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A handful of foster care parents and their children gathered Wednesdayoutside the Capitol to protest legislation that would hand 20 percent moreof Michigan's foster care system to the private sector.
Parents protest foster care bill
Privatization measure debated in state Senate Susan Vela Lansing State Journal http://www.battlecreekenquirer.com/a...WS01/307200004 LANSING — The group was small but hoped it was persuasive. A handful of foster care parents and their children gathered Wednesday outside the Capitol to protest legislation that would hand 20 percent more of Michigan's foster care system to the private sector. "I cannot believe they're trying to change this," said Hemlock resident Laura Woods of Saginaw County. She has adopted three foster kids. Senate Bill 232 could save the state up to $19 million, but that would come at the expense of at least 300 jobs held by state human services workers relating directly with more than 18,000 foster care children. Everyone involved in the debate is concerned about kids. The bill's supporters say the legislation would leave the state with more time to do oversight work. The bill's opponents fear change and the private sector's ability to manage more foster care cases. Right now, Michigan's foster care system is a network of administrators, caseworkers, therapists and others handling the recruitment, training and licensing of foster families, along with therapy and case management services. Forty percent of the Michigan Department of Human Services' foster care responsibilities already are privatized. With children on the line, some can't help but fear change. Foster care parent Kim Rowan is concerned about the increased caseloads for state Department of Human Services employees, which the agency confirmed could jump from 20 to 30. Almost every state in the nation has privatized some of its foster care system, experts say. The legislation, proposed by state Sen. Bill Hardiman, R-Kentwood, would raise Michigan's privatization level to 60 percent. Hardiman said that his bill, if approved, would give the state more time for oversight. Also, all private sector agencies would have to be accredited on a national level and they would receive pay based on their care, he said. In Ingham County, three private sector agencies - Child & Family Services, Capital Area; St. Vincent Catholic Charities; and Lutheran Social Services - are now managing foster care cases. Child & Family Services manages 150 of the tri-county's 1,000-plus caseload. "The bill, first of all, would only expand what we're doing successfully," said Jim Paparella, Child & Family Services' executive director. "If we take a good thing and expand it, wouldn't that make it greater?" He emphasized that all the private agencies would have to be nonprofits under Hardiman's bill. State money, though, can amount to hundreds of thousands of dollars. Paparella said the most recent monthly payment for Child & Family Services was about $60,000 for 50 specialized care foster kids and about $5,700 for about 100 general care foster kids. His agency manages the case of Shannon Baker's 18-year-old foster son. The family lives in Dimondale. Baker's only concern is that more agencies would want to enter the realm of foster care if the bill were passed and the agencies might become so different in their styles that parents will not confidently know which to pick. "My No. 1 concern is really just the children and whatever is in their best interests," Baker said. Wednesday's small group of protesters marched around the Capitol carrying signs that read "Vote No!," "Children are More than Money," and "Don't Use Experiments With Our Children." They caught the attention of several state legislators, including state Rep. Joan Bauer, D-Lansing, who stopped by to ask a few questions. Bauer has long been concerned about privatizing services. "Often, it sounds like it will save money," Bauer said. "(Yet) it often ends up costing taxpayers more in the long run." She backed her argument with documents from a union-focused group detailing privatization's failures. One example was of the Michigan Department of Transportation privatizing some paving work and then ending up paying double what it would have cost if the state had done the work. Contact Susan Vela at 702-4248 or . CURRENTLY CHILD PROTECTIVE SERVICES VIOLATES MORE CIVIL RIGHTS ON A DAILY BASIS THEN ALL OTHER AGENCIES COMBINED INCLUDING THE NSA / CIA 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 CHILD PROTECTIVE SERVICES, HAPPILY DESTROYING HUNDREDS OF INNOCENT FAMILIES YEARLY NATIONWIDE AND COMING TO YOU'RE HOME SOON... 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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