Stephanie Rodriguez Social worker Greater Sacramento 7 followers 7 connections Join to view profile Department of Child, Family, and Adult Services Sonoma State University Experience Human. In 2010, a department study showed that the evidence caseworkers gathered was often insufficient to accurately judge a situation. The Second District California Appellate Court heard arguments from lawyers representing Kevin Bom, Stefanie Rodriguez, Gregory Merritt and Patricia Clement. A Los Angeles County Superior Court judge dismissed charges against social workers who were accused of child abuse and falsifying records related to the death of 8-year-old Gabriel Fernandez. It was very clear that this was no accidental fall. But of that 60%, 37% reported losing money and 21% said their relationship with the borrower was harmed. Any savings could be spent on programs aimed at keeping families intact. Authorities later determined that his mother and her boyfriend had tortured him for at least five days. He tended to see hope where others saw a lost cause. invisible stranding in knitting. Garcia testified that she first called the child abuse hotline on Oct. 30, 2012. The second best result is Stefanie Denise Rodriquez age 40s in Fort Worth, TX. He saw that a caseworker had used a computer program to score Gabriels likelihood of being abused. I just pictured him being alone, she told me. The Pharmacist on Netflix: Whats the shocking true story. Youll be able to move out. The two of them paused for a moment, imagining what that might be like. + Add or change photo on IMDbPro . The internal investigation also found that Stephanie never visited Gabriels school, talked to the neighbours or interview Gabriel and his siblings alone. The seriousness of the charges appeared to concern the panel. Social workers Stefanie Rodriguez and Patricia Clement, as well as their supervisors, Kevin Bom and Gregory Merritt, were each charged with one felony count of child abuse and one felony. We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you've consented to and to improve our understanding of you. His testimony lasted hours; he was unable to recall many details and had to constantly refer to transcripts of prior testimony. BB pellets pockmarked his skin. Prosecutors opened an investigation into the social workers assigned to Gabriel's case after his mother Pearl Fernandez and stepfather Isauro Aguirre's were found guilty of his murder in 2018. Browning believed the field of child-abuse prevention needed a set of reforms similar to those that had been introduced throughout the country to better address domestic violence of romantic partnerssuch as mandatory-arrest laws, which require police officers to arrest an alleged perpetrator whenever there is probable cause, regardless of the victims wishes, and no drop prosecution policies, which mandate the prosecution of domestic-violence perpetrators whether or not their victims want to press charges. Gabriel asked his teacher, Jennifer Garcia, if it was normal for moms to hit their kids. t Summerwind Elementary, the weeks dragged on. If Merritt and his colleagues had dug deeper, or simply paid closer attention to what they already knew, they might have uncovered the familys secret: that Gabriel spent days and nights with a sock in his mouth, shoelaces knotted around his hands, a bandanna shrouding his face, handcuffs locking his ankles, trapped inside a cabinet in his mothers bedroom. (In 2013, Los Angeles County had roughly 3,000 caseworkers and more than 200,000 calls to its child-abuse hotline.). The announcement that they faced criminal charges had come as a shock. Social worker Stefanie Rodriguez and other representatives of child protection agencies visited Gabriel's home on a number of occasions. Garcia thought they seemed hardened and meanpossibly dangerous. Get email updates for new Licensed Clinical Social Worker jobs in Chevy Chase, MD. The question today is whether the felony counts against four social workers will be dismissed, reduced or stand. His wrists had ligature marks, as if hed been tied up. But the program worried Philip Browning, whod become the head of the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services in 2011. Stefanie Rodriguez Executive Business Partner at Lyft New York, New York, United States 478 followers 476 connections Join to connect Lyft University of San Francisco Activity Career Update! and M.Sc. The Family Preservation unit would now be expected to send a caseworker to the Fernandez home every two weeks, and to supplement those visits with family and individual counseling sessions. All he knew was that Gabriel was old enough to be in school, which meant he had teachers who were required by law to report signs of abuse. Dixons boss, Michael Bailey, allegedly told her not to report the abuse and later, supervisors told her not to cooperate with police regarding his death. Its destroyed a lot of lives. Gabriel at School Just Before Mother's Day. About 74,700 openings for social workers are projected each year, on average, over the decade. 679215 Registered office: 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF. Still, Mondays events nagged at Garcia. / KCAL News. His father, Arnold Contreras, was in and out of jail but thought Gabriels maternal grandparents would be watching over him. In June 2018, after five hours of deliberation, jurors found Pearl Fernandez and Isauro Aguirre guilty of murder and torture. In 2003, the Los Angeles County board of supervisors selected a child-welfare administrator named David Sanders, who led an aggressive push to reduce the foster-care rolls. Chevy Chase, MD, Referrals increase your chances of interviewing at Dice by 2x. Rodriguez had moved to a new city but couldnt escape Gabriels story: Her picture had appeared on local TV and in the newspaper there. Social workers Stefanie Rodriguez, 34, and Patricia Clement, 69, were charged along with two supervisors, Kevin Bom, 40, and Gregory Merritt, 64, with one felony count each of child abuse and . Please exercise caution when reading this, as there are accounts of very brutal abuse amounting to torture and a child victim. Garcia