More Deplorable Behavior From Rainbow Of Hope

Recently several sad and deplorable posts were made on this blog by a Rainbow Of Hope employee hiding behind the fictitious name of "Susan". The first post has been stored in our archive for future use but we didn't publish it as it had no point nor did it relate to the context of this blog. It was a short little rant in which we the authors were called "drunks".

The second post is worth publishing as it demonstrates malice and highlights the lack of personal integrity and professionalism associated with this Rainbow Of Hope employee. This post reads as follows:

susan said...

The children will be safe now that people like you are not around them any longer, promising them lies (example: I am going to adopt you) or making racial comments (example: them Jews got what the deserve). Another reason the kids will be safe is that crazy angel of darkness nurse is not around. She was aways putting the kids in danger (example: leaving the meds unattended while they were in the room, taking the kids to her home, making racial comments... to many to mention). Sure the kids will not be harm any longer those two people no longer working for ROH!!!

July 16, 2009 9:33 AM

The above grammatical nightmare and public demonstration of substandard paragraph formation is inflammatory, malicious, and slanderous. Our issues remain with the business infractions committed by Rainbow Of Hope yet the employees of this "Cape Counseling Services" agency choose to respond in the above manner. So once again we're left shaking our heads and asking... "Just where is the professionalism of the Rainbow Of Hope Staff and Management?"

Interestingly, it has been the Rainbow Of Hope Staff that has posted racial comments and obscene, hateful personal statements on this blog. This blog is being examined by Law Enforcement, lawyers, State Agencies, investigators, television and newspaper media, and politicians. By all means - continue to post these kinds of messages so that everyone can see you. In our opinion (and in many other opinions), you're not portraying a professional image for quality mental health care with rants, insults, accusations and curse words.

Anyway... on to important things....

6 months ago a child-resident of Rainbow Of Hope complained about an alleged sexual assault that took place at school. The school promptly and professionally followed up on the complaint, reported it to the proper authorities and notified Rainbow Of Hope. As it seems at this point, Rainbow Of Hope did nothing about it. In fact, the parents of this child-resident just learned about this complaint 6 months later! Rainbow Of Hope apparently did not notify the police, DYFS or the parents! Upon learning about this the parents asked Rainbow Of Hope if their child could speak with a representative of CARA (Coalition Against Rape and Abuse) but Rainbow Of Hope management apparently stated "they weren't sure". Furthermore, Lisa Polite told one of the parents that "the allegation probably stems from previous trauma". Probably???? That assessment seems to lack professionalism and attention to a serious matter. Rainbow Of Hope should "probably" look into this...

And now we move on to the last item of the day. It seems August 7th will feature a Rainbow Of Hope "Cook-Off" from 4:00pm - 8:00pm. Parents and employees are encouraged to attend and bring a guest! Sounds like a great time for everyone! But... when the former nurse (yes... that eloquently labeled "crazy angel of darkness") hosted fashion shows, campfires and uplifting activities for the child-residents that made them smile and gave them a sense of esteem and self-respect... Kevin Cook called them HIPAA VIOLATIONS! Interesting, isn't it? Then again, there has never been any consistency at Rainbow Of Hope and chances are... there never will be.

New Developments

It seems Cape Counseling Services has greatly misinterpreted the intentions of this blog. We harbor no thoughts or intentions of causing anyone physical harm. How many times must we reiterate the intention of this blog? This blog serves as a voice for the kids, staff and parents who complained about numerous issues and who were ignored by management. Our combined purpose is to see that the children-residents of Rainbow Of Hope are safe.

We have been informed by Law Enforcement and Legal Counsel that we are well within our rights to freely post our opinions and information on this blog. We will continue to do so until the problems at Rainbow Of Hope are corrected.

As per last week's investigation, it appears Rainbow Of Hope was caught in a lie with the Rutgers University Cooperative Extension. It also appears that parents are receiving bills for medications and there's a new question over a "No-Contact Order" enforced by Rainbow Of Hope that no one from DYFS or the Prosecutor's Office seems to know anything about. This coming week should hold interesting developments.

The blog has also received a number of hostile contributions that are being reviewed, stored and monitored.

We can certainly add that everyone can relax and feel at ease. This blog is being generated to call attention to what seems to be questionable business practices on behalf of Rainbow Of Hope. There are no personal agendas or vendettas at work here and no physical harm is intended toward any individual. This is all about business. Businesses must adhere to state and federal guidelines. Sometimes businesses make the mistake of implementing policies that conflict with standard protocol for operation and when they do, they must be held accountable. That's what this about. Making sure Rainbow Of Hope conforms with state and federal guidelines to make certain the children are safe.

Job Opening At Rainbow Of Hope?

Yesterday our inside source informed us that Cape Counseling Services is accepting applications for what may either be the Rainbow Of Hope Program Coordinator's or Manager's position. We do know that the hours covered would be from 11:00 AM - 9:00 PM. This information has not yet been posted on the Cape Counseling Services web site. Perhaps the agency has seen fit to make positive changes. We'll post an update as soon as we gather more information.

A "Parenting Group" offered by Rainbow Of Hope??

The latest knot in the string of Kevin Cook comedies comes in the form of a letter from Rainbow Of Hope. It seems Cook, who has no children of his own and who has no practical experience whatsoever in parenting, feels qualified to host a "Parenting Group" to better enable us to rear our children.

The contents of this letter is quaintly entertaining. It seems Cook and the Rainbow Of Hope therapist (who incidentally has no children of her own) express confidence in bettering us as parents. Where does this comprehensive knowledge and experience manifest? Certainly not practical experience, so why don't they just do us a favor and give us the call numbers of the library books from which they obtained their "so-called" expertise? Or why not just publish it online to save us all the gas money, time and missed work? There are no means by which two individuals without any hands-on parenting skills can possibly relate to the challenges, difficulties and rewards of parent-child relationships. Perhaps if they were offering a seminar on pet-grooming or nail polishing, we could all benefit from what those two have to offer. Thanks, but we're really not all that interested in your textbook analogies of realistic parenting.

The letter illustrates some very curious features. The first "goal" is to creatively achieve a successful transition of the child-residents to their homes. Does this "creativity" include ludicrous claims by Kevin Cook that the parent(s) are intoxicated and "hitting" their children as in a former documented case? After all, this is a certified case of discharge under current review by attorneys. How can a family reach a successful transition when the Rainbow Of Hope manager lies to his staff about the reasons for discharge? The reason for the early discharge in the case mentioned here is that the parent recognized the failure of the Rainbow Of Hope program. The parent also saw through the blatant and ignorant lies told by Kevin Cook.

Now we move on to the next amusing point of this letter. It seems Rainbow Of Hope wants to help us parents in forming "strategies" for successful visits. Well for starters, how about the Rainbow Of Hope management and staff exercising some form of consistency in the plan? There is no consistency with Rainbow Of Hope staff and management. We're told one thing and can always expect something else. And we don't need "strategies". We EXPECT solid guidelines and formats. YOU'RE "supposed" to be the professionals here but you want US to help you with strategies?? Why can't you perform your professional duties and come up with something solid on your own? Obviously because nobody at Rainbow Of Hope has any idea of how to operate in a decisive and effective manner. What are the lyrics to the old song?? "Where are the clowns? Send in the clowns...."

