SULLIVAN'S SALVOS
July 7, 2017
Sullivan’s
Salvos 7/11/17
In this edition:
*Foster Care Challenges
*Solon Beef Days
*Community ID Celebration
*Did You Know?
*Foster Care Challenges
There
has been a great deal of discussion over Iowa’s foster care system. We have
witnessed a series of events that simply should never happen. What is going
wrong? Why? How can we fix it?
These
are important questions. Though the numbers wax and wane, Johnson County
consistently has about 150 children in foster care at any given time. That is a
significant number! How can we do better by these kids?
I
can answer all of those questions. Melissa and I have been foster parents since
right after we were married. We have provided care for just over 50 children
during that time. I also worked for DHS for several years, and spent several
more years in the private nonprofit sector. But a person need not be a foster
parent to figure this out. It all comes down to budget priorities.
The
Iowa Department of Human Services has cut almost 1200 jobs since
Branstad-Reynolds came into office. 1200 jobs! Think about that for a moment!
This Governor has overseen cuts equivalent to 12 employees in each of Iowa’s 99
counties!
Do
not discount this example. Iowa used to have a DHS office in every county. No
more. A concerned citizen used to be able to speak face to face to a social
worker. No more. A person who needed help could go to their county seat and
talk to someone. No more.
While
these people were not all child protective workers, they were still trained
social workers who lived in the community. Having those eyes and ears in your
community makes a HUGE difference!
Additionally,
the elimination of offices and cuts to other services makes child abuse much
more likely. I’m not making this up – the statistics are clear: people who struggle
with money, substance abuse, mental illness, and other challenges are much more
likely to abuse children.
When
I was a young social worker, I provided all sorts of services to families in
need. We worked on budgeting, food shopping, parenting, job hunting, dealing
with crisis, and much more. If I saw something of concern, my supervisor would
frequently make referrals to other services. All of it was paid for by the
State of Iowa, through DHS. And you know what? These interventions work! They
keep families together, and keep kids out of foster care. None of these
services exist any more. They have all been cut.
The
spokesperson for DHS says, “Yes, those supportive services were cut, but we
have not cut child protective services.” That is a blatant lie! DHS workers now
work crazy amounts of overtime, and cover huge swaths of territory. That
matters! It also functions as a cut in service!
And
cuts do not just hurt rural areas. In fact, cuts are probably more devastating
to the residents of urban counties.
We
had a friend who was a local Child Abuse Investigator for DHS. When he started,
he would give us lots of notice and lots of information on pending placements.
We would know the things we needed to know to provide care. Toward the end of
his career, it had devolved into a “drive-by”. He would literally call us on
the way to our house, drop off a child, and speed away to a call 4 counties
away. No one was well served by this.
DHS
still has a lot of employees; this is true. But there are not enough. And those
that are in place are horribly utilized. There are people in Des Moines who
create useless forms, just to force people in the field to fill out said form
and return it to its’ creator. It doesn’t matter. It does absolutely nothing to
keep a single child safer. It simply wastes valuable money on bureaucracy.
I
recently spoke to a local service provider who shared a fascinating anecdote.
His agency realized they were asking people to fill out forms that had over
1000 data points. This included your NAME 51 times! To their credit, this
agency has changed. They now use iPads, enter the info once, and update only as
needed. No one wastes time reviewing, filing, and storing paper. And clients
avoid having to fill it all out. I know DHS would say they cannot afford to do
this. I argue that they cannot afford NOT to do this!
We
just finished filling out all our paperwork to renew out foster care license.
The process is ridiculous! Rather than reams of paper, we need trained social
workers who will drop in on us unannounced. That is the intervention that
matters. That will keep children safe!
Each
foster child should be visited at least once per month, and at least half of
those visits should be unannounced. We need similar interactions with Medicaid
recipients and other DHS clients. Do away with paperwork, and put boots on the
ground!
We
have helped a few young people transition into adulthood. In the case of foster
children, this used to be a huge problem. These kids turned 18, then had
nothing. The Vilsack Administration turned this around, and put in place many important
benefits that remain with us today. Now foster children who age out can get
medical insurance, free college, and help with rent.
Despite
these funds, almost every foster child struggles when aging out of care. The
statistics are abysmal. Why? There aren’t enough workers to give these kids the
guidance they need. The money is worthless without caring adults to help the
kids work through challenges. We need more DHS workers!
There
is an old saying: “Don’t tell me about your priorities. Show me your budget,
and I’ll show you your priorities.” That was never more true than in our
current DHS fiasco. Governor Reynolds MUST add staff to DHS! There is NO other
answer!
*Solon Beef Days
The 46th annual Solon Beef Days runs Friday and
Saturday July 21 & 22 in Solon. Steaks, rides, entertainment, a parade, and
the now-legendary hay bale toss are just a few of the items on tap.
I
say this every year, and it is because it comes from a place of pride: I can
honestly say that I have been to roughly 42 of the 46 Beef Days. I wear it like
a badge of honor! Unfortunately, I’ll be away this year. Make this the year to
start your own streak!
For
all the details, including a full schedule of events, see: http://beefdays.com/
*Community ID Celebration
We
are celebrating the 2 year anniversary of the Community ID on Monday, July 17
from 2-5 at the County Administration Building.
There
are lots of cool things happening as a part of this: the Antelope Lending
Library will be there. There will be science activities provided by the UI STEM
group. There will be a kids’ tour of County government. There will be cookies,
popcorn, and cotton candy. And – this is pretty awesome - there will be one
free family pass to the Children’s Museum for every child ID issued during the
party!
*DID YOU KNOW?
The Iowa Department of Human Services has responsibility for the safety
of children and dependent adults, child care, child support, services for
people with disabilities and mental illnesses, insurance (Medicaid) for the
poor, food assistance, and much more.
Anyone
interested in learning more about County government should take a look at the
County website-
"Sullivan’s
Salvos" is sent once per week to any interested party. It will give a
brief update on issues of interest to Johnson County residents.
These messages
come solely from Rod Sullivan, and neither represents the viewpoints of the
whole Board of Supervisors nor those of groups or individuals otherwise
mentioned.
If you do NOT
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anyone else who might be interested, just forward this message. They can E-mail
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As always,
feel free to contact me at 354-7199 or rodsullivan@mchsi.com. I look forward to
serving you!
---Rod
posted by Rod Sullivan @ 8:46 AM
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