Why this maintenance failure is making headlines

The recent headline in the Los Angeles Times said it all: “Plight of 2 toddlers puts spotlight on L.A. County family program.” The lead identified toddlers found wandering the busy streets of South LA, hungry, dirty and neglected, mom oblivious to their absence, and the subject of the Department of Children and Family Services’ efforts to help maintain her family. How could this be?

There is a philosophical approach in child welfare practice that, all things being equal, values family unity.  As a result, there is an emphasis to assist families where there may be evidence of abuse or neglect to address their dysfunction and rebuild a stable home. In many instances the interventions employed to achieve this worthy goal are less traumatic for the child and family, leverage the good will and intention of the parents and larger family unit, and lead to a long-term stable environment. One such program is DCFS’ Family Maintenance, which the mother of the toddlers was enrolled in.  However, while this approach may be less intrusive and relatively inexpensive than removing a child and securing him or her in a foster or group home, it is nevertheless a very labor-intensive approach.  It requires expertly trained social workers and other professionals who need to make the successful restoration of a family their exclusive focus.

Assuming the accuracy of the Los Angeles Times article, clearly this mom was not a good candidate for this program. Given her struggles, she needed support beyond what was available. Somehow, insufficient assessments led to a poor judgment about the kind of care required to keep her children safe. As a result these impressionable toddlers have been traumatized and their safety jeopardized. Disaster was averted not by an expert social worker, a veteran social service administrator, or a gargantuan child welfare system but because of an observant bystander who could not walk away from the plight of these two toddlers in need.

As DCFS Director Philip Browning is quoted as saying in the Los Angeles Times, “Something didn’t work here.”  Given the DCFS fact sheet states there are more than 13,800 children in this program, the chances are that there are a number of other cases like this one where, no matter the good intentions of the County, the end result is that children are being neglected, the risk of abuse is significant, and children’s long-term well-being is being sacrificed.  What is being done to assure that the other children in this program are not subjected to the same trauma?

Immediate action is called for. Without knowing how DCFS has responded to this outcry, a number of strategies should be engaged: 

• All cases in the Family Maintenance program should be reviewed, and a rigorous assessment made as to the family’s appropriateness for this particular service. 
• Social workers involved in this program should be engaged to identify the supports and structures needed to effectively render services to children and families in this program. 
• A heightened sense of vigilance and urgency should prevail until all these cases are reviewed and appropriate treatment determined. 
• Additional resources may need to be employed to conduct this review in a timely fashion.

This process should be conducted in a transparent way, providing the public assurances that these tragedies will be avoided.

In 30 years working in the child welfare system I have rarely met a parent or family who cannot be engaged to assure the well-being of their child. That being said, we must not be naïve.  The challenges faced by these families are great and the efforts of those who serve them and their children are significant. For all parties involved, this must be an exclusive commitment driven by a desire and hope to see children thrive and be successful. However, the effort is well worth it. At Hillsides, our staff joins with families to accompany them through a difficult journey characterized not only by challenges and heartbreak but also by breakthroughs and achievement. It requires constant attention, diligent, consistent care, and an overall belief that hope can be restored.

We eagerly await not only whatever actions DCFS will introduce to address the failure of the Family Maintenance program but also the findings of the Blue Ribbon Commission appointed by the County Supervisors to review the county child welfare system. Regardless of the findings, I suggest that the remedy to DCFS’ woes has mostly to do with the lack of resources needed to implement the well-intended programs.  More than anything else there is no substitute for well-prepared, experienced workers who have the resources necessary to effectively intervene in the lives of the most vulnerable members of our community like the two toddlers found wandering the street.

Waiting to hear

As I was walking around the campus the other day I encountered a 10-year-old resident who asked me if I had been to the meeting held that morning to discuss her treatment plan. She was preoccupied with what might be decided and was anxious to know the outcome. Sitting with her I could not help but wonder how unsettling it is for a child to be left wondering about the future.

Fortunately, I had some information about the challenges this little girl is facing and how difficult it has been to find a good option for her that will assure her safety and reasonable hope of being reunited with her family. For the past three months we have been dealing with unsuccessful attempts at reunification. These efforts have been complicated by a bureaucratic maze of reviews and approvals, introducing delays and adding to the frustration of such a vulnerable child.  It is of little consolation that minimally she is being kept safe, attends school, and has improved while at Hillsides. She is still not home, unsure of what will come next.

