European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - March 5, 1986, Darmstadt, Hesse Ways to remove a child from an abusive Parent a Merican social workers in German have two approved ways to remove a child from an abusive Parent they can get parental permission or a civilian court order. Sometimes they have to Bend the rules. Most of the time parents voluntarily relinquish custody said Phillip Crawford director of Stuttgart s army Community services protective services program. The vast majority of parents will agree to removal until the crisis is Over a top army advocacy official said. Most parents realize they need the help. The pressure builds and they know this is a Way to relieve that an army Legal adviser said we Tell parents we want to take the child out of the Home for your Good. It s a protective if military parents balk the army can use coercive methods to get compliance said the Legal official who spoke on the condition his name not be used. The Tormentor can be confined to the Barracks he said. We can Send the family Home or we can order the family off if civilian or military parents balk at signing consent officials have to go to German court and demonstrate the child is at risk. Resort to German authorities in obtaining Transfer of custody is Only done As a matter of last resort and the overwhelming majority of cases Are resolved without referral to German author tories the Usa eur judge advocate general s office said. When necessary social workers or investigators bring the Case file to a German court official who pleads the Case. The parents can hire a German attorney to fight the removal if they want. Usa eur officials said 22 cases required court ordered authority to remove children from their parents Home in fiscal 1985. In All 22 cases the court approved the Transfer of custody. A Survey of army communities in Europe showed a court order to temporarily remove a child from a Home in most cases can be obtained the same Day As requested. If a situation arises on a weekend or at night when the courts Aren t available the child is not left with the Parent social workers and Legal officials said. Recruiting training Foster parents by Betty Bell staff writer a my Community services maintain Foster Homes for children whose parents fail to provide proper Reddick extended care coordinator at Heidelberg talked about her Community s program. When a Young child has been seriously abused i have a lot of sympathy for both the child and the perpetrator Reddick said. I Don t look on that child As different or As a victim. I treat them As you re of you did t cause this problem Foster parents should have that same View of the it s in that spirit that Reddick recruits and trains Foster parents. I look for Homes that can provide a proper setting for children in need of care and Protection she said. Prospective Foster parents Are interviewed at least four times. Applications Are reviewed by medical personnel the Provost marshal and the Community counselling Center. Candidates Are tested for tuberculosis and screened for incidences of child or spouse abuse. We do a social history Reddick said. We look for people who come from stable the screening process includes a Home evaluation. We look at sleeping arrangements the general environment and Check for Good safety and health habits she said. If the family has a pet that s not cared for or if they leave household cleansers unsecured they May not be considered Good candidates. We re looking for the improved Quality of the Foster Parent she said. We want them to be More educated to Deal with the child and its problems. That s Why we provide and require candidates to Complete 12 hours of the training program takes two Days. It includes discussions on behaviour management seizure disorders Foster care policies and procedures child sexual abuse and prevention emotional aspects of Foster care and separation trauma. Care givers who Complete the program receive a certificate. Reddick currently oversees 12 Foster families. Most include service members. When a child has been placed in one of the Homes i stay in Contact with the Foster Parent Reddick said. I make regular phone Calls schedule office visits or drop in to see How things Are going. I have to do what s Best for the child work with the supporting agencies and listen to the pains of the Foster parents. It can Wear you wearing yes but not so much to drive her to quit. I love children she said. Social workers find some pretext to remove the child usually admitting the youngster to a Hospital for an examination. As a practical matter the Protection of the child transcends any concept of parental authority the army Legal official said. I m not going to let an army regulation stand in the Way of doing the right the Legal official said the regulation requiring parental consent was written for stateside consumption where state and county welfare agencies can intervene. We Don t have that he said. We have to have a flexible response even though it s not authorized by the so he advises social workers to remove the child even if there s no parental consent. I d rather apologize to a Parent on monday morning for making a mistake of judgment he said than to explain to a commander Why we have a dead child on our staff writers Allen Cowan and Dan Wollam contributed to this Story child abuse child advocacy s8.s file photo Heidelberg s Mother Hen _ .,-�.,., photo by Gus Schuett Ledr. Mai Gail Johnson chief of the paediatric clinic at the army s 97th general Hospital in Frankfurt. By Betty Bell staff writer get maj. Barbara Pingel head paediatric nurse at the . Army Hospital in Heidelberg Germany. Pingel has spent 14 years caring for children. She Calls herself a Mother Pingel has no children of her own but is a Foster Parent. What makes her different from most other Foster parents is that she is single. I got interested in the Foster care program after coming to Germany in february 1985," she said. Army Community services did t have any other single Foster parents but i had decided i really wanted to do Pingel applied attended acs s training program and was certified a Foster care giver in March. A month later she had her first child an emotionally disturbed 5 year old with a history of abuse and neglect. He was being placed in Foster care for the second time while arrangements were made to return him to the states according to Linda Reddick acs extended care coordinator. Arrangements for Day care were made by acs for the child. After 16 Days he had torn my House apart Pingel said. He was a difficult child. When he left i was emotionally drained but i was not about to give up. He was not the age group i had asked for. 12 and her second child was a 16-year-old boy with a history of emotional and physical abuse. The boy and his parents received counselling during his placement. I had no problems with him Pingel said. We had a Good relationship. I loved having him around because i love to Cook but my food Bill tripled. Ten dollars the daily allowance paid to care give is does t cover it All. I made sure he got where he was going and if i had to stay up late to pick him up i when to report suspected Case of abuse m any child advocates feel it is better to report suspected cases of abuse and be proven wrong than to be quiet and miss abase. Douglas Besharov disagrees. Be careful Don t report on Flimsy evidence such As a single Bruise or a Brief change of behaviour he warns. If you think the child is in serious danger then you should Besharov directs the american Enterprise Institute s social invention project. He is a former new York City prosecutor and past director of the National Center on child abuse and neglect. Besharov wrote in the Harvard journal of Law and Public policy that 65 percent of the child abuse reports filed last year proved false. In 1973, 35 percent were deemed groundless. This flood. Creates real danger for children who Are in True jeopardy believes Besharov. These children who need to be protected Are getting lost in the Avalanche of new in 1985, concerned citizens reported 1.5 million suspected cases of child abuse. In 1963, that figure was 150,000. 1 we re asking people to make a distinction Here. Asking people not to report every Bruise they see. In the Long run More people will be protected if we re More careful Besharov contends. Flood of reported child abuse cases creates real danger for children who Are in True the boy has returned Home and is doing Well acs officials said. I Felt Good about him because i Felt i had helped him. We were Able to communicate Pingel said. She now has a 14-year-old boy she s getting to know. They Call me Barb or mrs. B or whatever name they re comfortable with. I let them get comfortable in the Home show them their room and where the food is she said. Pingel has rules for the children. I limit phone Calls. Considering my work my line cannot be tied up. They have to help with the dishes. They have to assume some responsibilities. I Deal with them a Little differently from the Way their parents did. I try to reason with them explain the whys.1 if i say i m going to do something i keep my Promise. They have to show me that they Are responsible and i in turn Trust More stories on child abuse will appear in Friday s daily Magazine. Page 14 the stars and stripes wednesday March 5, 1986 the stars and stripes Page 15
