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 come true

As part of our centennial celebrations, we did some research on the founder of Hillsides, Deaconess Evelyn Wile. We discovered she was a true pioneer in her field and that although she died when she was only 49, in her lifetime she achieved much--certainly more than perhaps she ever imagined.

Evelyn Wile was born in 1877 in Boston, Massachusetts. She was, however, an adventurer and before settling in Pasadena traveled and worked in South Carolina, San Diego, New York, and Hawaii. This amount of travel was a considerable feat at that time. These travels seem to point to her professional development in the field of child care. With each stop in her journey, the deaconess grew in her conviction of what was best for children who for whatever reason were without their families. It is fair to say that she was not just driven by professional interests, but by a strong conviction that her work was indeed a calling rooted in her religious beliefs.  So strong was her commitment that she dedicated herself exclusively to those in her care.

Part of the legacy Deaconess Wile left to Hillsides is an ethic that persists to this day, embraced by subsequent leaders like my predecessor John Hitchcock who insisted that children, their well-being, and success comes first. All that she did was ultimately a refection of what was best for those she served. We see this in her insistence that the organization, although founded in East Los Angeles, find its permanent home in the countryside free from the stressor of the city. Another example was her commitment to conduct this important work in a less institutionalized setting than what was common in her era, favoring a more home-like cottage living environment.

 

As much as she was driven by a strong sense of mission, she was quite accomplished as an administrator and fundraiser. Documents that capture the early activities of the governing body indicate how savvy she was at securing some very influential members of the community to provide the financial support required to establish the organization. In the thirteen years during which she established and led the organization, she managed to lay the foundation for not only an array of services for those in her care, but also provided the vision for the organization that endures to this day.

Deaconess Wile measured her success when a child in her care had the confidence and ability to move on to independence. The same is true today. In addition to the success of creating a lasting change for all those we serve we also consider ourselves successful to the extent that we fulfill Wile’s dream of being an indispensible resource for very vulnerable children.

Deaconess Wile had many who shared her dream and lent their support to see it fulfilled. The same is true for us today. The recent 100 Faces campaign captured some of those who continue to help us fulfill the great mission of Hillsides to create a lasting change for the children, youth,  and families we serve.

All this will be celebrated in a very special way with our Founder’s Day event that will be held this Sunday, September 15, from 2:00 PM to 4:30 PM on the Hillsides Campus on Avenue 64. Please join us as we recall Deaconess Wile’s dream and our celebration of how it continues to be fulfilled in all we do.