Old Posts From the Presidents

7-6-11 Time moves on, and your FPAWS Board stays busy. We have added a few more links for you, check out WannaBGreen and the College Success Foundation.
Many of our Board Members will be in Pasco on the 29th for a Board Meeting and then we will walk in the Tri-Cities Walk Me Home on Saturday. You can look in the Walk Me Home section above for the walk information. If you can’t make it, you can still support the walk and the walkers.
The 2106 RFP for the Privatization of Child Welfare Services is still on hold as the State negotiates with WFSE.
FPAWS is meeting (7-7-11) with Foster Promise to look at what we can do together to support foster care in Washington State. Check back for updates.
FPAWS Board members have been very busy supporting foster parents that have been felt the pain of allegations which have lead to the disruption of the lives of the children in their care. This process can be long and hurtful, but the children are worth it. Going through this may not always mean that the children return to their foster parents as they should, but it is shinning a light on a system that needs to refocus.
Sometimes it feels like we are here for the system rather than the kids. Nobody wants that, so we have room for change. That change will not happen unless someone takes a risk, sticks their head up and tirelessly challenges the decisions that could see so many kids moved over such minor issues. We know foster parents are held to a higher level of expectation, but that needs to be tempered with the trauma a child goes through. Many moves in the foster care system would never happen if that child was with a relative. Note: many of the moves from relatives wouldn’t happen if they were the bio-parent. How many months or years does it take before a child feels their foster family is their relative or their mother?
Do we really need to move a baby after 2 ½ years that have never suffered any kind of abuse or neglect, and have known no other mother, because her boyfriend of 5 years has an open, unrelated, CPS case? Do we really need to move two sibling groups out of a foster home that they have thrived in for 3 ½ years because the single parent foster mom’s pediatrician couldn’t give her an appointment before one of her kids non-life threatening , non-pain related medications ran out? These stories happen too often. They happen in privatized systems as well.
The FPAWS Board needs your support to continue this important work. If you have read this then you can help. Become a member, join or start a Walk Me Home Event, attend Night of 1000 Dreams, Shop for a Cause, join Customer Advantage, ask your family to put FPAWS in their Will. What may seem like a little thing, as some of these are, the cumulative result could be the smiles of children feeling the love of a parent.

6-20-11 Another month has flown by and FPAWS has been busy. Most of my month was spent getting ready for the regional mini-conference we had in Gig Harbor. We had a last minute location change for reasons out of our control, but the caregivers were able to make the change and the event went off without a hitch. We always have our board meetings the night before the Mini-Conference, and this was no exception. The agenda was full, our finances look good, Walk Me Home events are moving forward, Mel and I will be going to the National Conference in June, but the most exciting thing for me was the conversation about our Conference in January. Marci and Jamie have been meeting Great Wolf Lodge in Grand Mound. FPAWS and Gateways planning a terrific training conference that will include child care at the water park, fantastic rates and then the 2.5 day event will be topped off with our celebration event, Night of One Thousand Dreams. I am pumped! Marci has been working with the Mariners and CA to have a wonderful day at Safeco Field.
After sitting her and writing a nice update I accidentally erased everything. So here is a shorter version. Things are busy. Our Lawsuit is progressing; we hope to have an update soon.
Please check out all the easy fund raising efforts we have for you. Every little bit helps!
The Green House Project is moving forward and the first class will start in July. Mel has been working tirelessly to get this transitioning youth project off the ground. Stay tuned for updates.
CFPA (Children's Administration Foster Parent) consultation team, better known as 1624, meets again for a statewide on July 18th. Contact your reps and be heard.
We have signed our agreements with Great Wolf Lodge and the Regional Caregiver Conference is moving down the road. Save the dates of January 14, 15, and 16, 2012, this is the conference you have been waiting for!

This has also been a month of great sorrow as we hear from and work with foster parents being affected by decisions that just don't seem right. Kids being moved and families being torn apart brings great sadness to us all. When this happens, your FPAWS Board goes to work to see what went wrong and see if we can get the direction changed. This can be very frustrating when we hear things like, "There is always more to the story," and,”We don't know why we are moving the kids, DLR told us to do it." We know that a lot happens behind the scenes that may end up with the right thing happening. We are looking for more transparency so that when personalities are at play, those people get held responsible and kids don't get hurt. We want our "Professionals" to be professional. It seems like it takes too long for the right thing to happen when it involves a State worker, especially a manager. We are going to work on that. We want to keep the kids and families need paramount. For the good of the child cannot become shield to just do what you want. It actually needs to consider what is best for the child.