She is like so many children in the foster care system in Los Angeles County, cared for and yet still longing for a permanent solution. Recently, the Blue Ribbon Commission on Child Protection issued an interim report that focused mostly on how to prevent fatalities of children, especially those under the age of five, who are in the care of DCFS. Ten recommendations were made that would increase the cross-agency interaction to hopefully address this serious issue. The recommendations all focus on marshaling more effectively the resources already available within the existing public services system. That being said, greater integration of services and heightened vigilance can only be seen as part of the solution and indeed not the remedy.

More than anything else in such a large community like Los Angeles, the challenge is to break things down into a manageable size. The solution has to do with creating communities that look out for its children and families and have the resources to prevent abuse and provide early intervention.  As diverse and spread out as Los Angeles is, there are still very distinct neighborhoods that provide manageable networks that support a sense of community. The children and families we serve depend on the good order and functioning of its local communities to provide safe, protective and healthy environments within which children can learn, play, and develop.

The specialty services that we offer at Hillsides are resources not only to the children and families we serve, but also the communities from which they come. With a common vision and commitment to make a lasting impact for these vulnerable children, we can ease the anxiety of a fragile 10 year old, lessen the grip of the bureaucratic maze, and more effectively use the resources available. 

Travesty

Unlike many of our peer organizations, Hillsides does not provide foster family services. We do not have any foster homes associated with Hillsides. When asked why that was the case, my predecessor, John Hitchcock, indicated he was reluctant to provide a foster home service where the quality of care that would be provided in these foster homes could not be guaranteed. He had reason for his reluctance and certainly the recent exposé in the Los Angeles Times points to why we all should be reluctant to entrust vulnerable children to a system that seems woefully inadequate.

The article points to abuses by some providers and certainly does not reflect the excellent and essential service that many of our peers organizations provide through the foster homes that they sponsor. However, it would seem from the article that there are some significant concerns with how many of the foster home agencies operate and are monitored.

More so than ever the children that are being referred to a foster home require a relatively comprehensive array of services. The foster parent must display extraordinary skill and ability to be successful. In addition to providing a safe living environment, foster parents are asked to facilitate therapeutic care that is specifically oriented to the individual needs of the child. It is very demanding, requires a significant level of training and exclusive commitment. Given the extraordinary need for such homes and the increasing neediness of the children being served, it is essential that the selection of foster parents benefit from a rigorous screening process. In addition, foster parents should be afforded all the resources and support needed to adequately and effectively address the needs of the children in their care.

From the details revealed in the Los Angeles Times article this was not the case with the foster parents that were the subject of the exposé. In addition, the organizations themselves did not have the adequate structure or orientation to effectively deliver quality care to these children.

The following measures would better provide for the needs of the children served in foster homes.  First, foster homes should be aligned with a reputable organization that is accredited by a body that has clearly identified standards of operation and practice for foster homes. Second, the same licensing and regulatory requirements that govern institutions providing therapeutic services should apply to all foster homes and be rigorously applied and monitored by Department of Children and Family Services. Third, infractions or violations need to have meaningful consequences and be addressed in a timely fashion. Minimally, these measures should be instituted if not already in place.

Although there will always be a need for good quality foster homes, the ultimate solution is helping families to provide for their own children. Much success has been achieved by identifying within an extended family a relative who can fulfill the parenting responsibilities, if for whatever reason the actual parents are unable to do so. Coupled with a strong community-based support system, most children can be served well, family caregivers can be effective, and the trauma of inadequate care can be avoided. Together with a  couple of other peer organizations, Hillsides has piloted this approach and it has been very effective. Children have been kept safe, improvement is evident, and long-term stability is established.

The challenges are great, but that cannot keep us from doing everything in our power to avoid any recurrence of the travesty that some children in the foster care system have suffered. 

