Date: 04/23/2010
Final
Child Protective Services in Other States
COMMITTEE ON CHILD WELFARE
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03:13 PM -- Child Protective Services in Other States
Kelly Crane, Policy Specialist, National Conference of State Legislatures, provided data to the committee stating that approximately 460,000 children are in some type of care, which is the lowest number since 1993. She continued by stating that the number of children entering foster care is lower than the number of children exiting care. She described several strategies such as the differential response approach described by Ms. Weinerman which allows child county departments to engage the families of abused children differently. She spoke to the outcomes of this change in policy. She spoke to another initiative which encompasses family supports and family strengthening. She provided an example of the initiative saying that departments which coordinate public housing would work with departments providing child welfare systems. Ms. Crane also described the family team decision-making strategy which is intended to increase the number of children children exiting the foster care system. She spoke about parent-child visits which maintain the relationship between family members in order to reduce the sense of loss or abandonment. She indicated that this strategy has resulted in shorter foster care placements. Ms. Crane spoke to strengthening kinship and improving the legal representation for foster children.
03:23 PM -- Dr. Patricia Schene, Child Welfare Fellow, American Humane Association, described the American Humane Society. She stated that it provides a clearing house of information and resources for the child welfare system. She spoke to the CWAC and its recommendations. She stated that the scrutiny of the child welfare system has increased significantly over the last decade. She stated that the internal review process has nudged the system to improve itself. She described the differential response initiative and stated that it has produced concrete evidence demonstrating effectiveness. She stated that the goal of that initiative is not make the family feel like they are on 'the other side of the department.' She stated that differential response initiatives allows the department to speak with the child and their families without fear and it also permits a broader approach to caring for children in totality. She spoke to various initiatives that work towards prevention. She stated that these initiatives take various forms, but essentially help the families connect to resources in their communities. She indicated that several states are working to reduce inconsistencies and implement some type of practice model that will ensures that quality is infused into the system.
03:39 PM
Ms. Schene encouraged the committee to work towards collaboration between systems to serve children in the state. The committee discussed various factors that are linked with child abuse such as poverty, education, and racial disparities. Ms. Schene stated that states that bring down child poverty reduce child maltreatment.