4-7-11 Yesterday Dianne, Jamie and daughter Sarah and I got to play Mini-Golf at the Capital Building in Olympia. The competition was fierce, but Sarah showed us how to do it.
3-17-11 The months fly by as we continue find creative ways to support caregivers. We are getting very challenging calls, which keep Mary McGauhey busy. These calls too often require Mary to deal with some very difficult and emotional situations. Recently a 2 ½ year old was moved after being in the same home her whole life. Granted, the foster parent failed to comply with instructions from Children’s Administration, but I can’t stop thinking that we could have found a way to avoid traumatizing this toddler. I keep seeing an image of this baby wanting to go to the only home it has ever known. I have a grandson that age. If I ever need to tear up on cue, placing my grandchild in this situation would be all I needed. So what do we do?
Our system needs to have flexibility built into policy to allow for some foster parents to be treated like a bio-parent. It needs to be based on the needs of the child of course. In this case there is no abuse of the child by the foster parent, but what seems to be a lack of trust between Children’s Administration and the foster parent that has built up over time. If we are going to traumatize children it needs to be for actual safety issues. What would we do differently if we treated this foster parent like a bio-parent. Visitations would be vital as there is no safety issue. Next there would a need to create an action plan to reunite this family. We all know there is more to every story, but whatever that part of the story is may not be worth the trauma it causes the kids. Even the fear of lawsuits should not be enough to traumatize a child. This baby is traumatized. How and when that plays out we will see.

2-12-11 This has been a busy month for FPAWS Board Members. Our Marketing Committee Chaired by Marci Miess is already working on 2012’s Night of 1000 Dreams as well as many other ideas to make folks aware of FPAWS. Our Political Education Committee, Chaired by Jamie Beletz has written, submitted and had a number assigned to a Bill regarding Unfounded allegations. Here it is:
2011 House Bill 1930 (Concerning the rights of foster parents) Introduced by Rep. Mary Helen Roberts, (D-Edmonds) (D) on February 10, 2011, requires the Department of Social and Health Services to notify the person accused of abuse or neglect within seventy-two hours of receiving the report. This act prohibits DSHS from using one or more prior unfounded allegation or allegations of abuse or neglect to determine whether abuse or neglect has occurred. This act requires DSHS to destroy all records related to unfounded allegations of such abuse within six months of the initial report. This act also prohibits DSHS from removing a child from child a foster family home unless there is a preponderance of evidence indicating that the safety, health, or welfare of the child is in jeopardy. This act provides for visitation rights of the foster parents during an investigation if the child is removed from the home, unless DSHS can provide clear and convincing evidence of the abuse or neglect to a court. This act requires DSHS to provide training to foster parents concerning allegations of child abuse and neglect, including information on allegations against foster parents.
o Referred to the House Early Learning & Human Services Committee on February 10, 2011.
On 2-10-11 I had the chance to testify before the House Early Learning & Human Services Committee regarding unannounced visits. I testified against the bill, primarily that we just don't need this to be a law as CA can already do this and they do. The room seemed convinced that we could make children safer in foster care if we had these surprise visits. Many recent foster care alumni were there to say that a law like this would have made them feel safer while they were in care. I was saddened by stories of foster parents that only clean their homes when a social worker was coming over. These stories did seem to get the attention of lawmakers. It seems that was one of the only time cookies were made as well. Some alumni having lived in multiple homes gave testimony that this law would have made a difference for them. I think we can all look forward to unannounced visit.

I will leave these old posts for those who like to read old stuff.  Welcome to our Presidents page. We will add thoughts here from time to time. Feel free to comment. New stuff is on top.

9-1-10 What happened to August? FPAWS Board members are actively setting up our Mini-Conference schedule. We are working with the Foster Parent Association of Spokane for the Mini-Conference on September 18th. We have a board meeting at 7:00 pm on the 17th. 

Our Bremerton Walk Me Home event is Sept. 6th at 11:00 on the Bremerton Boardwalk. You can participate in the Walk Me Home event  in Mt. Vernon on September 18th

More to come... 

7-28-10 Last week was supposed to be the statewide quarterly meeting of the Foster Parent/Children’s Administration Consultation Team. An Administrative decision was made that this group no longer qualifies for foster parent travel reimbursement. The night prior to the meeting Beth was contacted and given this information. Beth made the decision to postpone the meeting rather than have a third of the Foster Parent Regional Representatives not be able to attend face to face. These meetings have done wonders at making foster care better for foster parents.

Having foster parents have a say in how their homes and lives are impacted by decisions made at the State level will only continue to strengthen the foster care system. As good as technology is, this meeting needs to be face to face. It is not just the discussion of the subject matter that counts in these meetings. These meetings allow the people sitting in the room to look each other in the eye and agree or disagree to work on an issue.

