Personal Injury Claims Against Social Services (DSHS)
Washington’s Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS) has one job: to provide shelter, care, and protection for vulnerable people. Over 2.2 million kids, families, vulnerable adults and senior citizens receive social services through DSHS. These services include education, food, healthcare, job training, housing, foster care, adoption, and more. Unfortunately however, these systems often fail the very people they are meant to protect. While DSHS has a duty to care and protect vulnerable children and adults, many times instances of neglect and abuse continue to take place and the only way forward is to investigate abuses and file lawsuits against DSHS and the state.
If you or a loved one suffered harm at the hands of DSHS, our attorneys at Premier Law Group may be able to help. We file and win high-profile lawsuits against DSHS for victims of physical and emotional abuse and injury. Our attorneys work tirelessly to prove liability and wrongdoing. We file lawsuits to pay for the pain and suffering that victims have experienced.
Call Premier Law Group today at 206.285.1743 for a FREE Consultation! Our expert Seattle personal injury attorneys would be happy to see how we can help!
Lawsuits Against Washington State DSHS
Compelling evidence shows the extent of DSHS employees neglect and abuse. The Seattle Times reports that the past 8 years, scores of lawsuits have been filed against DSHS. Reporter Will Drabold states that $167 million in personal injury claims alone. Even with these pay-outs, DSHS denies responsibility for abuse and exploitation. No employee named in these lawsuits has been fired.
There are three primary agencies in charge of children’s health and welfare:
- Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS)
- Child Protective Services (CPS)
- Department of Children, Youth and Families (DCYF)
Together, these three agencies have one job: protect vulnerable children. Based on the sheer number of lawsuits alone, employees in these agencies are continuously failing in their jobs.
A few examples of these agencies failures include:
- Allowing child sexual predators to become foster parents
- Little to no investigation of claims of abuse
- Abused children are left with abusers
- In the worst situations, physical abuse, rape, neglect, and deaths occur
Lawsuit evidence shows that children in the DSHS system are systematically exploited and abused.
Information On Washington Social Services
DSHS has eight departments, all of whom are supposed to protect people in their care.
- ALTSA: Aging and Long-Term Support Administration
- BHA: Behavioral Health Administration
- CA: Children’s Administration
- DDA: Developmental Disabilities Administration
- ESA: Economic Services Administration
- FSA: Financial Services Administration
- RA: Rehabilitation Administration
- SESA: Services and Enterprise Support Administration
DSHS has one job: protect children, juveniles, vulnerable adults and senior citizens from abuse and neglect. Consequently, examples of failures to do their jobs include:
- Starvation
- Deprivation
- Physical violence
- Severe beatings
- Isolation
- Being tied down and locked up
- Sexual abuse
- Repeated rape and molestation
For a free legal consultation with a social service dshs lawsuit lawyer serving Washington, call (206) 285-1743
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Most Common Lawsuits Involving DSHS
There are three departments responsible for the DSHS lawsuits and payouts:
- CA: The Children’s Administration
- RA: Rehabilitation Administration
- ALTSA: Aging and Long-Term Support Administration
Lawsuits filed to date clearly show that DSHS employees make choices that clearly harm children and adults in their care. Below are some examples of common instances of abuse and neglect:
- DSHS Staff Members Do Not Follow Department Procedures
- Failure to Investigate: Claims of abuse, neglect and more.
- Placing Children in Unsafe Foster Homes: Children cannot defend themselves, and bad characters commit violence, cause injuries, and abuse
- Failure to Intervene: DSHS employees do not remove children from their abusers
- DSHS Does Not Contact Law Enforcement About Abuse: Abuse and neglect are criminal acts. DSHS has an obligation to alert the police about any suspected abuse.
- Failing to Provide Medical Care and/or Treatment for Abused Juveniles: Juvenile center employees refuse to get medical care for at risk youths in their facilities
- Sexual Harassment and Sexual Violence by DSHS Staff Member: DSHS juvenile center employees exploit and injure at risk youths. The agency takes no action against these employees.
- Not Checking DSHS Database of Chronic Abusers: DSHS employees have database of abusers. Employees do not use it. Abusers become certified foster care parents.
In many instances, DSHS is responsible for the abuse, neglect and exploitation of people they serve.
Legal Claims Against The Children’s Administration (CA)
The Children’s Administration is our state’s child welfare program. It is in charge of child safety and protection, and the state’s foster care program. As part of its responsibilities, DSHS/CA create plans with services to help support vulnerable families.
DSHS/CA is also responsible for preventing child abuse and neglect. This includes in their home with their parents, and in foster care homes. Furthermore, legal claims against DSHS/CA show that employees routinely fail to do either.
Our legal system does not tolerate DSHS failures and the abuses they allow. Courts understand that child abuse is traumatic and it can take years for a child to mature and stand up against their abusers. This is why the statute of limitations in personal injury cases do not apply to child abuse. This means it is never too late to file a lawsuit against DSHS abusers.
Lawsuits Against The Rehabilitation Administration (RA)
And the same applies to DSHS Rehabilitation Administration employees, who have exploited, abused and impacted at risk youths.
DSHS/RA has three departments set up specifically for at risk youths:
- Juvenile Rehabilitation (JR): focuses on Washington’s high-risk youth that have been convicted of a crime.
- Office of Juvenile Justice (OJJ): is responsible for monitoring Washington State’s compliance with the federal Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act
- Special Commitment Center Program (SCC): Provides specialized mental health treatment program for civilly committed sex offenders who have completed their prison sentences.
Therefore, all of these departments are rife with employees who abuse and hurt at risk teenagers.
Claims Against The Aging And Long-Term Support Administration (ALTSA)
Our state has many vulnerable adults who reside in nursing facilities and other group homes. Because of this, the Aging and Long-Term Support Administration (ALTSA) is responsible for protecting and keeping these adults safe.
ALTSA has two sub-departments. They are:
- Adult Protective Services: Supposed to investigate reports of abuse, neglect, and exploitation of vulnerable adults.
- Residential Care Services: They license and certify long-term care facilities used by vulnerable adults. These include nursing homes, assisted living facilities, and adult family homes.
Sadly, lawsuits show that the same people who exploit and abuse children, are also exploiting and abusing vulnerable adults.
Talk With An Experienced Seattle DSHS Lawsuit Attorney!
It’s clear that DSHS is causing great harm to children, youths, vulnerable adults and senior citizens of our state. For instance, all who are in their care are at risk of injuries and life-long pain and suffering.
Above all, if you or someone you love has been in the care of DSHS, please – let us help YOU and help them!
The Premier Law Group Difference!
Premier Law Group— As your advocate, you always work with YOUR ATTORNEY — not just a paralegal.
Our attorneys file lawsuits against the State of Washington for those who have suffered neglect and abuse. Furthermore, we are committed to holding DSHS accountable for the myriad of abuses carried out by their employees.
DSHS has a legal duty to protect and care for the people they serve.
Let our experienced personal injury attorneys build a lawsuit against DSHS for you. If you or a loved one has been abused by DSHS, let us help you seek full financial compensation for the injuries, pain and suffering, that should never have happened.
Contact a Dedicated Washington State DSHS Personal Injury Attorney!
Call Premier Law Group to schedule your FREE Consultation with one of our experienced attorneys. In addition, you will speak with one of the attorneys directly and we are available to you 24/7.
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