and report all the operating metrics of a successful operation. by the author. Record dates, times, and the names of CPS workers involved. for families to afford curriculum, co-op fees, specialized therapies for children with special needs, and even HSLDA membership. Calls to child abuse hotlines are confidential; hotline personnel will not report what you tell them to any authorities. If you believe that abuse or criminal neglect is occurring, a report to the police or CPS is appropriate. Holding Schools Accountable - Google Books By being aware of and sensitive to your concerns, you are helping build a community in which healthy families and children can thrive. This year, a friend of mine who is well-aware of my 15-years of foster parenting, commented on an article in the Arizona Republic that shared the difficulty for a kid in care to get a drivers license. The Right Way to Hold People Accountable. The key difference from the movie is that there was no one standing on the sidelines to point out that the celebration was uncalled for, and too soon. Today, a Missouri family partnered with the Institute for Justice (IJ), a nonprofit public interest law firm, to ask the Supreme Court to hold a child protective services officer accountable for launching an unwarranted, retaliatory investigation after the family criticized the county. In May of 2014 Governor Brewer created this new department with the intent of improving performance and outcomes for kids in care. When the progress is not being made, lets quickly retrench on our plan and work until it does. In the most recent strategic plan submitted by the Department of Child Safety there are many great ideas to help improve our system. Too often we hear stories of case workers removing children because of personal bias, lack of understanding of the issues or even fear of reprisal should something happen to that child because they didnt remove. Please share this blog, visit our Facebook page and add feedback to my thoughts and add others. Bad call. Often, CPS case workers don't show up for FCRB meetings and are unprepared in court hearings. It showed that business was more than just numbers, it was about real people and real lives. Every year I am surprised by a comment a friend makes to my post. If you've reached a career plateau, the author recommends three strategies to hold yourself accountable to your goals: 1) Enlist an accountability partner. Instead, we should be demanding that we should operate like a business (sound familiar?) If we dont believe that we can do the absolute best for a child in our care, then why try? In the movie, there were a handful of folks who were reading the indicators correctly who had the financial wherewithal to profit from doing so. Many of them are very good people who have nothing but the best intentions to help kids. For example, in group work scenarios, there is a concept called interpersonal accountability. Clear rules and definitions combined with training for DCS investigators and judges is critical. There is no bailout for children in foster care. There are no metrics for how the department will cut the times kids in care or lower the use of congregate care settings, which happens to be a key measure for future federal funding for the department. Operating at the speed of business to me means more than just working fast, but operating efficiently and with goals and measures that demand a return on the investment for every tax dollar spent. Here are facts about outcomes for kids in foster care , The average reading level of 17- and 18-year-old foster youth is seventh grade, Children in care miss an average of five weeks of school per year, Less than 60 percent of young people who age out of foster care will graduate high school by the age of 19, Of those that do go to college, only 4 percent graduate with a degree by age 26. Many of them are very good people who have nothing but the best intentions to help kids. This is not only a bold move, but the right move by the department. Without a focus on improvements in outcomes, like a business goes bankrupt, this department will not operate in a way to meet the needs of its constituents or customers and will continue to fail in Arizona. This amounts to almost $14,000 per year for food, clothing, transportation and all the things that make it possible to bring the little bundles of joy to adulthood.. In all my years of trying to help with foster care issues in Arizona, this was as disappointed and frustrated as I have ever been. There is an old saying; what gets measured gets done. I admire Director McKay for taking such a bold step in keeping the best interests of children in the forefront of our process and, In a call the other day with a colleague, he described DCS (Department of Child Safety) as. It is an entirely new way of approaching things and good judges do not allow the lack of good preparation and facts get in the way of good decision making. Who knows, maybe in five years Arizona can be recognized across the country as a state where we care and value children more than anything. Instead, this will force more preventative measures be implemented as case managers will recognize that a family needs support, but may not meet the criteria of removal. Q&A Asked in Elmira, NY | May 10, 2019 Save Take a look at the chart below and the probability a person has of completing a goal when taking the following actions: Goal. Is San Antonio's infrastructure ready for another winter storm They put their lives on hold for this adoption and made a lifetime commitment to this child and now because of some sort of legal fraud, the child is taken away. Hold CPS Accountable! Stop Unethical Child Removals. - Change.org DCS should learn from the FCRB Removal Review process. So we continue to see degradation in outcomes in our foster care system. They may share that CPS has come out before, or otherwise knew it was a problematic household. As soon as the month starts, I always post something on my Facebook or send out a tweet acknowledging the event. While I am not privy to the details on how this will change the course of the department, I do know that if we continue to go down this path much longer