High case loads kill kids, and guarantee poor social work most of the time.
This was appropriated money, and appropriated for the most vulnerable citizens of the Commonwealth. Can someone, anyone explain this to me?
Good reporting by Sue Reinert who may be reached at sreinert@ledger.com
Oh, and by the way, the Governor’s House One cuts $4,000.000 from funding for the residential placements upon which the sickest kids depend.
Patrick’s proposed budget for fiscal 2008 would cut spending for residential services such as group homes by $4 million, which will end up affecting services to children living at home, Spence said./blockquote>
Please share widely!
I thought caps were appropriate for headlines, but if not, I am willing to learn a different protocol. Also, I WAS truly shocked by this story…
…use bolding or italics for emphasis, not all-caps. The problem with all-caps is that it’s difficult to read.
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Besides, an all caps text string is oftentimes interpreted as an acronym.
in headlines are generally unnecessary, and they look funny in the sidebar.
The Social Security Administration is currently undergoing the same problem. Since 2005, SSA has lost roughly 6,000 jobs, 10% of its national workforce, to attrition caused by the Bush administration’s and the former GOP Congress’s underfunding SSA’s administrative expense limit by up to $400,000,000 each year. Indeed, were it not for the 11th hour efforts of the new Democratic majority, SSA employees were looking at a 10-day furlough due to budget cuts in 2007. The sick part is that SSA’s operating budget comes from the trust fund, not from general revenue. However, Congress has had to “borrow” from the trust fund to pay for Iraq and Katrina.
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The net result has been skyrocketing disability caseloads and processing times, and rapidly increasing waiting times in field offices and over the phone. Further, SSA employees cannot process “integrity workloads” like disability reviews and non-medical eligibility redeterminations because of staffing constraints, which have led to upwards of $6 billion in overpaid benefits to people who shouldn’t have been receiving them. SSA’s actuaries state that the government saves $10 for every $1 invested in integrity workloads (i.e. staffing to do the work), so a fraction of that overpaid money invested in staffing could’ve prevented the problem altogether.
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I hear you. Whenever you have an agency that provides direct service to the public, adequate staffing levels are a necessity. The consequences of understaffing are all too clear and dire.
And given the “high profile cases”, and rush to remove children, to then not monitor how the children and families are doing – is just plain unsafe, not to mention wrong.
HOW MUCH are we talking about for the 160 case workers? It’s not in the story, except for Spence saying he needs $10 million extra NEXT year.
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We are 3/4 through the fiscal year, so it would be approx. 1/4 of the money appropriated – unless they want so much next year that the appropriation is being held to subsidize it?
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This would not be good, as there is a timeliness issue attached to this – but DSS can get very unrealistic in its understanding of available revenue. I still contend if they would do a 25% health insurance contribution – far below the 50% which is common in the Dreaded Private Sectior – and drop their demand to be placed in Group 4, they’d have their needed extra bodies.
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BTW – WHERE did they get that picture of Spence? He looks like a vampire molester!
I know – awful photos of him. I haven’t been able to figure out if he is anorectic, or has Marfan syndrome, but he sure is bony and hollow eyed – he looks like that “for real” in person, too. Not something he can help, any more than I can change the fact that I am 4’10”.
and, in an unusually deep voice, says “Y-o-u r-a-n-g?”
It’s actually Group 2…and why shoudn’t DSS Social workers be classified as such. I’m sure you are familiar with the execution style killing of Linda Silva (former DSS worker) by one of her clients. DSS Social Workers are placed in comprimising situations on a daily basis. If you look at what Juvenile PO’s do as compared to DSS workers, I am sure you would find that our jobs are actually more dangerous. The difference is probation is a male dominated field and well SW….need I say more? As for health care, we have not had a contract in six years that is in line with the outrageous cost of living in Massachusetts. So please don’t give us a raise, but raise our health care costs! We can barely afford to live as is.
BTW – Are only field people in Group 2, or is everybody?
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And aren’t you still at 15% contribution?
PP…We are not in group 2 but are trying to get into group 2 for field SW’s. Especially since field workers are faced with the same situations as probation officers. This has not happened as of yet. Most SW’s are at 15% but the newer ones are paying 20%. Personally, I can’t afford to pay any more than that. My take home salary has increased about 75$ per month in the last 3+ years.
…I liked the way that PP Put it…
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I have a couple of questions.
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(i) When was the increase in the number of positions authorized?
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(ii) When was the last time the size of the department increased?
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(iii) What was the reason for the apparent increase in authorized positions?
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(iiia) Was it because of an commensurate increase in the number of cases (and, if so, why)?
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(iiib) Was it to relieve a staff that was believed to be overburdened staff?
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(iiibA) If the staff was perceived to be commensurately overburdened when the last staff increase was authorized, why didn’t the legislature authorize a larger increase?
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And this next is my real question.
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(iv) Was the increase in authorized positions really intended to increase the number of union members?
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Pardon my cynicism.
IV: very cynical…ask that next time a baby ends of dead and DSS to blame as usual. The child welfare league recommends that SW’s carry no more than 15 cases per 1 Social Worker. The State mandate is 18 to 1. I no first hand that 98% of Social Workers carry between 21 and 24 cases. These stats do not take into things such as caseload activity etc.
Just to remind you, you did not respond to questions (i), (ii), (iii), (iiia), or (iiibA). You did provide a response to question (iiia).
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By the way, it is a mistake to get emotive with me on this issue. I would not blame DSS if a child were to be injured or died. There are numerous other options for relief of children who are being abused, including neighbors and relatives, who should be looked to first. The state can do what it can with the limited resources that are provided to it.
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But, in the long run, if the family, neighbors, friends, or churches don’t particularly care about the children who are being abused and who might be in a position to actually rescue them from their situations, it isn’t exactly incumbent on strangers to do so.
I find your comment pretty offensive: “But, in the long run, if the family, neighbors, friends, or churches don’t particularly care about the children who are being abused and who might be in a position to actually rescue them from their situations, it isn’t exactly incumbent on strangers to do so.”
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That is exactly when the larger community, people perhaps outside the cruel circle, thus “strangers,” must be called upon to help.
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Where are you coming from? That’s a pretty radical hands-off approach. This is a “Commonwealth,” afterall, with free public education, and passable roads and bridges, taxes, etc. Your comment sound like the kind of attitude that creates and sustains a society in which a few wealthy and/or well-connected families, (fearful of losing their grip on power, they take care of their own) pretty much feed off of and ignore the suffering of the vast majority of the population. It is grotesquely elitist.
Well you said that was your real question so I figured I would answer that. Although my response did include answers to A and B. The Department always has new hires but the turn around is outrageous.