If this is your first visit, be sure to check out the FAQ by clicking the link above. You may have to register before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages, select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below. |
|
|
Thread Tools | Display Modes |
#1
|
|||
|
|||
Review: DCF cases were closed too early
Review: DCF cases were closed too early
By Derek Simmonsen staff writer August 30, 2003 ST. LUCIE COUNTY -- After months spent clearing a backlog of cases at the Department of Children & Families, an internal review found some of the cases were closed too soon, potentially leaving children at risk. In District 15, which covers St. Lucie, Martin, Indian River and Okeechobee counties, officials found 19 percent of the cases were closed before they should have been, according to DCF figures. Out of those cases, 12 percent involved situations where children were at immediate risk of harm. It was the second-highest number in Florida, behind the district serving Palm Beach County, which had to revisit about a third of its cases. More than 200 cases were reexamined along the Treasure Coast, but there were no instances where a child had actually been harmed, said Vern Melvin, District 15 administrator. In a small percentage of cases, children were taken out of the home after the case was reopened, he said. "For all of those cases we did a follow-up review right away," Melvin said. Last December, DCF Secretary Jeff Regier mandated that the department cut its backlog of overdue cases by June 30. A case is overdue if it is not completed within 60 days. Since the backlog cuts began, state officials have called for a monthly "quality assurance review" to make sure that overdue cases are cleared properly, Melvin said. Statewide, child-welfare investigators closed nearly 30,000 open abuse and neglect projects between September and June. Since Regier took office in August 2002, the number of backlogged cases now stands at about 2,000. Regier disputed that so many children were at risk after their cases were closed, saying that many were deemed at risk because paperwork was incomplete. Once the audit found cases had been improperly closed, they were reopened, he said. "Rather than proof of inaction, discovering these issues simply proves that the process works," Regier said. "It functioned as it was designed to do." The agency has been under heavy scrutiny since officials discovered in April 2002 that Rilya Wilson disappeared from state care for at least 15 months before anyone noticed. The 5-year-old Miami girl is still listed among the missing. "It is just a matter of time before something happens to one of these kids," said Cheleene Schembera, a 30-year social services administrator in Florida who worked most recently as a temporary district administrator in Miami. Schembera was leading the DCF's Miami district during the end of the backlog project and recalled being concerned about the method administrators employed. She said by setting strict deadlines for reducing the number of open cases, the agency increased the potential for mistakes. Melvin disputed the notion that the June deadline was a factor, instead pointing to the effects that high turnover rates and a staff shortage had on the number of backlogged cases. Those factors likely contributed to the amount of cases that had to be revisited locally, he said. District 15 had 2,226 overdue cases in December, but managed to cut the number down to 28 at the end of June. "Being able to reduce the backlog -- that's going to help drive down the caseload sizes," he said. Several new changes, including the addition of six investigators to the district, have helped keep the current number of overdue cases low, Melvin said. The area now has 40 investigators handling cases, which is about the number needed to handle the regular volume of calls, he said. Before the monthly inspections began this year, District 15 investigators had to revisit about a third of their cases, but now only revisit about 14 percent to 15 percent, Melvin said. "Fortunately our staff has been learning from the concerns that have been outlined in these reports," he said. Investigators average about 10 new cases each month, in addition to the older cases they pursue, he said. The review process and additional staff members will help keep investigators from getting backlogged again, he said. "I think the next few months are going to see us doing the best job we've ever done," Melvin said. "We are 110 percent committed to not getting ourselves in that jam again." Material from The Associated Press was used in this report. http://www.tcpalm.com/tcp/trib_local...221089,00.html |
Thread Tools | |
Display Modes | |
|
|
Similar Threads | ||||
Thread | Thread Starter | Forum | Replies | Last Post |
misc.kids FAQ on Childhood Vaccinations, Part 2/4 | [email protected] | Info and FAQ's | 0 | December 15th 03 09:41 AM |
DCF: Abuse Cases Closed Faster | Wex Wimpy | Foster Parents | 0 | August 22nd 03 04:07 PM |