Please join the TRUTH TRAIN

SEND AN EMAIL TO LEGISLATORS…

PLEASE take 5 minutes to help us stop the atrocities . . . happening all across the country where children are being taken into state custody at an alarming rate, and parental rights are being severed, and families destroyed – – –  FOREVER! 

EVERY letter received, counts, and every letter details a different aspect of a very broken system that has a dramatic, and devastating impact on children and parents for generations to come.  Let us join together to tell the Legislators what is happening and what we expect them to do to …

STOP the reign of terror by CPS, DCS, DCF or whatever they want to call it!

HELP us contact the people who can make this change happen to release all children unjustly taken and prevent these tragedies from recurring.

We’ve made it SUPER SIMPLE.  Pick a letter from the choices below, follow the instructions in the blue box, HIT SEND and YOU’RE DONE — BUT, not before you sign your name, or use ‘A concerned citizen‘ or ‘A concerned parent‘ or ‘A concerned constituent‘ or whatever you like.  SUGGESTION: We recommend emailing in batches, one to the Representatives, the other to the Senators, and they are already grouped for you.

LET US KNOW HOW IT GOES!

Please leave a comment stating that you sent emails, and definitely let us know if you get any response! It would be great if a few days later you moved on to the Letter Series 1, and then a few days after that, Series 2, and so on. Imagine the impact this will make if LOTS of people do it!!!

If you live in Arizona and are concerned about retaliation, please consider signing up for an email account on google for political purposes.

HERE ARE THE LEGISLATORS!            *****Below this are 5 suggested letters to send for Bill HB 2047*****

*REMEMBER TO BLIND COPY (BCC) THE LIST*

Representative Emails:

jackerley@azleg.gov,lalston@azleg.gov,randrade@azleg.gov,bbarton@azleg.gov, jbenally@azleg.gov,rbolding@azleg.gov,sborrelli@azleg.gov,rbowers@azleg.gov, pboyer@azleg.gov,kbrophymcgee@azleg.gov,ncampbell@azleg.gov, mcardenas@azleg.gov,hcarter@azleg.gov,kenclark@azleg.gov,rcobb@azleg.gov, dcoleman@azleg.gov,despinoza@azleg.gov,kfann@azleg.gov, efarnsworth@azleg.gov,cfernandez@azleg.gov,mfinchem@azleg.gov, rfriese@azleg.gov,rgabaldon@azleg.gov,sgonzales@azleg.gov, dgowan@azleg.gov,rgray@azleg.gov,ahale@azleg.gov, akern@azleg.gov, jlarkin@azleg.gov,jlawrence@azleg.gov,vleach@azleg.gov, dlivingston@azleg.gov,plovas@azleg.gov,smach@azleg.gov,ddavis@azleg.gov, jmendez@azleg.gov,jmesnard@azleg.gov,emeyer@azleg.gov, dmitchell@azleg.gov,smontenegro@azleg.gov,jnorgaard@azleg.gov, jolson@azleg.gov,lotondo@azleg.gov,wpetersen@azleg.gov,fpratt@azleg.gov, rrios@azleg.gov,trivero@azleg.gov,brobson@azleg.gov,msaldate@azleg.gov, asherwood@azleg.gov,tshope@azleg.gov,vsteele@azleg.gov, dstevens@azleg.gov,bthorpe@azleg.gov,ktownsend@azleg.gov, mugenti@azleg.gov,cvelasquez@azleg.gov, jweninger@azleg.gov, bwheeler@azleg.gov

Senators Emails: 

eableser@azleg.gov,sallen@azleg.gov,nbarto@azleg.gov,cbegay@azleg.gov, abiggs@azleg.gov,dbradley@azleg.gov,jburges@azleg.gov, ocajerobedford@azleg.gov,lcontreras@azleg.gov,adalessandro@azleg.gov, jdial@azleg.gov,adriggs@azleg.gov,sfarley@azleg.gov,dfarnsworth@azleg.gov, ggriffin@azleg.gov,khobbs@azleg.gov,jkavanagh@azleg.gov,dlesko@azleg.gov, bmcguire@azleg.gov,rmeza@azleg.gov,cmiranda@azleg.gov, lpancrazi@azleg.gov,spierce@azleg.gov,mquezada@azleg.gov, dshooter@azleg.gov,stsmith@azleg.gov,kward@azleg.gov, bworsley@azleg.gov,syarbrough@azleg.gov, kyee@azleg.gov

HERE ARE THE LETTERS!

New Letters for HB 2047.

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Instructions:
Choose a letter from Letter 1-5.
Choose a P.S. from P.S. #1 or P.S. #2
Combine the two for your letter.
Mail to all of the legislators.

