A Parenting & kids forum. ParentingBanter.com

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.

Go Back   Home » ParentingBanter.com forum » alt.parenting » Spanking
Site Map Home Authors List Search Today's Posts Mark Forums Read Web Partners

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.



 
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
  #1  
Old August 9th 07, 05:50 AM posted to alt.support.child-protective-services,alt.support.foster-parents,alt.dads-rights.unmoderated,alt.parenting.spanking
fx
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 2,848
Default 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...

 




Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

vB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Forum Jump

Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Governor vows to 'get to the bottom' of foster care lawsuit: fostercare system is so broken that children have been placed back with fosterparents who abused them or even killed in foster care. fx Spanking 1 July 4th 07 12:51 PM
Governor vows to 'get to the bottom' of foster care lawsuit: fostercare system is so broken that children have been placed back with fosterparents who abused them or even killed in foster care. fx Foster Parents 1 July 4th 07 12:51 PM
Foster Care an 80 PERCENT FALU A Brief Analysis of the CaseyFamily Programs ,Northwest Foster Care Alumni Study... fx Spanking 12 June 22nd 07 02:28 PM
Pew Commission on Children in Foster Care Releases Sweeping Recommendations to Overhaul Nation's Foster Care System wexwimpy Foster Parents 0 May 19th 04 05:50 PM


All times are GMT +1. The time now is 01:54 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.6.4
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Copyright ©2004-2024 ParentingBanter.com.
The comments are property of their posters.