised release and a $2,000 fine. There is no parole in the federal system. “As a school bus driver, this defendant was in daily contact with the children of Hall County,” said United States Attorney Sally Quillian Yates.