Iridescent Alchemyst1d ago

Huge Update: The Audit Petition for Iowa DHHS is Finally Done!

I have some big news to share. After months of digging through records, I’ve finally finished the official petition to audit the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS).

This post will be cross posted on Iowa Family Rights, Ashley for Iowa, and Iridescent Alchemyst on Substack!

This isn’t just a simple letter. It’s a massive 205-page research packet with 38 attachments and over 50 government reports- You can find the full list of attachments with links at the end of this post.

It proves that for 29 years (since 1997), Iowa’s child welfare system has been stuck in a loop of the same dangerous mistakes… and THEY KNOW IT!!

Here is a sneak peek of the document list and title page for the Petition to Audit packet I have prepared for Iowa’s Auditor of State Rob Sand

THIS is the work the state’s Child Welfare Task Force was supposed to do after a girl named Sabrina Ray was tragically starved to death by her foster parents in 2017. Maybe you remember that is the 3rd child that has died while under the “care and supervision of Iowa’s Department of Human Services” to have made headlines in Iowa.

Rest in Peace
😇Shelby Duis (1998-2000)
😇Natalie Finn (2000-2016)
😇Sabrina Ray (2001-2017)

The Numbers Are Worse Than You Think

When I say the system is “broken,” I have the statistics to back it up. Here are some of the most shocking and disturbing facts found in official reports:

  • Failed Safety Checks: In a major federal review, Iowa failed 91% of its safety assessments—meaning the agency didn’t properly check if kids were actually safe in most cases.
  • Rules Are Ignored: My research shows a 78% “Policy-Practice Gap.” That’s a fancy way of saying the agency ignores its own safety and paperwork rules almost 80% of the time.
  • Foster Care Danger: Kids in Iowa are 4.7 times more likely to be abused while in foster care compared to the national target.
  • Wasting Tax Money: Because of bad record-keeping, Iowa is at risk of having to pay back $40 million in federal funds.
  • Constant Staff Changes: About 30–35% of case managers quit every year. This means a family might get three different workers in just three months, so no one ever really knows what’s going on with the kids.

Taking This to the State Capitol

I’m not letting this research sit on a shelf. I’ve already sent emails and offered to send the full packet to the people in charge of overseeing our state government, including:

  • Senator Tony Bisignano, Ranking Member of the Senate Government Oversight Committee who has been pushing for more accountability.
  • The Government Oversight Committees in both the House and Senate (led by people like Senator Kerry Gruenhagen and Representative Holly Brink).
  • The Health and Human Services Committees, who are directly responsible for DHHS.
  • The Media, including Laura Belin at Bleeding Heartland, to make sure the public knows what’s happening.

What’s Next?

Now that the research is done, I’m working on the very last step: collecting the final signatures needed under Iowa Code § 11. Once I have those, I can hand everything over to State Auditor Rob Sand for a formal, independent investigation.

If you live in Iowa and you want to show your support for this effort, head to Change dot org to sign the online version of the petition!

sign the petition

For nearly 30 years, the state has been able to hide these failures behind the guise of protecting children and their privacy, and sealed court records. It’s time to finally bring what’s been done in the dark out to the light so we can actually protect Iowa’s children.

Want to know more?

I know you are eager to know more…. My research and the Audit Petition Packet focuses on Eight Domains and Thirteen Failure Categories.

Audit Snapshot (Attachment 3)

The focus area, key documents, and observed patterns for each of the 8 domains from Table 1: Audit Snapshot [A3] Audit Petition Packet v1.9 (4/16/2026)

The Systemic Failure Matrix (Attachment 28)

The columns represent the 39 attachments and each of the rows is one of the 13 failure categories I focused on. 
Table 33: Systemic Failure Matrix [A28] Audit Petition Packet v1.9 (4/16/2026)

And some more of those disturbing statistics:

Safety and Fatality Indicators

  • Extreme Starvation Metrics: In two of Iowa’s most high-profile fatalities, teenagers were found at weights far below normal: Natalie Finn weighed 66 lbs at death, and Sabrina Ray weighed only 56 lbs.
  • Mass Rejection of Abuse Reports: In SFY24 alone, the agency rejected 20,891 abuse reports involving children ages 0–5; notably, 5,824 of those rejected reports involved infants and toddlers.
  • Maltreatment Recurrence: Iowa’s maltreatment recurrence rate (the rate of children abused again within 12 months) is 19.1%, which is double the national target of 9.7%.
  • Foster Care Abuse Rate: Children in Iowa foster care are maltreated at a rate of 42.61 per 100,000 days, which is 4.7 times higher than the national target of 9.07.

Workforce and Operational Collapse

  • Staffing Depletion: Between federal review rounds, the agency documented a loss of 638 staff members.
  • Extreme Caseloads: Caseworker caseloads have been documented as high as 35–40 cases per worker, while the agency recently reported a 13% decline in case managers alongside a 19% increase in caseloads since 2016.
  • Supervisory “Time Poverty”: Supervisors in the field spend 50% of their time on documentation and paperwork rather than coaching staff or reviewing case safety.
  • Recruitment Delays: It takes an average of 72 days to fill critical child protection vacancies, far exceeding the agency’s own target of 50 days.

Fiscal Negligence and Federal Non-Compliance

  • Unallowable Claims: A technical analysis found that Iowa claimed $40 million in federal funds for “Solution Based Casework” (SBC) that was not actually eligible for Title IV-E reimbursement.
  • Uncollected Revenue: State auditors found the agency failed to collect $3.2 million in nursing facility penalties, representing a “statutory defiance” of the law.
  • Questioned Federal Costs: A single special investigation into a behavioral health contractor identified $167,716 in questioned costs across IPN, SOR, and ARPA federal grants.
  • Historical Payment Errors: For over a decade, state audits have found a 19% error rate in cases where families were receiving both foster care and Family Investment Program (FIP) payments simultaneously.