Foster parents historically have been the recipients of decisions made by administrators and politicians. That process created a culture that allowed for horrific systemic problems. The answer to these issues will not come from doing the same old thing. Anyway, we are working on getting the meetings back on track. Stay tuned!

On another note, September 20th is the full committee meeting for HB 2106. (See front page for the link) We need foster parents at this meeting. The way foster care is done in Washington is going to change from State Social Worker System to Private Agency Social Workers System. We have a lot of questions and concerns and want you to hear the answers and comments. There may never be a better time for foster parents to come together. The location will be near Sea-Tac Airport, the time and exact location will be on the State’s web page. You can connect to that page from our home page.

 

7-19-10 My apologies for such a long break. Just know that we were using our time wisely. It has been a busy month for our FPAWS Board highlighted by the ESHB 1624 Retreat in DuPont. Many thanks to the Girl Scouts for letting us use their space for this daylong meeting. The working relationship between Children’s Administration and Foster Parents reached a new high as we recognized what we have accomplished and planned for our future successes. This is all very exciting for those wanting the best for kids in care. We are really working hard to foster care doable. Education for foster parents is an ongoing issue which we are making a big difference. Of course part of our work was to figure out what else we could call this workgroup besides 1624. I think we settled on getting input from the masses. So if you are reading this, what would you call this group?  Currently the title of this group is; Washington State Children’s Administration and Foster Parent Consultation Team.  We are working together to fix problems that cause us all grief.

 

 At our Ellensburg Board meeting we had board members representing Regions 1, 2, 5, and 6. We are working on Night of 1000 Dreams, Walk Me Home events, and generally taking care of our members needs. We are feeling good about what we can accomplish as we develop the Greenhouse project that will support kids aging out of foster care. 

You know what they say when things seem too good; “It can’t last.” This last week on the eve of our 1624 State wide meeting we were informed that a decision has been made to not reimburse foster parents for any travel expenses. The meeting was postponed. We know times are tough and everyone needs to share the burden, but these meetings need to be face to face. We are talking about the cost for bringing 5 foster parents over from the East side. Anyone who attends these meeting knows that they are a valuable resource for the retention and recruitment of healthy foster parents. This workgroup is the best thing to happen for foster care in thirty years. FPAWS will work to bring these foster parents back to the table.

 

6-9-10  Beth and I are back from the NFPA Conference in Baltimore. If you get a chance to attend a NFPA Conference take it. The knowledge shared is incredible. The most encouraging news I want to share is related to creating a National Parent Training Academy. Foster Parents and others will create curriculum they feel all care givers should have. The idea is to have different tracks for different specialties. We would have Freshmen, Sophomore, Junior and Senior level classes. We want to assure that folks have the real training they need to be successful. We will pilot one track here in Washington State in cooperation with Gateways for Youth and Families. This track will focus on youth aging out of foster care. Other National news includes new NFPA leadership. Irene Clemons and Sue Don Diego are off to a fast start. There are new expectations for Regional VPs and better communication between NFPA, States, Local Associations and caregivers. We are excited to be back and ready to continue moving forward. 5-24-10 Beth and I leave for Balitmore and the NFPA Annual Conference. These are exciting times at NFPA. This weekend we will help set the path for the national organization. If you are not a member of NFPA, please consider joining at www.nfpaonline,org . NFPA will seat a new President, Irene Clemons from Texas.  If you would like to take a moment and send me an email about what you think a national foster parent association should be.. Today Beth met with RFTI, the training unit for CA, and you can look for changes in the amount of training one needs over the course of your foster care life.

 

5-18-10 We had our board meeting on the 14th and the Region 6 Vancouver Mini-Conference on the 15th. There may have only been 30 people in attendance, but the message was strong and clear. Dee Wilson reiterated the need for Children's Administration to support the foster parents that carry much of the load for new kids coming into care. We have talked about the many types of foster parents. Some get licensed as a way to adopt, others for a specific child they know needs a home. Others take in a relative or a friend of their bio-child. About 20-25% of the folks doing foster care are long term foster parents. These folks need ongoing support and education. FPAWS supports all foster, kinship and adoptive parents any way we can. There is no red "s" on our chest, just dedicated, hard working volunteers. Mary Mienig continues to speak supportively of foster parents from her position as the Director of the Office of the Family and Children's Ombudsman. You can see her report at http:www.governor.wa.gov/ofco/reports/ . These conferences also bring in the local supports such as Children's Administration, CASA and Treehouse. The afternoon provides additional training as deemed relevent from the local perspective. Our next meeting and Mini-Conference is in Yakima June 11th and 12th, hope you can make it!

