There are 20% fewer care and protection cases which is the opposite of what I expected given the economic meltdown.
Come to find out, the last year that Spence was Commissioner, the Department of Social Services, or DSS as it was then called spent $20 million on services to struggling families. In fact, under Spence, DSS spent more on consultants than on social workers, and I was told by several social workers that their promotions and merit bonuses were based on the number of adoptions they finalized.
Today, despite the terrible economy, the court case load is down, saving many millions of dollars in indigent defense – and despite a 10% cut to the funding for the Department of Children and Families (the new name for DSS) Commissioner McClain spent $40 million – twice as much as Spence – on actual services to struggling families like after school care, therapeutic daycare, family stablization teams providing outreach therapy, etc.
No wonder far fewer children are being removed from their homes, and the number of cases in the courts where I practice is down from 20% to 35%, depending on which court. The cases that do come in are, in the main, much worse, and “everything else was tried first” before removing children. I am also hearing that merit bonuses and promotions are now based on helping and saving families – again anecdotally, but still good to hear and to see.
I note, too, that Judge Blitzman was featured in the story – accurately I might add. Judge Blitzman helped found the Youth Advocacy Program, which he headed for many years, and he knows both kids and the law. I have taken and benefitted from classes he has taught.
I should note that the “juvenile delinquency” cases are down, too. It may be that prosecuting every kid who disrupts a school assembly has lost its lustre – or that the diversion programs where petitions don’t issue until mediation and supervision have been tried are working. To further reduce the costs of indigent defense, similar diversion programs for nonviolent offenders are needed in District Court, no question.
Nice to have some good news. Also, as the baby boomers retire, unless these kids are educated to fill the technical jobs – who will do those jobs?
I would like to see community college education as accessible and well-integrated into public life as food stamps – give someone a fish, you give them dinner; teach them to fish – they have a livelihood and the Commonwealth has revenue.