Systemic Service and Capacity Gaps

  • Collapse of Child Care Infrastructure: Over the last decade, Iowa has seen a 56% decline in child care programs and a 6% decline in total child care spaces.
  • Under-Capacity Due to Staffing: Roughly 57% of licensed child care centers are operating below their licensed capacity specifically because they cannot find enough staff to meet required ratios.
  • SafeCare Performance Failure: In a recent reporting period, 0% of contractors met the performance benchmarks for the SafeCare program.
  • Substance Abuse Removal Surge: Between 2014 and 2018, removals of children due to parental substance abuse increased by 47% (from 1,424 to 2,093).

Data Integrity and Oversight Void

  • Inaccessible Records: Despite having a massive budget, the agency admitted that basic workforce qualification data is “not readily available” and requires a manual review of physical personnel files.
  • Unlinked Child Records: An independent analysis of the KinderTrack database found 286 unlinked parent-child records, making it impossible to perform accurate safety or fiscal analysis.
  • Ombudsman Workload Explosion: The Iowa Ombudsman’s office opened 6,266 cases in FY2025, representing a 57% increase since 2014

I am eager to see what our state legislature has to say about all this. A press release has also been sent out to a couple local papers. And I will not be quiet until something is done to correct these horrible injustices!

I will keep you posted!!

✌️💖🌈🦄 Ashley Marie Meredith, MSN
Petition Organizer

P.S. I am sure this will piss off all of the right people… and for the record, I will NEVER unalive myself!!

Momma loves you Alexys, Noah (Nashville) and Eli (Elliot)!!
I miss you EVERY DAY!!

I will NEVER stop fighting for my boys to come home
where they belong!!

References

SECTION 7 — Supporting Evidence & Attachments

PART 1 — Jurisdiction & Authority

  • Attachment 1 — Statutory Authority (Iowa Code § 11.6, § 11.24)

PART 2 — Federal Oversight Failure

PART 3 — Current Admissions by the State

PART 4 — Independent Systems Evaluations

PART 5 — Auditor Findings

PART 6 — Oversight Breakdown

PART 7 — Risk & Harm Conditions

  • Attachment 27 — Fatality Risk Analysis
  • Attachment 28 — Failure Matrix

PART 8 — Failure Outcomes

PART 9 — Public Impact & Contradictions

PART 10 — Case-Level Audit Trigger

  • Attachment 35 — Affidavit – Ashley Marie Meredith RE: communications with Washington County Attorney Nathan Repp
  • Attachment 36 — Affidavit – Ashley Marie Meredith RE: Procedural History & Exhaustion of Reporting Channels

PART 11 — Public Interest

PART 12 — Open Records

  • Attachment 38 Open Records Requests
    38A- 26-927
    38B- 26-1536
#AuditIowaHHS #auditor #childAbuse #childAbusePrevention #childProtectionReform #childWelfareSystem #Conspiracy #corruption #dhsCps #fraud #health #HHS #iowa #JusticeForMe3 #MentalHealth #news #parenting #saveOurChildren #stopLegalKidnapping #UnitedWeStand #WETHEPEOPLE
The Blue Ribbon ProjectMar 7

A new Maryland bill would require all childcare workers to complete mandatory training on recognizing and reporting child abuse. House Bill 1034 was inspired by a devastating Baltimore County daycare case. Read more on our website.

#ChildAbusePrevention #ProtectChildren #Maryland
https://zurl.co/YUpAb

The Blue Ribbon Project - Maryland Lawmakers Consider Mandatory Child Abuse Training for Childcare Providers After Daycare Abuse Case Shakes Baltimore County

Maryland House Bill 1034 would require mandatory child abuse training for all childcare providers. Learn how this bill emerged and what it means for children.

Reel TubesFeb 20
Found an important archival PSA: "Prevent Child Abuse Utah - School (2007)". A sobering, heartfelt school-focused message about protecting kids - useful for educators, parents, and advocates. Watch on PeerTube ad-free and share respectfully. #ChildAbusePrevention #Utah #SchoolSafety #Kids #PublicService #Awareness #Documentary #English
https://meowingdu.de/videos/watch/d1a6032c-8dbf-4821-becf-b3c128228563
Prevent Child Abuse Utah - School (2007, USA)

PeerTube
The Blue Ribbon ProjectFeb 6
West Virginia says child abuse prevention programs now reach all 55 counties. A statewide survey shows gains in four of five protective factors for families. Prevention works when communities invest early.
#ChildAbusePrevention #ChildWelfare #Prevention
https://zurl.co/XRb2V
Iridescent AlchemystNov 11, 2024

Halloween 2024: Five Years of Pumpkins Part TWO

Five Years.

It’s coming up on the five year anniversary since I said goodbye to my children. It’s hard to believe. It doesn’t seem right, and I’ve had to count the years out on my fingers several times.

2020. 2021. 2022. 2023… 2024.

I have reflected on years past in previous posts, so if you are just tuning in, the links above will get you all caught up.

This article will be long enough, because I could easily write a full blog post for each of the five pumpkins. That is exactly why I am breaking it up into parts.

Five years of digging deep on child welfare and child abuse has brought about many revelations. About the system, the laws, the policies, the actual practices I saw and experienced personally, and the experiences of others around me… revelations about myself. These insights have shaped my views, changing some of them and reinforcing others.

I want to keep it short and sweet, but I have a lot to points to make.