5-3-10 We had a nice Mini-Conference in Lakewood. Gateways For Youth was a fine host, thanks Mel! Participants received 6 hours of diverse training. Nancy Sutton, Region 5 Administrator, gave a wonderful opening speech. The Kitsap Foster Care Association  and Family Resource Network representatives did a great job informing attendees about their groups. All of us working together equals better care for the kids we serve. We will be back in Region 5 in one year, look for us. Now we are on to Region 6. This year the Mini-Conference is in Vancouver. Organizers are pulling together the resources available to foster, adoptive and kinship parents in the Vancouver area and beyond. We will provide relevant training in the afternoon. Due to time restrictions, this is a 5 hour training opportunity.                       Yesterday was the May Caregivers Celebration event at Safeco Field. The Mariners did a great job helping Children's Administration host the event. Several of our favorite State Senators and Representatives were there and gave encouraging and supportive talks. We got a chance to champion some of the work we need to get done over the next year. One piece of legislation we need to work on is around CPS allegations and the founded/unfounded issue. We want to address the "pattern of allegations" language being used  to revoke. What services can we give these foster parents with "patterns of allegations"?               Finally, I want to let you know that you have a terrific group of folks on the FPAWS Board. They are well informed and actively working to create a better foster, adoptive and kinship system. We have 13 of 17 Board positions filled. We need four people willing to join the group. We are recruiting in Regions 1, 3, &4. We are currently well represented in the other regions, but will accept all applications. If you are in Regions 2, 5, & 6, we welcome you apply and also attend our board meetings as they are all open to the public. We meet the night before a Mini-Conference. Call us!

 

3-23-10 The plans for the Region 5 Educational Mini-Conference are well under way. You can attend from any region if you like hanging out with foster parents. Save the date, April 17th, 2010. The location is the Gateways Bingo Hall in Lakewood. Registration starts at 9:00. Dee Wilson from the UW School of Social Work and Mary Meinig from the Ombudmans Office will again highlight the morning. Foster Parents can get six hours of training and connect with other supports from the Region. I will attach the flyer when it is finalized. See you there.

3-7-10 Carl Jones, Executive Director from the National Foster Parent Association met with and trained Walk Me Home leaders in the Tri-Cities area. I want to thank Carl for taking 13 hours to drive over, train and drive home for our Walk Me Home efforts.

3-1-10  On 2-26-10   I (Mike) attended the Supporting Early Connections Program (SEC) meeting in Kent along with about 35 other child care professionals from Washington and California. The forum was titled, Supporting Infants and Toddlers in the Child Welfare System. Visit their web site, http://www.ccyj.org/. I was very impressed with the program as it recognizes the important role a foster parent can play in reunification and reducing the amount of trauma a young child's brain experiences. FPAWS can support this important work by sitting at the table and bringing their parenting skills and knowledge to the team.   

2-16-10 Your FPAWS Board will meet this weekend in Lewis County to plan for the next year of supportring foster, kinship and adoptive parents. Much of our work will be around board development and board member responsibilities. It is an exciting time to be on the FPAWS Board. It is also a good time to let the board know if you would like to participate. Members should consider submitting a board application or joining a committee. Send us an email at fpaws@fpaws.org and join the future of foster care in Washington State. Many hands make... you know.

2-7-10 Beth and I met with Susan Dreyfus and Denise Revels Robinson last week. Our conversation was terrific! We touched on a couple important FPAWS issues, training and respect. We agreed to meet quarterly with the Secretary and more often with the Assistant Secretary. We have a common theme, "Creating the best system for the kids that come into care." FPAWS wants to raise expectations for foster parents. We believe that given the right training and support, foster parents can play a bigger role in the lives of the kids they care for. We want to move our relationship with the State towards a more respectful partnership. We can commit to giving this effort our best shot, and Susan and Denise commit to doing the same. We can move forward with a spirit of one team for the kids! We appreciate their understanding that we are an organization that needs to be able to stand up for foster, adoptive and kinship parents without fear. We feel Susan and Denise agree with this stance.

Our board is meeting on the 19th and 20th to develop our plan for the year. We will be looking at how our group will impact foster care over the next year and into the future. Training and respect will continue to be areas we focus on. Your comments are always welcome.

1-31-10  I apologize to readers that it has taken so long to get back here and write. So much going on! First, 1000 Dreams was wonderful. Big hugs go to Jamie Beletz and Mary-Jeanne Smith for all your work. There was a power outage in the area and we spent the day in the cold cloud filtered light. It did not hinder the conversation though, and some powerful thoughts about the future of foster care were discussed by the expert panels.

