Seneca foster care aid above Ohio average
Dutro, Nick. Tiffin Advertiser Tribune, June 15, 2008.
Makaylah Herbert (from left), Makennah Herbert, India Herbert, Janet, a family friend, and Malachi Herbert are the foster adopted children of Amber Herbert. Herbert has been a foster care provider for three years and has had 12 children in her care.
According to a news release from the National Foster Parent Association, the U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates the cost of raising a child in the United States will cost more than $204,000 for a middle-income family to raise a child born in 2007 until his or her 18th birthday.
According to the Web site Hitting The M.A.R.C. (Minimum Adequate Rates for Children), the “current foster care rates for Ohio must be doubled in order to cover the real costs of providing care for children.”
M.A.R.C. reported Ohio’s average monthly foster care rate is $275 for every child in foster care, and the actual rates should be between $635 plus travel and child care expenses for a child at the age of 2 and $797 plus travel and child care expenses for a child at the age of 16.
M.A.R.C. is a recent study by the National Foster Care Association that calculates the proposed minimum foster care rates for every state.
In Seneca County, the monthly foster care rates are well above the average in Ohio.
A child in Seneca County between the ages of 0 to 10 years old receives a flat rate of $15 a day, about $450 a month. Children 11 and older receive a flat rate of $20 a day, about $600 a month.
Families also receive extra money for experience and training, or if a child has special needs.
“It’s really based off each individual child and each individual family,” Mindy Strup said.
Strup, foster care and adoption supervisor for Seneca County Department of Job and Family Services, said the rates increase the more experience a family has and with the number of training hours they have completed.
A family that has completed 20 years of foster care and 300 hours of training could receive an extra $4 a day as the maximum amount.
There is also an initial perdium of $75 dollars a day for the first three days that is granted for children who initially are placed in foster care or reintroduced after a period of 12 months. This can be used for initial expenses, such as transportation and clothing.
As well as the perdium, Seneca County Department of Job and Family Services offers a number of other financial aid options for foster families.
Families are connected with the Lima food bank, and receive items such as diapers, laundry soap, and food at a reduced cost.
Strup said Job and Family Services also has an account people in the community and businesses can donate to which can be used for graduation expenses, prom attire, trips, sports equipment or other expenses. The agency also has a separate account for Christmas gifts.
“We try to do anything and everything that we’re able to cover to help the kids have the same experiences as any other kid without having the family have to cover those costs,” Strup said.
Job and Family Services also has an independent living fund, which can help provide supplies such as towels and bedding for children who are 16 and older, and ready to live on their own.
Every child in Ohio also is given a Medicaid card. If there are things the medical card does not cover, the agency will provide the families with the necessary aid.
Seneca County Department of Job and Family Services covers the cost of day care for their foster families, which is not the case for every county in Ohio.
“For any of our Seneca County families that have employment inside or outside the home, we provide up to 40 hours a week of paid foster care day care so they don’t have that cost,” Strup said.
Strup said the families know they may have to cover some of the costs for the children they take in.
“I have never had a family come to me and say, ‘This is such a financial burden, I can’t do this,’” Strup said. “Families know in a very short order that there may be costs that they incur as a result of parenting the children.”
Amber Herbert, a foster care provider, said the perdium may not cover everything, but it is a great help.
“Does it meet all the child’s needs? Not usually,” Herbert said. “But foster parents are not into fostering to make money, they’re into fostering for the children.
Herbert has been a foster care provider in Seneca County for three years and has had 12 children in her home during that time. She has adopted four children since she has become a foster parent, three of which were under her care before adoption.
“Anybody who wants to adopt, this (is) the best way,” Herbert said. “There are so many children now that need a home.”
There are 15 licensed homes in Seneca County and 29 foster parents, with more in the application process. There are currently 65 children in foster care in Seneca County.
The number of children in foster care has been as low as 50 and as high as 85.
Sunday, June 15, 2008
Saturday, May 10, 2008
Shoes represent youth in need in Butler County foster care
Counties put focus on need for many more foster homes
Ellis, Amber. Cincinnati Enquirer, May 6, 2008.
HAMILTON - More than 400 pairs of shoes, of all styles and sizes, were on display here Monday to represent the number of Butler County children in foster care at any given time last year.
A rally with this sneaker- and sandal-lined backdrop was the first of several efforts to thank dedicated foster parents and let others know their help is needed, said Children Services Director Mike Fox. It was the local launch event for National Foster Care Month.
One of those shoe sets represents 17-year-old Shawntel.
A victim of abuse, she was placed in the foster-care system at 14. There, she was bumped around from home to home until she found the Plancks. For Shawntel, the fourth match was the one she says saved her life.
She found a place where she felt secure, a family who took her in as one of their own. Shawntel shifted her focus to church and school. This fall, she'll start her freshman year at the University of Cincinnati-Clermont as a pre-med major - a feat that seemed impossible a few years ago.
"Before I came into foster care, my goal was to just stay alive each day. ... But the first thing I noticed (with them) was that I was safe. I didn't have to be an adult at 14 anymore," Shawntel said Monday after urging a small group in downtown Hamilton to become foster parents. "They are my parents. To me, they're just Mom and Dad."
Paula and Terry Planck of New Richmond are just Mom and Dad to eight other children, five of whom came to them the same way. "We love each one of them like our own," said Terry Planck of his children, ages 15 months to 17.
"It's a job, it really is," said Paula Planck, still emotional after hearing Shawntel speak to the group.
"But the reward is worth everything you go through," Terry Planck said, urging others to seek the same sense of fulfillment he's gotten from his foster children.
Throughout the month, a recruitment blitz will include television ads, mailers to churches and e-mails to businesses.
In Butler County, more than 70 percent of foster children are placed outside the county - a move that is costly for the agency and the children who are separated from family, friends and familiar surroundings.
"We have children who are hurting, who need someone to lift them up," Fox said. "Foster families help heal the hurt that these children feel because they have been beaten, battered, abused and their lives have been turned upside down. These families give them a safe home, stability and love."
For more information on becoming a foster parent, call 1-800-325-2685.
Ellis, Amber. Cincinnati Enquirer, May 6, 2008.
HAMILTON - More than 400 pairs of shoes, of all styles and sizes, were on display here Monday to represent the number of Butler County children in foster care at any given time last year.
A rally with this sneaker- and sandal-lined backdrop was the first of several efforts to thank dedicated foster parents and let others know their help is needed, said Children Services Director Mike Fox. It was the local launch event for National Foster Care Month.
One of those shoe sets represents 17-year-old Shawntel.
A victim of abuse, she was placed in the foster-care system at 14. There, she was bumped around from home to home until she found the Plancks. For Shawntel, the fourth match was the one she says saved her life.
She found a place where she felt secure, a family who took her in as one of their own. Shawntel shifted her focus to church and school. This fall, she'll start her freshman year at the University of Cincinnati-Clermont as a pre-med major - a feat that seemed impossible a few years ago.
"Before I came into foster care, my goal was to just stay alive each day. ... But the first thing I noticed (with them) was that I was safe. I didn't have to be an adult at 14 anymore," Shawntel said Monday after urging a small group in downtown Hamilton to become foster parents. "They are my parents. To me, they're just Mom and Dad."
Paula and Terry Planck of New Richmond are just Mom and Dad to eight other children, five of whom came to them the same way. "We love each one of them like our own," said Terry Planck of his children, ages 15 months to 17.
"It's a job, it really is," said Paula Planck, still emotional after hearing Shawntel speak to the group.
"But the reward is worth everything you go through," Terry Planck said, urging others to seek the same sense of fulfillment he's gotten from his foster children.
Throughout the month, a recruitment blitz will include television ads, mailers to churches and e-mails to businesses.
In Butler County, more than 70 percent of foster children are placed outside the county - a move that is costly for the agency and the children who are separated from family, friends and familiar surroundings.
"We have children who are hurting, who need someone to lift them up," Fox said. "Foster families help heal the hurt that these children feel because they have been beaten, battered, abused and their lives have been turned upside down. These families give them a safe home, stability and love."
For more information on becoming a foster parent, call 1-800-325-2685.
Clark County seeking diversity in terms of foster parents
Officials: Positive aspects of foster care outweigh the negatives
Cases of foster children being abused garner negative attention, but aren't the norm, county officials say
Outten, Bridgette. Springfield News Sun, May 4, 2008.
SPRINGFIELD — The instances of foster parenting gone wrong are heavily outweighed by those that go right, said Clark County Department of Job and Family Services officials.
Cases like the Ferguson couple, accused of abusing their five adopted children, and Marcus Fiesel, a toddler murdered by his foster parents, garner negative attention, but are not the norm, the officials say.
"For every one negative, there are thousands of positives," said Wendy Holt, DJFS supervisor of placement services.
Since the Fiesel case in 2006, state legislators have been exploring stricter legislation for foster parents.
The current process is not one to be taken lightly. Foster parents have an application process that includes an extensive checklist. They must provide financial statements and complete 36 hours — soon to be 39 hours — of training every two years.
However, DJFS staff don't feel that the requirements should be a deterrent to potential foster parents.
"Most foster parents feel like it is a genuine calling," said DJFS deputy director Cathy Appel. "Most parents genuinely have an interest."
DJFS wants to spark interest in the community to produce more foster parents, particularly minorities that are disproportionately represented in foster care, officials said.
For instance, blacks make up 12 percent of Ohio's population, but 55 percent of foster children are black. It's a trend officials say is mirrored in Clark County.
"We need a diverse representation of our community," Appel said.
Holt agreed, adding, "We want many more everyday people to come forward for our county's most vulnerable children, so they may realize their full potential," she said.
Cases of foster children being abused garner negative attention, but aren't the norm, county officials say
Outten, Bridgette. Springfield News Sun, May 4, 2008.
SPRINGFIELD — The instances of foster parenting gone wrong are heavily outweighed by those that go right, said Clark County Department of Job and Family Services officials.
Cases like the Ferguson couple, accused of abusing their five adopted children, and Marcus Fiesel, a toddler murdered by his foster parents, garner negative attention, but are not the norm, the officials say.
"For every one negative, there are thousands of positives," said Wendy Holt, DJFS supervisor of placement services.
Since the Fiesel case in 2006, state legislators have been exploring stricter legislation for foster parents.
The current process is not one to be taken lightly. Foster parents have an application process that includes an extensive checklist. They must provide financial statements and complete 36 hours — soon to be 39 hours — of training every two years.
However, DJFS staff don't feel that the requirements should be a deterrent to potential foster parents.
"Most foster parents feel like it is a genuine calling," said DJFS deputy director Cathy Appel. "Most parents genuinely have an interest."
DJFS wants to spark interest in the community to produce more foster parents, particularly minorities that are disproportionately represented in foster care, officials said.
For instance, blacks make up 12 percent of Ohio's population, but 55 percent of foster children are black. It's a trend officials say is mirrored in Clark County.
"We need a diverse representation of our community," Appel said.
Holt agreed, adding, "We want many more everyday people to come forward for our county's most vulnerable children, so they may realize their full potential," she said.
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Adoptees deserve access to original birth certificate
Betsie Norris' personal quest propels Adoption Network Cleveland's search for answers: She started nonprofit 20 years ago
Ewinger, James. Cleveland Plain Dealer, April 20, 2008.
The roots of Adoption Network Cleveland grow out of BetsieNorris' quest for her own.
She is an adoptee. She found her birth parents 22 years ago and two years later founded the network in her living room.
Norris has been seeking ever since -- to open records to adults who were adopted, to help people find their own birth relatives and, indirectly, homes for thousands of children stuck in the gray abyss of foster care and county custody.
If that makes her sound like a tireless crusader, it would make her late, adoptive father proud and show just how much influence such a parent can have.
He was WilliamB. (Brad) Norris, a towering man in every sense.
BradNorris was tall, magisterial and driven by a passion for public service. He was a partner at the Hahn Loeser law firm, campaigned with others to put WCPN FM/90.3 on the air, joined the fight against the county's plan to pave over Shaker Lakes and represented Cleveland in its antitrust case against CEI.
At 16, in World War II, he was also the youngest platoon leader in his rifle company as it fought its way across southern France.
Betsie Norris, the gentle warrior, is driven by her knowledge of the man who raised her and her curiosity about the birth parents who did not.
It is not a frivolous or selfish quest and cannot be dismissed as idle curiosity.
There are emotional issues that go with the knowledge of being adopted and some that flow from a lack of knowledge, including the medical histories of people who came before them.
Then there is a sense of shame that can seep out of the secrecy that enveloped the adoption process.
And finally, there is the concern about how the search will affect the birth family, and the adoptive family.
"You don't know how many times I went to call the agency that handled my adoption and slammed the phone book shut because I thought it was selfish and it might hurt my parents," Norris said.
When an adoptee says "my parents," the reference is to the people who did the raising. As Norris said of her birth parents, "I am their daughter, but they are not my parents."
She found the couple from which she sprang, and it had a happy ending. She was embraced by her blood siblings and was in two of their weddings.
But Norris rarely uses the word "ending."
Historically adoption was viewed as an event that occurred, then people moved on. "Adoption is a lifelong process," Norris said. "There is so much more to it that unfolds over the years."
After World War II, many restrictions were placed on adoption records, in part to insulate the adoptees from the birth parents, Norris said.
However, many courts and state legislatures have been loosening the reins, especially in the past 20 years.
But not in Ohio. Last week, a pending bill was gutted of any language that would have given adoptees access to their original birth records.
One of the great ironies is that attorney Brad Norris played a major role in closing Ohio records. Betsie Norris said her father reacted to the ease with which he - or anyone else - could get birth records. His intent was to keep the public at bay, not the adoptees and birth parents.
But the legislature of 40 years ago went so far that anyone adopted after 1964 cannot get the records - their own records. Brad Norris in 1994 said the law created an absurd situation because two of his adopted children, born before 1964, have access. But his youngest son, born in 1963 but adopted the following year, does not.
Which is not to say that such searches are impossible. One of Adoption Network Cleveland's fortes is assisting people who want to find their birth parents.
But that is not the extent of its work. With "adoption" in its name, one might suppose that the network does a lot of placement work. One would be half-right.
The network is not a placement agency but has reshaped the way those organizations - both public and private - do business.
For example, CuyahogaCounty had 2,000 children in permanent custody eight years ago. Today the number is 783, ranging from infants to older teens, thanks to the network.
JimMcCafferty, director of the county's Department of Children and Family Services, said Norris and her group were chosen as the lead agency to formulate new adoption strategies that placement agencies could use.
One is Child Centered Recruitment, which gives a social worker a small caseload, so he or she can get to know the children, and get to know people who know the children, which makes it easier to find adoptive homes.
Cuyahoga County Juvenile Court Judge Peter Sikora said, "One of the court's most difficult jobs is when we grant permanent custody to children and Family Services." He said the court and the county then "are making a pledge to these kids that we will do better by them."
Sikora also said that if the child has no permanent home by the age of 18 "we've failed them." He said the network is one of the most effective means of making sure the children and teens "don't age out of the system" before finding a home.
Another feat is the expansion of the number of local therapists who understand issues unique to adoption.
The idea was to educate established psychologists and social workers, said ZoeBreenWood, director of field education at Case's Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences.
The issues include the sense of loss that adoptees and birth parents can feel, she said, as well as adopted children's difficulty in identifying with an adoptive family or with establishing a sense of their own identity.
Wood said the Adoption Network is the only organization in the country that deals with all the issues, all the organizations and all the members of extended families before, during and long after the adoption has been formalized.
In 20 years, it has grown from an all-volunteer group to a private nonprofit with an annual budget of $2.8 million.
More information about Adoption Network Cleveland is available at 216-325-1000 or www.adoptionnetwork.org
Ewinger, James. Cleveland Plain Dealer, April 20, 2008.
The roots of Adoption Network Cleveland grow out of BetsieNorris' quest for her own.
She is an adoptee. She found her birth parents 22 years ago and two years later founded the network in her living room.
Norris has been seeking ever since -- to open records to adults who were adopted, to help people find their own birth relatives and, indirectly, homes for thousands of children stuck in the gray abyss of foster care and county custody.
If that makes her sound like a tireless crusader, it would make her late, adoptive father proud and show just how much influence such a parent can have.
He was WilliamB. (Brad) Norris, a towering man in every sense.
BradNorris was tall, magisterial and driven by a passion for public service. He was a partner at the Hahn Loeser law firm, campaigned with others to put WCPN FM/90.3 on the air, joined the fight against the county's plan to pave over Shaker Lakes and represented Cleveland in its antitrust case against CEI.
At 16, in World War II, he was also the youngest platoon leader in his rifle company as it fought its way across southern France.