Each pumpkin is like a themed chapter in a book that I wrote specifically for the intended audience. This holiday tradition and my efforts are dedicated to my children, in honor of the loss of our family. The only tradition that even comes close to bringing me joy like holidays used to.

  • Pumpkin #3
  • Recidivism, Relapse, and Irreparable Harm
  • Educate Yourselves
  • Psychoactive Pharmaceuticals
  • Injustice
  • Pumpkin #2 Who Benefits?
  • The Children?
  • The Parents?
  • The State?
  • Shift the Focus!

    • Pumpkin #3

    Recidivism, Relapse, and Irreparable Harm

    “Your policies directly contribute to RECIDIVISM, push people to RELAPSE, and cause IRREPARABLE HARM to people who are already struggling!”

    Let’s break this down, starting with RECIDIVISM.

    When I said the word RECIDIVISM while reading my letter to the court at the hearing to terminate my parental rights, I felt a shockwave in the room. The judge called for a recess immediately after my testimony. No one said a word while everyone exited the courtroom.

    My brother and I stayed quiet until we made it comfortably far enough away from the building. He broke the silence first, confirming what I felt in the courtroom with his impression of what they were thinking.

    “I can’t believe she knew THAT WORD!” He said with an expression of disbelief on his face, mocking the prosecutor and my DHS case worker.

    We both laughed and I was grateful that he understood the importance of what I had said. Recidivism is the likelihood of a person to reoffend or relapse, and I feel very strongly that those rates are strongly linked to the conditions and demands placed upon him or her by the system.

    The child welfare system was created to protect children, but sometimes it causes more harm than good—especially to parents who are already facing challenges. My experience with the system is one example of how it can push people to their breaking point, rather than offering the support they need to succeed. As a mother and a former nurse, I lost my professional career and parental rights, largely because of policies and actions taken by child welfare workers who made no efforts to hide the fact that they were against me from the start. The system that was supposed to protect families ended up destroying mine.

    One of the biggest problems with the child welfare system is how it handles parents who are struggling with addiction or other personal issues. Instead of focusing on rehabilitation and keeping families together, the system often jumps straight to separation. When parents lose their kids, it isn’t just heartbreaking; it can push them to relapse.

    Many parents who are recovering feel that their children are their main motivation to stay clean and rebuild their lives. Taking kids away removes that motivation and leaves parents with a sense of hopelessness. In this way, the system’s policies can actually contribute to recidivism—pushing people who were already struggling even further down a hard path.

    The stress of fighting a legal battle, facing accusations, and losing your children often leads people to cope in unhealthy ways, like turning back to substance use. Rather than receiving compassion, support, and understanding, parents often face judgment and are left with few options. The system doesn’t provide many resources to help parents who are doing their best to recover and be there for their children. By tearing families apart instead of supporting them, the system can cause lasting trauma, not only to parents but also to the children who are caught in the middle.

    Reform is needed to make the child welfare system more supportive of struggling parents. Instead of policies that immediately look to punish, we need policies that work to lift up families and keep them together whenever possible. This is about protecting families from unnecessary harm and giving people a real chance to get back on their feet.

    Check out this TED talk from Molly McGrath Tierney, the former Director for the Baltimore City Department of Social Services, the organization responsible for managing the City’s child welfare and public assistance programs. For 6 years prior to her TED talk, Molly led a massive reform effort to dramatically improve the impact of services to vulnerable citizens of Baltimore. Listening to her speech brought tears to my eyes and gave me hope that there is a brighter future for our children facing a child welfare system that has been getting it so wrong for too long.

    https://youtu.be/c15hy8dXSps?si=F6x8l8ly-m6rAA6c

    In a brief summarizing their 2021 Recidivism Report, the Council on Criminal Justice shared that “the drop in return-to prison rates could be explained by changes in the behavior of those being released (i.e., committing fewer new crimes or violations of supervision), or by changes in the behavior of the criminal justice system (such as police arrest practices or policies regarding how probation and parole agencies respond to supervision violations).” I propose that the positive changes in behavior of those being released is directly dependent on the changes in the criminal justice system.

    Trump signed the First Step Act into law in 2018. In a separate research brief from August 2023, the Council on Criminal Justice examines the positive effects that have resulted from the widespread changes to the system in First Step Act: An Early Analysis of Recidivism.

    RAND is a nonprofit, nonpartisan research organization that develops solutions to public policy challenges to help make communities throughout the world safer and more secure, healthier and more prosperous. Their website has a TON of great information on our criminal justice system, recidivism, and the need for reform. Check out this research brief about Resetting Recidivism Risk Prediction.

    Educate Yourselves

    This message should be loud and clear:
    It’s about time that you EDUCATE YOURSELF!

    This isn’t the first time that I have pointed them in the direction of EVIDENCE BASED PRACTICES. The link I added to the top of the pumpkin is for the US government’s Child Welfare Center for States Capacity Building Collaborative. The Center for States helps child welfare agencies build capacity to improve performance by using continuous quality improvement (CQI) and implementation best practices.

    The phrase “Educate yourself!” is thrown around a lot these days, but when it comes to working with people struggling with addiction or family challenges, education is critical. It’s not just about knowing the basics—it’s about understanding evidence-based practices that make a real difference. There are some key areas that can help child welfare professionals and others in social work make a positive impact, rather than unintentionally causing harm.

    The following list of recommended topics for study is by no means exhaustive, but it is a good start! I have even taken the time to include a few links for each topic.