By dinner the lights came on and the dinner guest started filling the room. The food was outstanding and the Tyee staff took great care of us. Dick Arneberg from Coke made us all tear up as he talked about his and wife Micah’s journey through adopting their daughter. Bob Partlow was gracious with his praise. Michael Luque was honored with the Bob Partlow award. The Partlow will be given annually to the staff that was willing to put it all on the line for foster care.

It was wonderful to have our past Presidents Danielle and Steve Baxter with us. They are the rock from which FPAWS was rebuilt. That is why we created the Annual Baxter award. It will go to those in the foster care world that step up and do the right thing for foster parents. This year the award also went to Dee Wilson. Dee has spent years helping improve the foster care world. You can look forward to hear Dee at future FPAWS Mini-Conferences. I hear Mary Meinig is a shoe-in for next year!

If you were not there, you will want to mark your calendar for next Martin Luther King Junior day when we do it all again. I look forward to it. It was very exciting.  It was such an honor to meet our award winning social workers. It was easy to see why they were foster parent favorites.  Marilyn McKenna spoke of Foster Promise and we plan to work with her to further that cause. Her husband Rob hinted he will work with us to make the event even bigger next year. It was a huge honor to meet some of the foster parents that FPAWS was able to help over the last year. It is exciting to think what we can do with all the energy I felt in that room in Lacey.

Big thanks to go to Mel Curtis and Gateways for Family and Youth for partnering with FPAWS to make this event happen.  Mel also spoke to the dinner attendees of honoring Martin Luther King Junior’s legacy in the work we do for kids.  Dr. King would have been proud.

 

1-14-10 Yesterday we attended the HB 1624 Foster Parent / Children's Administration Consultation Meeting. If you are not familiar with this meeting; it was legislation passed in 2008 that requires Foster Parent Representatives from each of the 6 Regions, FPAWS and CA leaders to meet regionally and statewide every quarter. Here we get to identify and work to resolve issues in the foster care system. These are some of the most effective gatherings we have seen in our 27 years as foster parents.  Amazing people from these groups have worked to improve several areas that have been a concern for foster parents. The notes from this meeting will be posted once we receive them. Foster parents and other caregivers can look for changes in mileage reimbursement. This change will give relief back dated to July 2009. CA will be sending out the forms. We are also hearing from CA that much more emphasis will be put on, "Best Interest of the Child" when they consider permanency. "Best Interest of the Child" will also play a role during CPS investigations of foster parents. CA will recognize the importance of the bonding between the child and caregiver, and when possible CA will support visitation if the child was removed. There is more to report, so look for the minutes.

 

01-02-2010 Children's Administration's plans to cut foster care maintenance January 1st has been put on hold. FPAWS received a call from Bob Partlow at CA, and he was authorized to spread the news. This decision will be made jointly between CA and the Legislature. We plan to be heard on the matter. Thank all those of you who contacted Susan Dreyfus and your Representatives in Olympia.  Next; Night of a Thousand Dreams is shaping up to be a fine event. There will be tree training during the afternoon, a dinner and awards event in the evening. The theme is 'How to support foster parents in the future'. We know that it is a long way to travel for many of you. My thoughts include raising enough money over the next year that we can fly in representatives from around the State to participate in year two. If there is a chance you are going to be in the area, please consider joining us. One last thing for today. We at FPAWS know what caregivers do day in and day out. There is sacrifice and there is joy in every day. May the knowledge you gained last year help make this year the best ever. Happy New Year to you all, Mike and Beth

12-23-09 Children's Administration plans to cut foster care maintenance January 1st. Times are tough all over, but foster care rates are too low already. This averages about $50 for every foster child. This is in essence a tax on foster parents of about $600 per child per year. Will this affect your ability to do foster care? Let FPAWS know your thoughts. Let your legislators and local media know your thoughts. Send Susan Dreyfus a note asking her to wait until the legislature has their say.

 12-15-09 Beth has spent the last two days at the 2106 Transition Design Committee meetings. You can go to the web site on our front page to get the notes put out by POC. In short, as I listen to her tell me about 2106, I get the feeling that it is going forward but maybe not. There are five sub-committees reporting to the main committee, but it sounds like it is a challenge to make the tough decisions. It still feels to me like the big decisions were already  made years ago, and this public input piece is about making the frog comfortable in the pot as the heat is turned up. I could be wrong, and who says I should be comfortable. The committee is now using different language for the lead agencies piece, they are now Master Contractors. This doesn't make me more comfortable either. "A Rose by any other name...” There was a final voting member added to the committee, he is the foster care alumni and he works at Mockingbird as does the foster parent representative. These things make me feel uncomfortable too. It could just be change. It just feels like in the end, someone is going to get a lot of tax payer money, and those people are sitting at the table ready to eat a lot of little frogs. Perhaps a plan being put forth by WFSE, (Washington Federation of State Employees) will make me feel better.

