Dana Hayes shouts  for help brought  William Purnell Short III into the conference room where the infant was being  stabbed  with a knife by her mother.  Mr. Short was able to hit the suspect with a chair, and subdue her until police arrived. The infant was rescued by another staff person when the suspect dropped her.  Other staff responding to the situation called  911 for immediate police and paramedic assistance.

Both officials acknowledge the importance and  difficulty of the work  done was social service employees as well as the “bravery and valor of all.”

BALTIMORE, MARYLAND (April 27, 2012) – “The tragic events this week at our Baltimore facility on Biddle Street highlight the need for us remain vigilant in our efforts to safeguard the children it is our mission to protect. While our staff performed heroically and without regard to their own personal safety, this incident demands that we review our safety protocols and find ways to enhance them to prevent a repeat of anything like this from occurring again.

Today, we are announcing steps we are taking to augment existing safety procedures that already include the use of a metal detector and on-site security personnel to monitor all those participating in visits with children.

Specifically, we are taking the following steps at four of our facilities in Baltimore effective Monday, April 30:

1. All bags will be stored in lockers prior to entering these facilities and before passing through the metal detectors already in the building. Until these lockers are installed, security at the buildings will require that all bags are completely emptied in the presence of security staff and thoroughly searched prior to entering the facility; and

2. Caseworkers who in their professional judgement have reason to suspect a safety concern can have a second caseworker be present during a supervised visit with a child and, as needed, to have a member of the on-site security personnel stationed immediately outside of the meeting room.

The Department will closely monitor these changes in policy and their impact on security and adjust them accordingly over the next few months. We will also review security at other facilities across the state and implement any enhancements that are necessary.

Our thoughts and prayers remain with the infant that was the victim of this horrible incident for her speedy recovery. We also understand the impact that this incident has had on our staff and the broader community. The overwhelming majority our families work cooperatively with the Department to rebuild their lives and form stable and loving relationships with their children.”

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The Maryland Department of Human Resources (DHR) is the state’s primary social service provider, serving over one million people annually. The Department, through its 24 local departments of social services, aggressively pursues opportunities to assist people in economic need, provide preventive services and protect vulnerable children and adults in each of Maryland’s 24 counties.

 The Washington County Department of Social Services is a field office of the Maryland Department of Human Resources under the direction of Martin O’Malley, Governor, Anthony Brown, Lt. Governor and Theordore Dallas, Secretary.

BALTIMORE: April 10, 2012 – The Department of Human Resources (DHR), the state’s social service provider, will for the 12th year deploy constituent services staff to more than thirty events around the state to answer questions and provide information about its services and programs.

DHR will kick-off the season on Wednesday, April 11 at the O’Connor Office building, 201 W. Preston Street, second level mezzanine from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m. Information will be available on energy assistance, adoption, and foster care, filing income taxes, health, and housing programs. Representatives from over 38 public and private agencies including; HUD, Internal Revenue, Office on Aging, MD Insurance Commission, Baltimore County Department of Health and Education, and College Saving Plans of Maryland will be available.

Health screenings for blood pressure, cholesterol, and diabetes will be conducted by Baltimore City Health Department and Total Health Care.

Through 24 local departments of social services, DHR provides foster care, adoption, and protective services to children; collects and distributes child support payments; provides protective services to vulnerable adults; and provides temporary cash, food stamps, and medical assistance to families. It also funds community-based programs for homeless persons, refugees, migrant-workers, victims of crime and women who are displaced, battered, or assaulted.

Last year, DHR provided services to over 1 million people in need. Due to a weakened economy, high unemployment, and an aging population, more and more Marylanders are seeking assistance for themselves or for their family members. These community outreach events provide a much-needed informational resource to citizens regarding the availability of services in their communities.
The event is free and open to the public.

The Cecil County Child Advocacy Center has been awarded a  five year re-accreditation by National Children’s Alliance — the accrediting agency for Children’s Advocacy Centers (CAC) .  Accredited members must utilize a functioning and effective Multidisciplinary Team approach to work collaboratively in child abuse investigation, prosecution, and treatment.  Also considered are cultural competency and diversity, forensic interviews, victim support and advocacy, medical evaluation, therapeutic intervention, and child focused setting standards.

Cecil County developed the CAC model in 1999 and became fully accredited in 2006.  An average of 225 children are served at the CAC in a year.  The Center recently added on-site medical services, a crucial component in the child advocacy center model

The achievement of re-accreditation is a direct result of the tremendous cooperative efforts by the Cecil County Government, the Cecil County Sheriff’s Office, the Cecil County State’s Attorney’s Office, Union Hospital, Elkton Police Department, Upper Bay Counseling and Support Services, and the Cecil County Department of Social Services.