Foster care failure

The most recent article in the Los Angeles Times series entitled, “The Child Mill,” exposed yet another failed organization that seemingly took advantage of the funding in the foster care system to benefit itself with little regard for the children entrusted to its care. The article revealed another frightening example of a system unable to safeguard children who are very vulnerable. To be fair, I’m sure there is another side to the story of the rise and fall of the Wings of Refuge foster care agency, but there are enough alarming details to certainly question its capacity to effectively provide foster care. If nothing else, the reference by its executive director to what she called, “professional foster children” is an indicator of an attitude toward these children that is not acceptable. 

That being said, the problem with these articles is that it paints a picture in very broad strokes, portraying many involved in providing foster care as either a group of ineffective, naïve, do-gooders at best or as a group of scheming, self absorbed, opportunists at worst. For the vast majority of providers of foster care services neither is true. Foster care is a highly regulated field of service that is essential to the child welfare system and, in most instances, is an indispensable resource to very vulnerable children and their families. It is also a relatively sophisticated system of care with clearly established standards of care and operations monitored strictly by both the Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) and Community Care Licensing. So how can such blatant abuse occur?

As a provider of foster care services, I can attest to the multiple and redundant systems utilized to monitor the safety and well-being of those we serve. In addition, the county employs a legion of auditors who on a regular basis review all aspects of our operations and governance. As an institutional provider of foster care services, Hillsides is held accountable by such a rigorous system of checks and balances. How is it that organizations like Wings of Refuge were able to operate so poorly for so long without some intervention? Could it be that in an attempt to expedite and facilitate the recruitment and development of these desperately needed homes, the county relaxed its requirements? If so, then DCFS  needs to re-examine its policies since clearly the best interests of children have not been served by such facilitation.

What is the solution? Most recently, the Child Welfare Institute in Los Angeles has set out on an ambitious study of how best to recruit foster families. The institute has helped identify not only who are the ideal foster families, but how to be supportive of these extraordinary individuals and families who welcome into their homes children who otherwise would be deprived of a home like setting while separated from their families. The fact is that overall Los Angeles has been able to assemble a system of care that provides a fair amount of early intervention for families at risk of being separated and as a result, many families have the resources they need to stay together. However, for those families whose circumstances call for a period of separation, it is absolutely imperative that we are able to provide them with safe, reliable, and effective foster homes.

The solution lies not just with early intervention and an effective system of foster homes, but also an ability to tap into the tremendous resource available through organizations like Hillsides who are equipped to provide a very integrated array of services to the children and families, who after any number of interventions, still require a more intensive treatment program. The solution has to do with developing a full array of services that can best be tailored to address the considerable challenges these children and families confront. I would suggest that for some of these families using a more comprehensive initial assessment would lead to the development of more effective plans of treatment and hopefully reduce significantly the number of failed interventions that can have a very negative impact on both the child and family.

Although there are no simple solutions, the task is not as complicated as it may seem. There are many models both locally and nationally that would help identify effective strategies to address the needs of children served by the child welfare system. With any luck, the recently established Blue Ribbon Commission will be able to help sort these issues out and develop a plan of action that will help DCFS eliminate the child mill atrocities exposed by the Los Angeles Times.

Dream day

Where were you 50 years ago when Martin Luther King, Jr. led that historic march on Washington, D.C. and shared his famous “I Have a Dream” speech? I was getting ready to enter 8^th grade and had no clue how momentous that march was and the impact it would have for civil rights in this country. Much has changed in 50 years and yet the struggle for civil rights continues. Equality is illusive and freedom requires constant vigilance and effort. As much as some dreams have been fulfilled, others are still denied.

On the anniversary of this great speech, many are asking, “What is your dream?” At Hillsides we ask, “What is the dream for ourselves as an organization and for the children, youth, and families we serve?”

Given the most recent article in the Los Angeles Times addressing the crisis in foster care in the county, my dream is that every child will be kept safe and every child along with their family will receive the support they need to be successful.  In a previous blog, I introduced you to a young boy that was admitted to Hillsides from one of the children’s holding centers mentioned in the article. I wonder what his dreams are? What responsibility does the Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) have in putting him in the right path to achieve dreams? How are we helping him fulfill them?