The third point of this letter is the most abrasive suggestion. Rainbow Of Hope claims they want to "help parents". Help yourselves first! You certainly can't help anyone else before you learn how to blow your own noses and tie your own shoes! You want to help US?? Show us a budget analysis of working full time, having kids, dealing with expenses, providing for a family, meeting medical needs, paying property, school and income taxes and meeting the needs of a family. What in God's name do either one of you practically KNOW about this besides what you read in a pamphlet? You absolutely disgust us. You're laughing stocks. How can you PRESUME to know the first thing about our daily challenges? We've talked with other managers from professional residential facilities. Do you know what THEY do?? They hire experts and people WITH practical experience to host these groups. All of us know that neither one of you are qualified to host such a group. Yet your arrogance overrides your common sense. The time for all your self-adulation is over. Good Lord, Kevin Cook has been "busted" lying about his age to us. Mr. Cook, you've given different answers to us when we've asked about your age! You feel so insecure about your limited experience in the field of child psychology that you LIED to us! That's just pathetic, sad and embarrassing for you.

Now let's move on to "goal" Number 4 of this charming little letter. This is where Rainbow Of Hope invites parents to give suggestions to improve the Rainbow Of Hope program. God, this one made us laugh out loud! Here are a few suggestions to start with:

• Kevin Cook: Stop LYING!
• Kevin Cook: Educate yourself in this field.
• Kevin Cook: Return our phone calls.
• Kevin Cook: Stop disrespecting us.
• Kevin Cook: Hire responsible, professional, courteous staff.
• Kevin Cook: Stop wasting our time with your BS "proactive" talking and actually "do" something you claim you're going to do!
• Kevin Cook: Take a professional course on management and how to delegate authority and responsibility.
• Kevin Cook: Realize that we as parents know and understand that you're virtually an amateur in this field and that we'd be willing to work with you, help you and move forward if you'd only stop trying to "pretend" that you have everything under control. You have NOTHING under control! The Rainbow Of Hope program is out of control and is below standards on a national level. We could help you improve your program and save yourself and your career if you'd be willing to admit to your many failures thus far.
• Kevin Cook: Grow up and act like a professional manager instead of lying like a little school-boy who constantly gets caught in the many falsehoods you spin. Lying to us has been the biggest disadvantage to you. If you only had the fortitude to tell us you didn't readily have an answer to our questions, and - if you had shown us a genuine concerted effort to work with us, we'd be in an open dialogue. But you chose to operate with deception and amateur style. This is what now calls you, Lisa Polite, Sam Totora and several counselors to a public courtroom.
  

There are federal mandates and directives that oversee businesses of all genre. Kevin Cook, we honestly don't know if you may have lied on your job application to Cape Counseling Services or if you genuinely don't have the proper knowledge of how to manage a Residential Youth Facility in the State of New Jersey. What we DO know is that there are State and Federal guidelines that must be adhered to. We now know these statutes better than you do. You can rest assured that we, the parents of the child-residents, are in full communication. Some children will be discharged soon but that doesn't mean that the parents of the newly admitted children are going to be duped by your inexperience and lies, Mr. Cook. And that goes to you too, Polite and Totora. We're all on the same page. We'll play along with your "Parent Groups", etc, but just realize we're attending in our own interests. We're collecting details of every single thing you suggest and offer and we're presenting your crap to the State of New Jersey and other agencies. The CMO, DYFS, and DHS (not to mention other agencies) are extremely wary of your program right now. We look forward to attending your little "Parents Group". In fact, we look forward to every piece of correspondence and interaction with you. From what we've learned and established, it's all to OUR benefit. Under your direct supervision Cook, Totora and Polite, the children-residents at Rainbow Of Hope have been abused and neglected. Are you even remotely familiar with the LAWS that govern your positions of obligation and responsibility?? WE ARE. We view them here (click here).

Once again, Rainbow Of Hope thinks it knows best. Well thanks to information from our attorneys, it doesn't. Kevin and Cre might think they have the end-all solution with their amusing little "Parents Group" but what they are blatantly overlooking is.... the law! You see, in the State of New Jersey, Children have legal rights. Sam Totora, Kevin Cook and Lisa Polite would prefer we don't know this and they'd prefer we let them play God with our kids and our lives. A review of these judiciary statutes can be seen here. When you assume the position of a "manager" or "supervisor" you are obligated to educate yourself with the parameters in which you may legally operate. There are violations across the board here.

People and agencies are outraged by Rainbow Of Hope's blatant disregard for state and federal guidelines. The New Jersey Alliance for Children, Youth and Familes has taken a great interest in the documentation and evidence against Rainbow Of Hope.

Our attorneys have also revealed numerous violations on behalf of Rainbow Of Hope of the "Group Homes Manual of Policies" dictated by state, federal and local law enforcement. You need to carefully search this site for the specific information but it can be viewed by clicking here.

Our complaints have also been validated by the Office of the Child Adovcate. We encourage the parents of the newly admitted child-reisdents of Rainbow Of Hope to file your complaints here: Office of the Child Advocate. From our experience, Kevin Cook is adept at skirting investigations by Institutional Abuse by simply writing up a "corrective action" plan and handing it to the investigator. The Office of the Child Advocate probes much deeper. Our children have been neglected and abused at Rainbow Of Hope. Cook, Totora and Polite have skated around this long enough. Contact the Office of the Child Advocate for more promising results to your complaints. Our suggestion is - get your kids out of Rainbow Of Hope and have them placed at the Robin's Nest, Ranch Hope or The Children's Home in Brick Township. Each of these agencies acknowledge that Rainbow Of Hope has lacked professional care and standards since approximately July of 2008, conveniently; about the same time Kevin Cook became the "manager" of Rainbow Of Hope. Additionally, they have nothing positive to say about Lisa Polite and interestingly, they have never heard of Sam Totora. Contact them yourselves for open confirmation of this.

But in the meantime Kevin, please continue to call your meetings, sessions and groups. Mr. Cook, everything you do is a dark stain on the once noble integrity of the Rainbow Of Hope program. You're an amateur who presents as a clown. We perceive you as a windbag who is afraid to make competent decisions. And we have State Police records that prove you were on-site during crisis situations wherein you deferred to subordinates for decisions. It's obvious you have no idea of how to run the Rainbow Of Hope program. We'll give you a heads-up and offer you a few questions you can be expected to be asked by a prosecutor in due time... We're curious to see if you'll provide "textbook" answers or if you can cite specific agency protocol that pre-dates the issuance of this logged blog post.

• Prior to recommending issuance of a license, permit, or expedited permit, the site of a proposed secure residential youth care facility shall be inspected by which licensing representatives?

• In order to determine continuing compliance with applicable statutes and rules, a licensee's secure residential youth care facility may, without prior notice, be visited periodically by authorized representatives of six respective agencies. Name them??

Section 801.90 Background Investigations

a) No secure residential youth care facility license applicant may receive a license, permit, or an expedited permit from the Department, and no person may be employed by a licensed facility unless he or she provides written authorization for a background check which may include, but not be limited to:

1) A search of the Child Abuse and Neglect Tracking System (CANTS) maintained by the State Central Register to determine whether the person has been indicated as a perpetrator of child abuse or child neglect;

2) A check of the criminal justice information systems, including, but not limited to, those maintained by the Illinois Department of State Police, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the United States Department of Justice, to determine whether the person has been charged with a crime, and if so, the disposition of the charges; and

3) A pre-employment drug test and an agreement to drug testing when the Department or the secure residential youth care facility has reasonable suspicion of abuse.

Mr. Cook, what is the current status of the pre-employment drug tests of the Rainbow Of Hope staff? We know for a fact that drug-tests weren't conducted. ZAP!!! BIG violation of federal and state laws!

Okay, you can chalk that one up to Human Resources or whoever you want to blame... We all know you're good at passing the buck... however, we KNOW you can't answer these questions on sight. Sure, you can get the answers from co-workers or whatever... but these are MILD compared to what you'll be asked in court. We just wanted to give you a taste.... oh... see you at the "Parents Group"...... we can't wait.