 

Child Welfare Reform Recommendations
From
WFSE Members
Over the past several years, because of deteriorating morale and legislative mandates, members of the Washington Federation of State Employees who work in the Children’s Administration of DSHS have given considerable thought to reform of the child welfare system in Washington State. Many Federation members not only have decades of experience in the field but in many instances they are responsible as well for creating existing private sector services.
To gather reform recommendations, the Washington Federation of State Employees (WFSE) has solicited input from its members and has examined other current child welfare models and public and private business models in other fields. Taking into consideration the current economic climate, any reform plan must be particularly creative and resourceful. One widespread complaint in our current child welfare system is the lack of consistent services across jurisdictions. The recommendations put forth by our members emphasize creating mechanisms to generate revenue that can be reinvested as seed money to develop an appropriate array of services, consistently available, statewide. It is the hope of our members that these recommendations will result in reinvestment, reduced workload, more efficient use of staff and improved relations between the state agency and the private agencies, courts, tribes and the families they serve.
To that end, our members offer the following initial recommendations to improve the current Washington State child welfare system:
·          Analyze the Current System 
First, it is imperative that an independent analysis of the current system be conducted. Without fully understanding what currently works and what does not in the public and private sectors in this State, it is difficult for DSHS management much less the Legislature to propose reform. Without knowing what is available, duplicative, not effective, or not available in the private sector, improvements to the existing model are not possible. It is imprudent to simply discard entire functions and transfer to a private entity without understanding if the restructuring investment is more cost effective and efficient. 
Included in any analysis must be an analysis of the agencies current policies. Our review has identified more than 90 performance measures that CA staff must meet to pass Braam mandates and state and federal requirements. A comprehensive analysis needs to identify redundancies, outdated requirements, and conflicts between policies. 
·         Explore Funding Sources In Other State Agencies
In order to generate revenue while improving the delivery of services to children and families, the WFSE recommends increasing the connections between CA and other state agencies that either provides services or assistance. Examples include the Department of Alcohol and Substance Abuse, Department of Vocational Rehabilitation and Department of Health. These agencies not only provide services but have federal and local funding mechanisms for services. By further leveraging local and federal dollars, CA would free up budget dollars for reinvestment. Examples include food, housing, transportation and child care for eligible individuals.
·         Investigate Co-Location of Private and Public Partners
Co-location of private partners as well as more relevant state agencies or departments with CA offices could also potentially yield immediate savings. Through resource sharing agreements, co-location would offset CA’s lease and operating expenses creating additional reinvestment opportunities. Further savings are achieved by reducing the transportation costs of shuttling CA clients to these services. 
In addition to the financial benefits, such an arrangement improves relations between CA and its public and private partners and benefits the families they serve by making the services more accessible. Recognizing that the other agencies (public and private) have existing leases, it isn’t likely that a full cadre of services would immediately be available, but over time, the partnership system could be consolidated, as is found in the WorkSource model.
 