the limited resources of tax payers will dry up and, There is no doubt that turning around Arizonas child welfare system is a daunting challenge. How can you hold cps accountable if they take a child based off an All the while, the well-being of more than 19,000 kids is sinking. v. County of Tulare, et al., we proceeded to file an affirmative Motion for Summary Adjudication. As soon as the month starts, I always post something on my Facebook or send out a tweet acknowledging the event. Science confirms the power of having others keep you accountable. This leads us to what will be the key to success of this initiative . Californias Child Protective Services (CPS) system is broken. Upon petition, a civil litigants right to access relevant records in a Juvenile Case File is well established. Three Reasons Why It May Be Impossible for Arizona to Fix Its Foster CareSystem, The Big Short in Arizonas Foster CareSystem, Accountabilty, Process Improvement and Working Together. shows that these cases can be viable. However, businesses look to affect long term outcomes or value for shareholders. Removal Reviews were an attempt to have a third-party review within 72 hours of a child being removed. I would never again recommend someone adopt from Arizonas Department of Child Safety. It is operated with the same veil of secrecy and lack of accountability. It is the right thing to do because it gives well-meaning families an opportunity to have a third party evaluate the wisdom of a traumatic removal of a child from a home. If they are successful, Welfare and Institutions Code section 827 provides that the Juvenile Case File order is immediately reviewable by the appellate court via an extraordinary writ. The Division 31 Regulations require the responding social worker to assess whether the childs circumstances would cause the child to be a person described by that code section. In pop quiz fashion, we created a chorus of testimony from these CPS employees confirming the mandatory duties forming the basis of our claims. Challenge Two: Go without utilizing your cell phone for a day and only use a land-line when making phone calls (bonus-you are only allowed three calls for a max of 15 minutes per call). HSLDA is the trusted movement leader that makes homeschooling possible by caring for member families and protecting and securing the future of homeschooling. All I ask is that you think forward, not backwards. For 3 days ask permission every time you want to get into the fridge or pantry to eat (bonus- for 3 days ask permission to participate in ALL activities including work, cooking, going anywhere apart from work, and participating in any recreation activities). Here are the three reasons why Arizonas foster care system may never be fixed: Our governor often jumps up on his bully pulpit to discuss his goal of operating Arizona government at the speed of business and sets this a goal for every department. The risk to your family and their emotions is too great. In this form, you should specify the type of information and documents you seek from the records. Social workers are overworked and undertrained; financial incentives rather than the childrens best interests drive decision making; and governmental immunities often thwart accountability. Here Are Five Ways You Can Start Holding Your Department Accountable. It is also important to note that that there are still, And if you think that it is just something a kid can get over, then you truly dont understand the. . It will also be a challenge for the already overburdened court system that must have a way to respond to case workers in a timely fashion to keep the best interests of the children in mind. The primary target is going to be the social worker assigned to investigate the child-abuse report. That is to say, the county is now in charge of the childs care, custody and control. Granted in this case they left the child Who wins in crew? Mental health for children in foster care in Arizona is abysmal. Removal Reviews were an attempt to have a third-party review within 72 hours of a child being removed. Hello McFly!. All of a sudden, the two young data wonks realized how financial decisions can greatly impact peoples lives. Like, Share, Sub If You Want. Is no one paying attention? Its time re-engineer child welfare process at DCS just as a broken business would do in their turnaround of an underperforming business. However, these records are considered highly confidential as a matter of law. At the end of the day, Arizona is a state with a transient population. At the end of the session, a recommendation was sent to the governor that included none of those recommendations. If you are familiar with HSLDAs long-term advocacy efforts for homeschooling and parental rights, you are probably aware that we have sincere concerns about the way child abuse investigations are carried out. Too often we hear stories of case workers removing children because of personal bias, lack of understanding of the issues or even fear of reprisal should something happen to that child because they didnt remove. Correct? The following chart shows where kids in care are placed. So instead, lets put one in place and hold those managing accountable. The percentage of kids living in congregate care settings is more than 40% higher than it was five years ago. Code, 16501, subd. 3 Strategies for Holding Yourself Accountable - Harvard Business Review The two most generally recognized forms of child abuse are physical abuse (non-accidental physical injury to a child) and sexual abuse (sexual interaction with or exploitation of a child by an adult, or by another child when there is a power or age differential). trauma and issues of being in foster care. For years they have remained unaccountable for their part in the deaths and abuse of children they steal for profit. How about the media for fanning the flames? In J.G. While there was no specific measure of bath temperatures, there were metrics for education, medical, visits, time in care, etc. Children are obtained through unethical means, such as failing to present exculpatory information to the court, manufacturing mental illnesses with state funded and CPS contracted