Another Disturbing Violation

With application to Danielle's Law we were directed to another disturbing incident wherein Kevin Cook disregarded it. Just a few months ago a child-resident stated that he had fainted. The mere mention of loss of consciousness should have (under Danielle's Law) warranted an immediate telephone call to 911. The former Rainbow Of Hope Nurse insisted upon this. Kevin Cook refused it. In fact, witnesses have produced affidavits certifying that Kevin Cook outright claimed the child-resident was "faking it". Once again it took a series of telephone calls wherein valuable time was wasted before Cook contacted the Cape Counseling Services agency psychiatrist who was astute enough to order Cook to indeed place the call to 911. We feel certain that a court will not be satisfied by the "personal medical expertise" Cook drew upon to deny this child proper attention. "Faking it"??? How dare anyone make such an unprofessional statement in light of a complex and serious medical condition.

This bridges to another alarming discovery brought to our attention by our inside source. 4 child-residents at Rainbow Of Hope have dangerously high cholesterol levels. It's worthy to mention that High Cholesterol is one of the leading causes of death among adolescents and teens. The interesting point of note here is that these children did not have high cholesterol upon entry to the Rainbow Of Hope program. The fact that these levels have become elevated inside the Rainbow Of Hope environment leads to an issue of negligence.

We have documentation to support the facts that the former Rainbow Of Hope Nurse made 4 appointments with the dietitian at Cape Regional Hospital. We also have documentation to prove that this dietitian didn't honor the appointments. Furthermore, we have documentation to prove that the former Nurse spoke to Kevin Cook about enrolling the child-residents with high cholesterol into a program called "Get Moving Get Healthy" which is hosted by the Rutgers University Cooperate Extension.

This is a fantastic program where dietary students offer lectures and educational programs about eating healthy portions, sugar content of foods, the importance of exercise and other beneficial methods of reducing high cholesterol. The program is so successful that it has a lengthy waiting list. The former Rainbow Of Hope Nurse moved mountains and cashed in personal favors in the interest of the child-residents to get them involved in this program.

In March 2009, Kevin Cook went on vacation (though we question why he needed a break from doing nothing in the first place) and representatives from the "Get Moving Get Healthy" program called the former Nurse and said they'd be willing to accept the Rainbow Of Hope child-residents as a favor. Since Kevin Cook was off meandering in La-La land, the former Nurse informed Program Coordinator Lisa Polite about this opportunity that would benefit the Rainbow Of Hope child-residents with dangerously high cholesterol. Lisa Polite firmly said "No". What??? Where's the concern for the health and well being of the children? Not only did she definitively say no, but she added, "Not without Kevin's approval." Well... when Kevin Cook is off doing God-knows-what instead of seeing to his professional obligations, WHO makes decisions at Rainbow Of Hope??? Oh yeah... Lisa Polite "kind of" answered that when she told the former Nurse to contact Sam Totora for HIS approval. The former Nurse left several messages for Sam Totora who never so much as had the common courtesy to return the calls.

This needs to be underscored by the fact that the former Rainbow Of Hope Nurse conducted numerous Group Sessions about the merits of healthy eating and the necessity of exercise. It's obvious that Rainbow Of Hope staff doesn't involve the child-residents in a regular healthy regimen of exercise. The child-residents are permitted to lounge around all day while their "staff counselors" text on cell phones, play games on their cell phones, leave the property, sleep, watch television and surf the internet. If the staff was doing its job under the "professional supervision" of Totora, Cook and Polite, there wouldn't be 4 child-residents with unhealthy cholesterol levels residing in the program.

Kevin Cook's little "Clown Emporium" requires serious scrutiny. It is because of this that we've asked the New Jersey DHS Division of Medical Services to conduct an inquiry and investigation of Rainbow Of Hope. Visit their web site by clicking here. The representatives and investigators were shocked and alarmed to hear of this news and are very eager to descend upon Rainbow Of Hope to learn why the health of some of the child-residents has been compromised under Kevin Cook's and Lisa Polite's management. Of course all of this points back to Sam Totora as well.

It seems to become increasingly clear that Rainbow Of Hope is nothing more than a cash-cow for Cape Counseling Services and that all these statements about "Quality Care" mean very little as long as the agency is making a buck. The health of our children has now been obviously compromised. What will it take to make this program operate at a successful and appropriate level? Well... a court will determine that soon enough.

Danielle's Law

Thank God for good attorneys and people who care. We have learned a lot throughout the course of preparing our lawsuits against Rainbow Of Hope/Cape Counseling Services. Within a matter of a few weeks the suits will be filed and all parties notified. The Kevin Cook Comedy Show is almost over.

We were very surprised to learn about Danielle's Law (click here to review it) and how Rainbow Of Hope management is either unaware of this statute or blatantly chose to ignore the law by not offering its "managers" and employees orientation and training regarding it. It would seem that Danielle's Law is another State requirement that fell by the wayside at Rainbow Of Hope. Perhaps Cook, Totora and Polite hoped we wouldn't find out about Danielle's Law since at least two distinct violations of it took place under Cook's direction. Fortunately both violations are well documented and multiple witnesses are willing to testify.

The first violation involves a child-resident's telephone call to a parent wherein the child stated suicidal urges. The parent called the former Rainbow Of Hope Nurse who in turn directed staff to call 911. Cook threw a childish fit because he somehow felt qualified to handle this situation from home. Keep in mind he wasn't on site nor did he have any distinct personal assessment of the situation. The violation exists in his intent to delay and circumvent proper medical care in the midst of a crisis.

The above violation will be easier to prove once the second violation comes to light in court. On another occasion, Cook's sleeping, texting, game-playing, internet-surfing staff was negligent in its supervision of the child-residents. This provided opportunity for a male and female child to engage in sexual contact. Upon learning about this, the Nurse immediately ordered both children to undergo medical examinations at the Emergency Room. Cook made an outright attempt to prevent the medical examinations. He insisted neither child needed to be examined by a doctor. A number of documented telephone calls prove this. We have no idea why Cook tried to prevent the child-residents from receiving appropriate medical care but we look forward to hearing his answer in court. The Cape Counseling Services agency psychiatrist was astute enough to recognize the need for the medical examinations and overruled Cook's amateur decision.

Again, we're left to wonder what Cook is doing at Rainbow Of Hope. We see his amateur and childish insensitivity in his words and actions. Certified documentation exists from numerous witnesses that will prove Cook is not capable of managing a childrens residential facility. On another instance, a medical examination proved a female child has a severe and potentially life threatening ailment. Cook's sarcastic reply to this was, "Yeah well, at least she's not pregnant!"

A court will decide who is personally liable for these violations. We're told that it could be decided in numerous ways. The agency shares culpability, that's for certain. But after managers and staff members finish taking the stand, a judge will decide who is responsible for the negligence, abuse and violations. Personally, we're looking forward to hearing the various defenses in light of the evidence. Attorneys wouldn't have taken our cases if they didn't believe we'd be victorious. Attorneys are in business to make money, not lead crusades. The burden of proof is upon us and we have met it in order to satisfy our lawyers. Our attorneys have reviewed the evidence and feel certain it will satisfy a court.

Sadly, the current situation at Rainbow Of Hope is the result of what happens when you put an inexperienced person in control of a project that requires skills and knowledge. We've been left shaking our heads when Cook prefers to talk to us about haunted houses, video games and rock concerts rather than the progress our children are making. Rainbow Of Hope has the potential to do a lot of good. But that isn't going to happen when Cook and Polite are permitted to remain complacent in their ineptitude. The place needs to be held accountable for its numerous violations and it needs new managers and staff who are committed to professional care rather than enjoying the luxury of doing nothing all day long. We've got our dustbins and brooms. We're here to clean up Cook's and Polite's mess.