Betsie Norris, the gentle warrior, is driven by her knowledge of the man who raised her and her curiosity about the birth parents who did not.
It is not a frivolous or selfish quest and cannot be dismissed as idle curiosity.
There are emotional issues that go with the knowledge of being adopted and some that flow from a lack of knowledge, including the medical histories of people who came before them.
Then there is a sense of shame that can seep out of the secrecy that enveloped the adoption process.
And finally, there is the concern about how the search will affect the birth family, and the adoptive family.
"You don't know how many times I went to call the agency that handled my adoption and slammed the phone book shut because I thought it was selfish and it might hurt my parents," Norris said.
When an adoptee says "my parents," the reference is to the people who did the raising. As Norris said of her birth parents, "I am their daughter, but they are not my parents."
She found the couple from which she sprang, and it had a happy ending. She was embraced by her blood siblings and was in two of their weddings.
But Norris rarely uses the word "ending."
Historically adoption was viewed as an event that occurred, then people moved on. "Adoption is a lifelong process," Norris said. "There is so much more to it that unfolds over the years."
After World War II, many restrictions were placed on adoption records, in part to insulate the adoptees from the birth parents, Norris said.
However, many courts and state legislatures have been loosening the reins, especially in the past 20 years.
But not in Ohio. Last week, a pending bill was gutted of any language that would have given adoptees access to their original birth records.
One of the great ironies is that attorney Brad Norris played a major role in closing Ohio records. Betsie Norris said her father reacted to the ease with which he - or anyone else - could get birth records. His intent was to keep the public at bay, not the adoptees and birth parents.
But the legislature of 40 years ago went so far that anyone adopted after 1964 cannot get the records - their own records. Brad Norris in 1994 said the law created an absurd situation because two of his adopted children, born before 1964, have access. But his youngest son, born in 1963 but adopted the following year, does not.
Which is not to say that such searches are impossible. One of Adoption Network Cleveland's fortes is assisting people who want to find their birth parents.
But that is not the extent of its work. With "adoption" in its name, one might suppose that the network does a lot of placement work. One would be half-right.
The network is not a placement agency but has reshaped the way those organizations - both public and private - do business.
For example, CuyahogaCounty had 2,000 children in permanent custody eight years ago. Today the number is 783, ranging from infants to older teens, thanks to the network.
JimMcCafferty, director of the county's Department of Children and Family Services, said Norris and her group were chosen as the lead agency to formulate new adoption strategies that placement agencies could use.
One is Child Centered Recruitment, which gives a social worker a small caseload, so he or she can get to know the children, and get to know people who know the children, which makes it easier to find adoptive homes.
Cuyahoga County Juvenile Court Judge Peter Sikora said, "One of the court's most difficult jobs is when we grant permanent custody to children and Family Services." He said the court and the county then "are making a pledge to these kids that we will do better by them."
Sikora also said that if the child has no permanent home by the age of 18 "we've failed them." He said the network is one of the most effective means of making sure the children and teens "don't age out of the system" before finding a home.
Another feat is the expansion of the number of local therapists who understand issues unique to adoption.
The idea was to educate established psychologists and social workers, said ZoeBreenWood, director of field education at Case's Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences.
The issues include the sense of loss that adoptees and birth parents can feel, she said, as well as adopted children's difficulty in identifying with an adoptive family or with establishing a sense of their own identity.
Wood said the Adoption Network is the only organization in the country that deals with all the issues, all the organizations and all the members of extended families before, during and long after the adoption has been formalized.
In 20 years, it has grown from an all-volunteer group to a private nonprofit with an annual budget of $2.8 million.
More information about Adoption Network Cleveland is available at 216-325-1000 or www.adoptionnetwork.org
Tuesday, April 08, 2008
Link to learn more about SB 163
Foster care regulation sought
Selak, Ron. Tribune Chronicle. April 7, 2008.
WARREN — A push in Columbus to improve Ohio’s foster care system would increase background check requirements on foster parents and put in place safeguards to keep some adults from entering the system.
Senate Bill 163 is a companion piece to one lawmakers passed earlier this year that increases foster parent training from 12 to 36 hours and has a provision for improved care and placement of developmentally and mentally disabled foster kids. It becomes law on May 15.
Child protection advocates hope the measures go a long way toward upgrading the system in the wake of the 2006 death of 3-year-old Marcus Fiesel, who died after being tied up and wrapped in a blanket when his foster parents went on a weekend trip.
‘‘We believe that the two bills help us and agencies like Trumbull County Children Services to recruit good people and support those people to become good foster parents,’’ said Greg Kapcar of the Public Children Services Association of Ohio.
Trumbull CSB already requires 39 hours of training for foster parents.
The measure still being discussed would add mandatory FBI criminal background checks on all foster and adoptive parent applicants and adults in the home and add their fingerprints to a statewide database.
Included is a way to notify agencies if a licensed foster parent is convicted of or pleads guilty to any of several offenses related to sex, robbery and burglary and drugs, among many others.
Some of the safeguard provisions include expanding the list of prohibited offenses to include, among others, identity fraud, cruelty to animals and inciting violence. There’s also a ban on becoming a foster parent in Ohio if a foster care license was revoked in another state within five years prior to the Ohio application.
Trumbull CSB director Marcia Tiger said she doesn’t think the new rules would scare off potential foster parents. The process of becoming certified is intrusive already, she said.
‘‘The people know that there is going to be a lot of digging into their stuff,’’ she said.
Cynthia Mason, supervisor of Trumbull CSB’s resource department, said potential foster parents undergo financial audits, psychological evaluations and police checks in communities where they previously lived. Applicants who lived outside of Ohio within five years undergo an FBI check, and the others are given a background check through the Ohio Bureau of Identification and Investigation.
Other adults in the home also are inspected as well, Mason said.
And if someone mentions they were a Boy Scout pack leader, Tiger says, workers try to track people down to inquire about that experience.
‘‘Anything with children, we have to go back and determine if it was a good experience,’’ Tiger said.
For more information on Senate Bill 163, the measure that would strengthen requirements on foster parents, see www.pcsao.org or www.legislature.state.oh.us/
Selak, Ron. Tribune Chronicle. April 7, 2008.
WARREN — A push in Columbus to improve Ohio’s foster care system would increase background check requirements on foster parents and put in place safeguards to keep some adults from entering the system.
Senate Bill 163 is a companion piece to one lawmakers passed earlier this year that increases foster parent training from 12 to 36 hours and has a provision for improved care and placement of developmentally and mentally disabled foster kids. It becomes law on May 15.
Child protection advocates hope the measures go a long way toward upgrading the system in the wake of the 2006 death of 3-year-old Marcus Fiesel, who died after being tied up and wrapped in a blanket when his foster parents went on a weekend trip.
‘‘We believe that the two bills help us and agencies like Trumbull County Children Services to recruit good people and support those people to become good foster parents,’’ said Greg Kapcar of the Public Children Services Association of Ohio.
Trumbull CSB already requires 39 hours of training for foster parents.
The measure still being discussed would add mandatory FBI criminal background checks on all foster and adoptive parent applicants and adults in the home and add their fingerprints to a statewide database.
Included is a way to notify agencies if a licensed foster parent is convicted of or pleads guilty to any of several offenses related to sex, robbery and burglary and drugs, among many others.
Some of the safeguard provisions include expanding the list of prohibited offenses to include, among others, identity fraud, cruelty to animals and inciting violence. There’s also a ban on becoming a foster parent in Ohio if a foster care license was revoked in another state within five years prior to the Ohio application.
Trumbull CSB director Marcia Tiger said she doesn’t think the new rules would scare off potential foster parents. The process of becoming certified is intrusive already, she said.
‘‘The people know that there is going to be a lot of digging into their stuff,’’ she said.
Cynthia Mason, supervisor of Trumbull CSB’s resource department, said potential foster parents undergo financial audits, psychological evaluations and police checks in communities where they previously lived. Applicants who lived outside of Ohio within five years undergo an FBI check, and the others are given a background check through the Ohio Bureau of Identification and Investigation.
Other adults in the home also are inspected as well, Mason said.
And if someone mentions they were a Boy Scout pack leader, Tiger says, workers try to track people down to inquire about that experience.
‘‘Anything with children, we have to go back and determine if it was a good experience,’’ Tiger said.
For more information on Senate Bill 163, the measure that would strengthen requirements on foster parents, see www.pcsao.org or www.legislature.state.oh.us/
Tuesday, April 01, 2008
Jim McCafferty does not mince words about SACWIS
Cuyahoga County snubs state foster care computers; too many problems county says
Marshall, Aaron. Cleveland Plain Dealer, March 28, 2008.
Ohio has spent more than $90 million over the past decade trying to launch a computer system to keep track of tens of thousands of children across the state placed in foster care each year.
But Cuyahoga County officials say the system simply does not work, and they refuse to sign on to it, as state officials have ordered them to do by June 23.
"We have grave concerns about the system," said Jim McCafferty, director of the Cuyahoga County Department of Children and Family Services. "We will be a partner and come on when it's functioning properly and not before. "
The statewide system is supposed to allow child-welfare officials to access real-time information from anywhere in the state.
They can't get into the system to correct errors or find out which caseworkers are assigned to cases. Some counties have resorted to using spreadsheets to keep track of kids because of inaccurate or unavailable data.
The program's fiscal component has been added in only eight counties because of recurring problems that prevent counties from properly filing for reimbursement from the federal government. Columbiana and Licking counties even had to borrow hundreds of thousands of dollars from the state after the system failed.
A history of problems.
Ohio Works
• Perhaps the most high-profile failure was the $60 million Ohio Works job-matching system, hated by both workers and employers. The department pulled the plug in 2001 on the difficult-to-navigate system, which was the signature technology project of former human services director Arnold Tompkins. Tompkins was convicted of ethics charges related to accepting a $10,000-a-month consulting contract from the firm that developed Ohio Works.
Support Enforcement Tracking System
• Problems with the state's $250 million Support Enforcement Tracking System, known as SETS, contributed to $17 million in federal fines and numerous complaints about late and incorrect child-support payments. Because of a programming problem, the system improperly withheld money from former welfare recipients, which the state had to repay in 2002 and 2003. The problems subsided after a new contractor took over.
Ohio Helps
• A $2 million program called "Ohio Helps" that was intended to refer citizens to emergency-service providers had to be scrapped in 2001 because much of the information on it was wrong.
But counties that have joined the Statewide Automated Child Welfare Information System, or SACWIS, say it is plagued by crashes, glitches and access problems.
Officials at the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services have a markedly different view of the information system. While acknowledging the rollout has been problematic, they say counties that have gone the extra mile are getting a system that largely works. Some counties haven't bought into the program and aren't trying to work through the problems, state officials say.
"We need their full cooperation, and they have to be ready to do it philosophically," said Fred Williams, the department's deputy director for the division overseeing the program. "We are pushing hard to do anything and everything we can to help out partners at the county level."
State officials see no reason to wait to roll out the program -- something they had to do for several months at the end of 2007 after a complete system failure.
"It's more important to get all of the counties in the system than it is to continue to search for the perfect system," said Williams.
But McCafferty is concerned that the system won't adequately protect the roughly 40,000 kids who pass through Cuyahoga County's child welfare system -- about one-fourth of the state's foster care caseload. On Wednesday, during a closed-door meeting, county commissioners agreed to send a letter to Gov. Ted Strickland saying the county would not join the system by the June deadline.
A draft of the letter, obtained by The Plain Dealer, says the county believes that the system, at its current stage of development, has potential to place children at risk.
No one can seriously argue that the system works, the letter says.
It informs Strickland that there are 13 show stoppers or "stematic problems so dire that we can neither perform nor manage basic child protection-related activities. "
"The information system does not need enhancing; it needs fixing," the letter states.
The county's position: the problems must be resolved, the counties now in the new system must be satisfied, and the system must perform as well as Cuyahoga's current system for 60 days. The county has spent $20 million over the last decade building its own system, the letter says, because it could not rely on the state to provide one.
A succession of state bureaucrats have been trying since the mid-1990s to implement a statewide system for tracking foster children.
The hope was that such a system could help prevent tragedies such as the death of Marcus Fiesel, a Cincinnati-area child who died in August 2006 after his foster parents left him bound in a closet for two days while attending a family reunion.
Eric Fenner, director of Franklin County Job and Family Services, the largest metropolitan county to join the new tracking system so far, said McCafferty's stance makes sense.
"His unwillingness to go live with the system until the system is fixed is wise," Fenner said. "I wish I was in his shoes."
He said his staff has had major, major problems with the system since linking to it in July 2007. While some issues have been addressed, Fenner said the system's inability to generate management reports that drill down into caseloads and trends leaves him at a serious disadvantage.
"Just imagine you're flying a 747 and all of the dials in the cockpit are dark," said Fenner. "We rely on management reports to tell us how we re doing and what problems there are in the organization." He called the information that can be compiled in the new system basically useless without the management reports.
State officials say some management reports are available now.
"They have the ability to generate reports --they just have to learn how to develop the reports through the template in the system,"said Scarlett Bouder, an ODJFS spokeswoman. Deputy Director Williams downplayed the importance of the management reports, calling them "icing on the cake. "
That drew a sharp response from Fenner.
"I'm almost speechless with that -- the management reports are critically important in trying to manage a complex, metropolitan child-welfare system," he said.
Another major problem for Franklin County: A system that forces state computer specialists to correct any mistakes made when entering data so something as simple as a transposed case number or misspelled name can mean a two-week delay.
"During that wait time our data is not up to par," said Michele Bullock, Franklin County's specialist for the tracking system. "So we have to use backup systems for everything. We are basically doing double work to make sure we know where children are on a daily basis."
Bouder says that problem is being solved. "We are developing a fix for that," she said. It s in the mix.
But for McCafferty, the reliance on back-up systems to track kids shows the depth of the problems with the new design. "What kind of child welfare system do you have where you don't know where kids are?"
Other counties are also rebelling. Last week, child welfare agency heads in Cuyahoga and 10 other counties sent a letter to the state saying they won't be part of the new system until it is successfully rolled out in Hamilton County and the current problems are resolved.
As the chorus grows, the head of the Public Children Services Association of Ohio, the umbrella group representing Ohio s child-welfare agencies, wonders what the big rush is all about.
"It's unfathomable to me to continue to want counties to roll onto it when they know they aren't having success with the current users," said the association s Crystal Allen Ward.
But state officials say the system needs to be up and running because the $37.5 million contract given to Dynamics Research Corp. of Andover, Mass., to develop the system is up at the end of this fiscal year June 30.
"We operate on fiscal quarters," said Williams. "We have to complete the rollout by the end of the fiscal year."
A spokeswoman for Dynamics Research echoed Williams assertion that cooperation was the key to getting the system running properly.
"The nature of these systems are that they are very complex, so every state is going to be unique," said Duyen Truong."It's a project that requires cooperation at both ends at both the state level as well as the county level. [Dynamics Research] is essentially a provider of the system itself. There are certain areas where our role kind of stops."
Marshall, Aaron. Cleveland Plain Dealer, March 28, 2008.
Ohio has spent more than $90 million over the past decade trying to launch a computer system to keep track of tens of thousands of children across the state placed in foster care each year.
But Cuyahoga County officials say the system simply does not work, and they refuse to sign on to it, as state officials have ordered them to do by June 23.
"We have grave concerns about the system," said Jim McCafferty, director of the Cuyahoga County Department of Children and Family Services. "We will be a partner and come on when it's functioning properly and not before. "
The statewide system is supposed to allow child-welfare officials to access real-time information from anywhere in the state.
They can't get into the system to correct errors or find out which caseworkers are assigned to cases. Some counties have resorted to using spreadsheets to keep track of kids because of inaccurate or unavailable data.
The program's fiscal component has been added in only eight counties because of recurring problems that prevent counties from properly filing for reimbursement from the federal government. Columbiana and Licking counties even had to borrow hundreds of thousands of dollars from the state after the system failed.
A history of problems.
Ohio Works
• Perhaps the most high-profile failure was the $60 million Ohio Works job-matching system, hated by both workers and employers. The department pulled the plug in 2001 on the difficult-to-navigate system, which was the signature technology project of former human services director Arnold Tompkins. Tompkins was convicted of ethics charges related to accepting a $10,000-a-month consulting contract from the firm that developed Ohio Works.
Support Enforcement Tracking System
• Problems with the state's $250 million Support Enforcement Tracking System, known as SETS, contributed to $17 million in federal fines and numerous complaints about late and incorrect child-support payments. Because of a programming problem, the system improperly withheld money from former welfare recipients, which the state had to repay in 2002 and 2003. The problems subsided after a new contractor took over.
