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28 children adopted by Kathy and Dan Blackburn

28 children, many special needs, adopted by Kathy and Dan Blackburn while they were missionaries in Haiti. Parents divorced after 30 year marriage and both alleged the other parent was guilty of child abuse. Initially Dan was granted custody of the minor children, he lost it after the children were neglected.
Date: 1996-06-06
Placement type: Adoption
Type of abuse: Non-lethal physical abuse, Non-lethal neglect
Abuser: Adoptive father, Adoptive mother
Home schooling: yes
Fundamentalist faith: yes

Location

SHELBYVILLE, Indiana
United States
See map: Google Maps
DocumentDatesort icon
Ex-missionary must move, judge rules; Home where woman raised 28 Haitian orphans is sold 2005-05-17
Faith tells woman this home is hers; Hearing Monday could end legal fight 2005-05-15
Son delays sale of house; Man's offer prompts judge to extend bids on home that sheltered 28 Blackburn children. 2005-04-20
Home built with hope may be auctioned; Money from sale would be shared between ministerial group and adoptees' mother. 2005-03-30
Superior Court to hear objections in Blackburn case 2003-05-09
Ministers' group asks ex-missionary to go; Association wants group for foster kids to move in; mom, 8 kids refuse to leave. 2002-08-23
An answer to prayer 2002-07-04
Blackburns may be evicted from home2002-06-11
Working hard to catch on; Exposed late to football, Shelbyville's Blackburn has progressed far. 2000-09-22
DAD LOSES FIGHT FOR HAITIAN KIDS 1997-07-30
HAITIAN KIDS' MOTHER GETS LEGAL CUSTODY 1997-07-29
HAITIAN KIDS' PARENTS ANSWER WELFARE RULING SEVERAL OF THE 19 ADOPTED CHILDREN NEED STATE SERVICES, WELFARE OFFICIALS SAY. 1997-04-04
HAITIAN KIDS' HOME NOT SAFE, OFFICIALS SAY 1997-04-03
ADOPTIVE FATHER OF 19 AWAITS WELFARE CHECKS 1997-03-13
HAITIAN KIDS' FATHER AWAITS WELFARE AID 1997-03-11
FATHER OF HAITIAN KIDS ORDERED TO QUIT WORK A JUDGE SAYS HE SHOULD GO ON WELFARE TO SUPPORT THE 17 ADOPTEES. 1997-03-03
PROBLEMS IN HOME WITH 19 CHILDREN 1997-02-22
WOMAN CHARGED WITH THREATS TO HAITIAN ADOPTEES 1996-12-05
CHILD ADVOCATE FACES 2 CHARGES 1996-12-05
DAD GETS CUSTODY OF 19 HAITIAN KIDS 1996-07-05
TESTIMONY SAYS MOM OF 28 IN A CULT 1996-06-12
ADVOCATE SAYS 28 KIDS BELONG WITH ADOPTIVE DAD 1996-06-11
PARENTS MAY LOSE 25 KIDS 1996-06-06
REPORTS SAY MOTHER SHOULDN'T GET CUSTODY OF 28 ADOPTED ORPHANS 1996-05-15
Sex abuse claimed in adoptive family 1996-04-10
Deliver us from evil - Reader's Digest article1995-00-00
OFFERS OF HELP POUR IN TO COUPLE WITH 28 ADOPTED HAITIAN CHILDREN 1994-09-25
FAMILY PROBLEM: 23 TEENAGERS 1994-09-18
Shelbyville Journal; Real Home at Last for a Family of 30 1994-03-15
BIG FAMILY WANTS TO MOVE, BUT NEW NEIGHBORS SQUAWK1993-02-02
CHRISTMAS FOR 28 ADOPTED CHILDREN IS MORE GIVING THAN IT IS RECEIVING1992-12-17
27 HAITIAN CHILDREN CELEBRATE YULE PRESENTS: PIECES OF PAPER1991-12-26
Couple Back in U.S. With 28 Haitian Children 1989-12-19
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QUESTIONS: HOW IS IT LEGAL, WHY SO MANY KIDS TO 1 COUPLE?

Submitted by missy2468 on Tue, 2010-07-06 03:50.

How is it possible for so many children to be sent to one couple to care for all at once!??! Unless the couple run a 'home' that has actual paid staff to help, this should be considered automatic child neglect just by virtue of the entire set-up of so many children depending upon one couple for parenting. I think there should be a national (federal) law on adult-to-child ratio requirements in homes where foster chidren & adoptees are sent.

2 Questions: 1) Doesn't everyone agree here with me on this? 2) Does anyone know anything about such laws - whether there is a federal standard/law about this - or are there different laws in different states with some states perhaps having No law on this?

well depends

Submitted by Rinda on Tue, 2010-07-06 04:28.

there are regulations in many states which is usually around 8 children total for a two parent home, 4 for a single parent;  I have heard from at least two local agencies that some adoption association they belong to requires they only approve homes with 5 or less children total;

laws vary from state to state and usually only involve public placed children from foster care

private adoptions are a whole other story and they can through that process adopt as many as they want if directly placed by parents...

INS or what ever it is call now has its own set of rules that also always seems to by bypassed by these mega families....

there is no national law

 

Thanks for the law info/ help

Submitted by missy2468 on Tue, 2010-07-06 06:31.

Thank you so much for the info Rinda.

Location

Pound Pup Legacy