We have learned of a new and disgusting development of Rainbow of Hope "management" and Staff that has allegedly led to the great harm of another child-resident of this poorly overseen facility. At this time we have been asked to not disclose details in order that we don't hamper the investigation of professional law enforcement. Perhaps it's better we don't mention details so that we don't give Kevin Cook, Lisa Polite and Sam Totora the opportunity to make up stories and sweep this incident under the rug as they are so conveniently known to do.
LAWSUITS MOVING FORWARD!!!
We're happy to report that our lawsuits against Rainbow of Hope are moving forward! We hit some snags and delays in uncovering State Investigation information but we're happy to announce that we've obtained the necessary information and documents to advance our collective case against Rainbow of Hope "management" and select staff members, as well as the Cape Counseling Services entity! Our voice will be heard!!
Rainbow of Hope continues to operate under sub-standard management and poor staff supervision. It is our goal to correct the many flaws within the program or have the State of New Jersey recognize that it needs to be closed down.
More information will soon follow! Thanks for your world-wide support!
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
SADLY, NEW INFORMATION SURFACES
It's been almost 9 months since we've updated this blog. Rainbow Of Hope in Woodbine, NJ, has gone to extreme lengths to control and censor the truth about its operations and the impact its delirious decisions of "management" have had on its Child Residents and their families. However, a current Child Resident spoke with us during a recent home visit and told us exactly what is happening at Rainbow Of Hope. Sadly, nothing has changed.
The Child Resident naturally fears realistic consequences from Rainbow Of Hope Staff and "management" for being critical of the so-called program, so therefore we will only refer to this Child Resident as "A". The following is from a recorded transcript that has been forwarded to appropriate investigating authorities:
ROH Exposed: Can you describe your stay at Rainbow Of Hope?
"A": It's pretty bad. The staff doesn't care about you. They're only there for the paycheck. When my friends and me have an issue or crisis, staff laughs at us and calls us "babies" and stuff. Like, what I'm going through is real, you know? But the staff doesn't care. It's like it's nothing to them. They get to go home every night. But like, we're stuck there. With staff who are rude and curse at us and stuff.
ROH Exposed: Curse at you? Don't care about you? Can you give us some examples?
"A": Sure. Like there's this one staff that's always on his cellphone and stuff. It's like a huge friggin' deal to ask him for anything. He's lazy. I wanted conditioner for my hair one night and he was like, "You been a bitch today so f*#k it. You ain't getting no conditioner". And like, he said that while texting on his phone.
Then there was like this time when one of my friends was in total crisis and freaking out and staff said, "If you don't knock this f*#king shit off, you ain't gonna go on the outing!" Like who gives a crap about an outing? A friend was like freaking out and staff didn't care. They just threatened her.
We'll be in our rooms at night and staff will be doing points to see who makes level. Like, if you make level you get more privileges and stuff. Staff will be like, "Take points from so-and-so because he/she is a bitch." We hear this crap! We're not deaf!
ROH Exposed: Have you mentioned any of this to management?
"A": Yeah! Like that does any good! Staff and management are together on all this. It's like all us kids are liars because we have issues. Nobody listens to us. The manager of the program is a friggin' joke. It's like they all stick together and lie all the time.
ROH Exposed: ("A's" Guardian agrees with this and interjects:) "We've caught the program manager of Rainbow Of Hope in numerous lies. There's absolutely no consistency in what the manager, therapist, coordinator or nurse tell us. It's like nobody knows what's going on there. If I have a concern or question, weeks go by before someone returns my phone call and it always sounds like some kind of hokey rehearsed reply. I feel certain this place has fooled invesitgators in the past because I know and have seen what goes on there.
ROH Exposed: Is staff attentive to your needs and does management take steps to correct or remedy problems you bring to their attention?
"A": No. Staff is either sleeping, texting on their phones, playing games on their phones, watching TV or sometimes sleeping. Management doesn't care. They simply don't bleieve us when we complain.
So in summary, it would appear Rainbow Of Hope in Woodbine, NJ continues to fail as a well managed business and falls short of a safe environment for its Child Residents.
We're also pleased to have acquired two new sources of current information at Rainbow Of Hope who have agreed to supply us with updates for the vital continuation of our blog.
The Child Resident naturally fears realistic consequences from Rainbow Of Hope Staff and "management" for being critical of the so-called program, so therefore we will only refer to this Child Resident as "A". The following is from a recorded transcript that has been forwarded to appropriate investigating authorities:
ROH Exposed: Can you describe your stay at Rainbow Of Hope?
"A": It's pretty bad. The staff doesn't care about you. They're only there for the paycheck. When my friends and me have an issue or crisis, staff laughs at us and calls us "babies" and stuff. Like, what I'm going through is real, you know? But the staff doesn't care. It's like it's nothing to them. They get to go home every night. But like, we're stuck there. With staff who are rude and curse at us and stuff.
ROH Exposed: Curse at you? Don't care about you? Can you give us some examples?
"A": Sure. Like there's this one staff that's always on his cellphone and stuff. It's like a huge friggin' deal to ask him for anything. He's lazy. I wanted conditioner for my hair one night and he was like, "You been a bitch today so f*#k it. You ain't getting no conditioner". And like, he said that while texting on his phone.
Then there was like this time when one of my friends was in total crisis and freaking out and staff said, "If you don't knock this f*#king shit off, you ain't gonna go on the outing!" Like who gives a crap about an outing? A friend was like freaking out and staff didn't care. They just threatened her.
We'll be in our rooms at night and staff will be doing points to see who makes level. Like, if you make level you get more privileges and stuff. Staff will be like, "Take points from so-and-so because he/she is a bitch." We hear this crap! We're not deaf!
ROH Exposed: Have you mentioned any of this to management?
"A": Yeah! Like that does any good! Staff and management are together on all this. It's like all us kids are liars because we have issues. Nobody listens to us. The manager of the program is a friggin' joke. It's like they all stick together and lie all the time.
ROH Exposed: ("A's" Guardian agrees with this and interjects:) "We've caught the program manager of Rainbow Of Hope in numerous lies. There's absolutely no consistency in what the manager, therapist, coordinator or nurse tell us. It's like nobody knows what's going on there. If I have a concern or question, weeks go by before someone returns my phone call and it always sounds like some kind of hokey rehearsed reply. I feel certain this place has fooled invesitgators in the past because I know and have seen what goes on there.
ROH Exposed: Is staff attentive to your needs and does management take steps to correct or remedy problems you bring to their attention?
"A": No. Staff is either sleeping, texting on their phones, playing games on their phones, watching TV or sometimes sleeping. Management doesn't care. They simply don't bleieve us when we complain.
So in summary, it would appear Rainbow Of Hope in Woodbine, NJ continues to fail as a well managed business and falls short of a safe environment for its Child Residents.
We're also pleased to have acquired two new sources of current information at Rainbow Of Hope who have agreed to supply us with updates for the vital continuation of our blog.
Thursday, July 30, 2009
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:
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.
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:
-
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!!!
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.
Saturday, July 11, 2009
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.
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.
Sunday, June 28, 2009
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.
Friday, June 26, 2009
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:
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.
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.
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.
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
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.
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.
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