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.

Energy harnessed

He is a tall lanky kid who looks older than his actual age. In his eyes you can see he is being tentative, still not sure of whether he should trust anyone yet. Slowly the abrupt behavior and reluctance to be engaged lessens. He begins selectively to tell his story, happy to break the intensity with a ride on his skateboard. His social worker sits back and patiently waits for his return and the treatment process to advance, the pace set by him.

Treatment of youngsters who have been traumatized by disappointment and tragedy can be slow, but well worth the patience and perseverance required when the end result is a childhood restored. This is what Hillsides is all about--to serve as a resource for children and families that allows for hurt to be addressed and a pathway to a fuller life identified.

As we approached our centennial year, Hillsides began the process of examining how we communicate who we are, what we do, and how we make a difference. As much as things have changed in 100 years, some things remain constant-- the commitment to high quality care, innovation, and advocacy. And so the task was to select an icon, a symbol, a mark that would convey our role as caregivers who make a lasting impact on the lives of all we serve, like the young resident mentioned earlier.

Many different logos were considered, all of them taking into account what we wished to communicate. When we considered the pinwheel there was an immediate, unanimous agreement that this symbol would serve well to convey what we are all about.

A familiar object associated with the carefree nature of childhood, pinwheels are recognized across generations and within many different cultures. As a toy, it never-the-less teaches a child about the ability to harness the energy of the wind to create movement and momentum. In and of itself, it is simple but intricate. When engaged, the pinwheel comes to life and can be so satisfying. It is a transformational object that reflects life fully enjoyed. In some cultures, it is a symbol of how obstacles can be turned into opportunities. For us, it seemed clear that there was no better symbol to reflect who we are, what we do, and how we impact lives.

Like all logos, it is effective only to the extent that it truly captures the essence of who we are; an organization dedicated to creating lasting change. The impact we make is not achieved by a marketing and communications campaign. The impact we make is the result of the extraordinary care of so many, staff and volunteers alike, who are clearly driven by a mission to create lasting change in the lives of all we serve.

Strong Foundation Upheld for a Century

2013 will mark Hillsides centennial. Reviewing the historical archives provided an affirmation of the organization’s characteristics that had surfaced when we were developing a strategic road map this past year. Clearly from its inception, Hillsides has been an organization unquestionably committed to those it serves, willing to innovate in order to be most effective, and always dedicated to raising a voice in favor of those who otherwise would be ignored.

Quality Care

Our founder, Deaconess Evelyn Wile, was a woman on a mission. Having abandoned the comforts of her day, of family, and a home, she committed herself exclusively to the quality care of the children entrusted to her. She lived for them! Her absolute dedication established a work ethic that to this day permeates the organization, witnessed in the extraordinary number of staff who have worked most of their professional lives at Hillsides.

Innovation

From the very beginning Hillsides was like no other “orphanage.” Turning away from constructing a large, dormitory like structure, Deaconess Wile preferred a campus setting with cottages to provide children a home environment. Over the years, the organization developed the capacity to always look for additional ways to best serve vulnerable children. It was this spirit of innovation that led to  the construction of Hillsides Education Center, the establishment of an array of community-based services throughout greater Los Angeles and Pasadena, and most recently, the creation of the Youth Moving On program to address the needs of former foster youth striving for independence.

Advocacy

All of these efforts to provide the best possible care has also allowed Hillsides to be recognized as a credible  advocate, speaking out throughout its history to help engage the community to value the tremendous capacity of the children, youth, and families its serves.

 
Much has changed in 100 years; Avenue 64 is no longer the leafy refuges from the city that it once was, buildings have been added to the original three structures, and an extensive network of services in the community has been developed. Yet through these subsequent generations, some things remain the same--quality care, innovation, and advocacy. These are the foundation for what we hope will be yet another 100 years.

Roaming the Halls in Sacramento

From L to R: Sam Garrison, Joe Costa, Assemblymember Ricardo Lara, Marisol Barrios and Thomas Lee

Yesterday the Los Angeles Times had an article on the proposed budget cuts that Governor Brown will be addressing later this week. And so begins the annual ritual of adjusting the budget to reflect revenues. Given that these revenues do not match the budget’s projected revenue stream, we envision additional cuts to services. As always, this discussion will trigger an acrimonious round of proposals to determine which of the poor options we have will be selected.  Inevitably, these cuts will further erode the already fragile “safety net” that supports education and services to vulnerable children and families.

In an effort to play a role in the process, Sam Garrison, Hillsides board member and chair of our Government Affairs and Public Policy Committee, facilitated a round of conversations in Sacramento this past week with staff of our local elected officials. We introduced ourselves and hopefully established the kind of rapport with these policymakers that will keep them sensitive to the needs of all we serve. Besides Sam, Thomas Lee, director of Youth Moving On, and Marisol Barrios, director of communications and advocacy, joined me in these meetings. We met with staff from the offices of Gilbert Cedillo, Kevin de Leon, Ricardo Lara, Roger Hernandez, Carol Liu, and Felipe Fuentes.

There is no way to avoid some very significant cuts in this kind of constrained public funding environment. No elected official relishes making decisions that sacrifices needed services. Our visit last week was an opportunity for us to suggest to the legislators some criteria and priorities to consider in making these very difficult decisions. We can only hope that such advocacy will lead to decisions that support the delivery of care to the most vulnerable.

We advocated the importance of not being shortsighted in what funding reductions must be made--some level of support must be maintained in order to minimally sustain the needs of the most vulnerable. Cuts to avoid would include those that only exacerbate poor situations and eventually lead to more costly solutions, often placing the needy at a greater risk of harm. Certainly from our perspective it is very important to maintain the already significantly reduced funding for education. Fewer school days, more children in a classroom, and further elimination of ancillary and support services for school-aged children only threaten the integrity of the public education system and reduces it to not much more than custodial care.

In addition to advocatingfor support of education, in particular funding for special education, we also informed staff of the need for continued funding of mental health services to support children who have experienced abuse, neglect or violence.  Inadequately funding these kinds of services places these children and families at considerable risk of further harm. As resilient as children can be, they are especially vulnerable when needed services are sacrificed, threatening to weaken the gains that they may have made. Failure to effectively address the needs of these children and youth only opens the door to chronic behaviors and disorders that jeopardizes their long-term well-being and that of our society and community as a whole!

Challenging times require courageous and prudent actions. Legislators are typically receptive to the input of their constituents. As we begin the arduous exercise of balancing the State budget and making very difficult decisions, we ask you to join with us in any way you can to encourage our representatives to hear the voices of the vulnerable children, youth and families as they deliberate in January.