    • substance misuse
    • addiction and recovery
    • cultural competency
    • conflict TRANSFORMATION
    • emotional intelligence
    • establishing rapport
    • whole-hearted connection
    • cognitive biases and logical fallacies

    First, let’s talk about substance misuse, addiction, and recovery. These are complex issues that require real understanding, not just assumptions. Addiction is not just about willpower; it’s often rooted in trauma, mental health struggles, and even genetics. Educating yourself about the science behind addiction and the best ways to support recovery is essential for anyone who truly wants to help people get back on their feet.

    Then there’s cultural competency. Not every family looks the same, and everyone brings different backgrounds and beliefs to the table. When professionals don’t understand or respect a person’s culture, they risk making decisions that may feel right to them but can be devastating for the family. This includes awareness of the terminology used and its effect on families and teams as the case progresses. Education in cultural competency helps people approach each family with an open mind and respect.

    ACF report on language-biasDownload

    Conflict transformation is another critical area. Conflict is natural, but in child welfare, it often comes with high stakes. Conflict transformation is about resolving issues in a way that builds bridges and creates real, lasting solutions instead of just escalating the problem. Along with this, emotional intelligence is key. Understanding your own emotions and those of others is crucial in high-stress situations, helping everyone stay calm and connected.

    The Berghof Foundation is an international organization that has been instrumental in promoting the concept of Conflict Transformation as a means of achieving sustainable peace worldwide. The Berghof Handbook for Conflict Transformation is an excellent resource for learning more about how conflict transformation and how it improves upon the traditional practice of conflict resolution.

    I found this free course called Develop Your Emotional Intelligence on Alison to be an excellent resource for learning and bolstering skills for emotional intelligence.

    Building a whole-hearted connection with the families they serve helps professionals establish trust and show genuine care. When people feel understood and valued, they’re much more likely to open up and work together. This is closely tied to the skill of establishing rapport—an essential step for any professional who wants to make a positive impact.

    I recommend this Wholehearted Parenting Manifesto, from Daring Greatly by Brene Brown (*paid link) and the TED talks that Brene Brown gave on The Power of Vulnerability and Listening to Shame to help gain insight on these critically important aspects of working with families.

    I found this Wholehearted Parenting Manifesto and it led me to Brene Brown’s life changing TED talk about The Power of Vulnerability

    Lastly, understanding cognitive biases and logical fallacies can change how professionals approach each situation. We all have biases, but learning about them can help professionals avoid snap judgments and incorrect assumptions. Members of the multidisciplinary team involved with a child welfare case should implement a check system to ensure these biases are not unfairly influencing their work. This leads to fairer, more thoughtful decisions that focus on each family’s unique situation. I would recommend the following tools from an organization called School of Thought:

    Child welfare professionals and those in social work hold enormous power and responsibility. By educating themselves in these areas, they can bring real change to the system—helping families heal instead of pushing them further down a path of struggle.

    Psychoactive Pharmaceuticals

    I remember the look of absolute hatred and disgust on the caseworker’s face when I not-so-politely reminded her (and I quote) “You are not a medical professional, you are a social worker.”

    This absolutely true statement was my response to her insistence that I allow them to prescribe ADHD medications to my son. I was a registered nurse with years of experience managing the medication regimens for my pediatric clients. I have performed hundreds of drug regimen reviews and I can still tell you what you need to know about a majority of medications on the market, even after a few years away from direct patient care (thank you nursing school!).

    And I also know that the scope of practice for social workers most definitely does not include anything making medical decisions or prescribing medications.

    When I asked her why, she told me that Noah was “aggressive to the other children at the foster care home.” That’s it. That was her rationale. Rather than consider the reasons behind his aggression- the fact that they had taken my son from his parents and sent him to live with strangers, for example- the only logical solution in her mind was medicating the symptoms.

    Had she taken the time to actually review Noah’s medical history- which I know she had access to because I was forced to sign consent forms for his pediatrician and counselor at Tanager when they changed his primary care providers– she would have known that Noah had tried ADHD medications in the past. And she would have known that we had discontinued those medications after he had developed significant side effects from them, including personality changes and vision problems.

    Over the next several months, the case worker continued to push for medications, and I continued to refuse her. Even though I reminded her that the 5 letters behind my name (RN, MSN) meant that I was credentialed to teach child development in a university setting, she treated me like I was a huge POS! Like not letting them drug my son was neglecting his needs!

    We even discussed what we’d done in the past at a family team meeting, but never once did she listen to me. Like I said in my letter to the court… the DHS caseworker failed to fully utilize my unique knowledge and skillset to my children’s advantage! In fact, she did everything she could to directly disobey my wishes as a parent!

    When we were finally able to get Noah in to see a specialist at the University of Iowa’s Center for Disability and Development, the doctor agreed with me that medications were not necessary, and that Noah needed to continue with cognitive behavioral therapy. This only seemed to infuriate the caseworker more. So she insisted that the school perform a 504 evaluation.

    If you aren’t familiar with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, it says that every child is entitled to a free appropriate public education (FAPE), and that schools must evaluate students who might have disabilities, at no cost to parents or families. Based on the results of that evaluation, a student may be eligible for accommodations that help them succeed. For more information about the Individualized Education Program (IEP) and 504 Evaluation, check out this resource from the Iowa Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) Information (i3) website: COMPLETING AN INITIAL EVALUATION.

    Later on in my case, after DHS had taken my children back to foster care, the case worker insisted that Noah needed an antidepressant. This is when I lost it and yelled at her, “Will you stop trying to drug my child with psychoactive medications?!”

    She also was very insistent that I get a prescription for antidepressants… I adamantly refused this as well. My court-ordered counselor agreed with me. The symptoms of depression that I was experiencing were SITUATIONAL!! If they weren’t holding my children hostage, I wouldn’t have been struggling with anxiety attacks, feelings of hopelessness, feelings of despair, etc…

    It has long been my professional opinion that prescribing these types of medications to children and adolescents is not appropriate, especially when we do not have a clear understanding of the long-term effects that these medications have on developing brains and bodies!