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Letter HB2047 … Number 1
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Dear Legislators,

Please support House Bill 2047. This bill would prevent a child from being removed from his or her home until a “child safety worker” submits reasons and supporting information to a supervisor and then a supervisor reviews the reasons and information, and approves the removal. This is an absolutely necessary improvement in the current system of child safety that is failing children and families across the state.

Currently, social workers are in limited supply. Many or most are untrained and have little or no experience in social work, much less in their current position. Their case loads are huge and emotionally draining. Responding to call reports for potential abuse or neglect in a rushed time frame puts these untrained workers in a predicament where they are forced to make a quick decision that they are often not prepared to or qualified to make. As a result, they may opt to choose what they perceive to be the “safe” option for a child that might be in danger … and choose to take the child into custody for an evaluation.

Taking a child into custody at every home visit is a good and safe decision for children who are truly abused or truly neglected and in imminent danger, such as when they have not had sufficient food and are malnourished, or have been confined in an unnatural manner – conditions that are visibly apparent. However, when call reports are made erroneously or vindictively, as they often are, children in safe environments with loving parents are taken out of their homes and subjected to trauma that would be criminal if it were performed by anyone other than a government worker or agency. Children who are safe and secure and happy in their lives are uprooted and terrorized by strangers who inspect them, invading their privacy and violating their constitutional rights to be secure in their own homes. They are questioned by untrained people about things they often do not understand.

The entire process of DCS violates the constitutional rights of children. Regardless of immigration or citizenship status, one has rights. It only follows that children also have rights. There is no age limit one must reach in order to protected under the rights of the constitution. Consequently, when children are taken out of their home against their will and submitted to the whim or fancy of a government worker practicing as part of a government agency, even in the name of child “safety” or the “best interests of the child”, the rights of those children are violated. Children, like adults, have the right to remain silent, have the right to refuse to consent to a search of their self, have the right to leave if not under arrest, and have the right to be secure in their own home, possessions, and person.

One excellent step towards restoring and upholding the constitution and the rights granted therein is to stop taking children into custody when there is neither evidence of abuse, nor imminent danger. One safeguard to ensure that children are only taken in these circumstances is to require written reasons and information, along with a supervisor’s approval, before allowing a DCS worker to take a child into state custody. House Bill 2047 will do exactly that. Please support children, families, and the constitution. Please support and pass House Bill 2047.

Sincerely,
a concerned citizen

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Letter HB2047 … Number 2
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Dear Legislators,

While child abuse and neglect are horrible realities in life, taking healthy children from safe environments and loving families is also traumatic and abusive to children. Keeping those children from their families by limiting and denying family visitation, terminating parental rights, subjecting those children to state/foster care, and adopting those children out to new families is even more traumatic and abusive.Please stop the unnecessary taking of children into state custody when it is not warranted. Please support and pass House Bill 2047.  This bill would prevent a child from being removed from his or her home until a “child safety worker” submits reasons and supporting information to a supervisor and then a supervisor reviews the reasons and information, and approves the removal. This is certainly a needed improvement in the current system of child safety that is failing children and families across the state.

The Department of Child Safety is understaffed, overworked, and composed of largely untrained employees. Consequently, many, possibly thousands of children who are not in imminent danger are taken into state custody without any evidence of abuse or neglect. Such an action is very traumatic and damaging to healthy children who were in safe environments with loving and capable parents.

Help protect safe and healthy children rather than allowing the state to continue terrorizing children and families in the name of child “safety”.

Sincerely,
a concerned citizens

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Letter HB2047 … Number 3
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Dear Legislators,

Please support House Bill 2047. This bill would prevent a child from being removed from his or her home until a “child safety worker” submits reasons and supporting information to a supervisor and then a supervisor reviews the reasons and information, and approves the removal. This is definitely an improvement in the current system of child safety that is failing children and families across the state.

With the passage of such a bill, rogue workers in the Department of Child Safety would not be able to make rash, prejudiced, or uneducated judgments to remove children from their homes without approval of a supervisor. One would expect that supervisors would be better trained and better equipped to make such critical decisions than lower-level DCS workers. This bill is wonderful and will go a long way to protecting children and parents where no child abuse has occurred.

House Bill 2047 is a first step in much needed reform of the DCS. Given the current system, much more will have to change to more fully reinstate and protect the rights of children and parents. In the meantime, please support healthy and safe children by supporting and passing house bill 2047.

Sincerely,
a concerned citizen

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Letter HB2047 … Number 4
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Dear Legislators,

Please support House Bill 2047. This bill would prevent a child from being removed from his or her home until a “child safety worker” submits reasons and supporting information to a supervisor and then a supervisor reviews the reasons and information, and approves the removal. While much more reform is needed in the DCS, this is a good first step in an agency that is failing. Please support House Bill 2047 and then consider the following issues that also need to be remedied.

