Child Welfare vs. Child Well-being

While recently attending the quarterly meeting of CWLA’s Board of Directors, there was a presentation on an initiative to establish an overarching set of principles to govern the standards of excellence in child welfare. The genesis of the initiative is an effort to demonstrate the impact of child welfare on the well-being of children and families. As I reflected on the discussion it occurred to me that perhaps we might want to no longer refer to these efforts to care for vulnerable children and youth as child welfare, but rather as child well-being. After all, is that not the goal?

Welfare has become a word to avoid in our politically charged divisive environment. No longer does the word welfare refer to the efforts of a noble society caring for those less fortunate.  Welfare now connotes a system of well intentioned, but failed, expensive entitlements that create dependence and a threat to true "freedom." As unbelievable as this may seem, it never-the-less reflects the philosophical divide that grips our nation in political grid lock.

Therefore, rather than constantly running the risk of alienating those for whom welfare has become a "dirty" word, I suggest we replace it with well-being, because at the end of the day that is indeed what is accomplished in all we do for the  children, youth, and families we serve.

Whether it is the support we provide children and their family when their homes have been disrupted, to the mental health services we offer to those experiencing trauma or the outreach we offer youth who are transitioning from the foster care system to independence, all these efforts contribute to their well-being. The end result is a marked improvement in functioning, stronger and healthier families as well as an ability to pursue a full, independent life.

Using the word well-being rather than welfare is not some semantic hat trick, but rather an attempt in a skeptical environment to express the impact achieved when services are rendered to a vulnerable population. Over the last few years we have seen 85% of children in our care successfully restored to their home and communities. The amount of time that families have been separated has been significantly reduced, and the hope for leading successful lives has been established.

If the word welfare is a stumbling block, then I suggest we get rid of it. More than ever we can not afford to allow anything to get in the way of the support we need to achieve lasting change for all we serve.

Baldwin Park Expansion

Hillsides is a multi-service organization offering care for children, youth, and their families from Hollywood Hills to beyond Baldwin Park in San Gabriel Valley. The majority of services we offer are in schools, community settings, and resource centers in metro Los Angeles, Pasadena, and Baldwin Park.

Until now a small portable building at a school site in Baldwin Park served as the hub of our services in that city. Over the years, this office and treatment space has become inadequate so we have secured a new site, located at 13001 Ramona Blvd., Ste A, Irwindale, CA 91760.  Services have already begun. This is a significant development for Hillsides and one that points to not only the demand for services in that community, but our reputation for being a provider the community can count on to deliver essential care to very vulnerable children, youth, and families.

Janis Reid, one of our Family Center program directors overseeing this particular area, identifies the following services offered in Baldwin Park:

•  Cal Works, which includes job readiness and domestic violence groups as well as individual treatment
•  School Based Programs, offering individual, group, and family therapy groups
•  Programs for infants to 5 year olds, providing services with caregivers and children
•  Outpatient mental health services for children and families
•  Parenting groups
•  Psychiatric consultation
•  Psychological  testing

The additional space will also allow the Family Center to expand its services in Baldwin Park to include outreach to transition aged youth.

All this is the result of several years of slowly, but methodically developing our service capacity and faithfully delivering care to an underserved and vulnerable population. For many years the director of these services was a very capable woman, Rosario Espinoza, who passed away from cancer last year. Those who benefitted from her care and those who labored along with her established a beautiful memorial to her that is on the Hillsides campus in Pasadena. The memorial, composed of two chairs and a side table, is adorned with a series of tiles that depict staff’s appreciation for her dedicated service.

This week as we prepare to open the center in Baldwin Park I could not help, but think of Rosario, grateful for her dedication and leadership. As hopeful as we are for all that we might be able to accomplish in Baldwin Park, I know that it is not because we have a better equipped site in which to offer services, but more importantly, because we have an extraordinarily committed staff, who like Rosario, labor tirelessly to create lasting change for all they serve.

Teacher Exemplifies Excellence

The news is filled with information about teachers these days. In Chicago, teachers are on strike to resist reforms that introduce new measurements of their teaching achievement. In Los Angeles, teachers will be considering reforms agreed upon by school officials and administrators to also establish new norms with which to evaluate teacher performance. Like in social services, some members of the teaching profession have resisted the efforts to quantify performance, arguing student achievement is dependent on so many factors that it is inordinate to tie teacher performance to student achievement.

No matter where you stand on this issue, everyone agrees it is imperative to provide a high quality, effective public education system if we hope to prosper and offer students a pathway to lifelong success. May I suggest that what impedes achieving this noble ambition has more to do with the easily bruised egos of teaching professionals, academic theorists, and politicians than a sincere interest in what is most effective for students.

In the middle of these verbal barrages are earnest students and dedicated teachers who serve as human shields for the various combatants. What are achieved are piecemeal efforts that neither support teachers nor offer effective education. This quagmire threatens the viability of the pubic education system and endangers students.

Rebekah Ruswick with Judge Terry J. Hatter, Jr.

With this as a background story, Hillsides Education Center celebrates this week the extraordinary service of one of its finest teachers, Rebekah Ruswick, who after a distinguished tenure will be moving on to serve in a senior program position with a local school system.  Rebekah exemplifies not only what is a great teacher, but also a great staff member. The list of her attributes is long; I feel the greatest one is her drive to see students succeed, not only academically, but in all aspects of their lives. She will be missed, but her legacy will be students who have been touched by her dedication, advanced academically, and more importantly, moved on from HEC confident because of the care they received through her instruction.

HEC is a great source of pride for all us associated with Hillsides, not just because of its students’ achievements, but also its mission driven staff that sacrifice much for the satisfaction of seeing their students succeed. I am convinced that lessons learned in places like HEC would serve as an excellent primer for those who sincerely espouse academic excellence and professional development in our public school system. Might I be biased?

Labor of Love

This is a notably hectic time at Hillsides. There is a certain seasonal aspect to admissions into our residential program. As some residents complete their treatment to return home and into their community during the summer months, they are replaced with new residents. Typically, these children arrive at Hillsides relatively traumatized and in need of a great deal of attention during their initial period in residential treatment.

As I was walking across the playing field a few weeks ago, a preadolescent boy approached me asking who I was. Before I could introduce myself, another resident quickly mentioned that I was the boss. The new resident was very happy to make my acquaintance and began to question me as to the extent of my influence in the program. He just wanted to make sure he was directing any questions he may have to someone who could do something about it. I found it amusing he thought I had such influence and assured him that he could come to me with any concerns. A week later this incredibly gregarious boy found me as he was frantically running around the campus, clearly anxious and compulsively looking to leave. We talked about how he could address his concerns, and we were joined by staff that continued the conversation until he was less agitated.

As I walked away and returned to my office, I could not help but be grateful for the wonderful staff that so ably attend to our residents. Staff patiently and skillfully assure residents that they are safe, that things will get better, and that we are committed to their success.

This level of commitment is evident every day at Hillsides, whether it is our clinical staff, our school personnel, or any one of our support services employees. The question that drives them is: “what more can we do to assure the success of those we serve and of the organization?” Such unquestionable dedication is contagious and priceless.

The true meaning of Labor Day is often overshadowed by the end of summer festivities. However, it is important to not lose sight of all those, especially in our field, whose fine and hard work are essential to the fulfillment of our mission to make a lasting change in the lives of all we serve. Without them, little would be accomplished; with them, great things are achieved. I am especially grateful for such dedicated co-workers and commit to do everything possible to acknowledge their dedication and secure the resources necessary to maintain them in this field. For all these hardworking people, Labor Day is not just a day off, but rather an opportunity to celebrate what is indeed a labor of love.