    As a healthcare professional, I often researched and advocated for trying other treatment alternatives before jumping right to pharmaceutical measures. I talk more about this in my article Alternative to Medications, and its updated version Metaphysics versus Modern Healthcare.

    Dr. Solinger is Naturopathic Doctor and Clinical Functional Nutritionist with years of clinical experience. Visit her virtual clinic, Root Health, LLC for more information

    I recommend a TED talk by a British journalist and best-selling author named Jon Ronson. The TED talk is called Strange Answers to the Psychopath Test and it is definitely high on the list of my favorite TED talks!

    If you think you are ready to dive deep into the metaphysical aspects of health and the fundamental root (spiritual) causes for physical symptoms and dis-ease, visit the Spirit Alembic website to read through HAPPY BUDDHA’S Holistic Counseling MANUAL for People Of The Western World.

    Injustice

    “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” Martin Luther King, Jr.

    And the last entry for Pumpkin #3 includes wise words from Martin Luther King, Jr.

    The quote is from a letter that Dr. King wrote “From the Birmingham jail, where he was imprisoned as a participant in nonviolent demonstrations against segregation, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., wrote in longhand the letter which follows. It was his response to a public statement of concern and caution issued by eight white religious leaders of the South” (Letter from Jail, 1963).

    Photo credit: Kwize

    He goes on to say, “”Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.”

    Click to download the full Letter from Birmingham Jail.

    Pumpkin #2 Who Benefits?

    I had a hard time choosing between the last two pumpkins, which one would be #1. This one was a close 2nd, because the quote I painted on the front is so powerful.

    Judge Marilyn Milian is well known for the 22 seasons she spent on The People’s Court

    Judge Marilyn Milian’s quote, “If you have to destroy a family to help a child, who benefits?” highlights a major flaw in the child welfare system’s approach. The system’s goal is to protect children, but too often, it does this by breaking families apart, causing long-lasting harm to both the children and their parents. So, like Judge Milian, I want to know:

    WHO BENEFITS?

    The Children?

    It is definitely NOT the children that benefit!

    When we talk about helping children, it’s easy to assume that removing them from challenging family situations is the answer. But the reality for kids placed in the foster care system is often far from ideal. Statistics show that children in foster care are at serious risk for many long-term problems that can have lifelong impacts. The system meant to protect them can sometimes lead to even more harm.

    Children who spend time in foster care are eight times more likely to experience abuse than children who stay with their families. This abuse can include physical, emotional, and even sexual harm. Instead of feeling safe, many of these kids end up feeling even more vulnerable and traumatized. They also face a higher risk of emotional struggles, including developmental delays, feelings of despair, and detachment from others. Growing up without the stability of a family can make it difficult to trust people or build healthy relationships.

    One shocking statistic is that foster care children are twice as likely to suffer from PTSD as war veterans. The trauma of being removed from their home, bounced around in the system, and sometimes mistreated leaves many kids dealing with anxiety, nightmares, and overwhelming stress. The pain doesn’t end there. These kids also struggle with substance abuse: they are seven times more likely to become dependent on drugs and twice as likely to struggle with alcoholism, depression, anxiety, and other mental illnesses compared to their peers.

    These numbers reveal a system that, instead of protecting children, often places them in even more harmful situations. Focusing on keeping families together through community support and crisis prevention could prevent many of these negative outcomes. Instead of removing children, the child welfare system should invest in resources like therapy, financial aid, and addiction support to help families overcome their challenges. This approach would provide stability and security without exposing kids to the harmful effects of foster care.

    The statistics make one thing clear: it’s not the children that benefit from CPS intervention!

    The Parents?

    When children are removed from their parents, the pain and trauma extend deeply into the lives of those left behind. For many parents, especially those who grew up in tough households and faced additional challenges, it feels like being punished twice. Many of these parents worked hard to overcome obstacles and create a better life, only to find themselves unfairly judged and separated from their children by the very system that failed to protect them as kids.

    Parents who’ve had their children taken away are 2.5 times more likely to attempt suicide than other adults, and tragically, they’re five times more likely to die by suicide. The heartbreak of losing a child, especially when many parents feel misunderstood or misjudged, can drive them to a point of despair. The trauma leads to feelings of guilt, shame, and a deep sense of stigmatization, often leaving parents with a loss of self-worth. The process can make them feel like they’ve failed as parents, even when the circumstances were often outside their control. This cycle of guilt and shame often results in worsening mental health conditions, including depression, anxiety, and a high rate of polysubstance misuse—using multiple drugs or substances to cope with overwhelming feelings.

    Adding to this heartbreak is the fact that many of these parents grew up in communities that were torn apart by addiction crises, like the methamphetamine and opioid epidemics. These crises didn’t appear out of nowhere; they were fueled by big pharma and the government’s failure to enact proper legislation to control these highly addictive substances!

    Small-town America was hit especially hard, with families, jobs, and the community fabric destroyed by addiction that spread without proper regulation or prevention. For parents who grew up in such environments, the challenge is even greater: they’ve been exposed to addiction from a young age, and when they, too, fall victim, they’re punished instead of helped.

    If the child welfare system focused on supporting families and preventing crises, it could make a world of difference. Parents need resources—mental health care, addiction counseling, financial assistance, and parenting support—to overcome these challenges without the risk of losing their children. Recognizing the larger systemic failures at play would allow us to approach family support with compassion and fairness.

