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but one day the rose will bloom again." We can't say we weren't warned..... During our initial foster parent training, the presenter talked a little about allegations. In a subsequent training session, we were told not to wonder "if" an allegation would be made, but "when". We thought we were prepared for an allegation, but we could never have known what was in store for us. We could never have imagined or prepared ourselves for the process that would be so totally devastating for our entire family.  For those of you who have had a serious allegation made against you by a foster child, you know how horrible it is. My heart goes out to you and your family. And always remember, you're not alone. For those of you who have not yet had a serious allegation made, please don't think it won't happen to you because you've done everything to protect yourselves, or that the allegation process is a simple one. We made this mistake. The longer you are a foster parent, the chances of having an allegation made against you greatly increases. In a 1997 analysis of allegations in Ohio, 989 reports were made that year, with 558 in public agency foster homes and 431 in private agencies. That translates into a 1 in 10 chance of a foster parent having an abuse or neglect allegation. If one were to assume an accumulation of these odds, then within 5 to 6 years, a foster family has a 50-50 chance of an allegation...with the vast majority of these having no basis. Increase the years and you increase the percentage rate. These figures do not include allegations of rule violations in Ohio. This number appears to be growing. Although they have not checked data since 1997 at the state level, local agencies report they are seeing increases in allegations. One large county in Ohio indicated their allegations of foster families over a five year period have increased by 400%. A foster child makes a serious allegation. The Department of Children & Family Services (DCFS) looks at the child's record, sees they are a habitual liar, has a history of disrupting every home they've been in, and has some major mental illness or attachment issues. The foster parents have always worked closely with the agency and have an impeccable reputation. The children placed in their home have all thrived and excelled. The allegation is found to be unsubstantiated and, after a couple of days, your life returns to normal. In an ideal world, this is how an allegation would be handled, but in reality, this isn't even close to what you will encounter. The above scenario is fiction. investigate, etc. from state to state. * This is what happened to us in Cleveland, Ohio. A foster child makes a serious allegation against you. You are GUILTY, until you prove yourself innocent. Because this is an administrative investigation and not a criminal one, you have no legal rights. You are NOT innocent, until proven guilty, and you cannot face your accuser. DCFS will remove the foster children in your home and place them into other foster homes BEFORE you are even questioned or told what the allegation is. You will only be told an allegation has been made, but not until the DCFS Investigation Unit questions you, will you be told what the allegation is. You will not be told what the child has said; it's confidential. You, your family members, and the other foster children will be interviewed by an investigator. The police will be contacted and may question individuals. If you are with a private agency, they will take a "stand back" approach, so as not to compromise the investigation. The people from your agency, whom you worked with for years, won't return your phone calls and will try to avoid any contact with you. Your social worker from DCFS will take this same approach. You are suddenly standing alone. (Bellefaire JCB) and this is our story... 
 So much has been going on, I decided to make a "What's New" page. Poll started May 20, 2000
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Last update: 4/24/2002
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