Arizona to set up new child-welfare agency after abuse scandal
Source: Reuters
Arizona to set up new child-welfare agency after abuse scandal
Source: Reuters - Thu, 29 May 2014 09:26 PM
By David Schwartz
PHOENIX, May 29 (Reuters) - Arizona lawmakers created a new child-welfare agency in a special session on Thursday, providing an extra $60 million to improve a scandal-ridden system that last year was found to have ignored nearly 6,600 reports of abuse and neglect.
Legislators from the state Senate and House of Representatives approved two bills to transform the beleaguered existing agency into a cabinet-level organization, bolstered by additional caseworkers and investigators, to focus on child safety.
~snip~
The measures now go to Republican Governor Jan Brewer, who called lawmakers into session last week to focus on rebuilding the state's child welfare system after officials discovered last November that thousands of hotline calls reporting abuse and neglect were never investigated.
Brewer, who sat alongside the speaker of the House as legislators debated and approved the final bill, will sign it into law in a ceremony later on Thursday.
Read more: http://www.trust.org/item/20140529212447-euhdo/
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(17,196 posts)happyslug
(14,779 posts)Most Children and Youth Investigation of Child abuse and neglect (and most cases it is neglect much more then abuse), the system goes through the following system:
Step One:
Someone takes a call. Some of these cases start with a call to a 911 operator or police officer who refers the case to Children and Youth. More are reported directly to Children and Youth. Reporters can be anyone. Teachers, Doctors and others who deal with children constantly are often mandatory reporters. i.e. if it is possible the child was abuse they MUST report the child to Children and Youth. The cost of such reports are absorbed by the person taking the call, thus the costs are minimal to Children and Youth.
Step Two:
Children and Youth Investigate. This is MANDATORY investigation, Children and Youth MUST investigate ANY report of Child abuse, even if on the face it has no merit. Such an investigation requires at a minimum someone driving to the home of the child and talking to the child and whoever the child is living with. If the call has no merit you are looking at at least four hours.
The Investigation has to be done by someone with some sort of education in child care, thus you are looking to pay them at least $10 an hour, thus $40 per case even if the case has no merit (At $10 an hour that is $20,800 per year). Please note, this requires the investigator to find absolutely no merit to the call. Most often incurs in child custody cases, one or both parents accused the other of abusing the child. Total for this part of at least $40 (plus cost of gasoline etc). I suspect the 6,600 cases ignored were NOT such child support cases for those would be easy to open and close.
Thus the costs at Step Two is at least $40 dollars.
Step Three: Further investigation.
If the case has merit (i.e. some evidence of possible abuse or neglect), more time has to be involved. This requires more work by the caseworker, often another day (at $10 an hour total $80 dollars). Medical records will have to be obtained (Generally $25-50 dollars to get the records) then reviewed by a doctor (Doctors get paid over $100,000 a year, or about $50 an hour). The review of the medical record will cost at least $100 (two hours to review the records and write an opinion based in that review). Total costs for this part of the procedure at least $200.
Please note, most cases do not stop at this level, they often continue for several more months till Social Services come to a conclusion that the problem has been resolved. This may take several more reviews and talks between the Case Worker and the parents. At least 40 hours. This would often be 2 hours once a week or once a month. 40 hours or $400 dollars. This is where I suspect most of the missing cases are from. Someone took a quick read of the case, realized it was more then a Custody Dispute, but it also looked like it was a type of case that Children and Youth would NOT take to court. Expensive investigation with a final determination of either no merit or the problems were resolved. Thus you are looking at spending at least $600 at a case that ends at this level ($200 at the initial investigation and another $400 in further investigation).
Step Four, a Children and Youth Hearings.
If the case is not dismissed after an investigation and the child is determined to be at risk for Child abuse or neglect, you have to have a hearing. The Doctor has to appear (4 Hours at $50 an hour, total $200). The caseworker has to appear (Four hours at $10 an hour or $40 dollars). An Attorney for the state, who has to also charge for preparing for the case, that paid $25 an hour, but for six hours work or $150. An attorney for the parents, generally paid the same as the State's attorney, so another $150. An attorney for the children, for both Children Protection Services AND the Parent's attorney have conflicts if also representing the children, another $150. A Judge to hear the case at $50 an hour or $200. Stenographers and other court officials, four hours at $10 an hour, another $40. Total $820 for the hearing portion of this procedure.