Ohio Helps
• A $2 million program called "Ohio Helps" that was intended to refer citizens to emergency-service providers had to be scrapped in 2001 because much of the information on it was wrong.
But counties that have joined the Statewide Automated Child Welfare Information System, or SACWIS, say it is plagued by crashes, glitches and access problems.
Officials at the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services have a markedly different view of the information system. While acknowledging the rollout has been problematic, they say counties that have gone the extra mile are getting a system that largely works. Some counties haven't bought into the program and aren't trying to work through the problems, state officials say.
"We need their full cooperation, and they have to be ready to do it philosophically," said Fred Williams, the department's deputy director for the division overseeing the program. "We are pushing hard to do anything and everything we can to help out partners at the county level."
State officials see no reason to wait to roll out the program -- something they had to do for several months at the end of 2007 after a complete system failure.
"It's more important to get all of the counties in the system than it is to continue to search for the perfect system," said Williams.
But McCafferty is concerned that the system won't adequately protect the roughly 40,000 kids who pass through Cuyahoga County's child welfare system -- about one-fourth of the state's foster care caseload. On Wednesday, during a closed-door meeting, county commissioners agreed to send a letter to Gov. Ted Strickland saying the county would not join the system by the June deadline.
A draft of the letter, obtained by The Plain Dealer, says the county believes that the system, at its current stage of development, has potential to place children at risk.
No one can seriously argue that the system works, the letter says.
It informs Strickland that there are 13 show stoppers or "stematic problems so dire that we can neither perform nor manage basic child protection-related activities. "
"The information system does not need enhancing; it needs fixing," the letter states.
The county's position: the problems must be resolved, the counties now in the new system must be satisfied, and the system must perform as well as Cuyahoga's current system for 60 days. The county has spent $20 million over the last decade building its own system, the letter says, because it could not rely on the state to provide one.
A succession of state bureaucrats have been trying since the mid-1990s to implement a statewide system for tracking foster children.
The hope was that such a system could help prevent tragedies such as the death of Marcus Fiesel, a Cincinnati-area child who died in August 2006 after his foster parents left him bound in a closet for two days while attending a family reunion.
Eric Fenner, director of Franklin County Job and Family Services, the largest metropolitan county to join the new tracking system so far, said McCafferty's stance makes sense.
"His unwillingness to go live with the system until the system is fixed is wise," Fenner said. "I wish I was in his shoes."
He said his staff has had major, major problems with the system since linking to it in July 2007. While some issues have been addressed, Fenner said the system's inability to generate management reports that drill down into caseloads and trends leaves him at a serious disadvantage.
"Just imagine you're flying a 747 and all of the dials in the cockpit are dark," said Fenner. "We rely on management reports to tell us how we re doing and what problems there are in the organization." He called the information that can be compiled in the new system basically useless without the management reports.
State officials say some management reports are available now.
"They have the ability to generate reports --they just have to learn how to develop the reports through the template in the system,"said Scarlett Bouder, an ODJFS spokeswoman. Deputy Director Williams downplayed the importance of the management reports, calling them "icing on the cake. "
That drew a sharp response from Fenner.
"I'm almost speechless with that -- the management reports are critically important in trying to manage a complex, metropolitan child-welfare system," he said.
Another major problem for Franklin County: A system that forces state computer specialists to correct any mistakes made when entering data so something as simple as a transposed case number or misspelled name can mean a two-week delay.
"During that wait time our data is not up to par," said Michele Bullock, Franklin County's specialist for the tracking system. "So we have to use backup systems for everything. We are basically doing double work to make sure we know where children are on a daily basis."
Bouder says that problem is being solved. "We are developing a fix for that," she said. It s in the mix.
But for McCafferty, the reliance on back-up systems to track kids shows the depth of the problems with the new design. "What kind of child welfare system do you have where you don't know where kids are?"
Other counties are also rebelling. Last week, child welfare agency heads in Cuyahoga and 10 other counties sent a letter to the state saying they won't be part of the new system until it is successfully rolled out in Hamilton County and the current problems are resolved.
As the chorus grows, the head of the Public Children Services Association of Ohio, the umbrella group representing Ohio s child-welfare agencies, wonders what the big rush is all about.
"It's unfathomable to me to continue to want counties to roll onto it when they know they aren't having success with the current users," said the association s Crystal Allen Ward.
But state officials say the system needs to be up and running because the $37.5 million contract given to Dynamics Research Corp. of Andover, Mass., to develop the system is up at the end of this fiscal year June 30.
"We operate on fiscal quarters," said Williams. "We have to complete the rollout by the end of the fiscal year."
A spokeswoman for Dynamics Research echoed Williams assertion that cooperation was the key to getting the system running properly.
"The nature of these systems are that they are very complex, so every state is going to be unique," said Duyen Truong."It's a project that requires cooperation at both ends at both the state level as well as the county level. [Dynamics Research] is essentially a provider of the system itself. There are certain areas where our role kind of stops."
Cuyahoga County has 40,000 foster children, nearly a quarter of the state's caseload
Cuyahoga County refuses to join foster care system
Lancaster Eagle Gazette, March 31, 2008.
Cuyahoga County is refusing to join a new statewide computer system for tracking abused and neglected foster children because of continued technical problems, officials said.
The state has ordered the county to sign onto the program by June 23.
In a letter to Gov. Ted Strickland drafted last week, county commissioners in the state’s largest county said they believe the program could place children at risk. The letter obtained by The (Cleveland) Plain Dealer outlines 13 problems “so dire that we can neither perform nor manage basic child protection-related activities.”
The $92 million Statewide Automated Child Welfare Information System, implemented in more than half of Ohio counties, is designed to collect data on child abuse and neglect cases, making it easier for child welfare agencies to track abusers and victims. Without the system, agencies would have to rely on independent county-by-county databases.
“We have grave concerns about the system,” said Jim McCafferty, director of the Cuyahoga County Department of Children and Family Services. “We will be a partner and come on when it’s functioning properly and not before.”
Officials have complained about persistent computer glitches that make the system inaccessible much of the time, and caseworkers have struggled with incomplete records and a backlog of data.
Cuyahoga County handles about 40,000 foster children, nearly a quarter of the state’s caseload. The county has spent $20 million over the last decade to build its own database because it could not rely on the state, the letter said.
Some other counties have abandoned the system and have been using spreadsheets to track cases. Columbiana and Licking counties have borrowed hundreds of thousands of dollars from the state after the system failed.
Officials at the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services say some counties aren’t fully cooperating with the state, making problems worse. Deputy Director Fred Williams said the state’s priority is to get every county participating, rather than continue to search for “the perfect system.”
“We are pushing hard to do anything and everything we can to help out partners at the county level,” Williams said.
The state must complete the rollout by June 30, when the $37.5 million contract with Dynamics Research Corp. of Andover, Mass. — the company that developed the system — expires.
Since joining the system in July 2007, Franklin County has encountered major problems, said Eric Fenner, director of the county’s Job and Family Services agency. Officials are unable to draft management reports, rendering the system essentially useless, he said.
“Just imagine you’re flying a 747 and all of the dials in the cockpit are dark,” Fenner said. “We rely on management reports to tell us how we’re doing and what problems there are in the organization.”
Only state computer specialists can correct data entry mistakes, which can lead to a two-week delay to fix a misspelled name.
So counties have developed backup systems. “We are basically doing double work to make sure we know where children are on a daily basis,” said Michele Bullock, Franklin County’s specialist for the tracking system.
Ohio Department of Job and Family Services spokeswoman Scarlett Bouder said the state is attempting to solve the delay issues.
Reforming the state’s foster care system became a hot-button issue after a 3-year-old boy was killed near Cincinnati in August 2006. Marcus Fiesel was left bound inside a closet for two days by his foster parents, Liz Carroll and David Carroll Jr.
Both were convicted of murder and are serving life sentences for his death.
Lancaster Eagle Gazette, March 31, 2008.
Cuyahoga County is refusing to join a new statewide computer system for tracking abused and neglected foster children because of continued technical problems, officials said.
The state has ordered the county to sign onto the program by June 23.
In a letter to Gov. Ted Strickland drafted last week, county commissioners in the state’s largest county said they believe the program could place children at risk. The letter obtained by The (Cleveland) Plain Dealer outlines 13 problems “so dire that we can neither perform nor manage basic child protection-related activities.”
The $92 million Statewide Automated Child Welfare Information System, implemented in more than half of Ohio counties, is designed to collect data on child abuse and neglect cases, making it easier for child welfare agencies to track abusers and victims. Without the system, agencies would have to rely on independent county-by-county databases.
“We have grave concerns about the system,” said Jim McCafferty, director of the Cuyahoga County Department of Children and Family Services. “We will be a partner and come on when it’s functioning properly and not before.”
Officials have complained about persistent computer glitches that make the system inaccessible much of the time, and caseworkers have struggled with incomplete records and a backlog of data.
Cuyahoga County handles about 40,000 foster children, nearly a quarter of the state’s caseload. The county has spent $20 million over the last decade to build its own database because it could not rely on the state, the letter said.
Some other counties have abandoned the system and have been using spreadsheets to track cases. Columbiana and Licking counties have borrowed hundreds of thousands of dollars from the state after the system failed.
Officials at the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services say some counties aren’t fully cooperating with the state, making problems worse. Deputy Director Fred Williams said the state’s priority is to get every county participating, rather than continue to search for “the perfect system.”
“We are pushing hard to do anything and everything we can to help out partners at the county level,” Williams said.
The state must complete the rollout by June 30, when the $37.5 million contract with Dynamics Research Corp. of Andover, Mass. — the company that developed the system — expires.
Since joining the system in July 2007, Franklin County has encountered major problems, said Eric Fenner, director of the county’s Job and Family Services agency. Officials are unable to draft management reports, rendering the system essentially useless, he said.
“Just imagine you’re flying a 747 and all of the dials in the cockpit are dark,” Fenner said. “We rely on management reports to tell us how we’re doing and what problems there are in the organization.”
Only state computer specialists can correct data entry mistakes, which can lead to a two-week delay to fix a misspelled name.
So counties have developed backup systems. “We are basically doing double work to make sure we know where children are on a daily basis,” said Michele Bullock, Franklin County’s specialist for the tracking system.
Ohio Department of Job and Family Services spokeswoman Scarlett Bouder said the state is attempting to solve the delay issues.
Reforming the state’s foster care system became a hot-button issue after a 3-year-old boy was killed near Cincinnati in August 2006. Marcus Fiesel was left bound inside a closet for two days by his foster parents, Liz Carroll and David Carroll Jr.
Both were convicted of murder and are serving life sentences for his death.
Kudos to Frances Strickland for visiting all 88 counties with Ohio Family and Children First
Governor’s wife lauds Seneca County
First Lady learns of local programs for family, children
Kromer, MaryAnn. Tiffin Advertiser Tribune, March 29, 2008.
Seneca County Family and Children First Council had a special visitor Friday — Frances Strickland, wife of Ohio’s governor, Ted Strickland.
As the chairwoman of Ohio Family and Children First, the state’s First Lady is visiting every county to speak with community representatives about their needs, successes and goals. Seneca County was the 42nd stop on the way to 88.
Arriving at 9:30 a.m., Mrs. Strickland spent more than two hours with 31 leaders representing school systems, governmental agencies and organizations in the area.
“One of the reasons Ted wanted me to take this position is that people always matter ... He wants you to know he values everything you do,” Mrs. Strickland said. “The governor appoints the chair of this at the state level. They asked me if I was interested, and he was delighted that I wanted to take it on.”
“We’re very excited to have you on the cabinet council,” said Sharon George, director of the Seneca County Family and Children First Council, who hosted the meeting.
George said she was asked to prepare a presentation to give the first lady a profile of the local population with statistics on income, employment and schools. The program also included the council’s staff, programs, activities, challenges and successes.
Scott Urban of Tiffin City Schools spoke about the 12-15 percent increase in the poverty rate over the last seven years, resulting in more transient families.
He also noted the rising numbers of schoolchildren, especially in the primary grades, with bipolar illness and autism. He said administrators must be able to advise teachers about the agencies and programs available to help children and families.
“Mental health issues are a major challenge to our staff ... They’re the front line of defense in working with these students,” Urban said. “Our staff is dealing with a different group of parents than they’ve had in the past.”
Connie Dorr, assistant superintendent of Fostoria Community Schools, told Mrs. Strickland of difficulties in maintaining regular school attendance and bridging the language barrier. Marjorie Broadhead, director of the Seneca County Health District, shared her concerns about sexually transmitted diseases among youth and about the disintegration of the family. She appealed to Mrs. Strickland to “Help us provide affordable access to care in our county,” including mental health counseling and dental care.
On the positive side, George listed successful efforts FCFC has been able to coordinate. They included: Partnerships for Success, Drug-Free Communities Support Grant;wraparound coordination; school/agency consortiums; multi-systemic therapy; teen pregnancy prevention, resulting in 25 percent reduction of births to unwed mothers; Scholastic book distribution and volunteer reading program; and mentoring programs with Ridge Mentoring Center.
George said future projects include establishing a pre-teen center, bringing Big Brothers/Big Sisters back to Seneca County, fatherhood initiatives, and family coaching and mentoring. Strickland expressed interest in having teleconferences in which people from Seneca County could make presentations about the Parenting Passport and other successful programs with the state FCFC cabinet and with other counties.
Mrs. Strickland said she was encouraged at the level of collaboration Seneca County entities already had achieved.
“This county seems to be leaders in seeing the community as a whole. They seem to see the social service system here as a unit working together. That’s the way we want to go in the future,” Strickland said. “You all are operating at the level I was hoping to find in the second round. ... You realize that you’re better together than you are separate.”
The two main concerns that Strickland has heard at nearly every stop are the need for flexible funding, such as block grants, and the rise of mental illnesses, such as substance abuse and depression, among youth and their families. Strickland said she is learning more about what local agencies are dealing with and about the “complicated lives” of clients. Before departing, she asked those attending to pinpoint the outdated policies that are hampering their effectiveness and inform her of possible solutions and outcomes.
Having been trained as psychologists, the Stricklands both have worked with at-risk citizens. The first lady said her goals include establishing trust between the public and government and approaching problems with optimism that they can be solved. She said the governor plans to “be out” having forums for other programs, as well.
“Ted’s and my greatest fear is getting insulated from the real world up there at the state level. He came out of the trenches. I did too. We were always complaining that ‘somebody at the state level needs to know this.’ We want to make sure we allow that openness of communication and those good ideas to make it to the top,” Mrs. Strickland said. “This was the best road for me to do that, that I could think of.”
Her next stop was Kenton and the Hardin County FCFC. The winter weather only canceled two of her planned visits. Mrs. Strickland said she will do a follow-up in all the counties this fall in hopes of obtaining more details and specific needs.
“We might have more specific questions we want to ask about ideas we’re having.” Strickland said. “We think as people become more aware of the direction we need to go as a state, there will be a greater understanding about how to make the best use of our funds.”
Mrs. Strickland encouraged Seneca County to continue the “creative and innovative” strategies they have been using to collaborate and use pooled funds across multiple agencies. She said Ohioans can be very generous when they understand goals and methods of achieving them.
“People get satisfaction out of solving problems. They care, and they like to show that they care, but nobody wants to support something they don’t understand,” Strickland said. “You’re trying to solve your problems, and that’s what we really want.”
First Lady learns of local programs for family, children
Kromer, MaryAnn. Tiffin Advertiser Tribune, March 29, 2008.
Seneca County Family and Children First Council had a special visitor Friday — Frances Strickland, wife of Ohio’s governor, Ted Strickland.
As the chairwoman of Ohio Family and Children First, the state’s First Lady is visiting every county to speak with community representatives about their needs, successes and goals. Seneca County was the 42nd stop on the way to 88.
Arriving at 9:30 a.m., Mrs. Strickland spent more than two hours with 31 leaders representing school systems, governmental agencies and organizations in the area.
“One of the reasons Ted wanted me to take this position is that people always matter ... He wants you to know he values everything you do,” Mrs. Strickland said. “The governor appoints the chair of this at the state level. They asked me if I was interested, and he was delighted that I wanted to take it on.”
“We’re very excited to have you on the cabinet council,” said Sharon George, director of the Seneca County Family and Children First Council, who hosted the meeting.
George said she was asked to prepare a presentation to give the first lady a profile of the local population with statistics on income, employment and schools. The program also included the council’s staff, programs, activities, challenges and successes.
Scott Urban of Tiffin City Schools spoke about the 12-15 percent increase in the poverty rate over the last seven years, resulting in more transient families.
He also noted the rising numbers of schoolchildren, especially in the primary grades, with bipolar illness and autism. He said administrators must be able to advise teachers about the agencies and programs available to help children and families.
