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
|
|||
|
|||
Riverside County orders review of social services department: UnionLocal 721, who complained Child Protective Services was "broken" and thatnearly half of child welfare workers in Riverside had less than a year ofseniority.
Riverside County orders review of social services department
http://www.pe.com/localnews/rivcount...0.3c98e6a.html 10:00 PM PDT on Wednesday, May 9, 2007 By KIMBERLY TRONE The Press-Enterprise Riverside County supervisors have ordered a top-to-bottom review of the Department of Public Social Services in response to complaints about the high turnover of social workers and managers. The review comes following an April 10 letter from social workers and union representatives that said managers who ignored suggested improvements in Child Protective Services made the 2005 torture-killing of 3-year-old Michael Vallejo-Seiber "virtually inevitable." Supervisor John Tavaglione, chairman of the Board of Supervisors, said the review was not in response to a particular incident The supervisors enlisted Dennis Boyle to perform the review. Boyle is the former county director of social services and a former head of the state's welfare agency. He is expected to report back to the board within 90 days. Boyle said he has been asked to focus on how the social services department is operating and how the agency's director is performing. Cynthia Hinckley, executive director of county social services, met with county supervisors behind closed doors last week. Details of their meeting were not released. Social services Deputy Director Sayori Baldwin said Hinckley was on vacation Wednesday but was expected to return by the end of the week. Hinckley was appointed by the Board of Supervisors in July 2005 to replace Boyle. Tavaglione said the latest review is not unprecedented. In the late 1990s, the supervisors asked the Child Welfare League of America to study the county's child welfare system after a boy was killed in a foster home. That study brought about changes within the department, including a reduction in social workers' caseloads. "It's a large agency that deals with very, very complex and controversial issues -- serious issues dealing with kids, adults and seniors and their protection," Tavaglione said. "There appears to be some disgruntled employees who don't like being held accountable, but we are smart enough to know there are two sides to every story," Tavaglione said of some of the complaints that prompted the review. Supervisor Bob Buster said Hinckley has done a good job and has faced the same issues as other directors in an agency that deals with some of the county's most vulnerable residents. Turnover 20 Percent While county leaders have heard complaints about Hinckley, others have come forward to praise her leadership, Supervisor Roy Wilson said. Turnover in the department is at about 20 percent, but "some say the turnover is positive because of management corrections and improvement," Wilson said. Two years ago, attrition was at 24 percent, according to deputy director Baldwin. The social services department employs about 2,800 workers. One of the significant issues is the loss of high-level employees and the loss of continuity and historical perspective, Supervisor Jeff Stone said. "We have one of the largest DPSS agencies in the state and we want to have the best. Right now, we fall short of that goal," Stone said. Bruise on Boy Citing the potential for litigation, Stone declined to comment on whether the 2005 killing of 3-year-old Vallejo-Seiber was related to the review. A bruise on the little boy's head had been reported by his pediatrician as suspected abuse. Family members had previously contacted the county agency about their suspicions that the boy was being neglected. A Child Protective Services investigator interviewed the boy's mother and recommended the case be closed as unfounded. Days later the child was dead after being stomped, kicked, thrown, sodomized, burned and forced to eat his own excrement. His mother's boyfriend, Alex Kermith Mendoza, has been charged with torture and murder and could get the death penalty if convicted. The management of Vallejo-Seiber's case was investigated and reported in March by The Press-Enterprise, which found child protection investigators failed to follow basic state protocols by not interviewing others involved in the boy's care. The newspaper report spurred the April letter from members of the Service Employees International Union Local 721, who complained Child Protective Services was "broken" and that nearly half of child welfare workers in Riverside had less than a year of seniority. 'Right Direction' Union officials said Boyle stopped at their offices earlier this week to introduce himself and that he would meet with social workers in upcoming weeks. George Daniels, director of the local union, said he could not speculate whether the April letter was responsible for the review and Boyle's visit. "We will keep an open mind," Daniels said. "This is a step in the right direction so that children can be safe." Staff writer Sandra Stokley contributed to this report. Reach Kimberly Trone at 951-368-9456 or CURRENTLY CHILD PROTECTIVE SERVICES VIOLATES MORE CIVIL RIGHTS ON A DAILY BASIS THEN ALL OTHER AGENCIES COMBINED INCLUDING THE NATIONAL SECURITY AGENCY/CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY WIRETAPPING PROGRAM.... CPS Does not protect children... It is sickening how many children are subject to abuse, neglect and even killed at the hands of Child Protective Services. every parent should read this .pdf from connecticut dcf watch... www.connecticutdcfwatch.com/8x11.pdf Number of Cases per 100,000 children in the US These numbers come from The National Center on Child Abuse and Neglect in Washington. (NCCAN) Recent numbers have increased significantly for CPS *Perpetrators of Maltreatment* Physical Abuse CPS 160, Parents 59 Sexual Abuse CPS 112, Parents 13 Neglect CPS 410, Parents 241 Fatalities CPS 6.4, Parents 1.5 BE SURE TO FIND OUT WHERE YOUR CANDIDATES STANDS ON THE ISSUE OF REFORMING OR ABOLISHING CHILD PROTECTIVE SERVICES ("MAKE YOUR CANDIDATES TAKE A STAND ON THIS ISSUE.") THEN REMEMBER TO VOTE ACCORDINGLY IF THEY ARE "FAMILY UNFRIENDLY" IN THE NEXT ELECTION... |
Thread Tools | |
Display Modes | |
|
|
Similar Threads | ||||
Thread | Thread Starter | Forum | Replies | Last Post |
Child ‘services’ are all about the money: Do you find it odd that even though CPS/Social Services has been non-compliant with state and federal mandates over two decades, our legislators continue to allow America’s children to pour into this broken | fx | Spanking | 0 | April 30th 07 02:40 AM |
Child ‘services’ are all about the money: Do you find it odd that even though CPS/Social Services has been non-compliant with state and federal mandates over two decades, our legislators continue to allow America’s children to pour into this broken | fx | Foster Parents | 0 | April 30th 07 02:40 AM |
Child ‘services’ are all about the money: Do you find it odd that even though CPS/Social Services has been non-compliant with state and federal mandates over two decades, our legislators continue to allow America’s children to pour into this broken | fx | Foster Parents | 0 | April 30th 07 02:37 AM |
[FOR SALE] Your Children: WHAT "Child Protective Services" ISREALLY ABOUT... | fx | Spanking | 1 | March 29th 07 01:25 PM |
[FOR SALE] Your Children: WHAT "Child Protective Services" ISREALLY ABOUT... | fx | Foster Parents | 1 | March 29th 07 01:25 PM |