If the case is dismissed at that point, you have already run up a bill of $1060 on that case ($1680 if the case went through the more intensive investigation mentioned in Step Two above). Please note I am under estimating the cost of every one involved, for the purpose of my writing is to put the $60 million in perspective. Now most cases will not get to court, most are resolved lower down on the system. The court only get involved if it is a possibility that the children will be removed (or has been removed) from the care of their children. Now, such children are then put in foster care, which is paid for by Federal Funds.
Just pointing out $60 million is NOT that much money if the 6,600 cases not investigated had any merit. Most cases will not run up the costs to $1680 per case, but some will exceed that if more then one hearing is required (and in Children and Youth Cases, cases taken before judge MUST be reviewed every six months, till the Judge decides the issue of abuse or neglect has been addressed. Technically, if the children are in foster care for more then 18 months, they can be put up for adoption, but that also means at least three more hearings AND constant Children and Youth Investigation of the Parents, any foster parents and the children themselves. Thus you are looking at $10,000 to $20,000 per case.
In cases NOT taken in front of a Judge (i.e. the parents keep their children but Children and Youth keeps them under supervision till they get their act together) that can also last 18 months or longer. 1/2 a day (four hours at $10 an hour or $40 per day), I have seen Case Workers going to the home of the Child as often as once a week (Total Yearly cost of $40 times 52 weeks in a year, or $2080 per year for just one case worker. If the case worker only visits the family once a month the costs per year would be $40 times 12 or $480 per year.
Most investigation requires more the one visit per month, and it is common to have two case worker work on a case coordinating with their supervisor. Thus $1000 per investigation per year in any case that does NOT go to Court, BUT Children and Youth still has concerns with.
Thus $60 million is not that much money. I hope it is a good start, the program may NOT be able to adjust to anything higher within a one year budget year thus the $60 million may be all their can handle and hopefully after a few years, they can handle more funding AND that the additional funding is authorized.
LadyHawkAZ
(6,199 posts)happyslug
(14,779 posts)So it is almost $10,000 per case instead of just under a $1000 per case. As pointed out by the other critic of my post, my costs for the doctors and lawyers are also probably off by a factor of 10.
My point was $60 million is NOT THAT MUCH MONEY given the level of miss calls.
LadyHawkAZ
(6,199 posts)They're lucky to have gotten anything at all.
Shrike47
(6,913 posts)I was a Juvenile Court attorney for decades and believe me, I made way more than $25 an hour. Your doctor is getting at least $1,000.
Nobody in Oregon's system is anywhere near as poorly paid as your example. And yes, the cost of proper response to allegations is very expensive. Worth every penny, IMO.
happyslug
(14,779 posts)And I live in Johnstown Pa, where wages and the cost of living is low and we go with $1000 for Attorneys and Doctors in such situations.
The attorneys who work for the county, opt for part time employment at a set pay. This gives them a base to work with, when they paying clients stop paying. It works for Cambria County Pennsylvania, but the going rate is $50-100 a hour for most attorneys.
My point was the $60 million is no where near what is needed, but it sounds like a high number.
QED
(2,747 posts)instead of tax breaks for business and the wealthy. AZ has a serious ALEC infestation - and the Goldwater Institute, a Libertarian stink tank.
mntleo2
(2,535 posts)The ironically named American Safe Families Act (AFSA) is not "safe" for kids and it is destroying families. Here are a few facts about the ASFA law and what it's consequences:
*AFSA is mandated funding taken out of Social Security. States receive on the average of $2 Billion of federal funding solely for the taking of kids from their families
*AFSA mandates say in essence: "The more kids you take, the more money you will make. If you return these children home, you will LOSE all future and present funding..."
