Opinion ID: 579811
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Failure to Make Referrals and Inappropriate Placements

Text: 18 House of Hope argues that Smith discriminated against it by refusing to refer children to the facility in 1984. House of Hope also accuses Smith of intentionally referring children to the facility who were not eligible for admission. 19 The decision not to assign children to a community care facility whose books could not be audited and which was under investigation by the State for alleged abuse and neglect does not, standing alone, violate any constitutional right, let alone a clearly established constitutional right. To the contrary, the refusal to refer under these conditions was consistent with Smith's statutorily-mandated duty to protect the best interests of the children. See Caldwell, 928 F.2d at 334 (social workers entitled to qualified immunity where they acted consistently with statutory duty to protect suspected victim of child abuse). As with the charges of biased reporting and investigation, House of Hope's meager evidence of racial discrimination cannot salvage this claim. 20