The article reported that DCFS has reached a crisis point because of a severe lack of foster homes and other resources for children and youth in their care. A combination of an increased number of vulnerable families, shortsighted attempts to employ best practices, and a bottomline approach has led to this crisis, which is a long time in coming. As a result, there is a severe shortage of qualified foster homes. County social workers are stretched beyond a reasonable capacity. Providers are forced to do more with far less resources than is necessary. This is a disaster that puts children at risk and caregivers alike.

Dreams are dashed in such an overwhelming environment. But just as with the civil rights struggle, exposing the truth and insisting on improvement are required. There is no magic bullet, but the solutions are known. More resources are needed. Better assessments and measurable, achievable treatment plans must be developed as part of the initial intervention with these children. Early intervention that supports the role of family is essential to long-term success and stability. Effective recruitment of qualified foster homes is imperative. Perhaps if we can strive to improve in these areas, every child’s dream is closer to being fulfilled as they traverse the foster care system.

Increased funding is not the only solution; proven and effective interventions are also necessary. However, the care of the most vulnerable children should not be subject to the budget balancing exercises that often seem to drive decisions regarding their care. It is unacceptable and the result is a system that fails its mission to protect and improve the lives of those it serves.

I have a dream that some day soon we will have created communities that safeguard its children, supports its families, and assures the basic rights of all, especially the most vulnerable.  My dream for the young boy in our care is that we will be a resource for him and his family. By doing so, he will dream of great things for himself and be confident enough to pursue them.

Dreams are just fantasies if there is no reason to hope that they will be realized. One hundred years ago this coming month, a courageous woman acted on her dream to provide a safe and secure home for children whose families no longer were able to provide for them. Each day we take up that dream and commit anew to creating a lasting change for all we serve. Dream with us!

Day one

Although I enjoy regular contact with any number of officials at the Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS), it is rare that I get a direct request for assistance regarding a child being referred to our Residential Treatment Services. But sure enough, there was a plea to give immediate and special consideration for an 11-year-old boy. The child had been in  multiple foster homes and each placement ended with a psychiatric hospitalization and foster parents feeling overwhelmed and tentative. The child’s family was not in a position to receive the child and, therefore, not an immediate resource for him. Having returned from a brief hospitalization, this young boy now sat at the DCFS emergency office with no clear indication of a long-term plan for treatment.

As we reviewed the admissions packet, there was a fair amount of concern for the likelihood of success. The team discussed the case in length and during this time the conversation shifted; slowly each member of the group was able to indicate some hope that we could be effective. So in spite of the odds, we approved the child for admission to the great relief of DCFS.

This is the first time that this young boy would be in a setting like ours and to no one’s surprise he did not react well initially. As promised, I looked in on him soon after he arrived and found four staff members all engaged at trying to settle him down and reassure him that he would be safe. I left the encounter wondering whether we had made the right decision and concerned that perhaps we could not effectively care for him. Periodically, I checked my e-mails to see if there were any incident reports that might indicate an escalation in his behavior and I was prepared to hear that he had been hospitalized again. But as the old saying goes, “No news is good news!”

A few days had pass so I asked about him hoping that all was well.  Aside from his first few hours of anxiously assessing his situation, this young boy had begun to interact with his cottage mates and was allowing staff to engage him. He was happy with his new bedroom, thrilled with the goodies in his welcome bag, and especially excited about getting in the pool. From combative and anxious, he was now engaged and playful.  

I’m sure the euphoria of these first few days will wane soon and that we will confront a number of challenges as we get this young boy on a path to a stable life. I could not help, but feel pleased that we were able to receive this child and begin the process of restoring hope for him.

We are so fortunate to have an extraordinary staff, well equipped to provide the care that will make all the difference in the success for this boy and his family. At the end of the day, this is what Hillsides is all about. A month from now we will celebrate the 100^th anniversary of our founding. Well over 100,000 children have been served in this century, all of them vulnerable and desperate for the kind of care that makes a lasting change.  Follow the blog as I provide you with updates on this newest resident and join with us as we celebrate our centennial on September 15.

If you see something, say something

This week on Tuesday the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted to establish a Blue Ribbon Commission to examine the Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) in light of the recent death of a child in its care. Some reservation was voiced given that these reviews have taken place in the past with little, if any, impact on avoiding the tragedy of deaths resulting from child abuse. In spite of the skepticism, I believe the Commission may be very worthwhile and serve an important purpose of engaging the whole community to address this kind of horror.

