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Pegasus RTC
Foster Child Care Institutions "On Watch"
Although the owners of Pegasus RTC had the best of intentions, according to the records, the staff who work with the children are out of control. Staff workers cited repeatedly for sharing sexually explicit pictures on their cell phones, and in magazines, with children for whom the staff are an example.
Pegasus History of NONCompliance (PDF) Updated: 10/27/2009 
Below is a small sample of actual abuse of children in state foster care, placed at Pegasus:
7/6/2009 - A staff member inappropriately initiated an emergency behavior intervention when a child refused to comply with staff and walk outside of the dorm. The child was not a danger to themself or others. Staff also showed a lack of self control in the manner in which they initiated the emergency behavior intervention on the child.
4/2/2009 - An employee performed a physical restraint technique on a child in care which was not approved for use by the operation.
2/3/2009 - Based on interviews conducted and documentation reviewed, there is enough evidence to indicate the therapist/employee was not aware of each child's on-going activity during multiple therapy sessions.
| Instead of simply firing the worker, any person who harms a child in state foster care should be criminally charged; parents would be criminally charged. |
11/25/08 - The operation did not report an incident in which a child in care tried to commit suicide; the child was not successful in the suicide attempt and staff responded appropriately and quickly.
5/17/07, 37 citations involving violent acts and sexual behavior of staff.
5/4/07 - Staff showed children in sexual abuse treatment center pornographic images that were on his cellular phone.
Any parent whose child has been at this facility in the last year needs to know what is going on.
Residential Child Care Licensing will not enforce the laws of protection.
Staff persons at RTC's are mandated reporters and need to be knowledgeable, aware, and trained to correctly care for large groups of children, within the laws of humane care of children, removed from their homes in order to protect them.
Children are not safe and are not being properly cared for. What is Residential Child Care Licensing doing? Nothing!
Staff are not supervising children, allowing children to sexually assault other children. Primary problems remain the same in type of serious violations of Minimum Standards, and the appearance of a lack of accountability. Instead of simply firing the worker, any person who harms a child in state foster care should be criminally charged; a parent would be criminally charged.
If this occurred in a family, the adult would be required by law to report to police the adults who are involving minors in pornography.
We have "Zero Tolerance" for violent behaviors of children in the public school system, yet those same "Zero Tolerance" behaviors are perpetrated against children in the state foster care system by the workers who are entrusted to protect the children.
What rights does a child in foster care have?
According to a Press Release from CAICA, employees of facilities that care for children are Mandated Reporters and cannot be held to a contract that many employees are required to sign, agreeing to be silent about what goes on in these facilities. "If you witnessed maltreatment of children or teens, mild or severe, it is your moral and legal obligation to report it - for the sake of the children. There is protection for those who report child abuse and neglect." Coalition Against Institutionalized Child Abuse
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