RELEASE: October 27, 2003

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Nine DYFS workers terminated after foster parents’ arrest for starving four adopted boys

More than 6,000 foster-child safety assessments to be independently reviewed

Commissioner Gwendolyn L. Harris announced today that nine Division of Youth and Family Services (DYFS) employees will be fired and thousands of foster-child safety assessments will be redone in response to the recent arrests of two foster and adoptive parents who allegedly starved four boys in their care.

“We had no less than five people in that home over the past two years, and none of them apparently voiced any concern or took any action to follow up on the condition of the boys in that house,” Commissioner Harris said. “This is unacceptable, and we are holding people accountable for this. Our mission is to protect children, and we clearly failed that here.”

The nine workers who will be terminated include the managers of two offices – the DYFS Adoption Resource Center for South Jersey and the Camden Central District Office – two supervisors, three caseworkers, a foster home evaluator, and a licensing inspector. Colleen Maguire, the DHS Special Deputy Commissioner in charge of DYFS, said the nine employees were suspended over the weekend and would be served termination papers by tonight.

The arrests of foster parents Vanessa and Raymond Jackson of Collingswood came just a day after DYFS announced that it had completed safety assessments on more than 14,300 children in foster homes, institutions, group homes and other out-of-home placements. As a result of the assessments, only 31 children were deemed unsafe and had to be removed from their placements.

The Jacksons’ arrest has called into question the validity of the safety assessments, Commissioner Harris said, so DYFS is arranging an outside independent review of nearly half of those assessments. The department has contacted professional social workers’ associations, child advocacy centers and various social service agencies to handle the re-assessments.

The review will encompass all 1,400 children supervised by the southern Adoption Resource Center and about 5,000 additional children statewide. The adoption resource center is currently being managed by a four-person team dispatched by Commissioner Harris.

The commissioner also has sent letters about the case to foster parents and every DYFS employee. The letter to DYFS staff urges anyone with doubts about any of their safety assessments to immediately visit the home and redo the assessment.

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