Joshua Allen Online

Teens Happy Homes…”a Heightened Sense of Scrutiny.”

Foster Teen Connected to USC Murders

By Joshua Allen

The Business of Child Abuse

Below is page 7 of the 2010 tax form for Teens Happy Homes, notably the salary of Beautina Robinson.  You will note that she has a salary of $112,312.  This is a large raise from 2 years earlier in 2008 forms, when her salary is listed as $89,133.

This basically works out to a 26%  increase in salary from 2 years earlier during these tough economic times.  And of course, there are all the other little things such as benefits et al…

Many of us would like such a raise in taxpayer funded work.  I would have loved to have been privy to the meetings of the compensation committee during meetings of the board of directors at Teens Happy Homes. May we see the minutes?  Yes indeed, a happy place I’m sure. Just saying…

The entire 2010 form can be seen here:  https://docs.google.com/document/d/15yF0unBx1mBKw4tSB3zBdYzCT4r4GjxzShQeA09TClA/edit?pli=1    And if people want I will put up a couple more years.

However, of more interest today…

**                 **                        **                  **                 **

Teens Happy Homes was recently mentioned in the news http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-usc-killings-20120523,0,3433137.story  because one of the alleged perpetrators  of the  murder of two Chinese graduate students at USC was found to be living in a Teens Happy Home foster home in Palmdale.  The alleged perpetrator Javier Bolden was arrested at a home in Victorville which the LA Times reports is owned by a social worker on staff at Teens.

We find this odd, and wonder if Bolden 19, went there (the Victorville home) to be near somebody he trusted while being arrested, or if he had gone to this social workers home with any frequency?  If it’s the former, it at least makes a little bit of sense, but if it’s the latter then we have a whole bunch of uncomfortable questions.  Well, to tell the truth, we have a passel full of questions.

In a superb example of  Bureaucratic Government Speak,  DCFS Director Philip Browning noted, that Teens Happy Homes undergoes regular reviews, and then promised that,  “we’ll have to look at that with a heightened sense of scrutiny.”   Is that like a ‘Whiter shade of Pale?”  Uh sorry, you know the song right?

These days, what the county means by saying there are “regular reviews” is that the agency will often be told in advance:

1.What case files will be audited, what homes will be looked at, (with days to prepare).  And,

2. The teens and foster parents will be prepped on how to respond to questions, especially if their workers are well liked.  And,

3. The auditor will have little incentive to find serious defects since they will have to explain to their betters why they didn’t find this junk in the first place when they’ve already been to the home several times during the past few years and the place was visited supposedly a few times a month by one worker or another.

Of course, and we mean this without irony, there may be nothing wrong with the home or foster parent, and it is just the case of an adult still in the system, choosing to commit horribly evil murders.  But then his probation report noted intensive therapy!

We’d love to chat with this therapist, who until yesterday probably looked at the Bolden’s case as a success story, what with him holding a full time job and going to community college.  Believe me, we don’t see such a thing too often in foster care.  If convicted he’ll probably end up getting a Masters in counseling while behind bars but it appears he will first be mastering theories of ballistics and criminology during the forseeable future.

DCFS Director Browning (speaking of ballistics) may wish to ask Beautina Robinson, as well as past and present administrators about all this.  I know I would.  What did they know, and when did they know it?  Jeepers, are the abused and neglected children being well served by this particular agencies county contract?  I sense a home by home review in their future. Just saying…no reason to blame the messenger.

And if this is the case, foster homes affiliated and connected with this agency better get out the good china and put plastics on the carpets, ’cause there’s gonna be some professionals of one type or another tramping around the nooks and crannies of their homes checking for Lord knows what.

Joshua Allen Online

The Politics of Child Abuse

* Youtube Video  ” Bryan NoRespect Barnes” as linked on his Facebook page; Bryan “NoRespect” Barnes is the alleged partner of foster teen Javier Bolden, both are alleged to have taken part in the murder of the Chinese Grad Students at USC.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=niu2J_FbSAA&feature=share   and from the same Youtube account:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zuIgF8ypS3k&feature=autoplay&list=ULC2XXyz4dN9g&playnext=2

Bryan NoRespect Barnes: Facebook Comments Regarding Video #1 Sucker Punch:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ejEzHW9JtcA90oPUFuyHyS-W5RVQb634JK4hyOCDrGo/edit

Beautina Robinson Salary