evaluators, skipping material court hearings and procedures, such as fact-findings They seem to operate without oversight, and in many cases, without consequences. Arizona remains one of the few states where counts continue to rise. A recent case experience gives insight on strategies that can be successful in bringing justice to the victims of CPSs negligence. The reason DCS was formed was due to the impotency of its predecessor, CPS. No more closed door meetings. . For the next fiscal year, DCS has already requested an increase in their budget of $100 million over the previous year. If there are no goals, how can we expect things to change? The confidentiality and immunities afforded to CPS often seem insurmountable. If you're a manager, you can set an example for your employees by: No one was willing to look in to the future because living in the present was making people money and enabling them to keep the lives of which they had become so accustomed. I am not a politician so I dont care to understand why politicians or the media play the finger pointing game. Code, 11165.12), and the remedial action that must be taken (California DSS Child Welfare Services Manual 31-125.5 and 31-200). Such investigations can be extremely traumatizing Can you imagine? As with any organization, there are going to be major issues in the outcomes they derive based on how they do business. No matter how much time I spend in these meetings, there is one consistent outcome not much changes or improves. That's why it is as important for leaders as it is for their employees to demonstrate accountability in the workplace. So how do we stop DCS pretend listening? Holding Child Protective Services accountable Let me be clear in the fact that this is not necessarily a knock on the quality of the people at DCS. (Ibid.). Seriously let's make this happen this time. | Keeping CPS Accountable Lets take a lesson from crew teams and start working together instead of against each other and develop an accountability system, better processes and treat our children as our most treasured resource. There are stories that you may find interesting or maybe even a way you can lend a hand. Cant You See That Nothing IsChanging? Conclusion. At the same time, parents who abuse their power over their children must also be held accountable. Two of those key measures include length of time in care and change in congregate care that will demonstrate how or if we are improving outcomes in our system. I do not believe you will see MEANINGFUL changes in outcomes for kids in Arizonas foster care system until we add complete and comprehensive metrics and accountability. But do we know for a fact that it will continue? More Caseworkers Need to Be Charged When They Allow A Child to Be Bottom line, there is across the board failure on adding accountability to DCS. You put your life on hold for this process and in a case like this one I heard about, all that hard work is dissolved 11 months later. Our state government should be ashamed. No, we dont. If, for example, there was a delay in responding to the child-abuse report (beyond 10 days) or an untrained social worker was assigned to investigate, then the case may have merit. But I cant. Shall we blame the department and their leadership? Case managers and supervisors overruled the volunteers on the panel, and inevitably, the child was removed. Money helps and if kids could speak for themselves it would help their cause, but transparency and accountability in reporting is the key. Meaning the social worker is required to assess, for example, whether there is a substantial risk that: the child will suffer serious physical harm inflicted nonaccidentally; the child will suffer serious physical harm as a result of a failure to adequately supervise or protect the child; the parent or guardian will fail to provide the child with adequate food, clothing, shelter, or medical treatment; the parent or guardian will fail to provide regular care for the child due to mental illness, developmental disability, or substance abuse; the child is suffering serious emotional damage; the child has been subjected to acts of cruelty; and/or. This code section provides that the file can be inspected by a limited number of individuals such as court personnel, county counsel, the parents, and a few others. Every governor has talked about it, but results have been poor. Who holds CPS accountable when they act illegally? - YouTube School Accountability - MN Association of Charter Schools and I amDisgusted, Laurie Roberts. Because HSLDA is a law firm, when our attorneys speak with our members about legal issues it can create an attorney-client relationship. Albert Einstein once said that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result. You may witness a concerning incident, or might observe a child behaving in ways that could indicate they are being abused or neglected. Simply, no. It is traumatic to their well-being. It not only obvious (Hello McFly) that the best setting for a young person is in a family, but the costs of congregate care the highest of any other type. State budgets could find a more effective use of the public funds currently being spent on unethical child removals. DCS will need to create clear definitions of what it means for a child(ren) not be safe. The only thing that should ultimately be celebrated is improvements in outcomes for children, not politicians who paste a new label on an old department. Petition Please, help me get my 10 year old son back home with family Ways to create a culture of accountability in local government. If these metrics were used for every case, it would be more clear when there are issues like the one you wrote about today. The biggest challenge with having a child in foster care is the lack of broad understanding that this experience is a major traumatic event in a childs life and something that will affect them forever. training. The fact of the matter is that while they pretend to listen, at the end of the day they will do exactly what they want to do despite what input they receive. There are no commitments on how many kids will be in foster care in 2016, 2017 or 2018. The process became a