Child Protective Services

I met Jill Smokler for coffee this morning for a Q&A that's scheduled to run in our Scene section on Mother's Day. She's the Scary Mommy blogger and author of the bestseller " Confessions of a Scary Mommy " and the new book " Motherhood Comes Naturally (and Other Vicious Lies) . " I won't steal my own thunder here but will say two things: She is not so scary that I wanted to call child protective services, and that she probably had the pleasure of looking up my nose way too many times as I threw my head back in laughter.

I met Jill Smokler for coffee this morning for a Q&A that's scheduled to run in our Scene section on Mother's Day. She's the Scary Mommy blogger and author of the bestseller " Confessions of a Scary Mommy " and the new book " Motherhood Comes Naturally (and Other Vicious Lies) . " I won't steal my own thunder here but will say two things: She is not so scary that I wanted to call child protective services, and that she probably had the pleasure of looking up my nose way too many times as I threw my head back in laughter.

FREDERICK, Md. (AP) — A Frederick County sheriff's deputy faces charges of sexually abusing a 14-year-old girl. The Frederick County Sheriff's Office said Thursday that 46-year-old Sam Bowman of New Market was charged Wednesday night. Bowman didn't immediately return a call to his home seeking comment. No defense attorney is listed in court records. Bowman has been with the sheriff's office since August. He was a school resource officer at Walkersville High School.

We agree with Anne M. Brown! As soon as I saw the headline - "Didn't anyone see it coming?" - my stomach did a flip because I knew exactly what the letter was about. My friends and I have expressed the same words and feelings verbatim! Sadly, a life possibly destroyed because no one helped. As Anne Brown said: "Where was the potential help for this kid? The School System; Child Protective Services' the Neighbors, The Sheriff's Office? How could he become invisible to anyone who could have and should have made a difference?"

The circumstances that led to the arrest of Robert Richardson III on charges of killing his father were tragic ("No bail for Bel Air teen accused of patricide," Jan. 12). Although many details have yet to be revealed, this clearly was a family struggling with a multitude of social issues in addition to the tragic loss of a mother and wife. As an educator, what I find the most perplexing and disturbing is the fact that the Harford County Sheriff's Department were called to this residence 12 times in recent years, and not one report was made to Child Protective Services.

We agree with Anne M. Brown! As soon as I saw the headline - "Didn't anyone see it coming?" - my stomach did a flip because I knew exactly what the letter was about. My friends and I have expressed the same words and feelings verbatim! Sadly, a life possibly destroyed because no one helped. As Anne Brown said: "Where was the potential help for this kid? The School System; Child Protective Services' the Neighbors, The Sheriff's Office? How could he become invisible to anyone who could have and should have made a difference?"

Children often witness domestic violence, but social workers have had no standardized way to examine how they are affected by it. Now, Baltimore County's social services department has partnered with experts from the Johns Hopkins University and the University of Minnesota to develop a screening tool that would, for the first time, quantify the impact of domestic violence on children. "There is no specific protocol, and particularly for the really young kids, on how you assess the level of domestic violence," said Kathleen King, a supervisor with Child Protective Services.

When one adult hits another, Maryland law defines this as assault. When a larger, stronger adult hits a child, this act can be interpreted under Maryland law as "reasonable" discipline. We find it difficult to understand why it is acceptable to hit a child with an object such as a belt, when it is always unacceptable to hit another adult, either with a fist or anything else. "Spare the rod ... spoil the child" has guided child rearing for thousands of years. Almost all parents have used physical (or corporal)

It happened again. Once more, a parent who has previously had children permanently removed because of a history of abuse has, according to authorities, fatally abused a subsequent child. The case of 2-year-old Bryanna Harris raises the same issues that are raised every time a similar case grabs the public's attention: How could this happen? Where was the city Department of Social Services? Didn't anybody see this coming? All reasonable questions - but based on recent history, they will never really get answered, because there is not much political will to do anything to change a social service system that all too often places "family reunification" above what is in the best interests of children.

The half-sister of Robert C. Richardson III recalled a tense relationship between the Harford County teen and their father Wednesday, as his family began to craft a legal strategy the day after he was accused of killing Robert C. Richardson Jr. and dumping his body in a pond. "My brother is a good child — a good, good child," said Abigail Richardson, 20. "Everybody has their snapping point, the point where they just ... everybody has one. " She spoke after meeting with a court-appointed lawyer representing her 16-year-old brother, who has been charged with first- and second-degree murder and use of a handgun in the commission of a violent crime.