Although DCFS was indeed ultimately responsible for the well-being of the child, this family had a number of other interactions with people and institutions that should have served as another tier to assure this child’s safety. What is seen as a failure of the child welfare system is also a failure of the whole community to keep a child safe. It is not acceptable to think that someone else will take care of this kind of thing. All of us have the responsibility to note the concern and to be diligent in making sure the issue is addressed.

Important for the Blue Ribbon Commission is to not only review the system of care, but also address the larger infrastructure in the community to determine how together we can be supportive of the efforts of DCFS. Our schools, health care system, law enforcement, churches, other community organizations, and neighbors have a role in creating an integrated and effective network that is solely oriented at assuring safety for the most vulnerable children and their families.

Terrorism in this country has been thwarted to some degree by a heightened sense of vigilance that helps us identify suspicious activity and encourage notification to the appropriate authorities. I suggest that we need to bring this same approach to a campaign to make children safe. If you see something suspicious going on with a family or a child, say something. Report it to law enforcement, DCFS or raise the concern with the local school personnel, but never assume that it is someone else’s responsibility to address the issue. We have a role to play in making children safe.

The last thing we need are vigilantes.  However, if each of us, as neighbors and community members, embraces the concept that together we have an obligation to keep children safe much would be accomplished; and systems of care would be more effectively used.

This notion of the community providing a safety net for vulnerable children and families is supported by the fine work done by Child Welfare League of America in its recent publication, National Blueprint for Excellence in Child Welfare. The publication is also reinforced by the work of the Casey Family Programs that have served as a catalyst in creating communities of hope. Together we can create the kinds of communities that are responsive to families in crisis and assure that children will be kept safe. 

How many people does it take…?

All of us can recall the joke about how many people it takes to change a light bulb. I recalled that opening line when I recently saw a group assembled to assess the progress of one of our residents.  As we struggled to find a meeting room large enough to accommodate all the many “stakeholders,” I asked myself the question, “How many people does it take to help a child?” The answer of course is that it takes many, all providing a different perspective important to consider in determining the long-term well-being of the child. But I am left wondering at times if indeed there may be too many people involved in the process whose agenda is more reflective of their particular viewpoint rather than the best interests of the child.

The logistics of gathering so many interested parties is daunting.  The need to satisfy so many statutory requirements while never-the-less assuring the safety and well-being of very vulnerable children often creates a quagmire that deters achieving the stated best interests of the child and family. In this kind of environment progress can be slow, demoralizing all involved.

Recently, the Los Angeles Times reported on a review that was authorized by the Board of Supervisors that was very critical of the Department of Children and Family Services. It pointed to how its byzantine regulatory and bureaucratic  structure has not only impeded providing good quality care; in some instances it has failed completely, resulting in the loss of children who fell prey to abuse and violence. DCFS takes very seriously the recommendations that have been issued as a result of the review. The Department is undergoing a significant reorganization in order to create a culture where, “the safety of children is Job One” to quote its Director Philip Browning.

That kind of leadership is essential because change comes very slowly to such a large system like that of DCFS. Social workers and other caregivers, who have been disenfranchised and traumatized by the failures of the system, are understandably reluctant to embrace anything that is a departure from their current mode of operating.

For all of us involved with providing care to children and their families, who are at greater risk of neglect and harm, we must never lose sight of what is first and foremost, the safety and well-being of the child. Somehow we must also be dedicated to loosening the grip of the organizational quicksand that easily consumes those for whom we care.

Hillsides applauds the forthright and transparent manner in which DCFS has reviewed its practice and offer our support to help create a system where children come first. With any luck fewer people will never-the-less more effectively assist children and their families to successfully make their way through crisis and have hope restored.

Incredible, but True and Very Sad

The expression on the Board of Supervisor Michael Antonovich’s face that appeared in a photograph associated with an article on sexually exploited youth in the Los Angeles Times on Monday, December 3 says it all. According to the article, “more than half the juveniles arrested in LA County on prostitution-related charges have been under the care and supervision of DCFS.” Incredible, but true and very sad! To add insult to injury, these youth until the recent passage of the Proposition 35 have been treated as criminals rather than as victims of crimes by law enforcement.

