Open Letter to:

The Honorable Governor and Lt Governor of Kansas, The Honorable Governor and Lt Governor (Elect) of Kansas Kansas State Legislators and Sedgwick County Commissioners.

On Monday, December 6, 2010, several families discussed the difficulties they encountered with SRS child custody cases at a special meeting hosted by the Wichita South Central KS 912 Group. While we can only present one side of the story the many questions that come to mind are serious and worth investigation. Just on the surface, the numbers for Sedgwick County appear to be far outside the norm when compared to national and state averages. Nationally, 50 percent of the children removed from the house hold are reunified with the family. The State average for Kansas is 20 percent and only 11 percent for Sedgwick County. Either Kansas or Sedgwick County in particular have discovered the formula that enables them to identify only the worst of the worst (in which case they should share this with the other states so as not to disturb otherwise healthy families) or there is something far more sinister at work within our county and state. Children are routinely removed from the family before a hearing or evidence is ever submitted to a court. For all intents and purposes it would appear that an adversarial relationship is established in a coordinated effort by SRS, contracted agencies, county attorneys and the courts against the family. This adversarial relationship is at the expense of and in lieu of social services that might assist the family with meeting their obligations or needs and negate the need for the childs removal to begin with. Once in custody, children are routinely questioned without the consent of the parent, without the parent being present and without insuring the parents legal rights to assign or obtain legal counsel for the child have first been met. There appears to be NO genuine oversight of cases where children and families are forcibly separated by the county or state. While a six member board appointed by the Governor is tasked with this responsibility, it is beyond reason that such a board could provide anything other than a cursory review (rubber stamp) of all cases state wide. There were 1,542 cases in Sedgwick County alone in fiscal year 2010. For the Board to have reviewed just these cases they would have to complete more than four (4.22) cases a day with less than two hours devoted to each while working 365 days a year. The practicality of such a board providing anything close to legitimate oversight with any degree of legitimacy is beyond comprehension. Families already lacking the financial means to support themselves are at once face to face with a Goliath (in the form of SRS, county and state authorities) with no similar financial restraint that now dictates the families every action and can quite simply exhaust the family with endless

financial and time consuming requirements. Failure to comply with any or all requirements, regardless of the circumstances, now become additional complaints to be used to justify the original removal. All the while, parental visitation with their children is limited, restricted and subject to supervision. In addition, parents may be required to forfeit their constitutional rights (such as Second Amendment rights to the legal possession of a firearm in the house) if they wish to have visitation. There is little doubt in our mind that the current system offers significant financial incentive to not only hold children in protective custody for indefinite periods but to terminate parental rights. We whole heartedly question the placement of any child with a contracted agency or foster care home in lieu of a grandparent or other blood relative first. We whole heartedly question even the appearance of both the moral impropriety and potential financial gain by case workers, contract agency employees or court personnel that might be working both sides of the issue and serving as foster or adoptive parents as well. It is further apparent that the rules governing these cases have been designed to exclude adequate public review. In matters affecting the sanctity of the family, records and court proceeding should be opened to the public, else any family, regardless of its standing, could find itself trapped behind closed doors and fighting a skewed system. The family is the last bastion of personal liberty and it must be protected. While I could continue almost adnauseam with thoughts and concerns I think it suffices to say that this is an issue that screams for our attention as citizens and parents. We call on our legislators, elected state and county officials to institute an immediate moratorium on the actions of the agencies and courts involved. We ask for an immediate public meeting to address our concerns. Respectfully,

Lawrence M. Halloran, Chairman Wichita South Central KS 912 Group 414 Rucker St. Mulvane, KS 67110 316-777-9352