“Mental health issues are a major challenge to our staff ... They’re the front line of defense in working with these students,” Urban said. “Our staff is dealing with a different group of parents than they’ve had in the past.”
Connie Dorr, assistant superintendent of Fostoria Community Schools, told Mrs. Strickland of difficulties in maintaining regular school attendance and bridging the language barrier. Marjorie Broadhead, director of the Seneca County Health District, shared her concerns about sexually transmitted diseases among youth and about the disintegration of the family. She appealed to Mrs. Strickland to “Help us provide affordable access to care in our county,” including mental health counseling and dental care.
On the positive side, George listed successful efforts FCFC has been able to coordinate. They included: Partnerships for Success, Drug-Free Communities Support Grant;wraparound coordination; school/agency consortiums; multi-systemic therapy; teen pregnancy prevention, resulting in 25 percent reduction of births to unwed mothers; Scholastic book distribution and volunteer reading program; and mentoring programs with Ridge Mentoring Center.
George said future projects include establishing a pre-teen center, bringing Big Brothers/Big Sisters back to Seneca County, fatherhood initiatives, and family coaching and mentoring. Strickland expressed interest in having teleconferences in which people from Seneca County could make presentations about the Parenting Passport and other successful programs with the state FCFC cabinet and with other counties.
Mrs. Strickland said she was encouraged at the level of collaboration Seneca County entities already had achieved.
“This county seems to be leaders in seeing the community as a whole. They seem to see the social service system here as a unit working together. That’s the way we want to go in the future,” Strickland said. “You all are operating at the level I was hoping to find in the second round. ... You realize that you’re better together than you are separate.”
The two main concerns that Strickland has heard at nearly every stop are the need for flexible funding, such as block grants, and the rise of mental illnesses, such as substance abuse and depression, among youth and their families. Strickland said she is learning more about what local agencies are dealing with and about the “complicated lives” of clients. Before departing, she asked those attending to pinpoint the outdated policies that are hampering their effectiveness and inform her of possible solutions and outcomes.
Having been trained as psychologists, the Stricklands both have worked with at-risk citizens. The first lady said her goals include establishing trust between the public and government and approaching problems with optimism that they can be solved. She said the governor plans to “be out” having forums for other programs, as well.
“Ted’s and my greatest fear is getting insulated from the real world up there at the state level. He came out of the trenches. I did too. We were always complaining that ‘somebody at the state level needs to know this.’ We want to make sure we allow that openness of communication and those good ideas to make it to the top,” Mrs. Strickland said. “This was the best road for me to do that, that I could think of.”
Her next stop was Kenton and the Hardin County FCFC. The winter weather only canceled two of her planned visits. Mrs. Strickland said she will do a follow-up in all the counties this fall in hopes of obtaining more details and specific needs.
“We might have more specific questions we want to ask about ideas we’re having.” Strickland said. “We think as people become more aware of the direction we need to go as a state, there will be a greater understanding about how to make the best use of our funds.”
Mrs. Strickland encouraged Seneca County to continue the “creative and innovative” strategies they have been using to collaborate and use pooled funds across multiple agencies. She said Ohioans can be very generous when they understand goals and methods of achieving them.
“People get satisfaction out of solving problems. They care, and they like to show that they care, but nobody wants to support something they don’t understand,” Strickland said. “You’re trying to solve your problems, and that’s what we really want.”
No SACWIS for Cuyahoga County
Cuyahoga County Refuses To Join State Foster Care Database
NewsNet5.com, March 30, 2008.
(CLEVELAND, Ohio) Cuyahoga County officials are refusing to join a new statewide computer system for tracking abused and neglected foster children because of continued technical problems.
The state has ordered the county to sign onto the program by June 23.
In a letter to Gov. Trd Strickland, county commissioners said they believe the program could place children at risk due to severe glitches.
The $92 million Statewide Automated Child Welfare Information System is designed to collect data on child abuse and neglect cases. It replaces independent county-by-county databases.
Some counties have abandoned the flawed system for spreadsheets to track cases. Officials cite computer glitches that make the system inaccessible, and caseworkers have struggled with incomplete records and a data backlog.
NewsNet5.com, March 30, 2008.
(CLEVELAND, Ohio) Cuyahoga County officials are refusing to join a new statewide computer system for tracking abused and neglected foster children because of continued technical problems.
The state has ordered the county to sign onto the program by June 23.
In a letter to Gov. Trd Strickland, county commissioners said they believe the program could place children at risk due to severe glitches.
The $92 million Statewide Automated Child Welfare Information System is designed to collect data on child abuse and neglect cases. It replaces independent county-by-county databases.
Some counties have abandoned the flawed system for spreadsheets to track cases. Officials cite computer glitches that make the system inaccessible, and caseworkers have struggled with incomplete records and a data backlog.
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Concern about negative stigma attached to foster parenting
Boy's Death Attaches Stigma To Foster Parenting
Area Agencies Struggle To Recruit Prospective Parents
WLWT, March 24, 2008.
CINCINNATI -- Efforts to recruit foster parents in three southwest Ohio counties have foundered since the death of a child who was bound and left in a closet.
Tough background checks were instituted to weed out bad risks, but the increased scrutiny also led good prospective foster parents to walk away.
"There's been a negative stigma attached to foster parenting," said Brian Gregg, spokesman for the Hamilton County Department of Job and Family Services. "A lot of people have gotten out of it because of that; they don't want the extra scrutiny."
sponsor
Some background checks have uncovered serious offenses, such as child endangering or felonious assault; others show minor traffic violations. The checks have spooked people with any sort of record, Gregg said.
Hamilton County has contracts with about 260 private foster homes, about one-third fewer than two years ago, Gregg said.
Background checks came about after the August 2006 death of Marcus Fiesel, a 3-year-old developmentally delayed boy who was placed by Butler County with a couple in Clermont County. Both counties border Hamilton County.
The boy died when he was bound and left in a closet while his foster parents, who were convicted of his murder, attended a weekend family reunion in Kentucky. Investigators later found the couple's background should have raised numerous red flags about their fitness to be foster parents.
A year ago, Hamilton County created a system to compare the names of foster parents, and those who applied to be foster parents, with police and court records. The system was expanded last fall to include national databases.
To make up for its shortfall, Hamilton County kicked off a $1 million campaign in January to recruit 100 new foster homes. The TV ads show ordinary people in tights and a cape performing everyday functions, like washing dishes or taking out the trash. It calls them "Everyday Heroes" whose status is confirmed by their willingness to take foster children into their homes.
The agency also is setting up recruiting events at libraries, coffee shops and adoption fairs, and is doing some direct mailing.
So far, 157 people have responded to the ads, Gregg said. But it takes four to six months to get through the process of becoming a foster parent, so it's too early to say how many will end up being certified.
The Clermont County Department of Job and Family Services has scheduled a series of public presentations through May to attract foster parent prospects.
"We know many people in Clermont County have thought about becoming foster parents but are concerned about how it will affect their lives and families," said department Director Tom McCartney.
Butler County Children Services is running television spots and a mail-in campaign aimed at prospective foster parents, hoping to reduce the number of children sent to other counties.
"Our first priority is the kids, and staying close to home is what's best for them," said Director Mike Fox. "It enables us to serve them better."
Fox said the shortage of local placements predates the death of Marcus Fiesel, and that about 70 percent of Butler County children living in foster care are sent out of the county.
Gregg said Hamilton County has about 850 children in foster care on any given day, and that about 30 percent of them must be sent outside the county.
Recruiting foster parents is a statewide problem, he said.
"Everybody's having trouble recruiting," said Karen Jorgenson, executive director of the National Foster Parent Association based in Gig Harbor, Wash. She said reimbursement is a problem, particularly in Ohio.
"It's not just because of the scrutiny," she said. "It's the cost of living, of two parents working, although, indeed, negative press does have an impact."
She said Ohio's reimbursement rate is way below the national average of $501 a month for a school-age child. Ohio's basic rate of $275 a month, regardless of the child's age, she said, while the true cost of care is $727 – and more for a teenager.
"We are working with Ohio, advocating a change there," Jorgenson said.
"We're not in it for the money. But we at least want our cost covered."
Area Agencies Struggle To Recruit Prospective Parents
WLWT, March 24, 2008.
CINCINNATI -- Efforts to recruit foster parents in three southwest Ohio counties have foundered since the death of a child who was bound and left in a closet.
Tough background checks were instituted to weed out bad risks, but the increased scrutiny also led good prospective foster parents to walk away.
"There's been a negative stigma attached to foster parenting," said Brian Gregg, spokesman for the Hamilton County Department of Job and Family Services. "A lot of people have gotten out of it because of that; they don't want the extra scrutiny."
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Some background checks have uncovered serious offenses, such as child endangering or felonious assault; others show minor traffic violations. The checks have spooked people with any sort of record, Gregg said.
Hamilton County has contracts with about 260 private foster homes, about one-third fewer than two years ago, Gregg said.
Background checks came about after the August 2006 death of Marcus Fiesel, a 3-year-old developmentally delayed boy who was placed by Butler County with a couple in Clermont County. Both counties border Hamilton County.
The boy died when he was bound and left in a closet while his foster parents, who were convicted of his murder, attended a weekend family reunion in Kentucky. Investigators later found the couple's background should have raised numerous red flags about their fitness to be foster parents.
A year ago, Hamilton County created a system to compare the names of foster parents, and those who applied to be foster parents, with police and court records. The system was expanded last fall to include national databases.
To make up for its shortfall, Hamilton County kicked off a $1 million campaign in January to recruit 100 new foster homes. The TV ads show ordinary people in tights and a cape performing everyday functions, like washing dishes or taking out the trash. It calls them "Everyday Heroes" whose status is confirmed by their willingness to take foster children into their homes.
The agency also is setting up recruiting events at libraries, coffee shops and adoption fairs, and is doing some direct mailing.
So far, 157 people have responded to the ads, Gregg said. But it takes four to six months to get through the process of becoming a foster parent, so it's too early to say how many will end up being certified.
The Clermont County Department of Job and Family Services has scheduled a series of public presentations through May to attract foster parent prospects.
"We know many people in Clermont County have thought about becoming foster parents but are concerned about how it will affect their lives and families," said department Director Tom McCartney.
Butler County Children Services is running television spots and a mail-in campaign aimed at prospective foster parents, hoping to reduce the number of children sent to other counties.
"Our first priority is the kids, and staying close to home is what's best for them," said Director Mike Fox. "It enables us to serve them better."
Fox said the shortage of local placements predates the death of Marcus Fiesel, and that about 70 percent of Butler County children living in foster care are sent out of the county.
Gregg said Hamilton County has about 850 children in foster care on any given day, and that about 30 percent of them must be sent outside the county.
Recruiting foster parents is a statewide problem, he said.
"Everybody's having trouble recruiting," said Karen Jorgenson, executive director of the National Foster Parent Association based in Gig Harbor, Wash. She said reimbursement is a problem, particularly in Ohio.
"It's not just because of the scrutiny," she said. "It's the cost of living, of two parents working, although, indeed, negative press does have an impact."
She said Ohio's reimbursement rate is way below the national average of $501 a month for a school-age child. Ohio's basic rate of $275 a month, regardless of the child's age, she said, while the true cost of care is $727 – and more for a teenager.
"We are working with Ohio, advocating a change there," Jorgenson said.
"We're not in it for the money. But we at least want our cost covered."
Brief update on Hamilton, Butler and Clermont Counties
A look at foster care in 3 SW Ohio counties
Akron Beacon Journal, March 24, 2008.
(Akron,OH) A look at foster parent recruiting in three southwest Ohio counties:
RECRUITING: Hamilton, Butler and Clermont counties have recruitment campaigns to build up the number of foster homes and foster parents.
THE CHILDREN: About 850 children in foster care in Hamilton County, about 350 each in Butler and Clermont counties.
BACKGROUND CHECKS: Were stepped up following the death in August 2006 of a 3-year-old boy who was bound and left in a closet for two days. The foster parents were convicted of his murder. Investigators later found the couple's background should have raised numerous red flags about their fitness to be foster parents.
Akron Beacon Journal, March 24, 2008.
(Akron,OH) A look at foster parent recruiting in three southwest Ohio counties:
RECRUITING: Hamilton, Butler and Clermont counties have recruitment campaigns to build up the number of foster homes and foster parents.
THE CHILDREN: About 850 children in foster care in Hamilton County, about 350 each in Butler and Clermont counties.
BACKGROUND CHECKS: Were stepped up following the death in August 2006 of a 3-year-old boy who was bound and left in a closet for two days. The foster parents were convicted of his murder. Investigators later found the couple's background should have raised numerous red flags about their fitness to be foster parents.
Monday, March 24, 2008
Advocating for kinship care in Athens
Economy hurting displaced children
Athens Messenger, March 23, 2008.
(Athens,OH) Many of the same crises we see worldwide are occurring in our own backyard, and no one seems to notice. Ever increasing numbers of children in Southeastern Ohio are being subjected to neglect, abuse and hunger, and not just by their parents, but more so by our bureaucratic systems.
The results of living in such dire conditions leaves many of these children physically challenged and emotionally traumatized. Some of these youngsters who have lived the rigors of an unsafe and unstable home life have but one prospect; placement in a home with strangers (via the foster care program).
Children belong in familiar, loving surroundings. How are they to receive this emotional support during their most demanding hours while in the home of strangers via foster care?
The most obvious resolution for these displaced children is their extended family. One would think it a simple act to bring a child into your home. Especially if it is your grandchild, niece, nephew, or cousin - each sweet child deserves the security of his or her own family.
But placing children with their relatives, which seems the most positive outcome, has one very worrisome detail. It is the lack of adequate income to provide for the addition of these young souls.
The staggering rise in the cost of living already straps our regional families to the point of merely surviving. How can we ask grandparents, aunts and uncles, many of whom are on fixed incomes, to provide for these children with the small stipend provided by the apparently unaware legislators of Ohio?
It appears our legislative body would prefer to place our loved ones with strangers - since the lawmakers give foster care providers $600 a month per child, while allotting family caregivers $245 for the first child and $91 for each child thereafter. Relatives may have undying love, but they may not have the means to support these children.
Ever increasing numbers of retired persons are being charged with the safekeeping of their grandchildren, while they themselves reside near or below poverty levels.
Poverty marks these forsaken children and their aging caregivers to a life of harsh winters without adequate heat, enough food to last the month, and insufficient dental care and clothing. There are no extras for anyone in the household. They just survive.
I wonder when the legislators last visited with true Appalachian families of Southeastern Ohio.
I wonder too if they could live on a stipend of under $500 per month. I would guess that legislators spend more on a weekend on the town than they allot to those of lesser advantage to eke out for a month.
I'd like to ask that the local communities open their hearts to the plight of their neighbors. Look beyond what you have, what you aspire to, and share of yourself with those of lesser fortune.
There are several persons and agencies trying to make life better for those with lesser benefits, and to them I say thank you for your compassion and your efforts.
Rep. Jimmy Stewart of the 92nd District recently petitioned the legislative body in a desperate appeal to raise the standards of living for the caregivers by even $100 per month. His request for assistance was blatantly denied.
I welcome those individuals who I champion to contact me, or any of the following organizations as well as your legislators, so that together we may find an answer to this regrettable and redeemable situation.
Ohio Developmental Disabilities Council , 740-594-3533; martyz@havar.org
Athens Country Job & Family Services, Director Jack Frech, 740-592-4477;
Rep. Jimmy Stewart, 614-466-2158; district92@ohr.state.oh.us
Ohio Empowerment Coalition Safe & Stable Families Campaign, Kinship Care Provider Advocacy, 1-877-862-5179
Lyda Gunter is a grandmother/care provider. Contact her at lgunter@frognet.net
Athens Messenger, March 23, 2008.
(Athens,OH) Many of the same crises we see worldwide are occurring in our own backyard, and no one seems to notice. Ever increasing numbers of children in Southeastern Ohio are being subjected to neglect, abuse and hunger, and not just by their parents, but more so by our bureaucratic systems.
The results of living in such dire conditions leaves many of these children physically challenged and emotionally traumatized. Some of these youngsters who have lived the rigors of an unsafe and unstable home life have but one prospect; placement in a home with strangers (via the foster care program).
Children belong in familiar, loving surroundings. How are they to receive this emotional support during their most demanding hours while in the home of strangers via foster care?
The most obvious resolution for these displaced children is their extended family. One would think it a simple act to bring a child into your home. Especially if it is your grandchild, niece, nephew, or cousin - each sweet child deserves the security of his or her own family.
But placing children with their relatives, which seems the most positive outcome, has one very worrisome detail. It is the lack of adequate income to provide for the addition of these young souls.
