The Foster Care Oversight Committee met on February 22 to review the experiences of foster parents and other issues that the child protection system faces. I have been an active member of this committee for over 8 years and have worked with numerous families and stakeholders to bring about positive changes to support kids, young adults, and foster families during some of the most difficult times in a child’s life.
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The committee hearing allowed foster families to share serious problems they were experiencing including allegations of retaliation after filing complaints, lack of support, and insurmountable bureaucratic problems. The Office of Performance Evaluation provided an overview of numerous reports they have shared, but the lingering problem that has not been resolved in the department is a culture that has prevented positive change.
As the OPE staff reported, child protection is a system that is HIGH RELATIONSHIP and one that requires time and space to develop trust in those relationships. The three main recommendations included …
- Recruiting, training, and providing meaningful support for foster families,
- Creating a culture of compromise where social workers are given the space to build relationships and problem-solve with appropriate supervision supports,
- Resolving problems when they arise to engender trust and lasting solutions.
It is frustrating to continue to hear problems not being resolved; I have spent hundreds and hundreds of hours advocating, along with Sen Abby Lee, that these aspects of culture be addressed with what feels like little success.
However, after this hearing, I do feel more hope that the Governor’s Office will take more notice of the concerns and join the legislature in tackling the problems that were raised during this hearing.
There are many great social workers in the Department who work hard on behalf of children and families, but we must find ways to address the culture in the department that inhibits the development of relationships and problem-solving so foster families past, present, and future are more apt to provide the vital services that kids and families need.
At the end of the committee, two policy recommendations were discussed, and later bills were introduced to address some concerns:
- Creation of an Ombuds Office to objectively collect and rule on complaints and grievances made by people using the system.
- Regulations on the age of children in foster care who can be housed in temporary housing when a foster family is unavailable. There have been growing concerns with the number and ages of kids placed in short-term rentals such as Air BnB’s, which is not the best place for children in care.
We need to focus our efforts on building a trusting and responsive foster care system where foster parents feel involved, supported, and cared for. If we put more effort into building trusting relationships, we will have less need for congregate care which ultimately helps reduce trauma and increase safety for children in protection.
The legislature has taken numerous steps to address policy concerns over the years including increasing social work positions and salaries, increasing home visiting supports, funding data systems to support social workers’ reporting requirements, and so on. The culture of the Department is the Governor’s responsibility to address; I will continue to do all I can to support any efforts to address these concerns.