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Nevada's Child welfare gets a checkup!
Child welfare gets a checkup
Advocates, lawmakers and other officials talk about problems, progress By LISA KIM BACH REVIEW-JOURNAL http://www.lvrj.com/news/8406822.html What plagues Clark County's child welfare system has been diagnosed by authorities high and low -- inadequate and poorly trained staff, incomplete investigations of reported abuse and neglect, a foster parent shortage and child removal rates that exceed the national average. The cure recently prescribed by local, state and federal officials is significantly increased funding paired with more stringent oversight and regulation. On Monday, U.S. Rep. Jon Porter assembled a round table of child welfare advocates and administrators from all levels of community and government to check up on what improvements have been made within the ailing service system and what remains to be done. "I am very optimistic and encouraged, but I still think we have a lot of work to do," said Porter, who became involved with local child welfare issues after last year's string of high-profile tragedies involving children in protective custody. "And the only way we can do it is as a team." U.S. Rep. Shelley Berkley, Gov. Jim Gibbons, Assemblywoman Barbara Buckley, Nevada Supreme Court Chief Justice William Maupin and Clark County Commissioners Lawrence Weekly and Bruce Woodbury were among those who attended the discussion organized by Porter. The assembled political will bodes well for Nevada's reform effort, said Casey Family Programs President William Bell. Having everyone join in the discussion means that everyone is informed about the challenges in front of them. "I don't know of very many places in the country where this type of conversation takes place, with this type of leadership sitting around the table," said Bell, who represents the nation's largest operating foundation focused on improving foster care. "I am absolutely convinced that Nevada can become, if not the best, then one of the best child welfare systems in the country," Bell said. But before that has a chance of happening, those at the table acknowledged that the strides made to date have just been the first steps of reform. Mike Willden, Nevada director of the Department of Health and Human Services, said that Gibbons and state lawmakers supported an unprecedented increase in child welfare funding to Clark County in the last session. The 2007-09 state allocation for Clark County is $131 million, up from $80 million in state funding for the last two years, Willden said. But while Clark County now has the funding to beef up staffing and training, it's still reeling from the problem of turnover and the culture of blame that singles out child welfare workers as the problem. Clark County Director of Family Services Tom Morton said turnover in his department is at about 14 percent annually. That's only to be expected in any system undergoing dramatic changes, Morton said. But those who remain are rising to the occasion and meeting new mandates to close cases within 45 days and improve record keeping. Supervision is also being expanded Morton said, with Family Services working toward having one supervisor for every five case workers. "A year from now, I think you'll see a very different organization," Morton said. UNLV Professor of Social Work Leroy Pelton worried that too much attention was being focused on what to do after children are taken into custody. Not enough attention is being placed on how to reduce the number of children who come into the system in the first place. Families could remain intact if the resources used to place children in foster care and at Child Haven were redirected and used for family housing. For instance, Pelton said, the daily cost of keeping a child at Child Haven is $159. Most children remain at the shelter for about 20 days. "That's the cost of housing an entire family for about eight months," Pelton said. Bell agreed that more attention needed to go toward how to invest in families as a whole. "This is an issue that's so vitally important," Weekly said. "I don't think it takes a rocket scientist to figure it out." Porter plans to organize another roundtable later this year as other planned changes in child welfare are made. 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... http://www.connecticutdcfwatch.com/8x11.pdf http://www.connecticutdcfwatch.com 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 Medical Neglect CPS 14 Parents 12 Fatalities CPS 6.4, Parents 1.5 Imagine that, 6.4 children die at the hands of the very agencies that are supposed to protect them and only 1.5 at the hands of parents per 100,000 children. CPS perpetrates more abuse, neglect, and sexual abuse and kills more children then parents in the United States. If the citizens of this country hold CPS to the same standards that they hold parents too. No judge should ever put another child in the hands of ANY government agency because CPS nationwide is guilty of more harm and death than any human being combined. CPS nationwide is guilty of more human rights violations and deaths of children then the homes from which they were removed. When are the judges going to wake up and see that they are sending children to their death and a life of abuse when children are removed from safe homes based on the mere opinion of a bunch of social workers. 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... |
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