    The State?

    When parental rights are terminated, it’s often portrayed as a necessary action for the child’s protection. However, in reality, the termination of parental rights frequently benefits not the child, but the state and the professionals involved in the process. Agencies like DHHS (Department of Health and Human Services) or CPS (Child Protective Services), judges, prosecutors, and even Child and Family Service Providers (CFSPs) all have financial incentives tied to child removal and foster care placements. These incentives create a troubling conflict of interest that often works against families trying to stay together.

    For the state, every child placed into foster care or adopted out brings in federal funding. Federal programs such as Title IV-E provide significant funds to states for foster care, adoption, and even incentives to expedite adoptions. The more children that enter the system, the more money flows into the agencies handling their cases. This financial dependency on child removal creates a clear conflict of interest: rather than focusing on reuniting families and supporting parents in crisis, these agencies are incentivized to separate families and push for adoption or long-term foster care placements.

    For DHHS and CPS, these financial incentives are accompanied by job security and budget growth. The more cases they handle, the more staff and resources they justify, which means more funding for their departments. Rather than prioritizing the well-being of children, these agencies have financial motives to keep children in the system. Judges and prosecutors also face pressures and incentives in these cases. For many judges, making quick decisions in favor of child removal can appear “safer” politically, as it avoids potential backlash if something were to go wrong with the family in the future. Prosecutors, meanwhile, are often aligned with CPS and DHHS, handling cases in ways that maximize child removal rather than working toward family support or reunification.

    Private providers, including Child and Family Service Providers (CFSPs), also stand to benefit financially. These ancillary services, which often include therapy, supervised visitation, drug testing, and parenting classes, are contracted by the state and often paid on a per-service basis. With each step of the process, from assessments to court-ordered programs, there’s money to be made. This setup makes it profitable to keep families involved in the system, requiring them to complete multiple services to even have a chance at reunification. This dependency on services makes it harder for parents to reunite with their children, as they’re forced to comply with a costly and time-consuming process that benefits the service providers.

    The financial incentives behind child removal and parental rights termination create an unhealthy system where the people who are supposed to help families have reasons to work against them instead. In cases where family support and crisis intervention could help, the current approach often defaults to removal, prolonging family separations to ensure revenue streams remain steady.

    Ultimately, the state and its players—DHHS/CPS, judges, prosecutors, and CFSPs—are profiting from families’ pain. Instead of helping parents overcome temporary crises and strengthening family bonds, this setup tears families apart to serve financial interests. This situation only underscores the need for reform that prioritizes family unity and long-term well-being over short-term gains. A fair and compassionate system would redirect funding from foster care and adoption incentives to support programs for families, helping parents and children stay together whenever possible.

    The statistics reveal that the system’s current approach often does more harm than good, pushing parents into despair. A compassionate, supportive system that understands the root causes of addiction and respects parents’ efforts to overcome them could save lives, strengthen families, and help restore the communities that have suffered under the weight of the addiction crisis. It’s time we build a child welfare system that lifts families up rather than tearing them apart!

    Shift the Focus!

    Instead of separation, the focus should be on strengthening families with community supports and crisis prevention. The key to true support lies in looking at family difficulties as crises that can often be resolved with the right help. Families facing hard times need resources like therapy, financial aid, addiction counseling, and parenting support to stay together while working through their challenges. By offering community supports focused on crisis prevention, we can help families stabilize before things reach a breaking point. This approach not only protects children from the trauma of separation but also helps parents get back on their feet.

    Investing in crisis prevention and community supports isn’t just compassionate—it’s also cost-effective. Research shows that every dollar spent on prevention has a return of $7. By investing in helping families early, we reduce the need for costly interventions later, like foster care and court cases, while giving kids the stability they need. Children who grow up with family support are also less likely to need state services down the road, benefiting the community overall.

    I am very proud of this year’s Halloween selfie!

    In case you missed it… Read Halloween 2024: Five Years of Pumpkins- Part ONE.

    Keep an eye out for the final chapter of Halloween 2024: Five Years of Pumpkins- SYFBD!

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    Support my work by sharing this blog post! Thank you in advance for your help spreading the word about this important information!

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    4 responses to “Halloween 2024: Five Years of Pumpkins Part TWO”

  • DHS Offers Justifications to Senator Ernst – Iridescent Alchemyst February 6, 2025 Edit

    […] Halloween 2024: Five Years of Pumpkins Part 2 […]

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  • My Message to Governor Reynolds – Iridescent Alchemyst February 3, 2025 Edit

    […] Halloween 2024: Five Years of Pumpkins Part 2 […]

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  • Halloween 2024: Five Years of Pumpkins – Iridescent Alchemyst November 18, 2024 Edit

    […] In my specific case, I can’t say how much time the case worker actually spent with my children. I have performed many comprehensive assessments on many children during my time as a pediatric case manager, but a social worker is not sufficiently trained or credentialed to administer that testing. That wouldn’t be the first time that my case worker overstepped her bounds with the Iowa Board of Social Work Scope of Practice, but I talk more about that in the next article. […]

    Reply
  • Halloween 2024: Five Years of Pumpkins SYFBD – Iridescent Alchemyst November 17, 2024 Edit

    […] continued with Pumpkins #3 and #2 in Part Two. And like I said, I had a hard time deciding which pumpkin was #1, because #2 was such a close […]

    Reply

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    Iridescent AlchemystAug 10, 2022

    DHS Offers Justifications to Senator Ernst

    August 9, 2022

    Last updated

    November 10, 2025

    Several weeks ago, I received a letter in the mail from Senator Joni Ernst. I missed a couple of attempts by her office to reach me via email to follow up on the information I submitted on her website. I had made a few small changes to personalize it for her before sending essentially the same content I had included in My Message to Governor Reynolds.

