TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF FAMILY AND PROTECTIVE SERVICES

I was reviewing this site checking on various agencies. I decided to check on maternity homes since they have it listed.

This maternity home, Corpus Christi Hope Home, really freaked me out. It should shock anyone that even considers this home. For adoptive parents, adoptees and natural parents, you don't want to even consider going into this home. This maternity home is in my home town of Corpus Christi. Its just plain nasty. This year they passed their inspections but years past they didn't. They got busted on not having a license, not testing for tuberculosis, not maintaining their building, and not recording the age of the clients that they do serve. The 2007 year was the first time that they did not receive any violations.

The next home, Elizbeth Home, is located in Denton, Texas. On the DFPS website, their violations including failing to have current background checks completed on their volunteers, failing to maintain current fire and safety standards, and failing to complete all assessment and pregancy testing on their clients within six days. This year they had no violations.

Another home, Hannah House Maternity Home is located in Glen Rose, Texas. According to DFPS, there were two clients that presented themselves as dangers to themselves. There were no professional recommendations on these clients. There was one staff member where the investigator could not determine the educational level of the staff member. Again this year they cleaned up their act.

The maternity home, Harkins House, is located in Humble, Texas. They have a multitude of violatons in 2006: Incomplete/unreadable background checks on staff, one staff member did not have current CPR certification, the administrator did not have 20 hours of job related training, discharge information was not available for one client, and health/fire inspections were expired. This year they had a clean inspection with no violations.

Kute Care Second Chance Home was a maternity home that did not have a website online. After reading the DFPS report this year, it is enough to freak a person out. They are located in the Fort Bend area of Texas. Their violations include: no policy on gifts, residents are not allowed to remain at facility more than 2 months post partem unless a medical exemption is granted, and policy on religious participation must indicate what is available and that it is optional not mandatory. This is for the current year. They are forcing their beliefs on the women entering their home.

LifeHouse Houston has had mulititudes of violatons over the years which include: administrator must approve maternity home admissions, evaluation of a client who maybe a danger to self or others must be done within 72 hours of admission, an admission assessment must be completed within 5 working days of admission, develop a service place for each resident, one counselor had not completed a background check and no criminal background check has been completed on the administrator.

Living Alternatives Maternity home located in Tyler, Texas. Their lone violation is enough:
Two of the two records read did not indicate copy of Service Plan was given to clients and/or minor client's parent. I guess telling the girl's parents of what they are planning with their daughter is just not important.

Methodist Mission home is located in the San Antonio area. Their violation chose not to disclose the client's family participation in her plan.

Sarah's Maternity home is located in Austin, Texas. This looks like its part of a chain of maternity homes. They had a serious incident violation which they delayed in reporting to the DFPS. Several maternity homes are related to this home, Corpus Christi Hope Home, Hannah House, the Elizabeth Home, and Living Alternatives. Interestingly many of them have violations currently and in the past.

Smithlawn Maternity Home is located in the Lubbock, Texas area. Their violation list was very very serious and they have been sited on this issue repeatedly: The health exam is required for clients to ensure that the client is not in immediate need of medical treatment. The operation is not obtaining documentation of the health exam to ensure the client actually received a health exam within 30 days before admission. In order for the operation to fully evaluate the client's current necessity for medical treatment, a health exam needs to be completed within the required time frames of this standard. If the exam has been completed within 30 days before admission, the medical examination documentation should be reviewed and placed in the file to display compliance of evaluating the client's necessity for medical treatment. The operation was found non-compliant with this standard in the previous monitoring inspection.
Staff and volunteer files do not contain documentation that indicates the person meets qualifications for the position. One staff member didn't have a current background check on file. This is another really scary situation. Are they in it for the money? With inadequate care for the young women entering their home, it sure seems like it.

Silvia's Maternity home did not have a website. Their phone number indicates the Dallas/Fort Worth area. Overlooking this report, this is most definitely a buyer's beware. Adoptive parents, natural parents, and adoptees must run from this business. Their violation list reads:
The 12-month budget submitted with the application did not include the income source,The fee policy submitted at application did not clearly describe the fees that will be charged or the services that will be provided for the fees.The policies submitted did not indicate that the governing body had approved them. The admission policies did not include the age and type of client served. The rules and guidelines did not include information on telephone calls.
The policies reviewed did not include information on the type and frequency of reports the facility will make to parents of minor clients. The policies reviewed did not indicate if the home will or will not have a religious policy or program. There was no documentation to indicate how clients, parents or managing conservators would be informed of the home's fee policy. The policy submitted at application did not include how service plans would be reviewed.

Texas Best Youth Residential Facility is located in Lufkin, Texas. They are to be inspected every three to five months. That should scare the beJesus out of any prospective adoptive parent. Run from this agency. Why this agency hasn't been shut down is unknown to me. They have failed to feed these mothers properly in one reported violaton. Two of the clients were served only spinach for meals. 2 of 2 employee records reviewed did not have job descriptions documented in the records. 2 of 2 personnel records reviewed did not documentation of required TB testing results. 1 of 2 personnel records reviewed did not have documentation of required orientation training. 3 of 4 resident records reviewed did not have documentation of required medical exam at admission. 4 of 4 resident records reviewed were missing documenation of required TB testing results. 3 of 4 resident records reviewed did not have an updated service plan. I observed the light bulbs in the east bathroom and bedroom are burned out. I observed the shower door in the west bathroom is off the rack and difficult to open and close. I observed items being stored in a hallway blocking an exit door. Both health and fire inspections were also expired. Residents have reported them for violence and abuse against the maternity home though never proved. There was a violation report that they also pressure applied to young women who chose not to relinquish their child. Clients report that staff threaten to call law enforcement on them and then they would be sent to juvenile detention. Yea right coercion doesn't exist today. A bassinet in one of the client's room was not sturdy and unsafe for a baby to sleep in. During dinner, client was eating sloppy joe meat mixture and chips without bread since there was not enough bread for all four clients at dinner time. If this is happening in Texas, what is happening in the rest of the country especially in states that don't make this public knowledge?

The Gladney Maternity home is located in Fort Worth. How could we not forget them? They too have a mulitude of violations against them: Background clearances must be completed under the operations's individual number. The background clearances for staff were located under the CPA, not the maternity home. The service plan must include the client's needs in addition to basic needs for food,clothing, shelter, and routine health care related to the pregnancy, delivery, and postpartum period. Service plans must be in writing and reviewed with the client;showing what has been accomplished and what needs will be addressed. The plan review must then be given to the client or managing conservator of a minor client.
One employee training record was not specific to the training required. She was also deficient in the required hours.

There was only one maternity home that passed both of its inspections. The other maternity home did not have any reports or inspections listed. Several of the maternity homes were being inspected every three to five months due to the horrific nature of their violations. You would think that we as a nation had moved away from the treatment that the baby scoop era mothers got. Sadly this looks like it still isn't true. I have read a few of the violations of the adoption agencies but I think now I will go into it with a little more detail and present it for further review to my readers.

This is a warning to the adoption agencies and attorneys of the state of Texas. If you do business in an unethical manner, you will be pointed out and blasted. Otherwise I shall leave you alone. I will not take another parent being abused at the hands of the industry. You are dealing in human trafficking. I along with many many others will put a stop to it.