rubber stamp of removal decisions that had already been made. and Inst. When this happens, the conversations can change from theoretical, broad based discussions to meaningful dialogue about the departments performance against real outcomes. What should a caring adult do if they are concerned for a child they know? In previous postings I have pointed out that when kids go into foster care it is undeniably traumatic. And most important all, kids dont vote so the odds on this changing the apathy is nil if they dont have a voice in setting priorities. It broadly includes all documents relating to a child that are maintained by the child welfare services programs. I recently heard a great question about foster care: Is the cure worse than the disease?. Because the citizens of Arizona are not concerned enough to rise up and make this an important enough issue to be a topic of importance for any of the above. But again, who has the will push for funding these further? To prove this, last week I was challenged by a young man who has aged out to put myself in his shoes when he was a foster youth. And where are we? Try involving other people to do the heavy lifting instead. To be viable, both claims must be predicated on a statutory or regulatory duty for which CPS and its employees enjoy no discretion. Recommendations were made to DCS in a variety of settings and the group was consistently told why it wouldnt work (none were acceptable answers). The fact that any government agency would allow this to happen is unconscionable. Real answers from licensed attorneys. If we do not focus on improving outcomes for any kid in care, then we have little to no chance of actually improving the opportunity for them to have happy and successful lives .. Hello McFly!. Part 2 of 7: The Homeschool Parent's Guide to Protecting Kids from Sexual Abuse, Part 5 of 7: Developing a Child Protection Policy, Part 6 of 7: Protecting Children with a Background Check Policy, What Is Child Abuse and Neglect? Holding CPS accountable & getting our kids back - GoFundMe Director Flanagan | Keeping CPS Accountable However, no provision under the law compels CPS to relinquish control of the child despite the conflict. A band aid wont fix it, only a major overhaul and not just a band aid in the form of a new name for a department can make a difference. Raising the bar and looking at the right measures is the only path to more meaningful and relevant discussions on how we can all improve outcomes for Arizonas kids, This week the US Department of Agriculture came out with an estimate that, This amounts to almost $14,000 per year for food, clothing, transportation and all the things that make it possible to bring the little bundles of joy to adulthood.. For 15 years I have been optimistic that it will get better and I was committed to being part of making it happen. That is more than $45,000 per child in care. the childs sibling has been abused or neglected. In the third quarter of 2014 there were more than 16,000 kids in care. As a business person, the idea that government would operate with the speed, accountability and focus on results as any business would is quite appealing and makes it seem that the services provided by the government would improve and provide an improved return on our tax dollar investment. What happens when you fall victim to CPS and the juvenile court that a more flexible and efficient approach to investigation, as well as a greater respect for families Fourth Amendment rights, would better protect children from abuse and trauma. There is no one context in which suspicions about child abuse may develop. How To Hold Yourself Accountable: 5 Tips Learning how to hold yourself accountable takes a lot of courage. They have to step up and take action to ensure they are successful. Not to mention that if we dont fix the required obligations to the IV-E waiver to reduce the length of stay in congregate care and length of stay in out-of-home care, we could risk the current funding received from the federal government. It will also be a challenge for the already overburdened court system that must have a way to respond to case workers in a timely fashion to keep the best interests of the children in mind. This is not to say that the good folks at DCS do not work hard nor are their intentions not good. A few years ago, as State Chair of the Foster Care Review Board, I participated in Removal Reviews that were conducted by the Foster Care Review Board. We are spending inordinate amounts of money on our system with poor outcomes. a child is being subjected to sexual abuse, call the police at once. If you are worried that a child you know is being abused or neglected, these guidelines and resources can help you evaluate your concerns, understand the CPS response, and take appropriate action. Fostering the Future. Website Copyright 2023 by Neubauer & Associates, Inc.The articles appearing in After identifying any violation(s) of CPSs mandatory duties, then depositions are in order. There is a lot of talk that DCS is underfunded by lawmakers. ), Relatedly, Welfare and Institutions Code section 16500, et seq., created a statewide system of Child Welfare Services. Section 16501, subdivision (c) mandates that each county provide child welfare services as needed pursuant to an approved service plan. The system uses the child-abuse reports made under CANRA to identify children who may need child welfare services., These services include Emergency Response Services in response to CANRA reports. Follow along let's do our best to hold CPS accountable for making meaningful change. I Cover Cops as an Investigative Reporter. Here Are Five Ways You Can Part 1 of 7: How Can I Help Prevent Child Abuse? Please sign this petition to show your support for Cristen and her autistic son and demand that CPS be held accountable for violating our rights as parents. A New Push to Hold CPS Accountable in Michigan - Michigan CPS Lawyer Every person in Arizona should be ashamed that we have invested way too much money in a system that operates so poorly and that in many cases does not even live up to its name of providing child safety.

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