    The letter from Senator Ernst, accompanied by a release of information form, reassured me that once completed and received, “an inquiry will be initiated immediately on my behalf.”

    I discovered last weekend that on July 19, 2022, I received an brief email from Senator Ernst’s office, encouraging me to review the attached letter they had received from the Legislative Liaison, Maddie Wilcox. Upon receiving the inquiry regarding my case, Ms. Wilcox asked the Cedar Rapids Services Area Administration to review and report back. This is the information they compiled.

    DHS offers a weak case for justifying the termination of my parent rights- poor case history examples, repeated errors, obvious omissions, and a complete lack of accountability. This letter is an excellent example of the cultural mindset within the Department, namely, the tendency for staff to offer vague statements, negatively focus on placing blame, and clearly illustrates their inability to take any responsiblity for the damage they have done.

    Below, I will share the 6-page document I prepared in response. I expected stronger arguments from the department to counter the bold truths I had shared about them in my plea for help to Senator Ernst. Before I offer a brief synopsis regarding the cases listed in the letter, I would like to clarify the difference between unconfirmed, unfounded, confirmed, and founded reports:

    “Unconfirmed” means that upon completion of a child protection assessment, the department has determined, based upon a preponderance of the evidence, that a child does not meet the definition of an abused or neglected child.

    “Unfounded” refers to a report where the local children and youth agencies determine that allegations of child abuse are not substantiated

    “Confirmed” reports are when child abuse/neglect occurred but it was minor, isolated, and not likely to reoccur, and the perpetrator was not placed on the child abuse registry.

    “Founded” reports indicate that child abuse/neglect occurred, and the perpetrator is listed on the child abuse registry.

    I will provide greater detail below, but here is a quick recap of the cases they listed:

    • Case #1- September 2006 to May 2007 was UNCONFIRMED, UNFOUNDED
    • Case #2- September 2007 to March 2008 was CONFIRMED, UNFOUNDED
      • Noah was born December 2008
    • Case #3- May 2011 to December 2011 was UNCONFIRMED, UNFOUNDED
    • Case #4- March 2013 to February 2014 was FOUNDED
      • Elijah was born December 2013
    • Case #5- February and July 2018- this assertion was stated in such a way that it is misleading, and although the reports were FOUNDED against me, this determination was based on untrue statements and cognitive bias, rather than the facts.
    • the multiple infractions in violation of my contract with the Iowa Board of Nursing came as the direct result of their failure to return contact with the INAP Director.
    • The decision I made to self-suspend my nursing license was presented to me as the best option due to their negligence.
    • Self-suspension of my Registered Nursing license does not automatically strip me of the knowledge, skill set, or critically thinking or decision making skills I developed as a professional skilled nurse
    • Self-suspension of my nursing license does not diminish my capacity to make medical or mental health decisions for my child in cooperation with my children’s medical care team.
    • The drug testing I completed for the Department of Human Services and my probation officer showed the last positive test result obtained 1/4/2019 by my PO indicated marijuana use.
    • Two patch test results showed trace positive results in October and November for methamphethamine- my objections to the validity of those results were ignored.
    • Despite providing significant documentation from my doctor as to the severe adhesive allergy symptoms I exhibited with the sweat patch adhesive, and the prescription antihistamines I had to take to keep those symptoms at bay while wearing the patch, my case worker continued to order them.
    • I was unlawfully charged with the possession of marijuana and paraphernalia, despite the owner claiming full responsibility and pleading guilty to both counts. I refused to plead guilty to the same possession charges, so court was continued several times until I finally accepted the plea agreement in February 2020.
    • I was sentenced to complete the program at the Waterloo Women’s Center for Change over 1.5 grams of marijuana and a pot pipe that was not mine.
    • A hair test taken in July 2019 following the removal of my children after the bogus possession charges came back clean for all substances, strong evidence in my favor that I had not been using.
    • A timeline of events in my case would provide a clear visual to outline the sluggish progression and questionable decision making process of the team under the leadership and direction of the DHS caseworker.

    My Initial Response

    Response to DHS Legislative Liaison and Senator Ernst page 1 of 5Response to DHS Legislative Liaison and Senator Ernst page 2 of 5Response to DHS Legislative Liaison and Senator Ernst page 3 of 5Response to DHS Legislative Liaison and Senator Ernst page 4 of 5Response to DHS Legislative Liaison and Senator Ernst page 5 of 5

    Tell Me What You Think

    I look forward to hearing criticisms from the other side, and I am eager to challenge the thought processes behind them, because I am confident in my truth.

    I earnestly want to hear your opinion. I want to understand all sides. The only way we will be able to move forward as a society is if we take all sides into consideration as we work to figure out how to fix this.

    Before I was able to finish this post, I began to write a second letter to Senator Ernst. I had some profound revelations that lead me to understand a better way of addressing all of the huge hurdles we face. Instead of pointing fingers and placing blame, we need to look to the future. In order to overcome all the challenging aspects, we need to have a complete understanding from all aspects.

    No name calling or hurtful comments directed at a specific person please… Let’s have an honest discussion in the comments.

    Sign My Petition

    I am grateful that Senator Ernst is paying attention, but if we want our elected leaders to take this issue seriously, we need to stand together. I have put together a petition asking for a complete overhaul of the system in Iowa, and I need your help!

    sign the petition! I created the “Protect Your Family” graphic for an upcoming power point presentation, and included it on the petition I wrote on change dot org.

