The story of DCF’s failures to protect kids strike like a dagger to the heart of the state’s conscience. What you’ll mostly hear about is mismanagement and political pressure on Gov. Patrick to “do something.” Indeed he should.
But please listen to a federal judge William Young, who issues this devastating challenge to each of us, every participant in Massachusetts politics:
Young issued his ruling as he dismissed a class-action lawsuit against the department, but said he was disturbed to find that DCF places children in inappropriate foster homes, lacks proper educational and medical services, and has subpar caseload management and training practices.
The agency’s failings, Young said, were “more about budgetary shortfalls than management myopia” and added: “We are all complicit in this financial failure.”
“When next you bemoan your tax burden, remember that, at that moment, somewhere in Massachusetts there is a youngster who has just been taken from her parents’ home,” Young wrote. “She is confused, inexpressibly lonely, homesick, and desperately afraid. Because of Massachusetts’ penury, her future is murkier than in most places in America. Do you care?”
via DCF chief tries to right agency amid scrutiny – Metro – The Boston Globe.
Should government “run like a business”? In the sense that if you want good qualified people, you have to pay for good qualified people. If you want agencies to do a good job protecting kids and families, you have to staff them with enough good qualified people. If you fund it stingily, then literally the most vulnerable, helpless people in society get stingy protection. And they will suffer — they have suffered and died for it.
We have a tradition in Massachusetts of having a relatively generous social safety net. The net has a hole in it, just big enough for kids.
I want to hear from #magov candidates how they intend to relieve the very real resource crunch at DCF — not merely reshuffle an underfunded, beleaguered, put-upon, neglected agency.
Go Judge Young!
Without going into the specifics of their case, a close relative of mine tried to become a foster parent for our cousin and felt like the system was there to throw roadblocks and obstacles in there way rather than look out for the children. He felt that he was dealing with the DMV and far more real lives are at stake in this system. Time to clean it up and invest in it.
Amen to this:
Government on the cheap is shoddy government. There is no free lunch. We need to say this often and loudly, even if it’s uncomfortable, and especially on behalf of services for those who literally have no voice.
…more than a lack of resources? It is my understanding that the last time the DCF checked on the Fitchburg child feared dead was last Spring, and was discovered missing only after his 7 yr old sister told a teacher a month ago.
Yes, lack of resources is an issue. Yes, conflicting mission is an issue. But neither gives “cover” to this level of neglect.
I have had to deal with both events. Workers who lie, under oath, about making visits they in fact never made. I have waited with a client (a worried parent) in their living room for a scheduled home visit. The worker does not show up. Then at the so-called 72 hour hearing which is about returning the child to the parent, or not…the same worker testifies as to what they saw – negative stuff – at this visit they never made. Also, once a DCF worker decides to give up on or dislike a parent, there are no services, and if the child involved is an infant or toddler, the case is placed on termination of parental rights fast track and parental visitation is chopped to an hour a month. We attorneys who do the work are “nickle and dimed” – no longer paid for time when we are stuck waiting in Court, for example – but some of us stick with doing this kind of work, despite workers who never return phone calls, who move our child clients without telling us, and having to be attorney private investigators far too much of the time. And just let a parent with some self esteem not kiss up – the results are not pretty, I assure you. I do counsel the utmost courtesy, because of the extreme power given to this agency, such that due to two cases (Isaac & Jeremy) only abusive actions by the DCF can even be overturned by a judge.
…are you given an opportunity to also testify so as to impeach the testimony of the worker who claims to have visited but didn’t?
My client testified the worker never came. The worker testified she was lying because she was motivated to lie. The judge chose to believe the worker, just as judges usually believe the police who also sometimes lie, and lab technicians who we now know – lied a whole lot…and falsified results too.
Either a third party without motive, but with knowledge to affirm the fact of the visit or some kind of document that the worker must present to someone like your client to sign at the time of the visit to acknowledge said visit.
Strictly two people with differing testimony. Look at Anne Dookhan and the thousands of false results and lies she told as a lab tech; it happens.
I was just trying to brainstorm ways to fix it.