Foster homes in Milam County, for undetermined reasons, have not been available for at least four years, meaning school-aged children not only are abruptly removed from their familiar surroundings, but are enrolled in a different school district, compounding an already stressful situation, Mrs. Andrews said.
Abused children would recover better if they were housed in their hometown, but no Milam County families are volunteering as foster parents. Of the approximately 120 children under Child Protective Services’ custody, 80 are housed with strangers out of the county, while the remainder found shelter with relatives in Milam County.
Child Protective Services is working with the public in an attempt to find households that would accept children on a 24/7 basis from a myriad of tragic circumstances.
Currently, the CPS has 145 confirmed victims, 203 completed investigations, and 121 kids in the legal system, she said.
“Of the cases investigated, 38.9 percent are confirmed, which is not the highest, but it is up there in high numbers,” Mrs. Andrews said.
Milam County children are being housed in neighboring counties, and as far away as Round Rock, Houston, Dallas and San Antonio. In some instances the youths have special needs, and require a specially trained household, Mrs. Andrews said. Sometimes the children are placed in group homes when a foster home is not available.
Milam County Child Welfare Board has established the Rainbow Room where CPS caseworkers can find clothes and personal items needed by children during the first 24 to 48 hours after they have been removed from an undesirable setting.
Some removals take place during the night and children have nothing but the clothes on their backs, Mrs. Andrews said. The Rainbow Room stocks new clothing from socks and underwear to pajamas, jeans, shirts, shoes, coats, school supplies, toys, blankets and books, everything a caseworker would need to equip children in transit.
Relatives receive no money from the state for caring for children; thus, the welfare board keeps them supplied with diapers, formula and funds for special needs, such as prescription eyewear, or band or cheerleader camps, Mrs. Andrews said.
“We try to fill those gaps, like a surrogate grandparent to try to provide things that allow their lives to be as much like the other kids in school they have contact with,” she said. The Rainbow Room only accepts new items because children uprooted from their homes “have enough going on in their lives.”
Milam County District Attorney Kerry Spears said a clear majority of cases where children are removed involve neglect from the parents’ use of drugs. One case involved drug dealers who left crack cocaine lying around where toddlers could easily put it in their mouth, Mrs. Spears said. In numerous cases, households are economically disadvantaged. A few cases involve brutality.
The district attorney’s office has processed quite a few cases where newborn babies were placed immediately in CPS care because they tested positive for cocaine or methamphetamine and were showing signs of withdrawal, Mrs. Spears said. One mother abandoned her premature baby in a hospital.
The prosecutor’s office has 43 pending cases involving more than 70 children. Removal happens when children are in danger, she said. Parents have the opportunity to have their children returned if they comply with court orders to correct problems in the home, but in extreme cases, parental rights are terminated.
“What the court is doing is asking them to do what all of us do every day: work, support our children, keep a stable home, keep our home clean …” Mrs. Spears said. “A lot of parents do what they are supposed to, and they get their kids back, and those are really happy, but there are parents that do nothing. We get to see the children adopted with their siblings into a good family.”
The Milam County Commissioners Court has declared April as Abuse Prevention Month, asking the public to increase its participation in efforts to support families, prevent child abuse and strengthen the community.
