And the failure of government on so many levels....
"Mass. foster care endangers children, lawsuit alleges; State cites gains, disputes data" by David Abel, Globe Staff | April 16, 2010
A national advocacy group filed a lawsuit yesterday in federal court in Springfield, arguing that the state’s foster care system is in dire need of reform because it violates children’s rights by “routinely placing them in dangerous and unstable situations.’’
New York City-based Children’s Rights, which has filed similar lawsuits in more than a dozen states, argues that Massachusetts has one of the highest rates of abuse of children in foster care and that its system is rife with other problems....
The lawsuit argues the agency “further traumatizes children’’ by moving them frequently, alleging that one-third of children in state foster care are sent to five or more homes during their time in custody. The suit also says the state has failed to prepare parents for reunions with their children.
“There is absolutely no justification for what Massachusetts is doing to its most vulnerable children,’’ Marcia Robinson Lowry, executive director of Children’s Rights, said in a statement. “It is robbing them of their right to be protected from abuse and neglect and to grow up in safe and stable homes with loving, permanent families.’’
State officials, while acknowledging the agency’s challenges, disputed the allegations and argued that the DCF has made significant progress in recent years....
At a news conference yesterday at a Boston law firm, Lowry argued the state’s foster care system trails others because DCF caseloads are higher than in other states. She said the average caseworker oversees 28 families, while the national standard is 13 to 18 children per caseworker.
Lowry also argued the state has failed to pay foster parents sufficiently and has repeatedly lost the opportunity to be reimbursed by the federal government because it has not filed applications in a timely way.
You have got to be f***ing kidding?
But they make sure banks get their interests payments on time!
Also see: Memory Hole: Massachusetts' State Budget
How Massachusetts Balances Its Budget
Increased taxes for slashed services and corporate welfare, Massachusetts?
“It’s not a well-managed system,’’ Lowry said. “There’s a failure of management.’’
I'm home!
