Court reverses DCS order requiring mother to take prescribed meds
A mother whose child was adjudicated as child in need of services won a partial victory before the Indiana Court of Appeals Wednesday.
Indiana Department of Child Services
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Commission for children, appellate judge retirement age legislation moving
The Indiana Senate passed on second reading Tuesday legislation that will create a commission on improving the status of children in the state. The introduced version of Senate Bill 125 was prepared by the Department of Child Services Interim Study Committee.
Jury: Real estate execs Bales, Spencer not guilty of fraud
John M. Bales lifted his crossed hands to his face and began to cry Thursday evening as a federal judge read the same jury verdict on each of 13 fraud counts against the real estate broker and his partner: Not guilty.
Bales trial in jury’s hands after colorful closings
The jury began deliberations Thursday in the federal fraud trial of Indianapolis real estate broker John M. Bales and partner William E. Spencer after three hours of spirited closing arguments Wednesday.
Defense rests in Bales trial after flurry of witnesses
Closing arguments are expected to begin Wednesday afternoon in the federal fraud trial of Indianapolis real estate broker John M. Bales and partner William E. Spencer after the defense raced through seven witnesses Tuesday and early Wednesday.
Defense attorneys turn tough in Bales trial
The legal team representing real estate broker John M. Bales and partner William E. Spencer haven't called their first witness and already they're putting up a spirited fight as federal prosecutors seek to prove charges including bank, mail and wire fraud.
Former Venture employee turns on Bales during testimony
An FBI investigation into Venture Real Estate Services and principals John Bales and Bill Spencer had already begun when Matthew Dyer signed on as the company's controller in December 2009.
Governor appoints Bonaventura as DCS head
Gov. Mike Pence named Lake Superior Juvenile Senior Judge Mary Beth Bonaventura as director of the Department of Child Services Wednesday.
COA reverses former principal’s conviction for failing to immediately report student’s alleged rape
A split Indiana Court of Appeals decided Wednesday that former Muncie Central High School principal Christopher Smith’s Class B misdemeanor conviction for failure to immediately report child abuse or neglect should be tossed out.
Defense attorneys in Bales case trash former co-defendant
Indianapolis attorney and developer Paul J. Page is no longer a co-defendant in the fraud trial of real estate broker John M. Bales and a partner after agreeing to a plea deal, but you wouldn't know it from the action Tuesday in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Indiana.
Senate panel advances DCS oversight measure
A proposed commission that grew from a study committee examining problems at the Department of Child Services cleared the Senate Judiciary Committee Wednesday.
COA: rehearing petition another example of how DCS ‘dropped the ball’ in case
The Indiana Court of Appeals granted the rehearing petitions of the Department of Child Services and a family who had a child removed from their care and re-examined the family’s federal civil rights claims and claims under the Indiana Tort Claims Act. The judges also chided DCS’ counsel for submitting a new document in the petition for rehearing that was not part of the record on appeal.
Senate judiciary committee to look at abuse, DNA bills
The Senate Judiciary Committee meets at 9 a.m. Wednesday and has five bills on its agenda, including legislation that redefines child fatality committees in each county.
Justices take 5 cases
The Indiana Supreme Court will weigh whether a student who resisted being handcuffed by a school resource officer merits adjudication as a delinquent for the equivalent of Class D felony resisting law enforcement.
Strategic planning needed to improve child services
Justice Loretta Rush says a unified commission on children can bring stakeholders together and improve outcomes.
Appeals court reverses adoption; birth mother denied due process
A Jasper County mother was denied due process when her children were allowed to be adopted while the birth mother’s appeal of her termination of parental rights was pending, the Indiana Court of Appeals ruled Friday.
DCS settles final issue stemming from 2009 suit over rate cuts
The Indiana Department of Child Services announced Tuesday that is has reached a legal settlement with IARCCA, an Association of Children & Family Services, over rates paid to cover additional staffing costs and cost-of-living expenses to residential facilities and foster care agencies that serve abused and neglected children.
DCS study committee to hold last meeting Tuesday
The Department of Child Services Interim Study Committee will meet for the last time Tuesday in the Indiana Government Center to consider bill drafts, a final report and “other business,” according to the committee agenda.
Budget session will not prevent state senators from working to improve DCS
The Indiana Department of Child Services will be part of the legislative agenda during the Indiana General Assembly’s 2013 session.
Centralized hotline and hiring more workers among issues on DCS study committee agenda
The centralized hotline system is among the topics to be discussed when the Department of Child Services Interim Study Committee meets Nov. 8.