How is it possible that children and youth in the care of the Department of Children and Family Services are lost to the streets and disappear into the nether world of homelessness, prostitution, and addiction? There just has to be a better way to serve such vulnerable youth and to avoid the tragedy of their sexual exploitation.

As mentioned previously on this blog, a young female resident of Youth Moving On, Hillsides’ housing and services program for former foster youth, mentioned to me that she aspires to serve youth trapped by gangs in the world of sexual trafficking. She struggled to gain her freedom from that environment and now serves as an advocate for these youth, helping them to transition away from gang involved prostitution to becoming independent. As with many of these youth, the first step is often a safe place to live.

Although we don’t offer a safe house program, we do reach out to these youth and counsel and support them as they struggle to free themselves from the grip of gang related activities. As always, we are quick to offer them a safe place to live once they can make that break and are resolved to take advantage of the services available through YMO.

Proposition 35 goes a long way in changing the law enforcement culture and will require greater attention to these exploited youth so they receive the care they need  instead of just being led off into the criminal justice system. But this does not address the failures of the child welfare system that somehow “lost” these children and youth to the streets in the first place.

Part of the solution does not just rest with the foster care system, but rather with the families of these children. One of the principal drivers in gang involvement is the need to belong and be protected. For most of us, the need to belong is provided in our family unit. Although it may seem counter intuitive, I think that all we do to find someone within the family of these very vulnerable youth to serve as an adult “anchor” for them accomplishes much in eliminating the need for them to look elsewhere  for the affection and care they deserve.

Certainly special training, increased supervision, better monitoring, and engaging programs would also serve to address the problem. But at the end of the day, it is that one adult, who always will be faithful, consistent, and dedicated that makes the difference in helping a vulnerable child satisfy the basic need to be loved.

Leadership Required

Recently I had the opportunity to meet with the recently appointed Director of the Department of Children and Family Services, Philip Browning. What every one knows is that his job is a thankless one that requires someone to not only safeguard the interests of very vulnerable children and families, but also be an astute manager and a savvy politician. The door to the DCFS director’s office is a revolving one that has seen many very capable and dedicated men and women come and go in short order.

Philip Browning comes to this position rightfully recognized for his administrative skills. In the short time he has been in the position, he clearly has demonstrated not only a keen interest in the children and families served by DCFS, but a willingness to learn from both his staff and the community. The question is: will that be enough?

Like any large organization, DCFS needs a consummate beaurocrat who can maneuver the maze of requirements and interest groups, but at the end of the day, whether it is DCFS or Hillsides, we are measured by what we accomplish for each individual child, youth and family. Have they been kept safe? Have they improved in our care? Are they on the road to a stable, permanent home? These are the questions that will measure success.

No single person or organization can do justice to the challenge of effectively responding to the needs of a very vulnerable population at a time of extraordinary fiscal constraints. Only collectively as a  community can we hold out the hope of being successful. As a result, more than anything else, we need a leader with a sense of vision and purpose and a clearly identified strategy. DCFS is in the process of mapping out a direction and only time will tell what contribution Director Browning will make. Together, with others in the provider community, we offer DCFS our support as an ally in serving Los Angeles’ most vulnerable.

The challenges are great and the ramifications of our actions are considerable. In light of the ballooning State deficit, difficult decisions must be made in the next few months that will inevitably be very painful. The magnitude of the deficit can not be addressed by merely cutting programs, but will require generating additional revenues. The burden of balancing the budget can not be borne only by those whose care will be sacrificed. It is precisely in this kind of a situation that a leader must be driven by a clear sense of priorities that goes beyond balancing the budget.

Stonewalling?

On August 7 on the editorial page of the Los Angeles Times, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors were accused of stonewalling because of their refusal to comply with an investigation by the Bureau of State Audits into the deaths of children in the care of the Department of Children and Family Services within the past four years. There are more than enough good reasons for the Board of Supervisors to be cautious and reluctant to comply with this investigation, but at the end of the day what statement does this make to the families of children who have been placed in the care of DCFS? Even for the dysfunctional family where addiction and disability has threatened the safety of children, the removal of a child from the home is traumatic for all involved. How much more so if those who remove and place the child, posture themselves as beyond scrutiny?