The staggering rise in the cost of living already straps our regional families to the point of merely surviving. How can we ask grandparents, aunts and uncles, many of whom are on fixed incomes, to provide for these children with the small stipend provided by the apparently unaware legislators of Ohio?
It appears our legislative body would prefer to place our loved ones with strangers - since the lawmakers give foster care providers $600 a month per child, while allotting family caregivers $245 for the first child and $91 for each child thereafter. Relatives may have undying love, but they may not have the means to support these children.
Ever increasing numbers of retired persons are being charged with the safekeeping of their grandchildren, while they themselves reside near or below poverty levels.
Poverty marks these forsaken children and their aging caregivers to a life of harsh winters without adequate heat, enough food to last the month, and insufficient dental care and clothing. There are no extras for anyone in the household. They just survive.
I wonder when the legislators last visited with true Appalachian families of Southeastern Ohio.
I wonder too if they could live on a stipend of under $500 per month. I would guess that legislators spend more on a weekend on the town than they allot to those of lesser advantage to eke out for a month.
I'd like to ask that the local communities open their hearts to the plight of their neighbors. Look beyond what you have, what you aspire to, and share of yourself with those of lesser fortune.
There are several persons and agencies trying to make life better for those with lesser benefits, and to them I say thank you for your compassion and your efforts.
Rep. Jimmy Stewart of the 92nd District recently petitioned the legislative body in a desperate appeal to raise the standards of living for the caregivers by even $100 per month. His request for assistance was blatantly denied.
I welcome those individuals who I champion to contact me, or any of the following organizations as well as your legislators, so that together we may find an answer to this regrettable and redeemable situation.
Ohio Developmental Disabilities Council , 740-594-3533; martyz@havar.org
Athens Country Job & Family Services, Director Jack Frech, 740-592-4477;
Rep. Jimmy Stewart, 614-466-2158; district92@ohr.state.oh.us
Ohio Empowerment Coalition Safe & Stable Families Campaign, Kinship Care Provider Advocacy, 1-877-862-5179
Lyda Gunter is a grandmother/care provider. Contact her at lgunter@frognet.net
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Cleveland has insufficient number of Jewish foster homes
Need for more Jewish foster-care families hits home
Fine, Arlene. Cleveland Jewish News.
Last October, Fred Taub’s website news@frumcleveland.org began alerting the Jewish community about the plight of three Orthodox Jewish children who were in need of foster care.
The children temporarily lived with a Cleveland Heights family until mid-January. After a legal hearing last month, the Common Pleas Court gave the county custody of the children. They were appointed a county social worker, who placed the siblings with a foster-care family in Mansfield.
The fact that these children now live in a community 50 miles away from Cleveland’s Orthodox hub has raised important issues. “Three young, vulnerable children have been removed from our community because we are powerless to help them,” says Taub. “We as a community have many emergency safety nets, but we missed the boat on this one. Our only Orthodox foster-care family could not accommodate these children, so no one else was legally allowed to take all three of these children in.”
Since this incident, there has been a call to action within the Orthodox community for interested adults to take the state-mandated steps to become state-certified foster parents. Green Road Synagogue’s Rabbi Melvin Granatstein has mentioned the need for more licensed foster-care homes from his pulpit, and Fuchs Mizrachi School’s Shabbat memo also alerted interested adults how to begin the foster-care licensing process.
“Not many Jewish children come into foster care because there are informal networks within the Jewish community that provide help for families in crisis,” says Karen Anderson, director of foster care and adoption at Bellefaire/JCB. “However, when we do have a situation where Jewish children need to be placed outside their home, we would like to have a wide range of potential resources for them.”
Foster care is not just for older children, adds Anderson. “Occasionally we have a Jewish infant waiting for adoptive placement,” she says. “We need foster-care homes where an infant can be taken care of for a short or prolonged period of time until we find the right adoptive parents.”
For information on Bellefaire/ JCB’s foster-care program, go to www.bellefaire/jcb.org or call Anderson at 216-320-8468.
� 21 years old with sufficient income to support your household.
� Free from any condition that could negatively affect the care of a foster child and willing to work with the social service agency as part of the treatment team.
� Home-study process must be completed, including home visits by an agency worker, interviews with all household members, fire and safety inspections, fingerprinting/ criminal record checks, medical examinations, and reference checks.
� Must attend pre-service training prior to certification. Once all activities are completed satisfactorily, the social service agency will recommend your certification to the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services.
� Updates of your home study at least every two years after certification is complete.
� Ongoing training, which can be obtained through the agency’s training program.
Fine, Arlene. Cleveland Jewish News.
Last October, Fred Taub’s website news@frumcleveland.org began alerting the Jewish community about the plight of three Orthodox Jewish children who were in need of foster care.
The children temporarily lived with a Cleveland Heights family until mid-January. After a legal hearing last month, the Common Pleas Court gave the county custody of the children. They were appointed a county social worker, who placed the siblings with a foster-care family in Mansfield.
The fact that these children now live in a community 50 miles away from Cleveland’s Orthodox hub has raised important issues. “Three young, vulnerable children have been removed from our community because we are powerless to help them,” says Taub. “We as a community have many emergency safety nets, but we missed the boat on this one. Our only Orthodox foster-care family could not accommodate these children, so no one else was legally allowed to take all three of these children in.”
Since this incident, there has been a call to action within the Orthodox community for interested adults to take the state-mandated steps to become state-certified foster parents. Green Road Synagogue’s Rabbi Melvin Granatstein has mentioned the need for more licensed foster-care homes from his pulpit, and Fuchs Mizrachi School’s Shabbat memo also alerted interested adults how to begin the foster-care licensing process.
“Not many Jewish children come into foster care because there are informal networks within the Jewish community that provide help for families in crisis,” says Karen Anderson, director of foster care and adoption at Bellefaire/JCB. “However, when we do have a situation where Jewish children need to be placed outside their home, we would like to have a wide range of potential resources for them.”
Foster care is not just for older children, adds Anderson. “Occasionally we have a Jewish infant waiting for adoptive placement,” she says. “We need foster-care homes where an infant can be taken care of for a short or prolonged period of time until we find the right adoptive parents.”
For information on Bellefaire/ JCB’s foster-care program, go to www.bellefaire/jcb.org or call Anderson at 216-320-8468.
� 21 years old with sufficient income to support your household.
� Free from any condition that could negatively affect the care of a foster child and willing to work with the social service agency as part of the treatment team.
� Home-study process must be completed, including home visits by an agency worker, interviews with all household members, fire and safety inspections, fingerprinting/ criminal record checks, medical examinations, and reference checks.
� Must attend pre-service training prior to certification. Once all activities are completed satisfactorily, the social service agency will recommend your certification to the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services.
� Updates of your home study at least every two years after certification is complete.
� Ongoing training, which can be obtained through the agency’s training program.
Thursday, March 06, 2008
Concerns that Ohio foster care reforms are not thorough
Editorial: Foster-care bill smothers the truth under a bureaucratic blanket
Cleveland Plain Dealer, Feb. 22, 2008.
Taken at their word, Gov. Ted Strickland and his aides are the biggest promoters of "transparency" this side of Saran Wrap. It's too bad the rhetoric doesn't extend to Ohio's foster-care records.
Strickland signed a bill last week that "reforms" foster care. The measure resulted from the 2006 murder in suburban Cincinnati of 3-year-old Marcus Fiesel, a ward of Butler County. Marcus died while tied up and stuck in a closet for a weekend so his "caregivers" could attend a family reunion in Kentucky, unburdened of his needs.
The murder was sufficiently horrible that it roused even the General Assembly into what passes for action there. Reduced to essentials, the legislation required more training for foster parents.
The bill does something else, too. It hides what, until now, has been public information about foster parents.
Thanks to the bill, only if a foster parent is charged with a crime that would legally disqualify him or her from foster parenthood would Ohioans know anything about that parent or his record. In plain English, only after another Marcus dies, or only after another caregiver is charged with a crime, will anyone be able to hold Ohio's social-work bureaucracy accountable.
Michael Fox, a Republican former Ohio House member who took charge of Butler County Children Services after Marcus' murder, opposes such secrecy. But the General Assembly likes it, and now the governor has gone along.
That same governor has been using a Jobs & Family Services legal brief composed of flimsy anecdotes to buffalo a quest by the Cincinnati Enquirer to expose the carelessness - arguably, the stupidity - that consigned Marcus to his terrible death. The Ohio Supreme Court could redeem its spotty open-government record by siding with the Enquirer.
Meanwhile, Ted Strickland eventually will learn a lesson that other Ohio governors have learned at a great political price: When bureaucrats hide information, it's not just the taxpayers who lose. It's also the governor of Ohio, because fettering the Open Records Law blinds governors to messes that no underling will ever reveal - until it's too late.
Cleveland Plain Dealer, Feb. 22, 2008.
Taken at their word, Gov. Ted Strickland and his aides are the biggest promoters of "transparency" this side of Saran Wrap. It's too bad the rhetoric doesn't extend to Ohio's foster-care records.
Strickland signed a bill last week that "reforms" foster care. The measure resulted from the 2006 murder in suburban Cincinnati of 3-year-old Marcus Fiesel, a ward of Butler County. Marcus died while tied up and stuck in a closet for a weekend so his "caregivers" could attend a family reunion in Kentucky, unburdened of his needs.
The murder was sufficiently horrible that it roused even the General Assembly into what passes for action there. Reduced to essentials, the legislation required more training for foster parents.
The bill does something else, too. It hides what, until now, has been public information about foster parents.
Thanks to the bill, only if a foster parent is charged with a crime that would legally disqualify him or her from foster parenthood would Ohioans know anything about that parent or his record. In plain English, only after another Marcus dies, or only after another caregiver is charged with a crime, will anyone be able to hold Ohio's social-work bureaucracy accountable.
Michael Fox, a Republican former Ohio House member who took charge of Butler County Children Services after Marcus' murder, opposes such secrecy. But the General Assembly likes it, and now the governor has gone along.
That same governor has been using a Jobs & Family Services legal brief composed of flimsy anecdotes to buffalo a quest by the Cincinnati Enquirer to expose the carelessness - arguably, the stupidity - that consigned Marcus to his terrible death. The Ohio Supreme Court could redeem its spotty open-government record by siding with the Enquirer.
Meanwhile, Ted Strickland eventually will learn a lesson that other Ohio governors have learned at a great political price: When bureaucrats hide information, it's not just the taxpayers who lose. It's also the governor of Ohio, because fettering the Open Records Law blinds governors to messes that no underling will ever reveal - until it's too late.
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Cradle to Prison Pipleline Crisis
Children aging out of the foster care system face difficult odds
Seale, Shelley. Aurora, OH, Feb. 25, 2008.
Children in the foster care system have typically already survived significant trauma or abuse, but as they grow older and approach aging out of the system, they face even more difficult odds. Children who reach 18 and adulthood in the foster care system without being adopted or having any family or mentor of their own have staggeringly high rates of imprisonment, homelessness, alcohol and substance abuse, and a myriad of other problems.
Children in the foster care system, or with a history of abuse and neglect, are at higher risk of being trapped in the Cradle to Prison Pipeline, the path by which the chances of an individual one day ending up in prison can be predicted based on factors present in his or her childhood, which make that child much more likely to end up incarcerated as an adult. Poverty is the largest driving force of the Cradle to Prison Pipeline crisis, as defined by the Children's Defense Fund.
In Texas, among all children, 1 in 4 (24.9 percent or 1,548,069) was poor. A baby is born poor every five minutes in the state:
o A Black baby is born poor every 32 minutes.
o A Latino baby is born poor every seven minutes.
o A White, non-Latino baby is born poor every 33 minutes.
o An American Indian/Alaska Native baby is born poor every 20 hours.
o An Asian baby is born poor every nine hours.
Other factors that significantly impact the odds of a child entering the Cradle to Prison Pipeline include lack of early childhood education, poor education received later, disadvantaged health care, experienced violence, and simply being a person of color. Children in the foster care system often experience one or more of these factors, as well as losing their birth home and parents, and dealing with the trauma of abuse or neglect. These children are desperately in need of a family to call their own. They are in danger of falling through the cracks and being lost forever without one.
Recently, Dr. Tracy Eilers, a friend of mine and director of The Heart Gallery, sent me the following information about a boy, Jarod, who is about to age out of the foster care system and has almost given up hope on a family to call his own. The prospects for kids who age out of the system are grim.
Dr. Eilers says, "18 isn't a good thing for kids in foster care." Sent out on their own with no one to care for them or teach them how to be an adult in the world, half of these kids end up homeless. "Week after week, we film segments for Forever Families... week after week, I meet the most amazing kids... and every second of every day I hope beyond all hope that we can make a difference in these kids lives... I don't know if I have ever hoped so much as for Jarod."
Last year at this time, Jarod was showing off his Junior ROTC uniform for his Forever Families segment. He was 15-years-old and only recently decided he wanted to be adopted. Jarod's goal was to become a Sergeant, but he moved from foster home to foster home this year, and isn't in ROTC anymore. The rest of year has been filled with just as many disappointments, and now his outlook on life is bleak. No 16-year-old should feel this hopeless.
Jarod came in to foster care when he was 10-years-old from his uncle's house, where there were five kids, Jarod and his sister, and their three cousins. Jarod was the one who had to go into foster care.
He's had a very hard time trusting adults, and who could blame him? Now he's 16-years-old and repeating the 9th grade. In two years, he'll age out of the foster care system. Foster teens on their own are at a higher risk of homelessness and substance abuse. "To me, it seems like it's too late. For life, I guess. When I turn 18, I don't know what I'm going to do," he said.
Jarod's anger, frustration, and confusion have caused him to give up on adoption. His aunt was going to adopt him, but it wasn't a good fit. They lived together for a month, but kept getting into fights. Now Jarod is in a shelter, where he says things aren't going well.
"I got in trouble because I broke a door. I feel mad all the time. It's not foster care; it's not being adopted. It's just when I turn 18, what am I going to do? Am I going to be on the streets? I don't know what I'm going to do. I barely got an education. Ain't nothing to do," he said.
Jarod is out of hope. He feels he's out of time and he has no idea what to do about it. Ask about his future, and he shuts down. Though Jarod seems to have given up on himself, he still has another year.
Many children like Jarod have new hope through the innovative initiative, The Heart Gallery. This program combines professional portraits by renowned documentary and portrait photographers of children in foster care who are waiting to be adopted with art show-style exhibits around the country.
Dr. Eilers, of the Adoption Coalition of Texas, led the formation of the Heart Gallery of Central Texas several years ago. The goal of The Heart Gallery of Central Texas is to elicit support for and interest in the lives of these children - and ultimately find each child and sibling group a "forever family."
At any given moment, there are 500 children waiting for adoption in the Central Texas foster care system, all removed from their natural family due to abuse or neglect. The Heart Gallery process helps break down common misconceptions regarding adoption and promotes the idea that if you can provide a safe and loving home for a child, even if you are a single individual or do not own a home, you can still adopt.
"It's extraordinary to know that in just the two years of the Heart Gallery program, over 60% of the children featured in portraits were adopted," said Dr. Eilers. "This remarkable rate of success proves this effort has been effective in raising awareness for the kids and the Central Texas foster care system overall. Every year after the debut, we receive thousands of phone calls and emails from all over the country and we want that to keep happening."
"Seeing these children in photographs as they laugh and play is a very powerful experience. We want to inspire people to learn more about adopting from the foster care system. Our whole purpose is to humanize these children, display their personalities, and give a glimpse into their souls," explained Eilers.
Seale, Shelley. Aurora, OH, Feb. 25, 2008.
Children in the foster care system have typically already survived significant trauma or abuse, but as they grow older and approach aging out of the system, they face even more difficult odds. Children who reach 18 and adulthood in the foster care system without being adopted or having any family or mentor of their own have staggeringly high rates of imprisonment, homelessness, alcohol and substance abuse, and a myriad of other problems.
Children in the foster care system, or with a history of abuse and neglect, are at higher risk of being trapped in the Cradle to Prison Pipeline, the path by which the chances of an individual one day ending up in prison can be predicted based on factors present in his or her childhood, which make that child much more likely to end up incarcerated as an adult. Poverty is the largest driving force of the Cradle to Prison Pipeline crisis, as defined by the Children's Defense Fund.
In Texas, among all children, 1 in 4 (24.9 percent or 1,548,069) was poor. A baby is born poor every five minutes in the state:
o A Black baby is born poor every 32 minutes.
o A Latino baby is born poor every seven minutes.
o A White, non-Latino baby is born poor every 33 minutes.
o An American Indian/Alaska Native baby is born poor every 20 hours.
o An Asian baby is born poor every nine hours.
