The unimaginable happened when a Tampa, Florida resident noticed her one-year-old son experiencing serious pain in his leg. She cautiously took him to the hospital for an examination and was shocked to learn that her child was found with multiple fractures in his leg as a result of physical abuse. This revelation initiated an investigation by the Hillsborough Sheriff’s office that led to Time of Wonder Daycare surrendering their surveillance tapes.
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Author ArchiveLocal 10: Mother fights to pass ‘Greyson’s Law’ after son killed by father in murder-suicideAttorneys from Justice for Kids are working with a South Florida mother to seek justice for her four-year-old who was tragically killed by his father in a murder-suicide. Every stone will be overturned to determine whether red flags, evaluations and proper risk assessments were missed or overlooked. WPLG Local 10 in Miami shares more on this horrific story and her quest to help other families avoid the pain she is now experiencing. Watch the segment here. WESH 2: Foster dad accused of abusing 4 children ordered back to jailAs reported by WESH 2 news in Orlando, a foster father accused of raping and molesting a young girl in his care is now facing additional charges involving a second young victim. Children’s Rights Lawyer Howard Talenfeld to Chair Florida Bar Legal Needs of Children Committee for a Third TermHoward M. Talenfeld, a respected children’s rights attorney and Business Unit Leader of Justice for Kids, a division of Kelley Kronenberg, has been named Chair of The Florida Bar Legal Needs of Children Committee, as appointed by Bar President Michael G. Tanner. This is Talenfeld’s third appointment as Committee Chair, having served in the role from 2009-2010 and 2020-2021.
The Legal Needs of Children Committee was established to find ways to implement the 2002 recommendations of The Florida Bar Commission on the Legal Needs of Children. This report is focused on ensuring that children in state custody receive the best legal representation possible. DCFS Criticized for Not Protecting LGBTQ Youth in Foster Care in Recent Report from Auditor GeneralThe State of Illinois’ Office of the Auditor General recently published a performance audit report detailing the Department of Children and Family Services’ (DCFS) care of LGBTQ youth. The children are in care because they have been abused and neglected. The report finds LGBTQ youth in DCFS care are ostracized and bullied. Some foster kids have described instances during which LGBTQ youth were kicked out of a foster home by the foster parents for coming out as gay or bisexual. Equally, LGBTQ foster parents do not believe they are supported, depriving the youth from a potential home. Moreover, the position of DCFS LGBTQ Coordinator was vacant for an entire year during the audit period. Read more here. Northern Illinois Academy to Shutdown Permanently Following an Investigation Over Allegations of Child-on-child Sexual Abuse, Treatment & Safety ConcernsA residential school operated by Sequel Youth and Family Services is set to permanently shutdown its operations. Northern Illinois Academy (NIA), located in Aurora, Illinois, is an 87-bed facility that receives funding from the Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS), the Department of Healthcare and Family Services (HFS), and the Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS). Children suffering from mental illness, autism, mood disorders, and/or developmental delays were sent to the facility for treatment. According to a recent report based on an investigation conducted by Equip for Equality’s Abuse Investigation Unit, NIA and its parent company, Sequel Youth and Family Services, are unwilling to provide sufficient resources to resolve the existing treatment and safety concerns. These identified problems include a lack of meaningful programing, unsafe restraint practices, problems with de-briefing, failure to identify/report incidents of restraints and seclusion, inaccurate reporting of incidents, complaints regarding time youth spend in their rooms, restricting residents from communication devices, and significant program failures in the Blackhawk unit. In Memory of a Foster Child that Died a Year Ago After a Chokehold, Michigan is to Ban the Use of Restraints on Children Living in Group HomesOn April 29, 2020, 16-year-old Cornelius Fredrick threw a sandwich at another child during lunch at Lakeside Academy, a Sequel Youth and Family Services facility for at risk children in Michigan. In response to the sandwich incident, seven adult male staff members held little Cornelius on the floor for more than 10 minutes, putting weight on his legs and torso. Cornelius died two days later at a hospital. He was a foster child whose mother had died four years prior. Current Florida policy leaves hundreds of foster children without Medicaid coverageUntil recently, the state of Florida has continued to abandon foster children who had already been abused and neglected, even after they left state care, by improperly removing 1,730 former foster children from Medicaid. Former foster children, under federal law, remain Medicaid eligible until age 26. However, a current Florida policy requires all former foster children to reapply for Medicaid at age 22, leaving hundreds of young adults without coverage. Kelley Kronenberg Adds Attorney Julianna B. Walo in Chicago
Father Christopher Ciomek of St. Peter Damian Parish in Bartlett, Illinois, has been removed from the ministry as a result of allegations of child sex abuseHe is accused of abusing a minor approximately 30 years ago, during his years as a seminarian. The pastor has previously served at St. Monica Parish in Chicago, St. Theresa Parish in Palatine, the faculty of the Mundelein Seminary, and was an Associate Dean of Formation and Director of Chicago Seminarians. The Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP) encourages victims of Fr. Ciomek and other priests to come forward: “Given that the average age at which a survivor comes forward is 52, and the fact that one allegation being made public often spurs others who were abused to speak out, we would not be surprised if more people come forward with allegations against Fr. Ciomek.” This one courageous victim has come forward, but there are many more victims of childhood sexual abuse that suffer in silence. Whether the abuse was caused by this priest, or other priests, victims should come forward to receive justice and closure. Foster children are being sent to out-of-state mental health facilities where they are abandoned, abused, and sexually assaulted.A last resort procedure available to child welfare officials is sending foster children to out-of-state mental health institutions. Usually, these fragile children suffer from severe medical and psychiatric disorders that require specialized care. However, officials have been abusing this option, especially in Illinois, by using it far too often and then ignoring these children when they suffer physical and sexual abuse by other residents or facility employees. Although police and facility employees have documented instances of harm, far too often state officials fail to intervene and help these vulnerable youth. Father Known to DCF Who Abused, Neglected and Starved Toddler to Death Takes Plea, Gets 20-year SentenceFive months after his wife, Kristen Meyer, was sentenced to 23 years in prison for the death of their infant daughter, Alejandro Aleman pleaded guilty to aggravated manslaughter of a child and was sentenced to 20 years in prison, as reported by CBS 12. This issue arises from terrible circumstances that took place in Palm Beach County back in 2016. Alejandro and his wife had 10 children at the time and kept them all in “deplorable” living conditions. Investigators discovered a home with mildew, insects, and feces smeared on the walls. The victim, Tayla, was merely 7 pounds at the time of her death when she was 13 months old. Tayla was severely malnourished and was infected with E. coli, influenza, and pneumonia at the time of her death. |
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Kelley Kronenberg