Embedded in the editorial was a reminder of an often forgotten fact: in spite of the challenges and risks that many of DCFS involved families confront, studies indicate that the majority of children in these families do better when they remain within their family system. More often than not a relative can be found to support the child in the midst of turmoil in the home. In so many ways it is a far better to provide families with support and to remove children only as a last resort. I am reminded of this each time I run into one of our eight-year-old residents who inevitably asks me to get him home.

No one is advocating that it is acceptable to risk the safety of a child. For the parents of a child who has been removed from the home presumably because it was not safe, to then find them at risk in an underfunded, poorly monitored and mismanaged foster care system is intolerable. Certainly these families deserve some assurances; more importantly, these children must be assured. Somehow DCFS and the Board of Supervisors need to provide those assurances.

Audits are an everyday experience in the world of publicly funded services. As onerous as they may be, audits offer a level of accountability and provide some transparency. To refer to the Board of Supervisors as intransigent is unfair; they are attempting to balance a number of issues that hopefully will not only safeguard their interests, but more importantly serve the best interests of the children and families in the care of DCFS. The task is daunting and it is easy to point fingers, but the situation is urgent and the risks enormous so their prompt action is required.

The Numbers are Against Us

The Los Angeles Times continues to focus on the failures of the Los Angeles County child welfare system to keep children safe and free from risk. Another toddler’s death, Tori Sandoval, on April 24 was reported on Monday. This is just the most recent of seventy deaths in the last three years of children entrusted to the Department of Children and Family Services because of maltreatment. The fact of the matter is that most of these deaths did not get this much attention! If it were not for the spotlight placed on this troubling issue by the Los Angeles Times, these deaths would go un-noticed by the public, lost in the sheer volume of children and families in the child welfare system.

Even though DCFS has reduced the amount of children in the system, the number of children in care is still monumental. As a result, case loads are unrealistic, resources are strained, and the end result is that children and families continue to be at risk. In addition, the system is constricted by a convoluted organization further impeded by mandates and protocols that serve only to bolster a gargantuan bureaucracy.

The solution can not be more of the same, but rather a comprehensive restructuring of how vulnerable children and families are served and a commitment to provide the needed resources even at a time of great fiscal constraint. Otherwise, we need not be shocked and outraged at the next report of a child’s death.

A system that is broken into smaller, more manageable service delivery units is essential. The concern that such a system would generate inconsistency and duplication is outweighed by a structure where children and families are not lost in the crowd, where accountability can be assured, and where resources can be directed more efficiently.

The challenge is enormous, but not insurmountable. Clearly, no one wants to see children placed at risk. Los Angeles has incredible resources from both the public and private sectors that could be marshaled to address this issue. Together, we can create a system of care that keeps children safe, promotes their well-being, and provides a consistent and permanent home in which to thrive.

“You need to find me a home”

The other day I ran into one of my favorite residents (they are all my favorites!) who asked to speak with me. He is one of several sibling groups we have in residence. He and his sister had been adopted, but after a few years of attempting to salvage the adoption, it failed. They are, once again, available for adoption. Both he and his sister have one message for me every time I see them and that is, "Find me a home."

My day came to a standstill as I heard his plea. He was accompanied by his therapist who encouraged him and commented on the courage he displayed by persistently pursuing his dream of having a home, a family. It is such courage, like his, that we honor each day as we lend our energies and resources to serve these children.

There is urgency in this plea, a desire to be like other kids, to be part of a loving family and community. For this brother and sister, it is not because they are not happy at Hillsides, but it is because they know better. In spite of the tremendous disappointments they have experienced and the challenges they confront, they are still longing for that one person, that family who will accept them and support them for a lifetime.

Like many other agencies, Hillsides has developed a capacity to assist families to be equipped to, once again, receive their children back at home and if necessary to identify other family members to serve as lifelong resources for these children. For those without a family resource, then we partner with other agencies to identify adoptive families.

