Get To Root Of Crisis In Foster Care DCF's Track Record

Jonathan K. Jaberg, Largo
Get to root of crisis in foster care Aug. 12, editorial
DCF's track record

In this editorial, the Times rightfully called out the Department of Children and Families for failing to adequately place the thousands of children who are removed from parental care every year in Hillsborough County and across the state. What the editorial did not point out is that many judges assigned to handle these cases often act as little more than a rubber stamp for a failing system.

Since 2011, of the more than 4,000 cases in which children were removed from their parents in Hills­borough, only 66 were overturned and only one case this year has reversed the initial determination by the DCF to remove a child. That means that judges have determined the DCF made the right call 99.98 percent of the time. No agency is that good.

That percentage would be less alarming if we were dealing with highly trained professionals who are doing thorough risk assessments and placing children in safe, appropriate homes. The reality is that poorly trained social workers employed by the Sheriff's Office have one of the worst jobs out there. That's why they have such historically abysmal staff retention.

When explaining to people how difficult it is to be a child protective investigator, I use the analogy of the police. When the cops show up, at least someone is happy to see them, usually the person who called. Nobody is happy to see the DCF. Yet that doesn't mean we can allow these removals to go unchecked. Too often, there are services that could have been offered to prevent the need for a removal.

Courts have had a difficult time deciding what to do when the DCF falls down on the job. Does that mean you put a child at risk? Of course not, but let's ask our judges to stop assuming they made the right call every time. Our children deserve better.

Christopher Mulligan, Brooksville
The writer is a third-generation Florida lawyer who primarily handles cases involving children.
Reforms and resources

I have worked with at-risk youth and child protection systems in the Northeast. I am a Guardian ad Litem in Pinellas County and have fostered a teen.

I'm heartened that last year Florida strengthened its child protection laws by placing the interests of abused or neglected children ahead of biological parents' interests. It would have been sensible to concomitantly prepare for the influx of children who would remain out of inappropriate homes as a result. That didn't happen.

From my experience, here are the missing pieces that require funding:
• More compensation and support for foster care families, which in turn will encourage more folks to become foster parents.

• A significant increase in wraparound and in-home services. (New Jersey did this in the 1990s with impressive results).

• Compensation for family members who meet low-income guidelines who otherwise cannot afford to take in a grandchild or niece but would be willing to do so if the support were there.

http://www.tampabay.com/opinion/letters/wednesdays-letters-sarcasm-isnt-a-leadership-trait/2289724