The Investigations Continue

We're confident that the investigators currently examining Rainbow Of Hope will see the truth behind the dog-and-pony show. The children-residents are speaking the truth. The most recent interview contained stark truth and investigators must be willing to "look behind the curtain" so to speak.

It seems the testimony reflected that a certain counselor continues to talk on his personal cell phone (which is against Rainbow Of Hope written policy) and continues to play games on said phone and watch television rather than supervise the children. It seems when the children-residents muster the nerve to admit they're having thoughts of self-harm or suicide, Lisa Polite laughs about it with the counselors. By God... what is going ON in Woodbine? We only hope that our legal intervention will take place before a child seriously hurts himself/herself because the management and counselors don't take the concerns of the kids seriously.

The "managers" (and we use that term VERY lightly) at Rainbow Of Hope are "concerned about the allegations" made on this blog. Let's get something perfectly straight. These are not "allegations". These are substantiated complaints. Each has documentation, eyewitness testimony and/or a certified affidavit accompanying it. We have proven multiple violations on behalf of Rainbow Of Hope to several attorneys. We have been informed that we have serious (and multiple) cases against Rainbow Of Hope and Cape Counseling Services.

There are too many people with similar complaints against Rainbow Of Hope. Parents, former residents, former employees, casual observers... heck, even delivery personnel who couldn't believe what they witnessed on location. We suppose Cook, Totora and Polite would like us all to believe this blog is a "conspiracy theory" at best. Well, it isn't. Yet Cook enjoys his feeble attempts at isolating families in an attempt to find out what we know about this blog. The blog shouldn't be Cook's primary concern. The safety, welfare and supervision of our children should be his primary concern. But obviously it isn't. Had it been, this blog would never have been generated in the first place.

Even The Kids Know

A recent communication from a former child-resident of Rainbow Of Hope expressed joy at being out of the program. This former resident was clear that one of the biggest problems with residing at Rainbow Of Hope is that (direct quote:) "Kevin (Cook) is a liar!"

Now admittedly, we've all dealt with Kevin Cook's whoppers, stories, half-truths, open deceit and outright lies in one way or another. We had a feeling that our children were also victims of his lies but we held out hoping there was some shred of decency there. Apparently there's not. Even the kids are astute enough to recognize that Kevin Cook lies to them on a seemingly regular basis. How do you expect children to put faith in you or your program when you consciously lie to them? What kind of human being lies to children?

This is yet another illustration of the shameful manner in which Rainbow Of Hope is run. It also seems obvious that Cape Counseling Services is content to turn a blind eye to all of this. The agency itself is contradicting its own pledge to "quality care". And this is a matter of liability.

We look forward to the ensuing public forum wherein the issue of accountability will be enforced. We've become aware of quite a bit and thanks to inside sources we've been able to gather documentation and solid evidence. This information has been forwarded to the appropriate parties.

Truth and straightforward answers (whether good or bad) would have been to everyone's benefit. But we concede such may not be possible from the Rainbow Of Hope management. After all, what we're asking for only comes from professionals.

Latest Debacle At Rainbow Of Hope

We're truly surprised by the ongoing negligence at Rainbow Of Hope. Today we were informed that Rainbow Of Hope "lost" a child-resident's medical insurance cards. Just how does that happen? It never happened when the former Nurse oversaw record-keeping and documentation. This leaves us to wonder what would happen if a child-resident had an emergency and needed to be taken to the emergency room. Would he or she be delayed because Rainbow Of Hope LOST the insurance cards? Once again it seems competence and responsibility take a backseat to Kevin Cook's style of management.

Now let's all be honest here, Mr. Totora and Mr. Cook. Yes - we all know about this blog and most of us are participating in its generation and updates. The manner in which you two try to skirt the issues mentioned here and ask us whether we've seen this blog (or know about it) is downright insulting. Yes, we all know about it. You can call us in for meetings and ask us your little investigative questions but we're not going to tell you anything. We're all aware of how you two bungle investigations and how you twist words into what you want to hear. We're not obligated to answer your questions. God knows you've both ignored many questions we've asked. How does it feel? Soon you will be answering questions in a very public forum.

Rainbow Of Hope Employee Makes Public Racist Statement

We've addressed the ugly and unprofessional May 14, 2009 post made on the "About.com" web site (review by clicking here). However, we've confirmed that the post contains a racist remark that potentially violates federal "Hate Laws". For the sake of this post, let's revisit the text posted by worm2908:

"NFL FAKE ASS RECRUIT AKA, used to be a cop(snitch) MCCAIN ASS you can suck my dick, pappsmear isnt your husband under investagation for sexually touching women during their doctor visit, at least thats what paul said....and to the parents that have nerve to put roh down rember this,,,we take care of your kids for the time they are there, not your sorry assses........HA !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

We apologize if the above link to the "About.com" web site is inactive. We reported abuse of the About.com service for the nature of that post based on "Vulgar Profanity" and "Personal Attack". The "About.com" web site offers that service. They also monitor, record and store the internet IP addresses of those who violate their terms of service. They also forward violations of federal laws to authorities. You see, we confirmed that the public posting contains prosecutable defamation. Sadly, the use of the words "McCain Ass"derogatorily refers to someone who is Caucasian. Fortunately for us, Federal law enforcement takes these matters VERY seriously. Fortunately for us, we know exactly who made that post. Might we add... it's a Rainbow Of Hope employee. Not exactly the kind of individual we want around our children. But then again, once this investigation is completed, we know for certain this individual won't be around our children or anyone elses for that matter. Once again we're left shaking our heads, grinning, and asking the question, What was Cape Counseling Services thinking when they hired this individual??

Finally, we're at liberty to reveal the initials of the three female counselors who assisted in the facilitation of abuse and neglect at Rainbow Of Hope. KT, KP and AG will potentially be named as defendants as well. Documentation, testimony, eyewitness accounts and affidavits exist to support this.

Please make sure you read the next post from today as well.

Public Awareness

There's more than one way to bring public awareness to bad behavior. In fact there are several ways. We've taken it upon ourselves to contact other youth residential facilities across the country and have queried the staff and managers about how they handle situations equal to those that have taken place at Rainbow Of Hope. The results were astounding. It seems most youth residential facilities have airtight policies and procedures in place. And even more interesting, these policies and procedures don't change on a daily basis according to the whims and fancies of management. A recurring theme we gained from all our queries is that these other youth residential facilities apply their states' requirements with inflexible loyalty. They were more than happy to peruse this blog and offer insight, suggestions and constructive criticism on how Rainbow Of Hope might improve as a youth residential facility. Another recurring theme after reviewing this blog was that Rainbow Of Hope needs to be addressed by governing agencies or... shut down.

The managers and staff we spoke to at other youth residential facilities openly stated they "couldn't believe" claims like those made on this blog could actually be substantiated. However, we faxed them documentation and in a few cases, played recorded telephone messages for them during our calls. The fact eventually resigned to was that deplorable conditions of abuse and neglect DO exist in many youth residential facilities. The opposing spectrum here is that the professional facilities take active steps to correct these problems with the assistance of external agencies. They use training, seminars and information providers to update, correct and proactively mend these deplorable conditions. We're left to surmise that Rainbow Of Hope hasn't sought these professional remedies because its management is too ashamed to let outside agencies see the place for what it truly is.