called Rodriguez again, pressing her about what she was doing to help Gabriel. Suddenly, Pearl wanted custody back in October 2012. We just report what we see. Garcia called Rodriguez and left messages on two different numbers the caseworker had given her. Right, Mrs. Garcia? he asked, as if he needed confirmation. I just dont want to remember it.. LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) A California appeals court has thrown out criminal charges against four social workers in the torture and murder of 8-year-old Palmdale boy Gabriel Fernandez. How do you prioritize your spending when you have debt and dreams for the future? The four also had criminal charges filed against them. Pearl Fernandez admitted that shed hit him with the belt. efore caseworkers can close an investigation, the agency requires them to use a software program called Structured Decision Making to score a childs risk of being abused or neglected. Have a seat. Then he admonished her, We dont investigate. Bom declined to comment for this article. All rights reserved. County policy requires workers in Merritts position to read the entire file before approving a closure, but the departments manual ran to 6,000 pages. READ MOREGabriel Fernandez: What happened to Gabriel Fernandezs parents? Merritt was on antidepressants, and he rarely left the house. To this day, Jennifer Garcia reserves the #28 in her classroom. She returned a few minutes later, saying she had been ordered not to get involved. My mom punched me in the mouth, he said. When I got to the department, instead of cheering the parent on for doing the right thing, theyd want us to take the kid away or tell the kid, Youre right and Your parents have no authority over you.. On March 26th, 2013 therapist intern Barbara Dixon filed a report that Gabriel claimed a relative forced him to perform oral sex on them. When she was finally alone with him at recess, she asked what had happened. Director Brian Knappenberger documents the investigation into the months of abuse preceding his murder as well as the trial against his mother and her boyfriend. Yet time and again, they failed to intervene. The boy was left in his mothers custody despite repeated reports of abuse, including by Gabriels teacher, and follow-up visits by the social workers to the family home. He had broken ribs. Clement paid her first visit to Gabriels home on February 13, but her notes contain few details. Lomeli also presided over the trial of Fernandez killers, his mother and her boyfriend. She recalls Rodriguez saying that Pearl Fernandez had once spanked Gabriel harshly but did not present an immediate safety threat, and that both Pearl and Gabriel had issues. But many of the children in his caseload had that designation. Justice Victoria Gerrard Chaney concurred that the four could not be charged with child abuse, but wrote a dissent arguing that they could be prosecuted as public officers under the relevant government code section. According to DCFSs internal investigation, neither Rodriguez nor Bom reviewed the information related to these calls. Rodriguez assured the teacher she would investigate, but matters got worse for Gabriel in November 2012. View Stefanie Rodriguez's business profile as Global Manager, Accounting at ALM. If. During the final eight months of Gabriel Fernandezs life, numerous concerns had been made to the Los Angeles Department of Child and Family Services [DCFS]. In July 2015, according to Los Angeles Times, prosecutors looked into giving both Fernandez and Aguirre the death penalty to repent for their horrific actions. A red eye; his face, neck, and ear marked and bruised; his forehead skin was peeling. Both were soon fired from the department, as were their supervisors, Gregory Merritt and Kevin Bom. Shed sometimes find him crying at the end of the day, saying he didnt want to go home. In that time, at least 143 children in Los Angeles County have died from abuse or neglect after having some prior history with DCFS.. On May 22nd, 2013 paramedics rushed Gabriel to Childrens Hospital Los Angeles but doctors pronounced him braindead the same day. Prosecutors say they failed to take the appropriate steps to protect Gabriel and then falsified documents related to his case. This was deemed unfounded. When the other children turned to look at him, they laughed and pointed at what they saw: Someone had haphazardly taken chunks of hair from his head, and scabs had formed on his scalp. Visit the Career Advice Hub to see tips on interviewing and resume writing. He died two days later. The Second District California Appellate Court heard arguments from lawyers. Merritt told me that he gravitated to Family Preservation because it aligned with his highest aspirations for his work. One judge asked, "Were there any other charges that you could have brought?". Social workers Stephanie Rodriguez and Patricia Clement visited the Fernandez family home on multiple occasions but both workers claimed they never saw signs of abuse that would require. Four Los Angeles County social workers Stefanie Rodriguez, 30; Patricia Clement, 65; Kevin Bom, 36; and Gregory Merritt, 60 have been charged with child abuse and falsifying public. An arrest warrant filed March 28 identifies the four Los Angeles social workers as Stefanie Rodriguez, 30, Patricia Clement, 65, Kevin Bom, 36, and Gregory Merritt, 60. All four were fired from the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services after an internal investigation into the boy's May 24, 2013 death. Supporters of Gabriel attended the hearing. Their case marks one of the few times social worked have been charged in a child abuse case in the US. Gabriel has a black eye, there were lumps on the back of his head, and his skin was almost yellow. This seemed like the perfect case for us, Starr told me. Well, yeah, she told him, recalling that she herself had been spanked as a child. An autopsy report showed bruises, fractures, and cuts all over his body including his groin as well as BB's embedded in his body. He was a devout Christian, and to him this wasnt just a job. 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