* The cost for taking kids from their families brings funds into DSHS state agencies between $8,000-$10,000 per month per child. It will generate even more funding if the children are deemed "disabled"
*DSHS admits that less than 15% of the kids they take are truly abused. This means that 85% of these children could stay in their homes ~ but it would cost CPS some of that $8-$10,000 to give them services costing less such as energy assistance, affordable housing, food security and medical assistance. Many of these parents are low wage workers with no sick leave or family support and they have to choose between things like taking a day off for a follow-up appointment or making the following month's rent. Clinics and hospitals receive AFSA money for reporting those who do not make those appointments as well as other "abuses".
* At this time CPS case managers and contracted agencies are given immunity even if proven they have committed perjury, intimidation, deliberately overlooked the law, or any other violation that would fine other government employees, put them in jail for up to 20 years, and may even face the death penalty according to the US code, which is above any other laws: . Title 18, U.S.C., Section 245 .
* The most expensive cases of child abuse and neglect that states have brought have been proven as shams. Even the US circuit Court said that CPS is not trustworthy because they have no one to overlook their accusations ~ except within their own internal "investigations" which in essence is the fox watching the chicken coop. McMartin Case in CA, the Massachusetts and Wenatchee Witch Hunts that occurred in the 1980s and 1990s were THE most expensive trials in the histories of their states and all were proven to be utter shams. This is because officials used quack psychological methods now called "False Memory Retrieval" as legal fact. After using kids as their guinea pigs with using them for "studies" they had used kids for years to win their case by getting kids to make false statements in court, this method has since been considered unethical...
However not one counselor, law official, judge, or case manager has faced a single consequence for these false accusations that send hundreds of children scattered, many innocents to prison and destroyed thousands of lives. http://law2.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/mcmartin/mcmartinaccount.html https://www.vdare.com/articles/prosecutorial-abuse-the-wenatchee-witch-hunt-unravels-further Indeed many of these prosecutors and their CPS cohorts were elevated into higher positions ~ hate to say it but some of them are Democrats and have served in positions such as university department heads, policy committees, and Attorney General after "making their bones" on these witch hunts. Here is one such Democrat: http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/addiction-in-society/201001/martha-coakley-and-modern-witch-hunting-ritual-child-sexual-abuse
False Memory Retrieval has produced numerous law suits from patients who were deliberately misled into thinking their own fathers were rapists using suggestive counseling. It was was an intense and invasive practice that had children make false accusations against their families and community members. It was also used with adults who were counseled into thinking they had been raped and molested as children. This kind of coaching is still used with kids today by CPS workers who can remove a child from a classroom or go behind closed doors with no recording, and interrogate kids of any age with no independent witnesses or any way to prove their allegations that they claim a child has made. They can twist the most innocent comment into a "fact" simply by stating they "felt" that the child was in "imminent danger". Imminent Danger means that even if they didn't find any abuse or any patterns of abuse, the child may be "in danger"" in the future with only the case manager's "feelings" that abuse "could" happen. These allegations are frequently used as fact in court for quick removal of the child, often using police to do so with case manger "concerns" that can later be proven as outright lies ~ but too late to have the child returned to their homes, of course.
* Thanks to ASFA therefore for any American, the use of "imminent danger" means that, regardless of how well loved and cared for a child may be all the time they have resided with the one who love them, any of these government officials can simply state in court that they "felt" the kid COULD be abused in the future in order to remove these kids and place them elsewhere, most often with strangers.