Most of the other agencies we spoke with admitted to having a tight method of screening for employees. Rainbow Of Hope has certainly let some "doozies" in. Its management also has a flavorful policy for running off and firing the only employees we could get straight, honest answers from. DP, AW, PH, CR, BS and CW are a few... But then again, when we were dumbfounded and shocked by the shovels of crap being slung at us by Totora, Cook and Polite, we KNEW we could get the truth from the conscientious people listed (by initials) above. Rainbow Of Hope is a dog-and-pony, smoke-and-mirrors show hosted by Totora, Cook and Polite. Each one of them knows in their hearts and minds that they've outright lied to us and ignored us. We can prove this beyond any shadow of doubt. Do they truly care about our kids? Or are our kids just commodities that make money for them while they're in the Rainbow Of Hope program? They certainly don't seem to care about our kids once they leave that program, so let's just leave "care" out of the equation. They don't care enough to discharge a kid with enough medication to get by on. They don't care enough to follow up with transitioning a child to outside care. They don't care enough to adhere to New Jersey State requirements.

But then there's us. And WE CARE. Let Rainbow Of Hope stand as its own entity out there. The managers and staff of professional youth residential facilities are laughing at Rainbow Of Hope and making sarcastic comments about the place. Rainbow Of Hope hasn't seen professional and able management since its former manager retired. We'll be contacting her soon enough. We'd like her comments about watching seemingly inept "managers" tear down everything she worked so hard to build...

It's hard to believe that things like this have been happening at Rainbow Of Hope for almost a full year now. What Rainbow Of Hope managers and Cape Counseling Services CEOs seem to ignore is that some of us currently own and manage businesses. Some of us have owned and managed businesses in the past too. We're fully aware that even a pizzeria has to conform to state, federal and local business laws for operation. Capitalism has formal methods in place for the successful and professional operation of businesses. But then again, wasn't it Kevin Cook who smiled broadly when one of the children-residents jokingly referred to him as a "dictator"? Wasn't it Kevin Cook himself who was witnessed by staff as he referred to himself as a dictator? Yes it is, folks. But history has shown that all dictators get toppled. We're also left shaking our heads at how immature Cook's statement is. But that's what usually happens when you put a young and inexperienced man in charge of something. You get a lot of talk and even more mistakes. We're not unwise or ignorant to what's required to maintain a business. What was Cape Counseling Services thinking???

Our evidence collection is progressing well. We're still waiting on a few individuals to complete their tasks. When all the information is gathered we'll advance the lawsuits.

We encourage you to take 5 minutes to watch this video by clicking here.

Action Progressing

On Monday, June 1st, several complainants again met with an attorney. Based upon facts, affidavits and testimony, it has been determined that solid grounds exist for multiple lawsuits against Rainbow Of Hope. The complainants are currently in the process of assembling the evidence (including but not limited to: documentation, telephone records, recorded telephone messages, letters of reply, testimony, affidavits and personal experiences) in chronological order. Summaries of individual complaints are also being prepared. We've been advised to not post the specifics of the lawsuits but we're at liberty to state that Rainbow Of Hope managers and directors will potentially be held accountable for a slew of State Requirement violations as well as negligence. The complainants are seeking to establish that the overall management of the program has blatantly violated standard labor protocol and has not been within the criteria dictated by the State Requirements for Residential Facilities. Furthermore, the complainants are seeking to establish that the management of Rainbow Of Hope, through gross negligence and dereliction, have created an unsafe environment for the children-residents. It will be argued that this unsafe environment has led to the abuse and neglect of the children-residents.

The primary focus is the matter in which the Rainbow Of Hope Program Manager (Kevin Cook) and Program Coordinator (Lisa Polite) exercise arbitrary delegation wherein the State Requirements are very matter of fact. Rainbow Of Hope is a Youth Residential Facility governed by New Jersey State laws which are very black-and-white. It's obviously blatant that both, Cook and Polite, are unfamiliar with the details of these set standards. Cook and Polite have made decisions at Rainbow Of Hope that conflict with State Requirement policies. There are channels to go through, policies to adhere to, and distinct protocol for exclusive situations which have been outright ignored by Cook and Polite. Therein lies the liability of Cape Counseling Services in not properly informing its management of protocol. Perhaps training, seminars and education should have been in place for those given the power to make decisions. The concepts of "staff discretion" and "consideration given to individual cases" have no practical application. Not when specifics have been set in place by governing agencies. Rainbow Of Hope is a business. It may be referred to as "non-profit" but if so... why is billing conducted for it on a monthly basis? No... Rainbow Of Hope makes money for Cape Counseling Services. It's all part of the brilliant "LLC". And businesses have specific rules they must follow.

Perhaps the agency misinformed its managers and staff as to what is - and what isn't acceptable. But that just deepens the realm of liability. The end result here is that Totora, Cook and Polite have been operating with random and arbitrary discretion while not adhering to specific State protocol. They can't decide who a child-resident speaks to on the phone (without a court order), they can't withhold monies due to children-residents due to arbitrary reasons, and they have no power whatsoever to ignore complaints without referring them to higher investigating agencies. They can't threaten to have a Nurse's license revoked if she speaks out about the blatant injustices she's seen, they can't allow a rumor of defamation to exist about a former employee, they can't refuse to take action against an employee who commits public defamation against an established licensed physician. Yet... through some blind oversight on behalf of Cape Counseling Services... all of this has happened. No corrective action has been taken. Rainbow Of Hope can write out "Corrective Actions" and hand them off to investigators, but we're not going to settle for that. Rainbow Of Hope manager Kevin Cook is all about proactive talking, but that's all it is... talk. There have been no proactive measures to reinforce his words. Anybody can talk. Anybody can assume the role of a leader. But a good, qualified leader takes physical action and makes positive changes. Nobody has seen anything of the sort at Rainbow Of Hope.

So where does the problem lie? Was this man the "best applicant" for the job? Or was he "the only" applicant for the job? Who screened Cook and decided his qualifications were suited for this endeavor? Who put a seemingly deaf and blind commander in charge of a sinking ship? That's where our case grows and blossoms with endless possibilities for liability...

THE OFFICE OF CHILDREN'S ADVOCATE has received numerous complaints about Rainbow Of Hope and is currently involved in the matters at hand. Outside agencies are also interested in the progression of these affairs. This investigation and the legal queries have also attracted the attention of out-of-state agencies and organizations interested in bettering themselves from the outcome and rulings for this situation in Woodbine, NJ. We commend, endorse and appreciate the wide-ranging support we've received in this matter.

The main question we've been asked by the agencies supporting this movement has been, "Why are you doing this?"

We feel the need to reiterate that this action is not vindictive. Parents of the children-residents, former staff members and former children-residents themselves approached the management of Rainbow Of Hope with serious complaints and issues. RAINBOW OF HOPE MANAGEMENT FAILED US. Cook and Polite did not follow up on our complaints, Cook and Polite did not look into our complaints and the baseline here is that Cook and Polite did not take parents, staff or the children-residents serious when they complained about errors in the operation of the program. Lack of staff supervision permitted our children with the opportunities to cut themselves, run away from the group home, and put themselves into serious and critical situations. Rainbow Of Hope management might argue that "Everybody makes their own choices" (God knows we've all heard that!) but our kids are there for making poor and irresponsible choices to begin with! The staff and management of Rainbow Of Hope is supposed to be professionally trained at helping our kids learn coping skills. Staff isn't supposed to be yelling at our kids nor should they be calling us "some dumb bitches" in their posts on this blog. When someone asks "Why are you doing this?" consider the facts at hand. We've tried to maintain active communication with Rainbow Of Hope staff and management but we as parents get treated like criminals or inferior people because our children are in a facility and not under our care. Granted, some of us as parents have made mistakes but people change. The fact that we're seeking help for our children establishes our responsibility for mistakes we may have made. But Sam Totora, Kevin Cook and Lisa Polite allow themselves to believe they have the power to play God over families. They don't. They believe they can utilize agencies such as DYFS (Department of Youth and Family Services) as weapons against us when we complain about their serious lack of professional management. They can't. Interestingly, they did. And in the context of this entire evaluation of Rainbow Of Hope, that was wrong on many levels. Rainbow Of Hope is supposed to seek family reunification. However, when called on the carpet for their lack of professional management, they reach into their bag of deplorable tricks and turn DYFS loose on parents like some rabid dog. But what Rainbow Of Hope management DIDN'T consider with that stunt is that certain individuals meet all aspects of criteria for the program. In other words, that stupid stunt did more to hurt Rainbow Of Hope's credibility.

