Foster care agency to cut staff Already beset with financial and service problems

Foster care agency to cut staff Already beset with financial and
service problems, Family Continuity Programs plans to lay off 30
caseworkers.
By CURTIS KRUEGER, Times Staff Writer Published February 13, 2004

PINELLAS PARK - The troubled agency that cares for foster children in
Pinellas and Pasco counties plans to lay off 30 caseworkers, even as
it struggles to save its license because of poor performance.
The cuts are intended to improve the agency's financial picture
without putting children at risk, said Lisa Tackus, acting executive
director of Family Continuity Programs.
But the layoffs surprised officials with some agencies that work
closely with Family Continuity. They said they are concerned the
reduction in caseworkers may leave children unprotected.
News of the layoffs leaked out Thursday morning when Roxanne Fixsen,
who until this week was Family Continuity's No. 2 official, told
Pinellas County's Juvenile Welfare Board that the agency planned to
lay off 100 to 120 people.
That would be a quarter or more of its work force.
Fixsen said she confirmed the planned cuts on Tuesday and announced
she would quit in protest as of Wednesday. Her comments shocked
officials at Thursday's meeting.
"As a layperson, that sounds like an insane cut to me," said Pinellas
Commissioner Ken Welch, a member of the Juvenile Welfare Board.
Replied Fixsen: "As a professional, it sounds like an insane cut to
me."
Her comments later drew a rebuke from Tackus, who called Fixsen's
figures "absolutely inaccurate."
"Unfortunately Roxanne said things that now have allowed the community
to be in an uproar," Tackus said.
The layoffs come at a critical time for Family Continuity. The state
Department of Children and Families recently put the agency on a
provisional license, criticizing it for allowing too many foster homes
to become overcrowded and for "a fundamental lack of supervisory
oversight."
Family Continuity is projecting a $3-million deficit. About a month
ago, the agency's nonprofit corporate parent replaced Family
Continuity's executive director, hiring a for-profit management
company.
April Putzulu, spokeswoman for Family Continuity, said the agency
employs about 195 caseworkers, including 29 who are in some form of
training. She said the agency plans to reduce the caseworker staff to
about 165.
Lynn Richard, district administrator for the Department of Children
and Families, said he thinks Family Continuity intends to drop some
less-experienced caseworkers, leaving it with a leaner but
well-seasoned work force.
Cutting caseworkers traditionally worries social service experts,
because caseworkers often are the people who notice signs of abuse in
children. They also work with families who are trying to get their
children out of foster care.
Cuts generally mean remaining caseworkers have larger caseloads, and
that often leads to problems.
High caseloads make it difficult for workers to visit children monthly
and check on their safety. Workers also have less time to return phone
calls from parents trying to win back their children.
Putzulu said Family Continuity, with a staff of more than 400, also
plans more cuts in its administrative staff. She did not offer
specifics Thursday.
Richard, the DCF administrator, said ideally Family Continuity would
increase the number of caseworkers. But given the agency's financial
picture, he said, the layoffs seem prudent.
Richard said average caseloads would increase from about 24 to 27 per
worker. At the same time, he said, the cuts will reduce costs.
"I think being fiscally responsible is a key issue here," Richard
said.
Tackus, the acting executive director, said it is no secret that
financial mismanagement has shaken stability at Family Continuity.
Tackus, who took over last month, was brought in by Providence
Services Corp. of Arizona, the for-profit management company.
Providence is being paid a set amount and will not earn more by
reducing employees.
Family Continuity's job is to take over much of the work previously
handled by government caseworkers for the state Department of Children
and Families. Its staff helps place children in foster homes and works
with parents who have been accused of abuse or neglect.
Although the agency has had its successes, it often has struggled. A
state investigation last year said Family Continuity had sent foster
kids into potentially abusive homes and too frequently moved children
from home to home.
Last month, Family Continuity argued that it had turned the corner on
those problems, hiring new caseworkers and decreasing caseloads.
Figures showed the agency had greatly reduced the number of
overcrowded foster homes.
The person who gave that presentation last month was Fixsen, who
announced Thursday that she had resigned in protest of a change in
direction.
http://www.sptimes.com/2004/02/13/So...gency_to.shtml

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