 
·         Capture Home Adoption Costs
Currently CA provides home adoption studies at no cost to the adopting family. Federal law permits the agency to charge for this service and access more federal dollars available to adopting families through the non-recurring adoption expense. Other states charge fees ranging from $500 - $3000 per home study. Considering the number of adoptions CA currently provides the available reinvestment dollars would be substantial. Over time, as outcomes for permanency improves, those dollars would be reduced but the benefit for initial reinvestment cannot be ignored. It is the WFSE’s recommendation that this option is explored and any processes necessary to implement be immediately identified.
·         Maximize Federal Funding Sources
There are a number of federal grants or other available funds for programs such as post-adoption (or after care) services. Currently, Washington State does not offer post-adoption services to adopting families that would assist in transitioning the family and stabilizing the new relationship. These services are used in other states with improved outcomes for lasting adoption family relationships and can amount to as much as $9 million a year to the state. Making use of grant writers with experience in Federal funding sources would more than pay for itself and prove a valuable resource in developing needed services.
·         Expand The Alternative Response System (ARS)
As revenue is generated, the WFSE recommends reinvestment into expanding the Alternative Response System (ARS) services. Our member’s believe that this investment would yield the most significant and immediate impact for both saving money and for improving outcomes for families and children. Due to recent budget restraints, the use of ARS is declining and is likely to continue. These services are used for accepted CPS referrals rated low or moderately low risk. Such services keep families intact, save substantial dollars in out of home placement and in avoiding court costs, while freeing up the time of CPS investigators to focus on higher risk investigations and assessments.
·         Reinvest Savings in Early Intervention and Prevention Services.
 Included in this expansion must be an increase in the amount of time a family can receive early intervention services. Currently a family is limited to less than 30 days for intensive in-home programs and there is a limit of a once in a lifetime for family preservation services. The WFSE recommends legislation remove the limitations on services that improve the ability of families to remain intact and saves the state significant amounts of money on backend casework.
·         Increase the Participation of The Courts in CA Partnerships
Actively partnering with the court system is essential for improving outcomes and achieving further efficiencies in the overall child welfare system. Since 2006, Spokane has implemented a Court Teaming concept that has resulted in outstanding reunification and kinship placement results. The courts have determined that assigning one commissioner to a family’s case and following it through the process is more efficient. We agree. The model also provides for preliminary mediation with all interested parties reviewing the case plan together rather than immediate engagement in a formal, adversarial hearing process. Through these reforms, our members have noted a significant improvement in their relationships with families and partners. Our members believe that attempting resolution before formal court proceedings will result in lower court costs and more efficient case management. Our recommendation is to legislate mandatory mediation up front to encourage this Court Teaming concept statewide.
·         Cautiously Examine the Efficacy of a Lead Agency Model
The WFSE is not convinced that moving to a lead agency model, or brokerage model, is either more efficient or more effective. In fact, our research clearly indicates the contrary. The Children’s Administration is the largest purchaser of child welfare services in this state. In other business models, it is the smaller purchaser that finds value in retaining the service of a larger buyer to benefit from the expanded buying power. The lead agency model is exactly the reverse, disbursing the larger buying power to smaller external buyers that currently purchase the needed services. To parcel out that buying power to other entities so they can secure and develop the same services will only result in at least an additional layer of management while reducing the pay to private providers. Reduced pay will drive many vendors out of the market thereby, at a minimum, disrupting service delivery.
Rather than purchasing services externally at a higher cost, the WFSE recommends that CA begin its own reform by regionalizing contract administration functions to improve connections with local communities. Regionalization of contract development and purchasing would enhance the performance monitoring of service provider contracts while providing training and the development of meaningful performance standards for contract administration staff.
Until such a model is tested and accepted in Washington State, through the demonstration sites provided for in SHB 2106, the lead agency or supervising agency model should be prohibited from being implemented for the performance based contracting phase of the new law.
·         Demonstration Sites Should Be Held in Abeyance Unless Fully Funded
In consideration for the high costs of implementation and the current economic crises, the WFSE recommends that the legislature explicitly state that the demonstration sites do not proceed until the costs are identified by the Transformation Design Committee and full funding is provided by the Legislature. 
·         Maintain Case Management As a Public Function
Federation members remain unconvinced that moving case management functions to private agencies is either efficient or effective. In fact, every jurisdiction that has implemented this model has had significant front end costs. Further, because liability for case management decisions remains with the state, the liability exposure is significantly increased and federal funds are placed at risk. The kind of investment and risk required to move to such a relatively new business model (only first initiated in 1996) is unwarranted. Given what is at risk, and the notable failed experiments around the country, it is imprudent to consider privatizing case management.
 
In preparing these recommendations, the WFSE addresses the need for reform by valuing public/private partnerships, and by honoring the legislature’s need to hold the agency accountable while keeping the best interests of families and children as the primary objective. We recognize that it has taken decades to produce the system we have and may take time to reform that system. Nevertheless, our members, who are deeply devoted to improve our existing system, offer these recommendations as an attempt to stimulate the reform dialogue. Our members look forward to ongoing dialogue with the agency, the legislature, with tribes, private partners and all interested parties as we all work to develop an innovative, safe, and an effective child welfare system in Washington State.
                                                                                                                                                12/09/09/jl
 

12-06-09 As we move into the Holiday season and are gearing up for Christmas, the work continues. We have our Night of a Thousand Dreams coming up quickly, 1-18-10. There is only room for about three hundred people so check out the site and get your tickets early. This event will be like the best of a conference put into a one day event. Come sit, enjoy good food and good company with the folks that are working to make out of home care the best it can be. Beth and foster care leaders continues to move the foster care agenda working with Senator Carrell to work on how allegations are investigated and how findings are defined. As things stand now CA is going to make some changes:

1. At the onset of the investigation, the accused will be given, in writing, what they are accused of and the investigator will provide more information about the process. An example could be that the investigator will explain why their case worker and other supporters may not be allowed to contact them.

2. They will be given a brochure containing frequently asked questions and the answers.

3. They will provide a list of supports.

4. As the investigation continues the investigator will contact the foster parent within several days to ask if there is anything they want to add since the initial contact.

5. When the investigator is finished with their work, they will go over their findings with the foster parent to assure that there is agreement. Disagreement will lead to a chance for the foster parent to give information to further the investigation or at least more discussion.