Do us all a favor and stop approaching us with questions about this blog. You know that what we're saying holds merit. Or perhaps you don't think any of what we're saying holds merit. That doesn't matter because there are agencies larger than yours that think otherwise.

"Really?" you ask?? Well, let's take a look at the Privacy Policy located on Cape Counseling Services web site... We've placed the "interesting stuff" in bold type....

THIS NOTICE DESCRIBES HOW HEALTH INFORMATION ABOUT YOU MAY BE USED AND SHARED AND HOW YOU CAN GET A COPY OF THIS INFORMATION. PLEASE REVIEW IT CAREFULLY.

If you have any questions or if you do not understand any part of this Privacy Notice, please call our Privacy Officer at 609-463-0014 Ex. 20. This notice is to help you to understand what is your health information, how we may use it and share it with others and it briefly describes what your rights are. We are required by law to give you this notice. Within certain limits, we must also maintain your privacy about your medical information. This notice will describe for you examples of how your information may be used or shared. Health information includes identifying information (name, date of birth, social security number, address, diagnosis, medications prescribed) that we have received from you or other health care providers. It may include information about your past, present or future physical and/or mental health or condition. It may also concern how you received health care treatment and the type of payment received in the past, present or future for your health care services.

All Cape Counseling Services, sites and locations follow the terms of this notice. All Cape Counseling Services, programs, sites, and locations may share health information with each other for treatment, payment or organization operations as described in this notice. This notice also applies to the following: Any service provider authorized to enter or review information in your records. All Cape Counseling Services departments and units. All employees, staff and other paid company personnel.

Privacy Policy Pledge: We understand that your health information is personal and we want to protect your privacy. Our records will have information about you such as, your appointments, your planned treatment, services you receive, modalities used, progress, your insurance information, etc. We need this information to provide you with care and receive payment for the services we provide. The information that you provide to us is confidential and private within the requirements of various state and federal laws. Release of this information for purposes other than conducting business or providing treatment within this organization require that you sign an authorization for the release of the information. We cannot and will not release any information without such a release. Children over the age of 14 require an authorization for the release of information that is signed by the minor, before a staff member can discuss their case with their parents.

By law we are required to: Keep your medical information private. Provide you with a notice of our duties and policies concerning your personal data. Comply with the policies protecting your personal data.

I. How your Personal Health Information may be used: We may request, use and share your health information for several reasons: We may use your health information within Cape Counseling Services, to provide and manage your treatment, to receive payment for your treatment, and for our organization operations including the review of client care and areas to improve. Uses of information not described in this notice will mostly be made with your written permission, called an “authorization”. You have the right to change or to take back your written authorization at any time. To “revoke” or to change your authorization, you may do the following. Contact your Cape Counseling Services professional, to discuss your situation and how it will affect your treatment. You may then complete a Revocation of Authorization to Release Protected Health Information form. Please be advised that we are unable to take back any information we have already released with your permissionn. We will obtain your signed consent to communicate with insurance providers for payment of the services you receive from us. This information is found on the Cape Counseling Services Charge Slip that we use for billing purposes. In most instances when we need to share PHI with a third party we will seek your written permission. There are times when CCS is permitted or required by law to use and disclose your health information without specific consent from you, as described in each category listed below. We may use and share your health information without your permission or opportunity to refuse under some special situations. Examples are as follows: a. Emergencies. - We may use and share your information in an emergency treatment situation. b. As required by law. - We will share information about you when required by federal, state or local law. c. To lessen or prevent a serious threat to health or safety. We may share information about you when necessary if there is a threat to your health or safety or to the public’s health or safety. We will only share information with someone who is able to help prevent or lessen this threat. d. Public Health Activities. We may share information about you as necessary for Public Health activities such as the following: i. Report of death; ii. Report of abuse, neglect or domestic violence as required by law; iii. Report to public health authorities to control or prevent disease, injury or disability; e. Health Oversight Activities. Oversight agencies include government agencies that manage the health care system and civil rights laws. We may share the following information. Reports as required by law to government programs such as the Division of Mental Health or the Office of Legislative Services for monitoring of our company f. Legal Proceedings and Law Enforcement Activities. We may share health information with law enforcement officials for specific purposes such as: A court order or if a similar legal process requires us to do so. g. Protective Services for Government Officials, National Security and Intelligence Activities. We may release health information to authorized federal officials for intelligence, security and protective services as authorized by law. h. Research. We may share your health information with Cape Counseling Services researchers only when the Executive Leadership and Governing Board of Directors has approved their research. The privacy board will ensure that the research protects your private health information. II. Your Rights Regarding Your Health Information: You have the right to ask to inspect or copy your health information that has been used to make decisions about your care. Under some circumstances we may deny your request to inspect or copy your information. To exercise this right please complete the Client Request to Copy/Read Private Health Information. Any staff member can give you a copy. Mail this notice to the Privacy Officer Cape Counseling Services, 217 N. Main Street, Cape May Court House, NJ 08210 You have the right to amend or change any health information used to make decisions about your care. To request a change of your health information, you must complete a Client Request to Amend Private Health Information Form. You may obtain the from a Cape Counseling Services staff person. In the form, tell us why you believe the information is incorrect. Upon completion, return it to a Cape Counseling Privacy Officer at Cape Counseling Services, 217 N. Main Street, Cape May Court House, NJ 08210 for follow up. Be advised, we may deny your request for amendment if you ask us to amend information that: Was not created by us, unless the person or party that created the information is no longer available to make the amendment; Is not part of the information kept by our facility; Is not part of the information which you would be permitted to inspect or copy, or Is accurate and complete. You have the right to request restrictions, meaning you may tell us who you do not want information released to. To request a restriction, you must complete a Request for Restriction form which any staff member can you give to you and send it to our Privacy Officer at Cape Counseling Services , 217 N. Main Street, Cape May Court House, NJ 08210., and tell us how you want the information restricted. We are not required to agree to a restriction that is needed to provide you with emergency care. We may also deny an amendment if it is not in writing or does not include a reason to support the request. We may also deny your request if you ask us to amend information that was not created by us, or if the information is not part of the information, which you would be permitted to inspect and copy. You have the right to request an “Accounting of Disclosures.” This is a list of the health information outside of treatment, payment or operations that we have released to another source about you. To request this list or accounting of disclosures, you must contact your CCS professional to obtain a Request for Accounting of PHI Disclosed by CCS form. Review the form with the Cape Counseling Services staff person, complete it and return it to the Privacy Officer, Cape Counseling Services, 217 N. Main Street, Cape May Court House, NJ 08210. Be advised that we cannot account for any time periods that are beyond six years or that include dates before April 14, 2003. Note that by law we are not required to account for disclosures that you have given written permission or authorization for the release of information. You have the right to request that we communicate in a confidential manner with you about medical matters, such as only at home, or work, etc. You have the right to receive a paper copy of this Privacy Notice at any time. To receive a copy, please contact our Privacy Officer at 609-463-0014 Ex. 20 COMPLAINTS If you believe your privacy rights have been violated, you may file a complaint with Cape Counseling Services or with the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services. To file a complaint with Cape Counseling Services, please contact the Privacy Officer in writing at Cape Counseling Services, 217 N. Main St. Cape May Court House, NJ 08210. All complaints must be sent in writing to the Privacy Officer. You will never be punished or penalized for filing a complaint. WE MAY CHANGE THIS NOTICE We have the right to make changes in this notice effective for health information we already have about you as well as any information we may receive in the future. We will post a copy of the current notice in all of our Cape Counseling Services facilities. The notice will contain on the first page, in the top right hand corner, the effective date. In addition, each time you register at or are admitted to Cape Counseling Services for treatment we will offer you a copy of the current notice in effect. If you have a question about this notice, please call the Privacy Officer at 609-463-0014 ex. 20.