“As a team of individuals dedicated to responding to child abuse, we recognize the importance of maintaining accredited status from National Children’s Alliance.  Re-accreditation not only validates our organization’s dedication to child abuse intervention and prevention, but also demonstrates the hard work and commitment of our community partners,” said Nicholas Ricciuti, director Cecil County Department of Social Services.

“The Cecil County Child Advocacy Center is to be commended for its continued commitment to effectively serve victims of child abuse.  By requiring Accredited Centers to undergo re-accreditation every five years, we ensure that evidence-based practices are being implemented and the highest quality of service is being provided,” remarked Teresa Huizar, Executive Director of National Children’s Alliance.

The Cecil County Child Advocacy Center is a child-friendly facility designed to minimize the number of interviews a child who has experienced abuse must endure.  A team approach is utilized and includes professionals from law enforcement, child protective services, a specialized prosecutor, medical staff, as well as a children’s therapist and a family advocate.  Specialized groups are held to support and educate the non-offending caregivers.  Referrals are made to connect families with available resources.

April is National Child Abuse Prevention Awareness Month.  Preventing child abuse is everyone’s responsibility.  If you suspect something, say something, call 410-996-0100 (option 3) after hours: 410-996-5350.

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 In addition to achieving these successes, Talbot County’s Child Support program offers a Non- Custodial Parent Employment Program and Young Fathers Program, both of which help participants to identify and remove barriers to employment in order to be financially independent, support their children, and become good role models for the future generation.

 According to Dawn Coleman, Talbot County’s Child Support Supervisor, “In these difficult economic times, we are pleased that we can educate our partners about changes to Child Support policies and guidelines, as well as make them aware of the parent resources we offer to support families.”

 While the county’s judiciary partners are key to the Department’s initiative, efforts are also underway to educate the Talbot County employer community to better understand Child Support polices and guidelines as they relate to employee wage withholding.

 For further information about the Talbot County Child Support Program or to arrange a presentation to your business or organization, contact Dawn Coleman, Child Support Supervisor, Talbot County Department of Social Services at 410-770-4848.

PRIDE, a model for the development and support of foster and adoptive families, is a 27- hour training program designed to strengthen the quality of family foster care and adoption services by providing a standardized framework for recruiting, preparing, and selecting foster and adoptive parents.  It also provides these parents with in-service training and ongoing professional development for managing  the issues they will encounter with the children in their care.

In addition to training and professional development, foster parents licensed through the Talbot County Department of Social Services are invited to participate in quarterly potluck gatherings. These gatherings offer foster parents the opportunity to support one another, as well as offer their families a chance to mingle and participate in family fun.  As a Department of Social Services partner, the Easton Family YMCA has offered its new Thomas E. Hill Center for Youth Development for a few of the foster parent gatherings.  The Center’s new climbing wall has been popular among the children in attendance.  It was through this partnership with the YMCA that two YMCA employees became interested in becoming foster parents.

left to right, are Kathy Jenkins of Easton, Katie Russ, coordinator of Option Respite at the Talbot County Department of Social Services; Christina and Greg Taney of Easton, Christine M. Abbatiello, LGSW, Special Projects Coordinator at the Talbot County Department of Social Services; and Jodi Davis of Easton. Pictured back row, left to right, are Wanda Ball-Gross of Easton, Kim Crews of Wye Mills, and Bob Davis of Easton.

Wanda Ball-Gross, who currently works with the YMCA’s Childwatch Program, learned about becoming a foster parent from a foster family utilizing childcare at the YMCA.  She comments, “I had been exposed to a family that did foster care while living in Severna Park as a child.  I always admired how the children interacted with one another as they spent time as one big family.  I think it was a sign that I met foster families here.  I have realized that this is where I am supposed to be.”

Newly trained foster parents Jodi and Bob Davis of  Easton also learned about the need for foster families at the YMCA where they both work.  Jodi is Director for Youth Development at the YMCA and Bob, retired from the MD Department of Natural Resources, works with the YMCA climbing wall. Jodi comments, “We are huge outdoor people and feel that being able to expose kids to the outdoors is important.  The PRIDE training put us in the shoes of the children, helping us to understand what they have lost when they go into foster care and how we can help with that.”  She adds, “One of the exercises we did involved us writing down our dreams and then having someone else take the piece of paper and tear it up.  It helped us look at things through their eyes.”

For further information about becoming a foster or adoptive parent in Talbot County, contact Katie Russ at the Talbot County Department of Social Services at 410-820-7371.  An information session will be held on April 12, 2012 from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at the Queen Anne’s County Department of Social Services,125 Comet Drive in Centreville.

MEDIA
CONTACT: Susan Merriken (410) 770-4848