The obstacles are many: an unnecessarily bureaucratic system, the traumas experienced at the hands of adults, a cycle of failure, learning and emotional challenges. But in spite of the challenges, we must not lose hope, but rather strengthen our commitment to restoring every child to their family or to a permanent home.

Thank you Trish Ploehn

Trish Ploehn, the beleaguered director of the Los Angeles County's Department of Children and Family Services, has been removed from her position. Announced on December 13, the Los Angeles Times website was inundated with vitriolic comments condemning her tenure. Those are cheap shots directed at a public servant who dedicated her career to serving the most vulnerable children and families in the County.

The only thing you can fault Ms. Pleohn for is her decision to take on a position that was recently described as the most thankless job in the United States, let alone Los Angeles County, four years ago. The issue was never her leadership or the policies that she advanced at DCFS, but rather a system that is inherently unmanageable for children and families so much at risk that inevitably they will be harmed.

Clearly, what is needed is to look beyond filling the director position to address the unmanageable nature of the DCFS system. Without an organizational change, whoever becomes the next DCFS director will be doomed to fail; and the children and families served by DCFS can not afford yet another failure!

This interim period is a time to re-examine the DCFS system of care and begin the process of creating an organization that is efficient and effective. The following are suggestions of some things that may be considered in redesigning the system of care.

Make it smaller

The system is too large, too bureaucratic, and too inconsistent to be effective. Size matters and, in this case, smaller is better.

Streamline the system for delivering  services

DCFS should promote and monitor its two principal functions; prevention and protective services. Rather than actually provide services, DCFS should be limited to managing the network of providers, assuring compliance with standards of care. The department should leave the actual provision of services to the providers who have a direct, unencumbered relationship with those served.

Invest in an integrated communications system

Real-time information is absolutely essential to communicate effectively and keep children and families safe. There is no excuse for outdated technology!

Transparency rules

Although client confidentiality must never be sacrificed, all other information about DCFS and providers should be easily accessible to support a client-driven, family-focused and community-oriented system of care. Accountability is essential.

This is an extraordinary opportunity to develop a better organization to serve Los Angeles’ most vulnerable children and families. Let’s not squander it looking for a “savior” or trying to find the “silver bullet.”  Rather, let us embrace this task driven by the desire to truly improve the lives of those we serve.

Family Reunification is Not the Problem

The issue of children deaths while under the care of the Department of Children and Family Services continues to capture our attention with the Los Angeles Times’ article entitled, “Facts, not furor,” published on October 22 and written by Los Angeles County Board Supervisors Mark Ridley-Thomas and Michael D. Antonovich. The article provided a call to maintain a perspective on the issue that is not driven by emotion, but rather rooted in a very sobering fact: for more than a decade, about twenty children die each year from abuse and neglect at the hands of their caregivers while in the care of DCFS.

Clearly, the Supervisors feel that this is not acceptable. They shared the information to establish some context and reinforce the position that there is no reason to believe that  DCFS's policy of family reunification has contributed to children deaths. Their leadership on this issue is yet one more indicator of their commitment to vulnerable children and families.

Some would say that it is inevitable that children will die while in the care of DCFS. While that may be true, it is nevertheless unacceptable and points to the need to develop more effective programs to address domestic violence. Addressing the many needs of those served by DCFS is a daunting task. No one policy, program or strategy can do it, but the facts help to determine the policies, priorities and initiatives that need to be put in place to serve the most vulnerable.

As always, the issue is reduced to the availability of resources and the development of effective systems to provide care. As I have stated in previous blog entries, I encourage our County Supervisors and DCFS leadership to address the infrastructure issues that threaten their capacity to be effective. I join my voice along with others who have written to the Los Angeles Times suggesting in addition to immediate measures that must be taken to assure the safety of all children in its care, a thorough examination of the system must be undertaken.

In reviewing the system of care, agencies like Hillsides should be engaged as active partners and allies with DCFS.  We are driven by a mission to serve vulnerable children and all of us are committed to keeping children and their families safe. Providers not only have expertise, they also are able to maintain a more effective and direct relationship with children and families that serves well in the development of a more effective system of care.

Let us not rest until we can eliminate children deaths.

Please feel free to share your views on this issue and forward the blog posting on to family and friends who may be interested in Hillsides and this issue.