Child welfare changes look positive
Under new method, families say they feel like they are getting help instead of blame.
By Josh Sweigart, Staff Writer
Updated 9:51 PM Tuesday, October 12, 2010
SPRINGFIELD — Clark County is leading a national study on how a kinder, gentler children services agency can lead to healthier families and safer children.
Incredible, so I take this is as an admission to children services being 'mean' and 'rough'. That's child abuse.
Early results are positive. After 21/2 years of using this new approach, local children services officials say they’re seeing less recidivism, fewer children placed in foster homes and safer kids.
And that means less foster parents will be needed with less children aging out the system to a dismal future.
“This is where the federal government is headed in terms of child welfare,” said Clark County Job and Family Services Deputy Director Cathy Appel.
The funding structures are finally shifting.
But first, the feds want more data. So they’re paying for studies in Ohio, Colorado and Illinois.
Clark County commissioners Tuesday approved a $516,666 federal grant for the study, which will look at the children services model known as alternative response. Clark County will lead the yearlong, six-county study in Ohio. Champaign and Montgomery counties will also be included.
The theory is simple. Instead of coming into someone’s home and assigning blame, caseworkers ask the family what services they can bring to help. Then they respond with counseling, financial help and other services.
Cheaper with greater results.
“This is all about having relationships with families and instead of playing the blame game,” Appel said. “It’s about building relationships and saying what do we have to do to partner together.”
It's about busting up the imperialistic morality parade.
The new approach is only used in cases that aren’t likely to lead to prosecution, she said.
What will CASA do now? Probably launch a campaign against this.
While it’s too early to produce local data from this study, statewide studies have shown families respond better to alternative response than traditional methods, caseworkers enjoy their work more and children were significantly less likely to be suspected victims of further abuse and half as likely to end up in foster placement.
Stefania Falke, supervisor of the program in Clark County, said families feel like they’re getting help under the new method instead of punishment.
“We’ve had families call and thank us,” she said.
I send my gratitude, also.
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