From Deseret News archives:

Scale of Texas' tough task unprecedented

Published: Wednesday, April 9, 2008 1:04 a.m. MDT
 |  E-MAIL | PRINT | FONT + - 
The scale of the decision by Texas child welfare workers to take 416 children into state custody dwarfs any endangerment response in Utah — or anywhere else for that matter.

Removing 416 children from their homes would be an overwhelming task for any state, local public and private child welfare workers said Tuesday.

Texas is literally warehousing the kids taken from the compound, although many had been placed with relatives in nearby towns.

One element in that case that may cushion the trauma for the children involved is their mothers are with them.

Texas Child Protective Services authorities have said they want to keep the mothers and children together as long as the mothers are willing to stay with the children.

This particular group of FLDS "operates in a sense as one, huge extended family," Richard Wexler, executive director of the National Coalition for Child Protection Reform, told the Deseret Morning News Tuesday evening. "A case can be made that taking away all the children is like taking away all of the siblings in a family where several children allegedly were raped and beaten.

"On the other hand, the facts don't always turn out to be as CPS alleges," he noted.

Story continues below
Wexler, who keeps close tabs on child welfare agencies nationwide — including Texas and Utah — said Texas is particularly unprepared to take so many children at once.

"For several years, (Texas) has been going through a foster-care panic, with huge surge in removals in the wake of deaths of children "known to the system,"' he said.

Whether or not these children needed to be removed, their suffering has been increased because Texas has taken so many other children there is little room for these children in the system," he said. "And that is a lesson every state should remember."

An option like that or an all-out call for help is really the only option at that scale, local child safety advocates believe. They said while the welfare of the children in the case is clearly the top priority, they privately said they wonder if the move might be a kind of pre-emptive "better safe than sorry" strategy.

"I certainly agree that the way children — particularly young women and girls — are treated is de facto abuse or worse," one state Division of Child and Family Services caseworker said. "But from what I've seen these kids are in no way neglected; not nearly to the degree of some of kids we meet here and around Salt Lake."

Recent comments

I agree with the FLDS members in their conviction of leading a...

Mike W. | April 17, 2008 at 4:06 p.m.

Good Grief!!!Lock em all up and throw away the key

dave | April 10, 2008 at 2:05 a.m.

A long time ago Utah and Arizona should have made the scale of the...

DeLaval Milker | April 9, 2008 at 10:46 p.m.

Image

Seen from the air, Texas law enforcement gathers outside the FLDS temple in Eldorado. More than 700 state workers from throughout Texas have been called to assist with the children.

Related content
previousnext

Latest comments

Go Rich!!!!!! Kick some Eagle butt.

Obama pressed into role as healer

How can anyone with brain cell claim bush never did anything right? that...

D-Will, Price sit out Jazz practice

They are done and have been since Karl, John and Hornacek retired. What a...

Interesting article. Most Americans don't think of 1930's with the reference...

You Timp Chickens dont know how to play REAL football MC 45-0 over timp

Go Eagles!!!! I have faith in ya.

Go CAVEPEOPLE! However, are there any other high school band programs in...

Utah group finds homes for orphans

The laws are so complex that what has been done will give false hope to many...

Y. tight ends talented tandem

Pitta and George have been awesome and both are deserving of atention and...

Clinton to Dems: pass health bill

So what are you doing PERSONALLY and INDIVIDUALLY to help others? [tht is...

Advertisements
Advertisement