The first issue to address is how child safety workers acquire their reasons and supporting information for removal of a child. Are they acting on reliable, verifiable evidence of abuse or neglect? Or, are they relying on anonymous calls with vague accusations and hearsay? Are the child safety workers acquiring their information from police reports and securing search warrants due to the preponderance of evidence and probable cause that they have accumulated? Or, are they bullying, intimidating, and threatening parents into agreeing to warrant-less entries and searches?

Secondly, what is the culture of DCS, which directly determines the honesty of the workers? Does the Department of Child Safety promote a culture of loving, kind-hearted, helpful and honest individuals who truly care about the health and well-being of children? Do they promote and value honesty and integrity? Or, do they focus on numbers of children removed and quantity of calls investigated rather than the situation of the families visited, the services needed, and the services provided? Does the Department conduct surveys to collect and report feedback on their workers or do they request anonymity and immunity for their workers?

Next, how are child safety workers motivated and incentivized? Are they taught to collect evidence and warrants for true abuse cases, respecting the rule of law and then rewarded for doing so? Are they encouraged to evaluate family situations and needs, matching those needs to appropriate services when asked for help? Or, are they encouraged to get their work done quickly and take as many children as possible? Are they awarded bonuses based on work well done and positive feedback from others on their work? Or are they awarded bonuses for how many children they remove from homes, how many children are adopted, and simply how long they stay with the agency? Is the department concerned with good workers or those who will simply stay with the department the longest to get more money?

House Bill 2047 is a great improvement to the current problems in DCS and their history of taking healthy children needlessly from safe environments and loving parents. Please support and pass HB 2047 and then look to further improve the DCS.

Sincerely,
a concerned citizens

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Letter HB2047 … Number 5
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Dear Legislators,

Please support House Bill 2047. This bill would prevent a child from being removed from his or her home until a “child safety worker” submits reasons and supporting information to a supervisor and then a supervisor reviews the reasons and information, and approves the removal.

In fact, DCS already has written regulations that require a supervisor’s approval before taking a child into custody except in an emergency situation. In those emergency situations, regulations require supervisors to be notified within two hours. While not written in law, this requirement is already in the procedure manual and is either being ignored or supervisors authorize taking custody of children illegally. By passing House Bill 2047, you will be sending a message to social workers that this is an important and necessary requirement that must be completed to prevent the break-up of healthy families.

More consideration and serious thought needs to be utilized before taking children into state custody. Unfortunately, “poor parenting skills” and “dirty dishes” have been used as excuses for removing children. Pre-existing health conditions or verifiable accidents that are months or years old are used as excuses to remove children. If workers use such inane reasons for taking children now and if they ignore exculpatory medical records now, they need encouragement to document their reasons to create accountability for their actions.

House Bill 2047 will hopefully change this flippant removal of children into state custody without evidence of abuse or neglect. Certainly, the entire agency needs to act according to their own regulations and manuals. Certainly, the entire agency needs to adhere to the lawful definition of abuse and neglect. Certainly, the workers must be trained to respect parental rights (Arizona Rev. Stat. 1-601) and the rule of law. In the meantime, hopefully House Bill 2047 will be the first step to turn around the current situation in Arizona of abuse of power and the destruction of healthy families.

Sincerely,
a concerned citizen

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Letter HB2047 … P.S. #1
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P.S. The number of children in Arizona’s foster care system rose 80% between 2003 and 2012, while foster care nationally declined 22% during that same period. Arizona’s DCS takes over 35 children a day from their parents, which amounts to 1,077 a month, and 6,461 in the last six-month reporting period that ended September 30, 2014. Either Arizona is a dangerous place for children to live with their parents, or there is a serious problem in Arizona’s DCS.

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Letter HB2047 … P.S. #2
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P.S. The number of children in Arizona’s foster care system rose 80% between 2003 and 2012, while foster care nationally declined 22% during that same period. Arizona’s DCS takes over 35 children a day from their parents, which amounts to 1,077 a month, and 6,461 in the last six-month reporting period that ended September 30, 2014. Over 70% of the reports investigated by the DCS were not for imminent danger, physical abuse, sexual abuse, or emotional abuse. Over 70% of the reports investigated by the DCS were for neglect.

*THANK YOU FOR SENDING THAT LETTER!!!

For those of you who made it here, PLEASE consider going here to send any of our previous letters — THANK YOU! AND, stay tuned …. after we get letters sent, to comment on their facebook pages, tweet them, and call them. Try just ONE facebook party, and we assure you it will be fun and satisfying. Please invite everyone you know who might be interested in this cause to join us. Let us effect some change and stand up for the children!!!