Privacy Notice | Client Complaints

So with all that information so eloquently quoted by Cape Counseling Services on their public web site, let's revisit this famous post by a Rainbow Of Hope employee:

"worm2908 said...

KIRA KIRA KIRA 1st i didnt know what was going on when u got signed out, i was in shock, but second u should of stayed didnt you try to kill yourself recentally,, not sure but i know for a fact your father triedto admit you to Bridgeton,,so what does that go to show you, your sick and you need help.... WHats up with you laying in the tub with RICE thats weird, HUH

May 18, 2009 4:19 PM"

Does anybody else see the problem here??? By all means, if you see a problem please forward it to:

Greg Speed, CEO
by email: gspeed@capecounseling.org
by phone: 609-463-0014 ext 18

Cape Counseling Services also has this juicy tidbit to offer on their web site:

Client Complaints

(609) 465-4100 Main Office
(609) 463-0014 Administrative Offices

Cape Counseling Services is committed to providing the highest degree of professional services for all clients. However, there are times when questions related to your care/treatment, clinician, service delivery, denial or termination of services might be cause for review by CCS Management and Unit Ombudsperson. Any client who has received services within the last 3 months, parent/guardian, or client designee, shall have the right to seek review.

(Nah... 3 months has nothing to do with it... you can enact this review at any time)

Cape Counseling Services' goal in the review process is to be responsive in a timely fashion and resolve the complaint in the best interests of the client(s).

(We suppose that this happens in "the event" Cape Counseling Services takes the complaint(s) seriously.)

• Generalized complaints received in writing will be forwarded to the V.P./Chief Operating Officer for initial review, tracking and forwarding to the responsive party.
• Complaints specific to care practices, etc. should be submitted directly to your clinician, therapist or case manager. All complaints will be shared with the Program Manager.
  

Therein lies part of the problem!

• Your complaint will be reviewed within 5 working days and a resolution will be negotiated with you.
  

5 working days?? The shortest time frame we have on record for Rainbow Of Hope's "program manager" attempting to try to resolve a complaint is 7 1/2 weeks!!!

If you are not satisfied with the resolution of your complaint at the provider/program level, you may appeal the decision to the relevant Unit Director who will serve as the Unit Ombudsperson.The Unit Ombudsperson will meet with you to hear your appeal within 5 working days. If you are not satisfied with the Unit Ombudsperson's response, resolution, you may request a review by the Chief Operating Officer.

The Chief Operating Officer will hear the appeal, conduct an investigation and make a final decision.

(Nah... we'll let other agencies handle this from now on)

You will receive a written report from the COO within 7 working days. If the COO does not resolve your complaint, you may request a review by the Cape May County Mental Health, Alcohol/Drug Board.
(465-1055 Human Services).

Additional Advocacy Services that are available are:

• Division of Mental Health Services - (609) 567-7352
• Division of Youth and Family Services - (609) 463-9652
• Board of Social Services - (609) 886-6200
• NJ Protection & Advocacy, Inc., 210 Broad Street, 3rd Floor, Trenton, NJ 08608
  1-800-922-7233 and 609-292-9742
• N.J. Division of Mental Health Services- Complaint 1-800-382-6717
• Joint Commission on Accreditation of Health Care Organizations - Complaint Hotline
  (including requests for a Public Information Interview) - (800) 994-6610
  

Clients not interested in filing a complaint but still wanting to express a concern or make a recommendation regarding care/services, are welcome to call the CEO directly at 463-0014 ext. 18 or put in your comments in one of the "suggestion" boxes throughout the Agency.

Lastly, we appreciate the list of links provided on the Cape Counseling Services web site. The contacts have provided many allies to our cause. Seems we're not the only ones with complaints...

Insult To Injury

Cape Counseling Services has stated these accusations are unfounded. Yet in the same breath Cape Counseling Services has stated that the company is doing everything possible to facilitate and cooperate with investigators. Our question is: How can Cape Counseling Services declare the accusations are unfounded without the findings of the current investigation?

This also raises other questions. When is the last time the CEOs of Cape Counseling Services set foot inside Rainbow Of Hope? When is the last time the CEOs of Cape Counseling Services interviewed the children-residents of Rainbow Of Hope? A fact worthy of examination is that Rainbow Of Hope has existed as some sort of self-governing satellite post of Cape Counseling Services. There has not been an appropriate level of supervisory attention given to this program.

Most of us agree that Cape Counseling Services is a professional agency that performs a lot of good for the community. Many of us have relatives who received services from other divisions of this agency. These are not complaints against Cape Counseling Services as a whole. These are specific problems with Rainbow Of Hope and its managers and staff.

The State of New Jersey has the power to remove children from their homes and parents when it finds an "unsafe environment" exists at home for the child. In other words, a child can be removed from his or her parents for lack of proper parental supervision. What kind of sense does it make to put this child into another environment where those supervising them are witnessed sleeping on the job, surfing the internet in closed offices, texting and talking on cell phones, and walking out of the building to hang out with friends?

Please don't insult us by referring to these problems as "unfounded". We've personally witnessed it. We tried to correct these problems through appropriate channels and were ignored by Kevin Cook and Lisa Polite. They essentially called us liars by refusing to take our claims seriously. And they also refused to take the claims of honest staff and children-residents serious when they complained. Now Rainbow Of Hope is in the middle of a State investigation and you flat-out tell us the complaints are "unfounded"? That's what Cook and Polite said too. No problem though... this time we'll wait and see what the State of New Jersey has to say. Please don't insult us with canned rhetoric.

New From Inside Rainbow Of Hope

Sources tell us that certain children-residents are still receiving preferential treatment while those courageous enough to challenge the bad behavior of staff are being treated unfairly.

We have new information regarding a female counselor with the initials K.T. Apparently this counselor is fond of triangulating the children-residents against each other and outright blaming the children-residents for her poor choices and bad behavior. Fortunately we have a written affidavit to support this.

It's truly sad that "counselors", most of them little more than mere children themselves, are given the ability and power to abuse their positions and authority without reprimands from management. We question how these "counselors" can possibly know what's best for our children, especially when they have little or no practical experience in dealing with children. Experience and training are the keys to a successful outcome. Not the wanton abuse of power.

May 23rd Meeting

Today, concerned parents, former residents of Rainbow Of Hope and former staff members met at a law firm in Northfield, New Jersey. The outcome of the meeting was a unanimous decision to pursue civil charges against Rainbow Of Hope and to pursue potential criminal charges against its management and staff. Documented violations of the State Requirements for Child Care Facilities lend credence to the civil suit.

