Saturday, April 30, 2016

U.S. Child Welfare Takes It's First Steps To Admitting It Has A Civil Rights Problem

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Serevices, Administration for Children & Families, Children's Bureau has put out a "how-to" guide to file a child welfare grievance.

Unfortunately, the guidesheet has omitted filing complaints with elected state representatives such as the state attorney general who is in charge of the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, in situations of Medicaid fraud in child welfare.

With the same misfortune, the State Medicaid Fraud Control Units have no authority to address Medicaid Fraud in child welfare due to privacy laws as many, if not the majority of child placing agencies are contractually privatized, as religious non-profits, and everyone know, you cannot audit God.

State elected officials have the duty to provide constituency services, meaning the can navigate the muddled administration to direct the grievance, but cannot intervene in the matter as it is under the jurisdiction of a court, a very fine line which has yet to be addressed.

Remember, one is considered guilty until proven innocent, devoid of opportunity to face one's accuser.

Without analyses of the rest of the States, I will only speak upon my favorite egregious violator of civil rights, Michigan.

In Michigan, the grievances are now dealt with in house, meaning the grievances are investigated by the agencies which have committed the possible violations.

Lest not we forget that the Michigan Office of Children's Ombudsman has a "valid yet not opened" grievance category.  This means that there was a violation but the Office will not investigate, nor will it refer to the attorney general, either due to a lack of resources, policy ignorance, or it would jack up the federal consent agreement.

At least this guidance is small baby steps, yet it is a start in admitting there are no civil rights in child welfare.
 
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