Other factors that significantly impact the odds of a child entering the Cradle to Prison Pipeline include lack of early childhood education, poor education received later, disadvantaged health care, experienced violence, and simply being a person of color. Children in the foster care system often experience one or more of these factors, as well as losing their birth home and parents, and dealing with the trauma of abuse or neglect. These children are desperately in need of a family to call their own. They are in danger of falling through the cracks and being lost forever without one.
Recently, Dr. Tracy Eilers, a friend of mine and director of The Heart Gallery, sent me the following information about a boy, Jarod, who is about to age out of the foster care system and has almost given up hope on a family to call his own. The prospects for kids who age out of the system are grim.
Dr. Eilers says, "18 isn't a good thing for kids in foster care." Sent out on their own with no one to care for them or teach them how to be an adult in the world, half of these kids end up homeless. "Week after week, we film segments for Forever Families... week after week, I meet the most amazing kids... and every second of every day I hope beyond all hope that we can make a difference in these kids lives... I don't know if I have ever hoped so much as for Jarod."
Last year at this time, Jarod was showing off his Junior ROTC uniform for his Forever Families segment. He was 15-years-old and only recently decided he wanted to be adopted. Jarod's goal was to become a Sergeant, but he moved from foster home to foster home this year, and isn't in ROTC anymore. The rest of year has been filled with just as many disappointments, and now his outlook on life is bleak. No 16-year-old should feel this hopeless.
Jarod came in to foster care when he was 10-years-old from his uncle's house, where there were five kids, Jarod and his sister, and their three cousins. Jarod was the one who had to go into foster care.
He's had a very hard time trusting adults, and who could blame him? Now he's 16-years-old and repeating the 9th grade. In two years, he'll age out of the foster care system. Foster teens on their own are at a higher risk of homelessness and substance abuse. "To me, it seems like it's too late. For life, I guess. When I turn 18, I don't know what I'm going to do," he said.
Jarod's anger, frustration, and confusion have caused him to give up on adoption. His aunt was going to adopt him, but it wasn't a good fit. They lived together for a month, but kept getting into fights. Now Jarod is in a shelter, where he says things aren't going well.
"I got in trouble because I broke a door. I feel mad all the time. It's not foster care; it's not being adopted. It's just when I turn 18, what am I going to do? Am I going to be on the streets? I don't know what I'm going to do. I barely got an education. Ain't nothing to do," he said.
Jarod is out of hope. He feels he's out of time and he has no idea what to do about it. Ask about his future, and he shuts down. Though Jarod seems to have given up on himself, he still has another year.
Many children like Jarod have new hope through the innovative initiative, The Heart Gallery. This program combines professional portraits by renowned documentary and portrait photographers of children in foster care who are waiting to be adopted with art show-style exhibits around the country.
Dr. Eilers, of the Adoption Coalition of Texas, led the formation of the Heart Gallery of Central Texas several years ago. The goal of The Heart Gallery of Central Texas is to elicit support for and interest in the lives of these children - and ultimately find each child and sibling group a "forever family."
At any given moment, there are 500 children waiting for adoption in the Central Texas foster care system, all removed from their natural family due to abuse or neglect. The Heart Gallery process helps break down common misconceptions regarding adoption and promotes the idea that if you can provide a safe and loving home for a child, even if you are a single individual or do not own a home, you can still adopt.
"It's extraordinary to know that in just the two years of the Heart Gallery program, over 60% of the children featured in portraits were adopted," said Dr. Eilers. "This remarkable rate of success proves this effort has been effective in raising awareness for the kids and the Central Texas foster care system overall. Every year after the debut, we receive thousands of phone calls and emails from all over the country and we want that to keep happening."
"Seeing these children in photographs as they laugh and play is a very powerful experience. We want to inspire people to learn more about adopting from the foster care system. Our whole purpose is to humanize these children, display their personalities, and give a glimpse into their souls," explained Eilers.
Friday, February 22, 2008
Hooray for Mike Fox
Children Services makes surprise visits
Cincinnati Enquirer, Feb 22, 2008.
Six of 38 homes that received surprise visits from Butler County Children Services officials Wednesday night will be further investigated for alleged violations of no-contact court orders.
One person also was arrested by Butler County Sheriff's deputies as part of the blitz they called “Operation Knock Knock,” but it was for an unrelated charge.
These details were announced today as part of a press conference that comes just one week before voters will decide whether or not to replace an existing tax levy for the children services agency.
The goal, officials said, was to make sure that children in those homes are safe.
The operation involved visits to families where court orders, such as temporary restraining orders and civil protection orders, prohibit adult family members from having contact with children in the household.
“If the court or our caseworkers prohibit an adult from having contact with a child our agency is involved with, we need to make sure that is happening,” said Children Services Director Mike Fox in a prepared statement. “We need to do everything within our power to make sure our children are safe.”
Cincinnati Enquirer, Feb 22, 2008.
Six of 38 homes that received surprise visits from Butler County Children Services officials Wednesday night will be further investigated for alleged violations of no-contact court orders.
One person also was arrested by Butler County Sheriff's deputies as part of the blitz they called “Operation Knock Knock,” but it was for an unrelated charge.
These details were announced today as part of a press conference that comes just one week before voters will decide whether or not to replace an existing tax levy for the children services agency.
The goal, officials said, was to make sure that children in those homes are safe.
The operation involved visits to families where court orders, such as temporary restraining orders and civil protection orders, prohibit adult family members from having contact with children in the household.
“If the court or our caseworkers prohibit an adult from having contact with a child our agency is involved with, we need to make sure that is happening,” said Children Services Director Mike Fox in a prepared statement. “We need to do everything within our power to make sure our children are safe.”
Monday, February 18, 2008
Levy would support the needs of children in foster care
County looking to pass new 1.5-mill levy
Greier, Mary Ann, SalemNews, Feb. 18, 2008.
Fast Levy Facts
1.5-mill levy
To cover costs for abused, neglected and dependent children in Columbiana County
Will raise $2.1 million per year
If approved, .75-mill levy currently used for services will be discontinued
$27.56 annual cost to owner of $60,000 home;
$45.94 annual cost to owner of $100,000 home
LISBON — There’s a saying that it takes a community to raise a child, but in some cases, the community must shoulder the financial burden of those children in its care.
On March 4, Columbiana County will ask the community for a new 1.5-mill tax levy to cover costs for services to abused, neglected and dependent children in the care of Children Services.
“When a child’s own family cannot or will not care for them, we as a society have said we will take on that responsibility — that comes with a price tag,” county Department of Job and Family Services Director Eileen Dray-Bardon said.
The new five-year levy will generate more than $2.1 million per year. If voters approve, Dray-Bardon said they’ll discontinue the .75-mill levy currently collected for abused, neglected and dependent children.
The current levy generates about $800,000 per year, so the overall gain will be about $1.3 million, if voters approve.
She explained they explored the idea of a replacement levy for the .75 mills being collected, but it would have only garnered an additional $200,000 per year.
“A replacement isn’t going to generate enough additional revenue to carry us through,” she said.
Dray-Bardon noted the money from the levy covers exactly what the ballot language says it covers, “for the purpose of providing food, clothing, shelter, housing, medical care, counseling and other necessary services for abused, neglected and dependent children.”
“All this money is used for the children,” DJFS Business Office Administrator Carol Harvey said.
Dray-Bardon said the levy does not cover salaries except in the case of the workers at the Kyes Group Home in East Palestine, a 24/7 residential home for girls owned by the county and operated by DJFS with a portion of the levy money. The home costs about $200,000 per year to operate, which covers all the salaries, utilities, food, and other costs associated with a household. The staff includes three full-time workers and four part-time workers who oversee the girls living there. The home can hold about 10 girls at a time.
A child can end up the responsibility of Children Services in a number of ways, most commonly through abuse or neglect or through the courts. If an investigation of abuse or neglect warrants it, the agency petitions the court for custody of the child, with the goal always to reunify the child with the family or provide some type of permanence for the child.
In some cases, the child may be involved in the Juvenile Court system and the court will order the agency to take custody. In extreme cases, where a child may be orphaned and no one is available to take the child, then the child becomes dependent on the agency.
Dray-Bardon cited increasing costs for services, an increasing number of children who need counseling and other residential treatment care and a reduced reimbursement from the federal government to cover those costs.
The federal reimbursement covers 60 percent of the cost for a child determined to be 4E eligible, meaning their family’s income levy must be below a certain number. Unfortunately, she said fewer and fewer of the children they serve are 4E eligible because the federal government bases eligibility on 1996 poverty income levels. The income levels are higher now.
According to figures provided by Dray-Bardon and Harvey, 73 percent of the children in their care qualified as 4E eligible in 2001. In 2007, that number dropped to 60 percent.
Of the children in residential treatment, which is the most expensive service they’re required to provide, 70 percent of the children were eligible for the federal reimbursement. That number dropped to 50 percent in 2007.
What that means is that the agency must pay 100 percent of the cost for half of the children in residential care and 40 percent of the cost for the other half. In 2006, the number of children in residential care was 90.
“We’re getting kids with more serious issues and they’re needing more severe treatment,” Dray-Bardon said.
Fox Run Hospital, one of the residential treatment facilities the county uses, charges $316 per day per child. Another facility, Bridgeway, charges $125 per day for both foster care or treatment. Homes for Kids offers foster care for $63 per day, charging $78 per day if treatment is involved. Bair charges $58 per day for foster care and $76 per day for treatment.
With the average stay in residential treatment 90 days, the costs can add up.
Besides the residential treatment facilities, Kyes or other group homes, children can also be placed with foster families, some licensed by the county and others licensed by other counties or private foundations located in the county.
Columbiana County Children Services licenses about 27 families who take in foster children.
Harvey said “people think foster parents make a lot of money,” but that’s not the case.
Foster families licensed by the county receive a per diem of $11 per day per child from birth to 11 years old and $16 per day per child from age 12 to 17 years old. Twice a year, they receive a clothing allowance of $150 per child and they must submit receipts to prove how the money was spent.
Harvey said they always try to place children locally because it’s cheaper for the agency and better for the parents to be able to visit the child.
Dray-Bardon said they try to reduce their costs, but much of it is out of their control. The services have to be provided.
The current levy was first approved in 2000 and renewed in 2004 for five years. It doesn’t expire until 2009, but collections will be stopped if the new levy is approved.
Greier, Mary Ann, SalemNews, Feb. 18, 2008.
Fast Levy Facts
1.5-mill levy
To cover costs for abused, neglected and dependent children in Columbiana County
Will raise $2.1 million per year
If approved, .75-mill levy currently used for services will be discontinued
$27.56 annual cost to owner of $60,000 home;
$45.94 annual cost to owner of $100,000 home
LISBON — There’s a saying that it takes a community to raise a child, but in some cases, the community must shoulder the financial burden of those children in its care.
On March 4, Columbiana County will ask the community for a new 1.5-mill tax levy to cover costs for services to abused, neglected and dependent children in the care of Children Services.
“When a child’s own family cannot or will not care for them, we as a society have said we will take on that responsibility — that comes with a price tag,” county Department of Job and Family Services Director Eileen Dray-Bardon said.
The new five-year levy will generate more than $2.1 million per year. If voters approve, Dray-Bardon said they’ll discontinue the .75-mill levy currently collected for abused, neglected and dependent children.
The current levy generates about $800,000 per year, so the overall gain will be about $1.3 million, if voters approve.
She explained they explored the idea of a replacement levy for the .75 mills being collected, but it would have only garnered an additional $200,000 per year.
“A replacement isn’t going to generate enough additional revenue to carry us through,” she said.
Dray-Bardon noted the money from the levy covers exactly what the ballot language says it covers, “for the purpose of providing food, clothing, shelter, housing, medical care, counseling and other necessary services for abused, neglected and dependent children.”
“All this money is used for the children,” DJFS Business Office Administrator Carol Harvey said.
Dray-Bardon said the levy does not cover salaries except in the case of the workers at the Kyes Group Home in East Palestine, a 24/7 residential home for girls owned by the county and operated by DJFS with a portion of the levy money. The home costs about $200,000 per year to operate, which covers all the salaries, utilities, food, and other costs associated with a household. The staff includes three full-time workers and four part-time workers who oversee the girls living there. The home can hold about 10 girls at a time.
A child can end up the responsibility of Children Services in a number of ways, most commonly through abuse or neglect or through the courts. If an investigation of abuse or neglect warrants it, the agency petitions the court for custody of the child, with the goal always to reunify the child with the family or provide some type of permanence for the child.
In some cases, the child may be involved in the Juvenile Court system and the court will order the agency to take custody. In extreme cases, where a child may be orphaned and no one is available to take the child, then the child becomes dependent on the agency.
Dray-Bardon cited increasing costs for services, an increasing number of children who need counseling and other residential treatment care and a reduced reimbursement from the federal government to cover those costs.
The federal reimbursement covers 60 percent of the cost for a child determined to be 4E eligible, meaning their family’s income levy must be below a certain number. Unfortunately, she said fewer and fewer of the children they serve are 4E eligible because the federal government bases eligibility on 1996 poverty income levels. The income levels are higher now.
According to figures provided by Dray-Bardon and Harvey, 73 percent of the children in their care qualified as 4E eligible in 2001. In 2007, that number dropped to 60 percent.
Of the children in residential treatment, which is the most expensive service they’re required to provide, 70 percent of the children were eligible for the federal reimbursement. That number dropped to 50 percent in 2007.
What that means is that the agency must pay 100 percent of the cost for half of the children in residential care and 40 percent of the cost for the other half. In 2006, the number of children in residential care was 90.
“We’re getting kids with more serious issues and they’re needing more severe treatment,” Dray-Bardon said.
Fox Run Hospital, one of the residential treatment facilities the county uses, charges $316 per day per child. Another facility, Bridgeway, charges $125 per day for both foster care or treatment. Homes for Kids offers foster care for $63 per day, charging $78 per day if treatment is involved. Bair charges $58 per day for foster care and $76 per day for treatment.
With the average stay in residential treatment 90 days, the costs can add up.
Besides the residential treatment facilities, Kyes or other group homes, children can also be placed with foster families, some licensed by the county and others licensed by other counties or private foundations located in the county.
Columbiana County Children Services licenses about 27 families who take in foster children.
Harvey said “people think foster parents make a lot of money,” but that’s not the case.
Foster families licensed by the county receive a per diem of $11 per day per child from birth to 11 years old and $16 per day per child from age 12 to 17 years old. Twice a year, they receive a clothing allowance of $150 per child and they must submit receipts to prove how the money was spent.
Harvey said they always try to place children locally because it’s cheaper for the agency and better for the parents to be able to visit the child.
Dray-Bardon said they try to reduce their costs, but much of it is out of their control. The services have to be provided.
The current levy was first approved in 2000 and renewed in 2004 for five years. It doesn’t expire until 2009, but collections will be stopped if the new levy is approved.
Michael Fox was hoping for greater foster care reforms
Marcus Fiesel case inspires new foster reform law
Strickland's signing of foster care bill 'a first step'
Wilson, Richard. Lebanon Western Star, Feb. 14, 2008.
HAMILTON — Foster care reforms proposed after the death of Marcus Fiesel will soon be implemented statewide.
On Wednesday, Feb. 13, Gov. Ted Strickland signed HB 214, a bill co-sponsored by state Rep. Courtney Combs, R-Hamilton, that is a "first step" toward adding resources to children services to monitor foster parents and evaluate potential caregivers.
Marcus Fiesel, a 3-year-old developmentally disabled boy from Middletown, died at the hands of his foster parents, Liz and David Carroll Jr., who are incarcerated following murder convictions in his August 2006 death.
State Sen. Gary Cates, R-West Chester Twp., sponsored a companion bill in the Senate. The bill becomes law on April 13, more than a year after Marcus' August 2006 death.
The 3-year-old developmentally disabled Middletown boy was killed while in the care of his foster parents after Butler County Children Services took him out of his mother's home. Foster parents Liz and David Carroll Jr. were convicted in the case last year.
The reforms include increasing the preplacement training for foster caregivers from 24 to 36 hours and allowing foster caregivers to fulfill up to 20 percent of their continuing training requirement by teaching training classes or mentoring other foster caregivers.
Michael Fox, executive director of Butler County Children Services, said the bill doesn't change much in the county. His agency is already doing what the law is requiring, Fox said.
"The bill doesn't do any harm, but it doesn't do much good either," he said.
Strickland's signing of foster care bill 'a first step'
Wilson, Richard. Lebanon Western Star, Feb. 14, 2008.
HAMILTON — Foster care reforms proposed after the death of Marcus Fiesel will soon be implemented statewide.
