In January 2008, the federal government released a final report on its review of Oregon's child and family services, and found the state failed in 11 of 14 areas crucial to the safety and well-being of children in foster care.
They are entrusted to a historically underfunded statewide child welfare system that critics say has struggled with the same issues for years and years.
Among the most critical:
* A lack of placement stability for foster children, who move from place to place because of behavior problems, foster parent turnover, or unsuccessful attempts at reunifying with their families.
* Long waiting lists for addiction and mental-health treatment that parents need to complete in order to win their children back, extending the time kids spend in care. Foster children, too, have trouble getting needed services.
* Low reimbursements and a lack of support for foster parents, leading to high turnover rates and crowded homes. The review found that, in many areas of the state, homes are operating beyond capacity.
* Caseworkers who are inexperienced and overworked, making it nearly impossible for them to see each child every 30 days, as required by state policy.
* A high percentage of children who spend their entire childhoods in foster care, with inadequate planning or support for their transition to adulthood.
Judy Stiegler, chairwoman of the state Child Welfare Advisory Committee: "It takes a lot more dollars than what we have sometimes to do a good job."
Marion County District Attorney Walt Beglau: "They are squeezed into a system incapable of managing mass casualties, with little community support for these families."
Jim Seymour, the executive director of Catholic Community Services: "The system is always on the verge of bankruptcy."
About 15,000 children were in foster care statewide at some point last year. They stay in foster care for an average of 2.2 years.
The Oregon Department of Human Services, the state's largest agency, is responsible for their care.
Full Article and Source:
Oregon foster children often end up lost in the system
They are entrusted to a historically underfunded statewide child welfare system that critics say has struggled with the same issues for years and years.
Among the most critical:
* A lack of placement stability for foster children, who move from place to place because of behavior problems, foster parent turnover, or unsuccessful attempts at reunifying with their families.
* Long waiting lists for addiction and mental-health treatment that parents need to complete in order to win their children back, extending the time kids spend in care. Foster children, too, have trouble getting needed services.
* Low reimbursements and a lack of support for foster parents, leading to high turnover rates and crowded homes. The review found that, in many areas of the state, homes are operating beyond capacity.
* Caseworkers who are inexperienced and overworked, making it nearly impossible for them to see each child every 30 days, as required by state policy.
* A high percentage of children who spend their entire childhoods in foster care, with inadequate planning or support for their transition to adulthood.
Judy Stiegler, chairwoman of the state Child Welfare Advisory Committee: "It takes a lot more dollars than what we have sometimes to do a good job."
Marion County District Attorney Walt Beglau: "They are squeezed into a system incapable of managing mass casualties, with little community support for these families."
Jim Seymour, the executive director of Catholic Community Services: "The system is always on the verge of bankruptcy."
About 15,000 children were in foster care statewide at some point last year. They stay in foster care for an average of 2.2 years.
The Oregon Department of Human Services, the state's largest agency, is responsible for their care.
Full Article and Source:
Oregon foster children often end up lost in the system
4 comments:
No surprise. We don't take care of vulnerable adults and we do no better with children.
If you don't have relatives, or if you're down and out, you just don't have a chance.
Society's too busy with sports and Brittney to concentrate on what's important - or perhaps to even know what's important.
I wonder about those caseworkers who really do take the job for the right reasons and then are hampered by red tape and bureaucracy.
11 out of 14 failures involving critical safety issues? That should be an embarassment and cause of an immediate complete overhaul!
11 out of 14 failures? If 11 out of 14 hamburgers were burned at McDonalds, you can bet they'd get to the bottom of it!
Maybe if the federal government would distribute their fair share, instead of having spent our financial resources on "the War Effort" the United States could have been a shining example of internal wealth and outstanding living standards for most of our citizens.
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