* There is literally no oversight as to whether or not accusations of abuse and neglect are valid. Indeed a case manager can simply point their finger at someone and put the accused on state public record lists for life next to convicted child rapists and murderers without so much as a trial or any way to revoke these accusations after 20 days. The 9th Circuit Court and Supreme Court stated in their rulings with Los Angeles County vs Humphreys that they had little faith in DSHS agencies that because of the lack of external oversight, these accusations were not founded because there was no one else but DSHS themselves to ensure integrity or accuracy. Yet thousands of falsely accused are still on these lists to this day without so much as a trial and these affect background checks for employment, housing and credit with no way of revoking them. http://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/10pdf/09-350.pdf
* According to DSHS' own estimates, over 6000 children die yearly while in state care. Legally kidnapped kids are 5-7 X more likely to be abused, raped, molested, and neglected in foster care and adoption than if they had been left in the home. They are more likely to become homeless, go to jail, become drug and alcohol addicted, become teen parents, than if they had been left in their family homes with services costing far less. Anyone can go to an inner city place where these kids gather (most of them are from foster and adoption homes) and hear stories of abuse, rape and neglect that would curl your hair. They will tell you they tried to report their abuse to CPs but since they have been put in chosen "forever homes, or foster homes, CPS will not hear their cries for help. You might also note that, while these kids are shivering in some doorway, DSHS agencies who do not care where these kids are or what is happening to them, are STILL collecting that $8,000-$10,000 per month for that shivering, scared, abandoned foster child.
* Low income families are being targeted for taking kids instead of giving them support that costs literally 1/10th of the cost of CPS invention. Also families of Islam where their kids are placed in Christian foster homes where their children are forced to eat pork and attend church. A dear Muslim friend of mine in MI is at this time trying to change the ASFA law with her Representative (Conyers). they have introduced a bill in the US congress that is garnering over 50% support at this time. Her child was killed while in foster care and she is on a mission that she hopes will change this horrible law, not only for her, but for others who are being targeted. Here is her FB petition page: https://www.facebook.com/events/509459582487595/. I support this dear woman because I personally know of the horrible consequences and corruption that this law creates.
* Entire low income housing communities are being routinely emptied of children, documented in CA, WA, GA, PN, MI, NV, FL, and AZ. This means that every single child has been taken from their parents, especially babies since they are the most adoptable and bring in the most adoption fees. Indeed many mega-non-profits who sponsor low income housing bringing in $millions in housing funds ~ also house adoption agencies generating $millions in government funding, these adoption agencies are "conveniently" located nearby within the same agencies (cough cough while saying "YWCA, Goodwill, and - choke - Salvation Army" ). In homeless shelters CPS worker hover while looking for these children to take, having offices right in the shelters. A successfully taken child can generate up to $5000 in bonuses given to case managers as a reward for taking a child as is written and allocated in the ASFA budget. so, according to those employed with AFSA funding every single parent within those housing units are "abusive and neglectful" and any other children they may give birth to are subjected to be snatched from their mother's arms hours after birth without so much as an accusation, since they now have a legal history of "abuse and neglect". I have seen 10 couples with adoption hopes circling the hospital maternity ward while the formerly accused mother is in labor, who has no desire to give up her baby but will be forced to by the state anticipating rich rewards ~ I am *not* making this up. Oh and screw the maternal or paternal grandparents who would take the child, they are not considered worthy of taking their grandchild, especially since removing the baby would generate $50,000-100,000 adoption funding like one of those 10 couples would bring to CPS and their affiliates.
* In addition to the $2Billion of AFSA funding they are mandated to receive, most states allow CPS to also take 1/3-1/2 of the discretionary TANF (Welfare) budget meant for families needing services. They will take this funding for themselves including housing, cash assistance, child care, medical, housing and food benefits, gutting funding for family support. Then they will deny a family these benefits and can remove low income family's children for "abuse and neglect" This is because their DSHS agencies will receive literally 10 times the money for taking the children rather than the 1/10th it would cost for assisting the family. Even with drug and alcohol addictions, the amazing women at The Rebecca Project have shown a much less costly 80% long term success rate with women who have been in prison that go into in-house drug and alcohol treatment bringing their children with them who also receive counseling and support.
Taking kids from their families is not the answer. Assisting the 85% of the families who need services would, but because of AFSA this is not being done. Removing a parent's rights is like a death and IS a legal "death" for this child and their family. Never again will these kids know their grandparents, their siblings, their relatives, their parents or anything about their genealogy. In turn the birth parents and relatives are left to mourn the loss of their children for the rest of their lives.
I have more, much more that I could say, but this is long enough.
My 2 cents,
Cat in Seattle