On Wednesday, Feb. 13, Gov. Ted Strickland signed HB 214, a bill co-sponsored by state Rep. Courtney Combs, R-Hamilton, that is a "first step" toward adding resources to children services to monitor foster parents and evaluate potential caregivers.
Marcus Fiesel, a 3-year-old developmentally disabled boy from Middletown, died at the hands of his foster parents, Liz and David Carroll Jr., who are incarcerated following murder convictions in his August 2006 death.
State Sen. Gary Cates, R-West Chester Twp., sponsored a companion bill in the Senate. The bill becomes law on April 13, more than a year after Marcus' August 2006 death.
The 3-year-old developmentally disabled Middletown boy was killed while in the care of his foster parents after Butler County Children Services took him out of his mother's home. Foster parents Liz and David Carroll Jr. were convicted in the case last year.
The reforms include increasing the preplacement training for foster caregivers from 24 to 36 hours and allowing foster caregivers to fulfill up to 20 percent of their continuing training requirement by teaching training classes or mentoring other foster caregivers.
Michael Fox, executive director of Butler County Children Services, said the bill doesn't change much in the county. His agency is already doing what the law is requiring, Fox said.
"The bill doesn't do any harm, but it doesn't do much good either," he said.
Wagner bill
Wagner foster care bill on Strickland’s desk
Risner, Kevin. Tiffin Advertiser Tribune, Feb. 11, 2008.
State Rep. Jeff Wagner, R-Sycamore, announced last week House Bill 214 has been approved by the Ohio legislature and now is awaiting the signature of Gov. Ted Strickland.
“Because I was a foster parent I was asked to carry the bill,” Wagner said.
“My main concern when we started with this was that we didn’t overreact.
“This came out of a tragic situation in southern Ohio where a child had been murdered by his foster parents. So the natural reaction of government is to overreact and make it too hard to be a foster parent. That’s when I got involved because I didn’t want that overreaction to happen.”
The bill contains a number of foster care reforms, including improving the training of foster parents, ensuring that foster parent information is adequately protected, creating mentoring programs for current and prospective foster caregivers, and enhancing placement procedures for MRDD children.
Wagner said part of the process of creating and moving the bill to passage was to meet with interested parties, such as child care providers and representatives of Child and Family Services. The goal was to form a bill that could make the foster care system safe while not making it too difficult to become a foster parent, he said.
“One of the neat things the foster parents brought to us was the training, which is often by a case worker who means well but doesn’t really have the experience,” Wagner said.
“This bill would allow experienced foster care givers to use some of the continuous training hours to mentor younger care givers, maybe somebody who is entering the system. That’s a real hands-on way of making the system better.”
Part of the bill became controversial, Wagner said. With the Cincinnati Enquirer filing a lawsuit to learn the identities of foster care parents throughout the state, other newspapers joined to oppose language in the bill to shield the identity of foster parents.
“Once these names and information becomes public information, you compromise the safety of foster parents and foster children,” Wagner said. “You are going to have foster parents leave the system or just not sign up. I thought it was important that we just spell that out in law, that that is not public record, other than certain circumstances.”
Wagner said the bill includes three exceptions by which the identity of foster parents would become public record.
Wagner said identifying foster parents and personal information could have a chilling effect on keeping foster parents or recruiting new foster parents.
If people know potentially embarrassing information from their distant past might be revealed, such as a DUI conviction from a decade prior, they may shy away from the foster care program.
“We are already begging for foster homes,” Wagner said. “We don’t have enough in any county in the state. If you lose another 500 or 1,000, it’s just a tragedy. Those kids won’t have homes to go to.”
Wagner said the governor could sign the bill at any time, or he may wait until a companion bill is passed, and then sign the two bills at the same time. If he waits for the second bill, a few weeks could pass before the bill is signed and becomes law.
Risner, Kevin. Tiffin Advertiser Tribune, Feb. 11, 2008.
State Rep. Jeff Wagner, R-Sycamore, announced last week House Bill 214 has been approved by the Ohio legislature and now is awaiting the signature of Gov. Ted Strickland.
“Because I was a foster parent I was asked to carry the bill,” Wagner said.
“My main concern when we started with this was that we didn’t overreact.
“This came out of a tragic situation in southern Ohio where a child had been murdered by his foster parents. So the natural reaction of government is to overreact and make it too hard to be a foster parent. That’s when I got involved because I didn’t want that overreaction to happen.”
The bill contains a number of foster care reforms, including improving the training of foster parents, ensuring that foster parent information is adequately protected, creating mentoring programs for current and prospective foster caregivers, and enhancing placement procedures for MRDD children.
Wagner said part of the process of creating and moving the bill to passage was to meet with interested parties, such as child care providers and representatives of Child and Family Services. The goal was to form a bill that could make the foster care system safe while not making it too difficult to become a foster parent, he said.
“One of the neat things the foster parents brought to us was the training, which is often by a case worker who means well but doesn’t really have the experience,” Wagner said.
“This bill would allow experienced foster care givers to use some of the continuous training hours to mentor younger care givers, maybe somebody who is entering the system. That’s a real hands-on way of making the system better.”
Part of the bill became controversial, Wagner said. With the Cincinnati Enquirer filing a lawsuit to learn the identities of foster care parents throughout the state, other newspapers joined to oppose language in the bill to shield the identity of foster parents.
“Once these names and information becomes public information, you compromise the safety of foster parents and foster children,” Wagner said. “You are going to have foster parents leave the system or just not sign up. I thought it was important that we just spell that out in law, that that is not public record, other than certain circumstances.”
Wagner said the bill includes three exceptions by which the identity of foster parents would become public record.
Wagner said identifying foster parents and personal information could have a chilling effect on keeping foster parents or recruiting new foster parents.
If people know potentially embarrassing information from their distant past might be revealed, such as a DUI conviction from a decade prior, they may shy away from the foster care program.
“We are already begging for foster homes,” Wagner said. “We don’t have enough in any county in the state. If you lose another 500 or 1,000, it’s just a tragedy. Those kids won’t have homes to go to.”
Wagner said the governor could sign the bill at any time, or he may wait until a companion bill is passed, and then sign the two bills at the same time. If he waits for the second bill, a few weeks could pass before the bill is signed and becomes law.
Tuscarawas County needs more foster parents
Wanted: Temporary lodging in caring homes Brown, Renee. New Philadelphia Times Reporter, Feb. 10, 2008.
As the number of children being removed from their homes due to abuse and neglect continues to rise, so does the need for foster and adoptive homes.
Social workers at the Tuscarawas County Department of Job & Family Services are always on the lookout for caring, qualified adults to become foster and/or adoptive parents. Regular family foster homes and therapeutic foster homes, for children with more needs. are constantly are being sought.
"Fifteen years ago, the agency had two dozen children in foster care at a time," said Lisa Wodkowski, case management supervisor. These days, that number is almost always more than 100 and hit 150 last year.
In January 2002, 51 children were in foster care. In 2004, the average number of children in foster care per month was 106. That number climbed to 145 per month in 2006 and dropped slightly to 136 per month in 2007. Last year, January had the lowest number at 127, compared with 151 in April.
As a result of the lack of enough foster homes in the county, the majority of youngsters in care either in the temporary or permanent custody of the agency are placed in treatment foster homes out of county and far away, said agency attorney David Haverfield.
In 2007, about 20 regular family foster homes were utilized along with three treatment foster homes and about a dozen residential group homes in the county. The rest of the children were placed out of the county, creating a major cost to county taxpayers.
Haverfield said family foster care homes receive $24 per day to care for children without behavioral problems. Therapeutic foster homes receive up to $80 per day and residential placements for very ill children can cost $300 per day.
A foster home usually is the second option for social workers. When a child is removed from his or her home, social workers try to find a suitable kinship placement.
The list of benefits to the child who is brought into a safe and loving home is nearly endless. However, there is one aspect of fostering that many potential parents struggle with.
"The biggest challenge of a foster parent is to care for children and then see them leave," said Gayle Hahn, placement services supervisor. "The foster family has to be willing to work with the birth family to encourage reunification. And for that reason, not everyone can be a foster parent. Most children go home."
The agency requires all parents to be certified both in foster care and as potential adoptive parents and 33 hours of training must be completed. When the birth parents' parental rights are severed permanently, the foster family has first opportunity to adopt. As a result, the agency sees a lot of foster homes come and go.
"A lot of kids we get are adopted by the foster parent and many stop because they are filled up,"Haverfield said. "But we have a lot who come back and take more foster placements."
Potential foster/adoptive parents also are told to look elsewhere if they are interested only in taking infants. Foster parents also must be willing to accept a child at any time of the day or night.
"Our goal is one placement at the emergency stage until the end of the case," Haverfield said. "It is a tough adjustment. It's like the kid going to a strange country."
The screening process to become a foster/adoptive parent includes a criminal background check. Applicants also are checked through the state's abuse/neglect registry. As a result, the local agency has not had any problems with criminals becoming foster parents.
According to the federal government, a child can stay in the agency's temporary custody foster care for up to one year. At the end of one year, the agency must decide whether to return the child to the home or ask the courts for permanent custody. If permanent custody is granted, the parents lose all parental rights and the child becomes the ward of the agency, paving the way for adoption.
Last year, 30 children were adopted; one-third of those were children age 4 and younger. That number was down from the 37 adopted in 2006. It is worth noting that generally, 75 percent of foster children are adopted by their foster families. Extra effort is taken in the placement of older children as most adoption inquiries are made about children younger than 7.
There are no religious affiliation requirements to be an adoptive parent. A potential adoptive parent must be at least 21 years old. Single people can become foster parents but the person's marital status must not have changed within the year prior to application.
The agency makes every attempt at keeping sibling groups together. Last year, five sibling groups of two, one sibling group of three and one sibling group of four were adopted.
Anyone interested in becoming a foster and/or adoptive parent is asked to contact the Tuscarawas County Department of Job and Family Services at (330) 339-7791 or 1 (800) 431-2347 or by visiting http://web.tusco.net/tcjfs
As the number of children being removed from their homes due to abuse and neglect continues to rise, so does the need for foster and adoptive homes.
Social workers at the Tuscarawas County Department of Job & Family Services are always on the lookout for caring, qualified adults to become foster and/or adoptive parents. Regular family foster homes and therapeutic foster homes, for children with more needs. are constantly are being sought.
"Fifteen years ago, the agency had two dozen children in foster care at a time," said Lisa Wodkowski, case management supervisor. These days, that number is almost always more than 100 and hit 150 last year.
In January 2002, 51 children were in foster care. In 2004, the average number of children in foster care per month was 106. That number climbed to 145 per month in 2006 and dropped slightly to 136 per month in 2007. Last year, January had the lowest number at 127, compared with 151 in April.
As a result of the lack of enough foster homes in the county, the majority of youngsters in care either in the temporary or permanent custody of the agency are placed in treatment foster homes out of county and far away, said agency attorney David Haverfield.
In 2007, about 20 regular family foster homes were utilized along with three treatment foster homes and about a dozen residential group homes in the county. The rest of the children were placed out of the county, creating a major cost to county taxpayers.
Haverfield said family foster care homes receive $24 per day to care for children without behavioral problems. Therapeutic foster homes receive up to $80 per day and residential placements for very ill children can cost $300 per day.
A foster home usually is the second option for social workers. When a child is removed from his or her home, social workers try to find a suitable kinship placement.
The list of benefits to the child who is brought into a safe and loving home is nearly endless. However, there is one aspect of fostering that many potential parents struggle with.
"The biggest challenge of a foster parent is to care for children and then see them leave," said Gayle Hahn, placement services supervisor. "The foster family has to be willing to work with the birth family to encourage reunification. And for that reason, not everyone can be a foster parent. Most children go home."
The agency requires all parents to be certified both in foster care and as potential adoptive parents and 33 hours of training must be completed. When the birth parents' parental rights are severed permanently, the foster family has first opportunity to adopt. As a result, the agency sees a lot of foster homes come and go.
"A lot of kids we get are adopted by the foster parent and many stop because they are filled up,"Haverfield said. "But we have a lot who come back and take more foster placements."
Potential foster/adoptive parents also are told to look elsewhere if they are interested only in taking infants. Foster parents also must be willing to accept a child at any time of the day or night.
"Our goal is one placement at the emergency stage until the end of the case," Haverfield said. "It is a tough adjustment. It's like the kid going to a strange country."
The screening process to become a foster/adoptive parent includes a criminal background check. Applicants also are checked through the state's abuse/neglect registry. As a result, the local agency has not had any problems with criminals becoming foster parents.
According to the federal government, a child can stay in the agency's temporary custody foster care for up to one year. At the end of one year, the agency must decide whether to return the child to the home or ask the courts for permanent custody. If permanent custody is granted, the parents lose all parental rights and the child becomes the ward of the agency, paving the way for adoption.
Last year, 30 children were adopted; one-third of those were children age 4 and younger. That number was down from the 37 adopted in 2006. It is worth noting that generally, 75 percent of foster children are adopted by their foster families. Extra effort is taken in the placement of older children as most adoption inquiries are made about children younger than 7.
There are no religious affiliation requirements to be an adoptive parent. A potential adoptive parent must be at least 21 years old. Single people can become foster parents but the person's marital status must not have changed within the year prior to application.
The agency makes every attempt at keeping sibling groups together. Last year, five sibling groups of two, one sibling group of three and one sibling group of four were adopted.
Anyone interested in becoming a foster and/or adoptive parent is asked to contact the Tuscarawas County Department of Job and Family Services at (330) 339-7791 or 1 (800) 431-2347 or by visiting http://web.tusco.net/tcjfs
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Foster parents mentoring one another
New foster care law will protect kids
Carey, Jim. Chillicothe Gazette, Feb. 13, 2008.
The tragic murder of a 3-year-old foster child from southwest Ohio in the summer of 2006 has been at the center of an ongoing campaign in the General Assembly to address problems in the state's foster care system. Last Tuesday, the Senate took an important step forward in this effort.
As some of you may recall, in August 2006, a developmentally-disabled boy from Clermont County named Marcus Fiesel was killed by his foster parents Liz and David Carroll, who bound him in a blanket and left him alone in a sweltering closet while they traveled to an out-of-state family reunion. The couple returned home to find him dead, then proceeded to burn his body and dispose of the remains.
News of this gruesome event sent shockwaves through communities across the state and rallied legislators, government agency representatives and child advocates to the table to take a close look at Ohio's system of placing foster children. After receiving a detailed report on the Fiesel case from the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services shortly after his death, the group conducted an extensive review of the state's foster care system and laid-out several key recommendations for change.
One of these recommendations is at the heart of legislation which was passed unanimously by the Senate this past week. House Bill 214, a measure that I am proud to co-sponsor, would increase the number of training hours required to be a foster parent in Ohio from 24 to 36.
And, importantly, at the urging of current foster parents, the bill allows prospective parents to complete this training requirement through mentoring programs that pair new foster parents with experienced foster caregivers.
This means families looking to take in a foster kid will not only receive more hours of training but will have the opportunity to work one-on-one with men and women who have been in their shoes before and have valuable knowledge to share about the process.
In addition, HB 214 includes a measure that seeks to weed out "bad actors" in Ohio's foster care system and protect foster children from potentially harmful, unlawful caregivers. Should a foster parent have their license revoked or be accused or convicted of a crime, the bill would require information about that foster parent and the placement of children with that individual to become public record.
With this measure in place, the state not only ensures proper oversight of the system, but works to protect the privacy of honest caregivers, who could be discouraged from becoming a foster parent if their personal information was publicly-accessible.
The General Assembly has also taken other important steps to strengthen Ohio's foster care system. In House Bill 119, the most recent state budget bill, a provision was included to create a 10-county pilot program through the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, designed to give foster care placement agencies more resources to measure a child's placement needs. For instance, Marcus Fiesel was reported to be autistic and needed more specialized care than other children in the system.
The Senate has also passed legislation, Senate Bill 163, which incorporates other recommendations from the working group of state leaders and child advocates, including added protections for foster kids, improved cooperation among government agencies to prevent children from being placed in dangerous homes and more information to public service agencies, better enabling them to remove a child should problems develop. This bill is now under consideration in the Ohio House.
Ohio's children are the future of our state, and we should do everything possible to ensure all kids have the support and protection they need. Many foster children are already in a difficult situation, moving from home to home. They should not have to worry about whether their new family will harm them.
The General Assembly has taken important steps to keep foster children safe and place them in loving homes. I will work to see that this effort continues.
Carey, R-Wellston, represents Ohio's 17th State Senate District. This includes Chillicothe.
Carey, Jim. Chillicothe Gazette, Feb. 13, 2008.