HIPAA violations committed by staff infringe on Federal statutes. Especially the May 18 post that reads:

"KIRA KIRA KIRA 1st i didnt know what was going on when u got signed out, i was in shock, but second u should of stayed didnt you try to kill yourself recentally,, not sure but i know for a fact your father triedto admit you to Bridgeton,,so what does that go to show you, your sick and you need help.... WHats up with you laying in the tub with RICE thats weird, HUH"

Investigations are being conducted into the theory that two separate people have posted blog entries under the "Worm2908" user name. It's suspected that one of these people have publicly entered into conversations about Bridgeton Hospital staff and other secure matters. It's also known that this particular person in question has spoken about Rainbow Of Hope children-residents and disclosed the health problems of these children-residents to patients and staff at Bridgeton Hospital. We have testimony to support this.

Investigators will also pursue other matters of a potential criminal nature. These infractions will be revealed at a later date.

Furthermore, there's a matter of Misallocation of Funds found in the fact that a former child-resident has not received wages due from Rainbow Of Hope. The same infraction exists within a scene wherein two staff members were scheduled to attent a paid in-service. However, in their stead, a manager and his spouse attended the training. Cape Counseling Services may have worked some magical accounting but this doesn't negate that the manager and spouse attended this event under the names of the original two staff members scheduled to attend.

In addition to these problems we have a serious breach of personal privacy issues in that the personal and private telephone numbers of Rainbow Of Hope staff members were conspicuously displayed in an area that the children-residents had access to.

Another parent has admitted to hearing counselor Wayne Wilson angrily state to a child-resident that he would "Tie him up and bust him in his face."

A final problem added to the slew of other infractions mentioned throughout this blog is the case of a particular child-resident who was accused of stealing by Rainbow Of Hope staff. This child-resident was not only accused, but treated unjustly and received elements of undue stress at the hands of staff. It was later confirmed that the items in this child's possession were not stolen at all, but were purchased for the child by the child's parent. An act of theft can only occur if the children-residents are not being supervised. To accuse this child at all means staff was not providing proper supervision.

And let us address a few random thoughts... No, this blog isn't an attempt to turn parents and kids against Rainbow Of Hope staff and management. No, this isn't the work of disgruntled employees or dissatisfied parents. This is the work of a collective voice seeking to call attention to neglect and abuse at Rainbow Of Hope. This is a combined effort to clean that place up.

More Allegations Surface Against Rainbow Of Hope

We've recently received signed statements from parents and former children-residents that detail more allegations against Rainbow Of Hope. These statements have been forwarded to State investigators and will also be forwarded to authorities and attorneys.

What's most disturbing is that many of these allegations echo with a similar theme. Sadly, many of the statements reinforce the fact that these horrendous infractions were brought to the attention of Kevin Cook and Lisa Polite by children-residents and parents alike. The echoed theme is that Kevin Cook and Lisa Polite disbelieved the complaints and never followed up on them. It seems evident that the voices of our children have been ignored by Cook and Polite. It also seems evident that our voices have been ignored. We now use this collective voice to call attention to what Cook and Polite refuse to acknowledge.

The following is a general overview of some of the complaints made in signed statements. The following does not contain all of the complaints. Names have been omitted for the time being so as not to impede the current investigations.

* Staff would hand out our medication to us in the morning. I can only declare definitely for myself, but X seemed to have a lot of trouble with my medication dosages. He would give me the wrong medication, too much of the medication, not enough of a certain medication, and refused to listen to me when I tried to correct him. Though I was a mere consumer, I had my personal medication memorized to a ‘t’ and would refuse the medication until he would re-check it. Sometimes, I even got into trouble for this, when I was undeniably trying to keep my health well.

* X and X were constantly seen on the computer and on their cell-phones, talking, going on face-book and myspace, texting, et cetera. They were neglecting their jobs and trying to spend personal time while at work. I also remember X arguing from when she picked us up from school to when her shift ended, on her cell-phone. She had no problem telling us of her personal issues with her ex-boyfriend, and how he was upset about an old picture being up on her blog. She used the facility line to argue with him, and even threatened police, obviously too occupied to do her job, as she left her peers/staff members to do her job for her.

* A lot of the kids in the group home, at least while I attended, including me were of low self-esteem and suffered from depression. The facility was made for practically just that, and a lot of us suffered from minor paranoia in being constantly worried about people whispering. We, as defendants, had to be constantly on-guard to reclaim the proper truth and respect we deserved. Staff members X, Y, and Z all had a ‘thing’ for whispering, meaning, they did it a lot. Sometimes they’d hide their face behind a folder, or point and mouth words. We, as the consumers of Rainbow, would respectfully tell them that this made us uncomfortable, and they refused to listen, even when Lisa Polite addressed the issue. Nothing was ever reinforced.

* X, a staff member at ‘ROH’ was constantly the one to wake us girls up during the week. He was always claiming to be taking the ‘girls’ and favoring us for plainly being females. It was all a joke until he started coming up to me, whispering my name and touching my back. Then I confronted other girls in the home about it, asking if they had experienced similar things with him, and they had claimed to have been ‘smacked in the ass’ by X. I didn’t believe it until I saw it, and when we claimed these things were true to authorities at the home, they refused to believe it themselves, and never did anything about it.

* A lot of kids at the group home argued within each other about ‘who was who’s boyfriend or girlfriend.’ Investigators have even come numerous times because reported sexual harassment has taken place. As an observer, I took in a lot of information from my peers, and got to see everything from all angles. Kids were constantly kissing, ‘making out,’ and performing other inappropriate sexual foreplay.

* My child told me he was constantly yelled and cursed at by staff. I talked to the manager about this and he denied it. He passed it off like it was impossible for this to happen in his facility. I even felt silly for bringing it up. Then one day while returning my son from a home visit I heard X yelling at a kid to "knock that shit off right now". It happens in there all the time, I'm sure. But management is comfortable pretending it doesn't.


The first complaint listed above is very serious. Parents sign a form that consents to allowing non-licensed Rainbow Of Hope staff to administer medication. However, according to the Nurse Practice Act, non-licensed staff may only administer medication under the delegation of a Nurse. There's a technical violation being committed here as there is currently no full time Nurse at the Rainbow Of Hope facility. Do we truly want non-licensed staff giving our children medications when there's no Nurse there to oversee this? Especially when some staff obviously can't seem to get the dosages right??

The other complaints speak for themselves. But we're left to wonder WHY Kevin Cook and Lisa Polite failed to take reasonable action to correct these problems when they were initially reported. Is it simply a matter of not believing our kids? Do you think of them as "troubled" and therefore dismiss their complaints as not being valid? Do you think that our complaints as parents aren't valid because we're not there 24/7 to witness all this horrendous stuff? Do you think your staff members who complain are troublemakers and just show them the door? Cook and Polite were given reasonable and numerous opportunities to correct these matters. They did nothing. Now we're doing something. The children need to be safe and protected and we don't feel these conditions exist under the current management of Rainbow Of Hope.

Concerns About Rainbow Of Hope Staff

Putting our children into the mental health care system means placing a lot of blind faith in people we don't know. A lot has been said about the unprofessional conduct of counselors Bridget Perez and Wayne Wilson, but there are at least three other counselors who have been formally named in our affidavits and on documents submitted to attorneys and investigators. These three counselors, all females, will be examined for unprofessional conduct in the workplace. These counselors not only helped facilitate some of the major infractions mentioned elsewhere on this blog, but have also provided an inconsistent relationship between fellow staff members, children-residents, parents and management. They have also turned a blind eye and deaf ear to the valid complaints of the children-residents they supposedly care for, thus lending complicity to the deplorable state of affairs within Rainbow Of Hope.