CASA is one way that you can help foster youth

Good foster homes in demand
Peggy Kreimer, Cincinnati Post, Sept. 4, 2006.

Foster families receive compensation for caring for foster children based on the child's needs, medical condition and behavior.

In Northern Kentucky, the compensation for the state-administered foster homes ranges from $19.70 per day for children from infancy to 11 with no outstanding needs to $45 a day for a medically fragile child with the greatest needs.

When Liz and David Carroll were charged this week with killing their foster child, 3-year-old Marcus Fiesel, officials said the couple's other four children could end up in the foster care system.

That would add four more youngsters to the ever growing number of children who need safe, stable homes.

The need far exceeds the homes available for those children, and Marcus' horrifying end underscores the problem of not only finding homes, but good ones for foster children.

Marcus, autistic and sometimes difficult to handle, was removed from the home of his biological mother this spring by Butler County Children's Services, which then contracted with the Lifeway for Youth agency in Sharonville, Ohio, to place him in the private foster home of the Carrolls in Clermont County, Ohio.

Lifeway is one of several private agencies that recruit, screen and support foster parents locally. They recruit and supervise foster homes, where children removed from their parents' care are placed. Children are put in foster care because of abuse, neglect or that parents are committed to state care. Those privately administered homes augment foster care programs operated by the state.

So it was not all that unusual that Butler County turned to a private agency like Lifeway for a placement for Marcus, said Joel Griffith, field services director of Northern Kentucky's office of the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services.

In eight Northern Kentucky counties, nearly 800 children need foster care, but the state agency administers only about 137 foster homes in those counties. More than half a dozen private agencies, including the Diocesan Catholic Children's Home, Holly Hill and the Kentucky Baptist Home for Children, administer about 155 additional foster homes, which are all licensed by the state.

Many children who need foster care get sent to homes out of the region or to larger residential facilities because there are not enough private homes and families to meet the need locally, Griffith said.

In Hamilton County, Ohio, the situation is similar, said Brian Gregg, spokesman for Hamilton County Job and Family Services, which administers foster care programs there.

He said Hamilton County had more than 2,000 children in foster care at various times last year. This month, the number is 730.

The county directly oversees 320 foster care homes and also contracts with several agencies that run their own foster care programs. Gregg said 150 Hamilton County children have been placed in foster homes run by Lifeway, the same agency that contracted with Butler County to place Marcus Fiesel with the Carrolls.

Hamilton County has suspended placement to Lifeway for Youth foster homes and is reviewing the current placements it has through the agency.

"We're re-examining all our placements with them," Gregg said.

On both sides of the river, all foster parents must have background checks, get training and pass a home assessment to be licensed by the state.

Foster families are paid for caring for foster children based on the child's needs, medical condition and behavior. But to be approved by the state, foster families must be able to support themselves independent of the payments, Griffith said.

"The sad part of this will be if the public walks away thinking foster parents are bad people who do this for the money. This is the exception. The vast number of foster parents are good people who are committed to helping kids in need," he said.

Cases like Marcus Fiesel's are horrendous and illustrate the need for good people to step up and help, said Gregg.

"If all the people who showed support and love in this search for Marcus, if only a fraction of them would come forward and say 'I want to be a foster care parent,' we would really see a difference," he said.

There is no question that children with disabilities can be a challenge to care for, but the system includes a network of supports, including respite care that can take a child for hours or days to give a family a break; therapy programs, child care, special education and training programs.

Griffith said foster parent training sessions talk about the importance of asking for help.

"It's not a sign of weakness," he said. "The whole purpose of the foster parent support network and mentoring is to encourage people to ask for help if they get overwhelmed."

In Northern Kentucky, the state pairs new foster families with more experienced families as mentors.

The private agencies that administer foster homes have their own support systems, counseling and training programs.

All of the homes get regular visits by state or county workers. In Northern Kentucky, workers typically must visit the home at least twice a month. In Hamilton County, it's at least once a month. Individual circumstances often dictate more frequent visits.

In Marcus' case, a worker had seen him at the Carrolls Aug. 3. She attempted another visit Aug. 10, but was told he was sick and was turned away. She scheduled another visit, but investigators now know that Marcus was already dead by Aug. 10.

Griffith said if a mother told one of his Kentucky case workers her child was sick and scheduled another visit, that would not necessarily raise a red flag.

"At lot depends on the circumstances," he said. "If it was a one-time incident, not part of a larger pattern, it probably wouldn't raise a red flag. If it happened repeatedly, we'd be concerned."

Gregg said Hamilton County workers must see the child when they pay a home visit.

"Our rule is you do a face-to-face with the child. Even if that means you go into the bedroom and just look in on him. If they are in foster care, they are actually in our custody. If a parent says you can't see the child right now, we say we are going to see the child."

In both states, workers look for red flags including signs of abuse or neglect, and unexplained injuries.

"We look at how frustrated you are, how parents are coping with the child's special needs," Griffith said. "Are they taking advantage of respite? Do they seem overwhelmed?"

Gregg said workers have to assure a child has a safe, clean and healthy environment.

"If an adult who's not approved is living in the home now, that would be of concern; if a criminal conviction comes to our attention," he said.

Foster homes are regularly re-evaluated, with social workers looking for major life changes such as illness or loss of a job. But those wouldn't automatically cause a child's placement to be terminated, said Griffith.

Gregg said most Hamilton County foster children also have court-appointed guardians who make their own regular inspections.

The Court Appointed Special Advocate - or CASA - program uses trained volunteers whose only concern is the child's best interest. Pro-Kids in Greater Cincinnati runs one of several CASA programs that serve foster children across Greater Cincinnati, said Mary Carol Melton, a Pro-Kids board member and CASA volunteer.

"I think people are understandably and justifiably horrified that a young child could be found in a situation such as this," said Melton of Marcus Fiesel's death. "At some level people feel helpless, (and ask) what could I have done? My response is there's a lot you can do."

She said volunteer CASA workers typically are assigned to one child or sibling group in a foster family. She watches out for three brothers in one foster family. She makes twice monthly visits, keeps in touch with the foster parents, the children's case manager, therapist and teachers and brings concerns about the youngsters to regular review meetings. The extra scrutiny pays off for foster children, she said.

"Case workers have a huge load, I have one CASA case that I'm working with and paying attention to," she said.

Griffith said several counties in Northern Kentucky have similar CASA programs, which are administered through the court system. But there are not enough CASA workers to assure one for every child.

Melton said she hopes that the tragedy of Marcus Fiesel's death brings greater awareness of the needs of foster children.

"Sometimes out of tragedies come real opportunities," she said. "I'm hoping more people want to get involved and make a difference for a child."

For information on being a foster parent:
In Northern Kentucky:
(859) 292-6632 or www.chfs.ky.gov
Hamilton County:
(513) 632-6366 or www.hcfoster.org
Pro-Kids CASA program:
(513) 281-2000 or (859) 586-1222.