The circumstances that led to the arrest of Robert Richardson III on charges of killing his father were tragic ("No bail for Bel Air teen accused of patricide," Jan. 12). Although many details have yet to be revealed, this clearly was a family struggling with a multitude of social issues in addition to the tragic loss of a mother and wife. As an educator, what I find the most perplexing and disturbing is the fact that the Harford County Sheriff's Department were called to this residence 12 times in recent years, and not one report was made to Child Protective Services.

The half-sister of Robert C. Richardson III recalled a tense relationship between the Harford County teen and their father Wednesday, as his family began to craft a legal strategy the day after he was accused of killing Robert C. Richardson Jr. and dumping his body in a pond. "My brother is a good child — a good, good child," said Abigail Richardson, 20. "Everybody has their snapping point, the point where they just ... everybody has one. " She spoke after meeting with a court-appointed lawyer representing her 16-year-old brother, who has been charged with first- and second-degree murder and use of a handgun in the commission of a violent crime.

Children often witness domestic violence, but social workers have had no standardized way to examine how they are affected by it. Now, Baltimore County's social services department has partnered with experts from the Johns Hopkins University and the University of Minnesota to develop a screening tool that would, for the first time, quantify the impact of domestic violence on children. "There is no specific protocol, and particularly for the really young kids, on how you assess the level of domestic violence," said Kathleen King, a supervisor with Child Protective Services.

The child sex abuse scandal at Penn State University has captured the attention of the country. While the alleged perpetrator will be the focus of much of the discussion, The Family Tree, Maryland's leading child abuse prevention organization, suggests that we shift the focus to what we can do today to prevent this from happening again tomorrow. Unfortunately, it is all too often a public tragedy like this that reminds us that safety is not the responsibility of the child but the responsibility of us as adults and caring, committed others.

Elie Wiesel once famously wrote, "We must always take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented. " Sadly, as we learned again this week at Penn State University, silence among leadership and those in authority empowered an alleged child abuser. Certainly the crime of sexual child abuse turns our community and causes outrage that continues to make us question whom we leave our vulnerable loved ones with. At Baltimore Child Abuse Center we see over 900 children annually right here in Baltimore.

FREDERICK, Md. (AP) — A Frederick County sheriff's deputy faces charges of sexually abusing a 14-year-old girl. The Frederick County Sheriff's Office said Thursday that 46-year-old Sam Bowman of New Market was charged Wednesday night. Bowman didn't immediately return a call to his home seeking comment. No defense attorney is listed in court records. Bowman has been with the sheriff's office since August. He was a school resource officer at Walkersville High School.

Carroll County Department of Social Services is throwing a private party today to celebrate an anniversary in 2000 -- a 65-year period that has seen the agency grow from a staff of three to about 130. On July 26, 1935, after Congress passed the Social Security Act to help the poor, the Carroll County Public Welfare Board formed. A director, an investigator and a clerk were hired to help the poorest county residents in the aftermath of the Depression. Today, its staff members handle thousands of cases, ranging from child abuse and adoptions to job placement.

The Towson psychiatrist whose license was suspended early this month after he was accused of improper conduct with boys he was treating faced the state board that oversees doctors Wednesday in a hearing. The closed-door hearing was a chance for Miguel Frontera to provide information to the Maryland Board of Physicians, which will decide whether to permanently revoke or reinstate his license. Frontera arrived with his lawyer, Natalie Magdeburger, who declined to comment. The outcome of the hearing was unclear, though Frontera has the right to request another hearing.

Two state agencies have launched an investigation after a 2-year-old girl was reportedly left in a Baltimore day care van for hours after a field trip Wednesday. Both the city's Child Protective Services and the Office of Child Care, part of the Maryland State Department of Education, are investigating the incident, said Elyn Garrett Jones, a spokeswoman for the state Department of Human Resources. While the other children got off the van at the Harford Road location of Fitness Fun & Games, one child lay down on a seat and fell asleep, according to a statement from the executive director.

When one adult hits another, Maryland law defines this as assault. When a larger, stronger adult hits a child, this act can be interpreted under Maryland law as "reasonable" discipline. We find it difficult to understand why it is acceptable to hit a child with an object such as a belt, when it is always unacceptable to hit another adult, either with a fist or anything else. "Spare the rod ... spoil the child" has guided child rearing for thousands of years. Almost all parents have used physical (or corporal)