Legislation: Jaidon’s Law/South Carolina

By on 5-10-2013 in Foster Care, Legislation, South Carolina, US

Legislation: Jaidon’s Law/South Carolina

Jaidon’s Law is being promoted by a foster parent caught in a CPS Fail situation in which her foster son Jaidon, 2, was returned to his biological family where he died. This bill has been introduced three times and has failed.

Some elements of the law include the following :” that parents lose their rights to their children if they are convicted of homicide by child abuse, fail three drug tests a year or do not undergo court-ordered treatment.

The law passed the State House, but it is not yet on its way to a Senate subcommittee.”

 

Jaidon’s sad story:“It started in 2007 when the Scotti family got a phone call to provide foster care for Jaidon in an emergency situation. He had been released from the hospital and was put into the Department of Social Services system.

“We watched him really grow and develop, to walk, take first steps, his teeth – just really grow from an infant into a child,” said Dione Scotti, Jaidon’s foster mother.

Jaidon spent nearly a year with the Scotti family. Then, they got another phone call. A judge ruled that the toddler would be returned to his biological parents.

“It was decided they would send him home,” Dione Scotti said. “So they notified us in the afternoon about 5 and he had to be back with his parents within 24 hours.”

Scotti told FOX Carolina she was concerned when Jaidon was returned to his birth family. Within days, fear became reality. Another phone call led the Scottis to an Upstate hospital.

Jaidon was on life support. He died shortly after their visit. An investigation revealed in court that Jaidon died from an overdose of prescription adult cough medicine. His biological grandmother and father were convicted of homicide by child abuse and are currently in prison.”

Foster mom fights for Jaidon’s Law for foster kids

[FOX Carolina 5/8/13 by Diana Watson]

The text of the bill can be seen here.

REFORM Puzzle Piece

One Comment

  1. Re: “…An investigation revealed in court that Jaidon died from an overdose of prescription adult cough medicine…”

    This sounds to me more like dumbth than abuse. They weren’t trying to punish Jaidon for wrongdoing, but to medicate him. Yes, they showed abysmally poor judgement in giving him an adult prescription med rather than buying an age-appropriate OTC product, but it doesn’t seem like worse medical judgement than, say, trying to revive an unconscious toddler by grabbing him by the neck and shaking hard. Or how about taking a toddler OFF a prescription psychotropic med cold turkey without seeking medical advice first? Or leaving this same small child outside unsupervised for ten minutes, even though he supposedly has a history of trying to harm himself, and hasn’t received the medication prescribed to prevent this for a couple of days?

    It’s the old birthparent/AP double standard again.

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