The tragic murder of a 3-year-old foster child from southwest Ohio in the summer of 2006 has been at the center of an ongoing campaign in the General Assembly to address problems in the state's foster care system. Last Tuesday, the Senate took an important step forward in this effort.
As some of you may recall, in August 2006, a developmentally-disabled boy from Clermont County named Marcus Fiesel was killed by his foster parents Liz and David Carroll, who bound him in a blanket and left him alone in a sweltering closet while they traveled to an out-of-state family reunion. The couple returned home to find him dead, then proceeded to burn his body and dispose of the remains.
News of this gruesome event sent shockwaves through communities across the state and rallied legislators, government agency representatives and child advocates to the table to take a close look at Ohio's system of placing foster children. After receiving a detailed report on the Fiesel case from the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services shortly after his death, the group conducted an extensive review of the state's foster care system and laid-out several key recommendations for change.
One of these recommendations is at the heart of legislation which was passed unanimously by the Senate this past week. House Bill 214, a measure that I am proud to co-sponsor, would increase the number of training hours required to be a foster parent in Ohio from 24 to 36.
And, importantly, at the urging of current foster parents, the bill allows prospective parents to complete this training requirement through mentoring programs that pair new foster parents with experienced foster caregivers.
This means families looking to take in a foster kid will not only receive more hours of training but will have the opportunity to work one-on-one with men and women who have been in their shoes before and have valuable knowledge to share about the process.
In addition, HB 214 includes a measure that seeks to weed out "bad actors" in Ohio's foster care system and protect foster children from potentially harmful, unlawful caregivers. Should a foster parent have their license revoked or be accused or convicted of a crime, the bill would require information about that foster parent and the placement of children with that individual to become public record.
With this measure in place, the state not only ensures proper oversight of the system, but works to protect the privacy of honest caregivers, who could be discouraged from becoming a foster parent if their personal information was publicly-accessible.
The General Assembly has also taken other important steps to strengthen Ohio's foster care system. In House Bill 119, the most recent state budget bill, a provision was included to create a 10-county pilot program through the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, designed to give foster care placement agencies more resources to measure a child's placement needs. For instance, Marcus Fiesel was reported to be autistic and needed more specialized care than other children in the system.
The Senate has also passed legislation, Senate Bill 163, which incorporates other recommendations from the working group of state leaders and child advocates, including added protections for foster kids, improved cooperation among government agencies to prevent children from being placed in dangerous homes and more information to public service agencies, better enabling them to remove a child should problems develop. This bill is now under consideration in the Ohio House.
Ohio's children are the future of our state, and we should do everything possible to ensure all kids have the support and protection they need. Many foster children are already in a difficult situation, moving from home to home. They should not have to worry about whether their new family will harm them.
The General Assembly has taken important steps to keep foster children safe and place them in loving homes. I will work to see that this effort continues.
Carey, R-Wellston, represents Ohio's 17th State Senate District. This includes Chillicothe.
Monday, February 11, 2008
The mentoring partnerships sound promising
Wagner foster care bill on Strickland’s desk
Risner, Kevin. Tiffin Adviser Tribune, Feb. 11, 2008.
State Rep. Jeff Wagner, R-Sycamore, announced last week House Bill 214 has been approved by the Ohio legislature and now is awaiting the signature of Gov. Ted Strickland.
“Because I was a foster parent I was asked to carry the bill,” Wagner said.
“My main concern when we started with this was that we didn’t overreact.
“This came out of a tragic situation in southern Ohio where a child had been murdered by his foster parents. So the natural reaction of government is to overreact and make it too hard to be a foster parent. That’s when I got involved because I didn’t want that overreaction to happen.”
The bill contains a number of foster care reforms, including improving the training of foster parents, ensuring that foster parent information is adequately protected, creating mentoring programs for current and prospective foster caregivers, and enhancing placement procedures for MRDD children.
Wagner said part of the process of creating and moving the bill to passage was to meet with interested parties, such as child care providers and representatives of Child and Family Services. The goal was to form a bill that could make the foster care system safe while not making it too difficult to become a foster parent, he said.
“One of the neat things the foster parents brought to us was the training, which is often by a case worker who means well but doesn’t really have the experience,” Wagner said.
“This bill would allow experienced foster care givers to use some of the continuous training hours to mentor younger care givers, maybe somebody who is entering the system. That’s a real hands-on way of making the system better.”
Part of the bill became controversial, Wagner said. With the Cincinnati Enquirer filing a lawsuit to learn the identities of foster care parents throughout the state, other newspapers joined to oppose language in the bill to shield the identity of foster parents.
“Once these names and information becomes public information, you compromise the safety of foster parents and foster children,” Wagner said. “You are going to have foster parents leave the system or just not sign up. I thought it was important that we just spell that out in law, that that is not public record, other than certain circumstances.”
Wagner said the bill includes three exceptions by which the identity of foster parents would become public record.
Wagner said identifying foster parents and personal information could have a chilling effect on keeping foster parents or recruiting new foster parents.
If people know potentially embarrassing information from their distant past might be revealed, such as a DUI conviction from a decade prior, they may shy away from the foster care program.
“We are already begging for foster homes,” Wagner said. “We don’t have enough in any county in the state. If you lose another 500 or 1,000, it’s just a tragedy. Those kids won’t have homes to go to.”
Wagner said the governor could sign the bill at any time, or he may wait until a companion bill is passed, and then sign the two bills at the same time. If he waits for the second bill, a few weeks could pass before the bill is signed and becomes law.
Risner, Kevin. Tiffin Adviser Tribune, Feb. 11, 2008.
State Rep. Jeff Wagner, R-Sycamore, announced last week House Bill 214 has been approved by the Ohio legislature and now is awaiting the signature of Gov. Ted Strickland.
“Because I was a foster parent I was asked to carry the bill,” Wagner said.
“My main concern when we started with this was that we didn’t overreact.
“This came out of a tragic situation in southern Ohio where a child had been murdered by his foster parents. So the natural reaction of government is to overreact and make it too hard to be a foster parent. That’s when I got involved because I didn’t want that overreaction to happen.”
The bill contains a number of foster care reforms, including improving the training of foster parents, ensuring that foster parent information is adequately protected, creating mentoring programs for current and prospective foster caregivers, and enhancing placement procedures for MRDD children.
Wagner said part of the process of creating and moving the bill to passage was to meet with interested parties, such as child care providers and representatives of Child and Family Services. The goal was to form a bill that could make the foster care system safe while not making it too difficult to become a foster parent, he said.
“One of the neat things the foster parents brought to us was the training, which is often by a case worker who means well but doesn’t really have the experience,” Wagner said.
“This bill would allow experienced foster care givers to use some of the continuous training hours to mentor younger care givers, maybe somebody who is entering the system. That’s a real hands-on way of making the system better.”
Part of the bill became controversial, Wagner said. With the Cincinnati Enquirer filing a lawsuit to learn the identities of foster care parents throughout the state, other newspapers joined to oppose language in the bill to shield the identity of foster parents.
“Once these names and information becomes public information, you compromise the safety of foster parents and foster children,” Wagner said. “You are going to have foster parents leave the system or just not sign up. I thought it was important that we just spell that out in law, that that is not public record, other than certain circumstances.”
Wagner said the bill includes three exceptions by which the identity of foster parents would become public record.
Wagner said identifying foster parents and personal information could have a chilling effect on keeping foster parents or recruiting new foster parents.
If people know potentially embarrassing information from their distant past might be revealed, such as a DUI conviction from a decade prior, they may shy away from the foster care program.
“We are already begging for foster homes,” Wagner said. “We don’t have enough in any county in the state. If you lose another 500 or 1,000, it’s just a tragedy. Those kids won’t have homes to go to.”
Wagner said the governor could sign the bill at any time, or he may wait until a companion bill is passed, and then sign the two bills at the same time. If he waits for the second bill, a few weeks could pass before the bill is signed and becomes law.
Ohio's Safe Haven law is a very good thing
Newborn dropped off at EMH is in foster care
Roberson, Lisa. Elyria Chronicle-Telegram, Feb. 7, 2008.
ELYRIA — A newborn baby girl born at home and then dropped off at EMH Regional Medical Center hours later is out of the hospital and living with a county approved, foster-to-adopt family.
“The baby’s safe, doing well,” said Patti-Jo Burtnett, Lorain County Children Services spokeswoman, declining to say more about the baby’s status.
The baby was born sometime Sunday night during the Super Bowl game and taken to the hospital by a relative who said the child’s teenage parents could not care for her. The couple, ages 18 and 19, already has a 1-year-old and 2-year-old at home.
Hospital staff received the baby and immediately contacted Children Services.
The baby is the first this year to be dropped off under Ohio’s Safe Haven law, which allows a parent — without fear of prosecution — to dropoff an unharmed newborn that is not more than 72 hours old to a medical worker at a hospital, with a peace officer at a law enforcement agency or at an emergency service organization.
Parents are not required to provide any personal information, but they are asked to voluntarily fill out a medical history questionnaire.
In this case, an aunt dropped off the infant and gave police the names of the parents.
The father is her brother, according to a police report.
The baby’s case is more complicated than a traditional Safe Haven case because it was the aunt and not the parents dropping her off. But officials have said they aren’t looking at the case as anything else, either.
Burtnett said the child will remain in foster care until such time as the Lorain County Juvenile Court determinations adoption status.
“Most of Loran County’s foster families are ready to be both foster families and adoptive parents. So when and if this infant needs to be adopted, it will.”
Since the Safe Haven law was enacted in 2001, three other infants were surrendered in Lorain County. One infant was surrendered in 2001 and another two were surrendered in 2007, according to state figures.
Roberson, Lisa. Elyria Chronicle-Telegram, Feb. 7, 2008.
ELYRIA — A newborn baby girl born at home and then dropped off at EMH Regional Medical Center hours later is out of the hospital and living with a county approved, foster-to-adopt family.
“The baby’s safe, doing well,” said Patti-Jo Burtnett, Lorain County Children Services spokeswoman, declining to say more about the baby’s status.
The baby was born sometime Sunday night during the Super Bowl game and taken to the hospital by a relative who said the child’s teenage parents could not care for her. The couple, ages 18 and 19, already has a 1-year-old and 2-year-old at home.
Hospital staff received the baby and immediately contacted Children Services.
The baby is the first this year to be dropped off under Ohio’s Safe Haven law, which allows a parent — without fear of prosecution — to dropoff an unharmed newborn that is not more than 72 hours old to a medical worker at a hospital, with a peace officer at a law enforcement agency or at an emergency service organization.
Parents are not required to provide any personal information, but they are asked to voluntarily fill out a medical history questionnaire.
In this case, an aunt dropped off the infant and gave police the names of the parents.
The father is her brother, according to a police report.
The baby’s case is more complicated than a traditional Safe Haven case because it was the aunt and not the parents dropping her off. But officials have said they aren’t looking at the case as anything else, either.
Burtnett said the child will remain in foster care until such time as the Lorain County Juvenile Court determinations adoption status.
“Most of Loran County’s foster families are ready to be both foster families and adoptive parents. So when and if this infant needs to be adopted, it will.”
Since the Safe Haven law was enacted in 2001, three other infants were surrendered in Lorain County. One infant was surrendered in 2001 and another two were surrendered in 2007, according to state figures.
As a former foster child, I would like to see SB 163 passed
Senate passes foster care bill
More extensive training of parents on the way
Craig, Jon. Cincinnati Enquirer, Feb. 7, 2008.
COLUMBUS - State legislation prompted by the murder of Marcus Fiesel at the hands of his Clermont County foster parents is headed to Gov. Ted Strickland for his signature after approval by the Ohio Senate Tuesday.
The Senate's 31-0 vote Tuesday comes almost a year after David and Liz Carroll were convicted of the murder of the 3-year-old; the bill's passage capped 10 months of legislative debate over ways to reform Ohio's foster care system.
Among other changes, House Bill 214 increases training for foster parents and improves care for disabled foster children.
The legislation was prompted by Marcus' death in August 2006. The developmentally disabled Middletown boy died after being left tied up in a closet by the Carrolls when they took a weekend trip to Kentucky. They are serving life prison sentences.
State Sens. Gary Cates and Tom Niehaus spoke in support of the legislation on the Senate floor.
Cates, R-West Chester, said the new law "will go a long way to protect children" and "prevent these situations from happening again."
Niehaus, R-New Richmond, praised a change allowing current foster parents to mentor prospective foster parents. Parents will be paid for mentoring.
"The governor is supportive and plans to sign the bill," Keith Dailey, a spokesman for Strickland, said. The bill becomes law 90 days after the governor's signature.
House Bill 214 would:
-Increase the hours required for pre-placement training for foster parents by 12 hours, to 36 hours.
-Improve the placement and care for mentally and developmentally disabled foster children, including forums and new training for parents of children with special needs.
-Block public access to the names of foster parents unless they are charged with a crime or their certification is revoked. The public records exemption, added in the Ohio House, delayed passage of the bill.
Shortly after Marcus' death, The Enquirer filed a lawsuit seeking access to an electronic database of all foster homes in Ohio. If the Ohio Supreme Court rules in favor of the newspaper, records sought in that request - but not newer records - would be considered public.
Related legislation, Senate Bill 163 sponsored by Niehaus, requires FBI criminal background checks on all foster parents and adds their fingerprints to a statewide database. That bill awaits approval by the Ohio House.
More extensive training of parents on the way
Craig, Jon. Cincinnati Enquirer, Feb. 7, 2008.
COLUMBUS - State legislation prompted by the murder of Marcus Fiesel at the hands of his Clermont County foster parents is headed to Gov. Ted Strickland for his signature after approval by the Ohio Senate Tuesday.
The Senate's 31-0 vote Tuesday comes almost a year after David and Liz Carroll were convicted of the murder of the 3-year-old; the bill's passage capped 10 months of legislative debate over ways to reform Ohio's foster care system.
Among other changes, House Bill 214 increases training for foster parents and improves care for disabled foster children.
The legislation was prompted by Marcus' death in August 2006. The developmentally disabled Middletown boy died after being left tied up in a closet by the Carrolls when they took a weekend trip to Kentucky. They are serving life prison sentences.
State Sens. Gary Cates and Tom Niehaus spoke in support of the legislation on the Senate floor.
Cates, R-West Chester, said the new law "will go a long way to protect children" and "prevent these situations from happening again."
Niehaus, R-New Richmond, praised a change allowing current foster parents to mentor prospective foster parents. Parents will be paid for mentoring.
"The governor is supportive and plans to sign the bill," Keith Dailey, a spokesman for Strickland, said. The bill becomes law 90 days after the governor's signature.
House Bill 214 would:
-Increase the hours required for pre-placement training for foster parents by 12 hours, to 36 hours.
-Improve the placement and care for mentally and developmentally disabled foster children, including forums and new training for parents of children with special needs.
-Block public access to the names of foster parents unless they are charged with a crime or their certification is revoked. The public records exemption, added in the Ohio House, delayed passage of the bill.
Shortly after Marcus' death, The Enquirer filed a lawsuit seeking access to an electronic database of all foster homes in Ohio. If the Ohio Supreme Court rules in favor of the newspaper, records sought in that request - but not newer records - would be considered public.
Related legislation, Senate Bill 163 sponsored by Niehaus, requires FBI criminal background checks on all foster parents and adds their fingerprints to a statewide database. That bill awaits approval by the Ohio House.
These two brothers deserve some stability in their lives
8-year-old steals car fearing another foster care move
Cleveland Plain Dealer, Feb. 6, 2008.
CLEVELAND (AP) - An 8-year-old who has been in and out of the foster care system stole a car with his 6-year-old brother and tried to flee, fearing they would be moved again.
Police say the boy took the keys to a relative's Ford Escort, grabbed his little brother and drove less than a half-mile before crashing into a tree Tuesday.
Both boys received minor scrapes from the car's air bag.
Police will not charge the boy. Cuyahoga County is considering moving the 8-year-old out of his aunt's house.
The boys were removed from their mother's care because she neglected them. They later moved in with their dad, then found his body after he shot himself in the head.
Cleveland Plain Dealer, Feb. 6, 2008.
CLEVELAND (AP) - An 8-year-old who has been in and out of the foster care system stole a car with his 6-year-old brother and tried to flee, fearing they would be moved again.
Police say the boy took the keys to a relative's Ford Escort, grabbed his little brother and drove less than a half-mile before crashing into a tree Tuesday.
Both boys received minor scrapes from the car's air bag.
Police will not charge the boy. Cuyahoga County is considering moving the 8-year-old out of his aunt's house.
The boys were removed from their mother's care because she neglected them. They later moved in with their dad, then found his body after he shot himself in the head.
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