    Update February 2025

    BIG things have been happening since then. Just to recap since Fall 2023…

    Some things were good, some were great…

    Halloween 2023: Pumpkins for Family Preservation

    I jumped into politics

    Caucus 2024

    Proud Member of the Libertarian Party!

    Are You Sick of the Two Party System, too?

    Update for February 2024

    Ashley Meredith for Iowa House

    A Little Photo Shoot

    Interview with Political Lens

    read more on the official website for
    Ashley Meredith for Iowa House

    I started publishing my courses!

    Creating Holistic Goals

    Protect Your Family

    I wrote some great articles…

    Key Points from the EMF Summit

    Wastebook: The Infuriating Yearly Report on Wasteful Government Spending

    The Raver’s Manifesto

    The Twelve Universal Laws series

    Rules for Civil Conversation

    I published my 1st YouTube videos!

    My Very First YouTube Video!

    Remember, Remember the 5th of November: It’s Election Day!

    New Video: My Testimony (They aren’t going to like this!)

    And the 2024 Halloween tradition didn’t disappoint…

    Happy Halloween 2024!

    Halloween 2024: Five Years of Pumpkins Part 1

    Halloween 2024: Five Years of Pumpkins Part 2

    Halloween 2024: Five Years of Pumpkins SYFBD

    But some things were… pretty freaking horrifying actually. My nightmares coming true…

    Do They Read My Letters?

    Five Years After the Hearing to Terminate my Parental Rights

    Update to Senator Ernst

    February 6, 2025

    Today I typed up an update and submitted it to Senator Ernst on her website, pleading for her help.

    Subject: Urgent Request for Assistance in Reinstating Parental Rights

    Dear Senator Ernst,

    I hope this message finds you well. I want to thank you again for your assistance asking Iowa DHS for more information in 2022. I am writing to provide an update on my situation and to seek your assistance in the reinstatement of my parental rights concerning my two sons.

    I learned in July 2024 that Josh and Ashley Drew, the adoptive parents of my children, were facing serious charges related to child endangerment, and their phones and laptops were seized in February 2024. In December 2024, Josh pled to a lesser charge, while Ashley was convicted of felony child endangerment. A reporter recently contacted me about their upcoming sentencing hearing, and informed me that the child victim in their case “almost died, temporarily lost use of his legs, was way underweight… was locked in his room with nothing but urine and feces.” Notably, the other eight children in the home, including my two sons, appeared to have been well cared for. However, I am deeply concerned about the potential impact on their mental health due to possible exposure to such traumatic events and their prolonged separation from me over the past five years.

    Given these developments, I am earnestly seeking guidance and support to initiate the process of reinstating my parental rights and reuniting with my children. I understand that Iowa law may not currently provide a direct mechanism for reinstatement after termination. However, considering the circumstances, I am hopeful that exceptions can be made or alternative legal avenues explored.

    Your advocacy and assistance in this matter would be invaluable. I am committed to providing a safe and nurturing environment for my sons and believe that reestablishing our family bond is in their best interests.

    Thank you for your time and consideration. I look forward to your response.

    Sincerely,

    Ashley Meredith

    Support my work by sharing this blog post! Thank you in advance for your help spreading the word about this important information!

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    6 responses to “DHS Offers Justifications to Senator Ernst”

  • Five Years after the Hearing to terminate my parental rights – Iridescent Alchemyst February 6, 2025 Edit

    […] through. She submitted an inquiry to Iowa DHS on my behalf. You can read my initial response to Senator Ernst after DHS Offers Justification to Senator Ernst. And if you read that email, you should definitely read the second one- Forgiveness is the way to […]

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  • My Message to Governor Reynolds – Ashley Meredith for Iowa House June 17, 2024 Edit

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  • My Message to Governor Reynolds – Iridescent Alchemyst September 3, 2023 Edit

    […] more about how DHS justfied their actions and my initial response, how I was able to forgive, the wish I made for a Christmas miracle, and […]

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  • Writ of Quo Warranto – Iridescent Alchemyst November 29, 2022 Edit

    […] the letter I wrote in response when DHS Offers Justifications to Senator Ernst. Then read about all the forgiving I have done in the 2nd response letter I sent off days later: […]

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  • Forgiveness Is The Way To Freedom – Iridescent Alchemyst November 29, 2022 Edit

    […] will share the first email and attached letter in a related blog post titled “DHS Offers Justifications to Senator Ernst” Please also watch for another related post, “Thank You, Senator Ernst!” because I am eager […]

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  • The Parental Rights Movement – Iridescent Alchemyst August 30, 2022 Edit

    […] to Senator Joni Ernst, the department cited TWO unconfirmed, unfounded cases as part of their justification for terminating my parental rights! This means that not only are state workers wasting precious […]

    Reply

    • What do you think? Do you agree with me? Got something to add? This is your chance to SHOW WHAT YA KNOW!! Share your own advice about this topic! Cancel reply

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    #1 #2 #3 #4 #5 #childAbusePrevention #childProtectionServices #childWelfareReform #familyPreservation #iowa #IowaDHHS #ParentsRights #stopLegalKidnapping

    PPC LandFeb 11, 2025
    Integral Ad Science admits to content monitoring failures in child abuse site scandal: IAS confirms reports of ads appearing on illegal content sites and announces immediate remedial actions to protect brands. https://ppc.land/integral-ad-science-admits-to-content-monitoring-failures-in-child-abuse-site-scandal/ #IntegralAdScience #ContentMonitoring #ChildAbusePrevention #BrandSafety #DigitalAdvertising
    Integral Ad Science admits to content monitoring failures in child abuse site scandal

    IAS confirms reports of ads appearing on illegal content sites and announces immediate remedial actions to protect brands.

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