     FPAWS is pushing for a more respectful relationship even in the most trying times. Foster, Adoptive and Kinship Parents are some of the finest people on the planet, they should be treated as such. At the same time FPAWS that this street goes both ways. We need to behave respectfully at all times. We will fight the good fight for the people who care for the worlds most needy kids using respectful tools. Oh! Join your local association, FPAWS and NFPA. It is the gift for the person who has everything and nothing!

 

11-20-09 This has been another busy month. HB2106 is heating up with sub-committees meeting with many of the top stakeholders participating. There is or will be foster parents on every sub-committee. What I glean from the process is that even if this bill's intent and goals do not come to fruition, the planning being done can shape our Child Welfare system for decades to come. Performance based contracts are a great idea. These contracts can transition into expectations for State Social workers and guide practice. HB1624 meetings are also impacting foster care. We continue to work on respect issues as well as issues caused by continued cuts to Children’s Administration. Beth and other Board members have met with State Senator Carrell to work on the DLR definition and practice around unfounded allegations. We can look for positive change there. Check the Legislation tab for updates as they occur. Oh, have your friends and family join FPAWS!

 

10-25-09 Beth and I are constantly aware of the enormous amount of time we can spend on FPAWS and NFPA issues. There is a lot to be done to make the system better for families and kids. With Mary-Jeanne managing the office, Beth and I will be able to spend the time needed to get our association organized. We met with our Board on 10-23-09 and decided to push our elections out to February 1st 2010. This will give us enough time to recruit more candidates for Board positions. Our board has been doing the work of the Association and accomplishing a lot. We are also aware that the small details of an association are important too. As we move forward we need to assure all our Board members are able to contribute effectively. These are exciting times to be on the FPAWS Board. Stay tuned for Board opportunities.

 

FPAWS Presidents October 15, 2009 - Much has happened in FPAWS since my last post. We had the Statewide 1624 meeting where we are building a strong working relationship with Children's Administration. I will post the minutes when they are ready. FPAWS has contracted for an Executive Assistant to help meet the ever growing needs of our association. We are building the foundation to manage a centralized complaint system which will compile all foster, adoptive and kinship parent issues. It is our intention to to find problems and work with Children's Administration to problem solve. There will always be issues, that is the nature of being human. It is our belief that we all need to be part of the solution.

 

On the front page you can see that several of our board members participated with Suzannah Frame's KING5  story on disrespect and retaliation. The stories told that night where incredibaly heart breaking. They are not unlike many we have heard on our FPAWS phone line. Hopefully we can get involved earlier in the future. We may not be able to reverse all the decisions foster parents disagree with, but we want the process to be respectful every step of the way. To that end I am attaching a couple CA policies every foster parent should be aware of.  Click here for the policies.  

 

Beth recently met with Steve and Daniele Baxter and Senator Mike Carrell 28th District. He is the State Senator that worked a couple years ago on removing the "inconclusive" finding from CPS investigations. He was hoping to have clearer more thorough findings that conclude yes it either did or did not happen. He is very interested in getting a group together to fix the issues we are having with Children's Administration's current interpretation. Beth needs to know who is interested in participating on this work group. It will be the Senator’s staff, CA and which ever of us that can be available. He was talking about leaving the founded and unfounded at 51% in the middle and adding without merit and with merit at each end of the spectrum. This would be a good time for all of us to list our concerns with CPS and bring them  to this group. This stems from several foster parents being consequenced for having a pattern of unfounded allegations

 

 

7-28-10 Last week was supposed to be the statewide quarterly meeting of the Foster Parent/Children’s Administration Consultation Team. An Administrative decision was made that this group no longer qualifies for foster parent travel reimbursement. The night prior to the meeting Beth was contacted and given this information. Beth made the decision to postpone the meeting rather than have a third of the Foster Parent Regional Representatives not be able to attend face to face. These meetings have done wonders at making foster care better for foster parents.

Having foster parents have a say in how their homes and lives are impacted by decisions made at the State level will only continue to strengthen the foster care system. As good as technology is, this meeting needs to be face to face. It is not just the discussion of the subject matter that counts in these meetings. These meetings allow the people sitting in the room to look each other in the eye and agree or disagree to work on an issue.

Foster parents historically have been the recipients of decisions made by administrators and politicians. That process created a culture that allowed for horrific systemic problems. The answer to these issues will not come from doing the same old thing. Anyway, we are working on getting the meetings back on track. Stay tuned!

On another note, September 20th is the full committee meeting for HB 2106. (See front page for the link) We need foster parents at this meeting. The way foster care is done in Washington is going to change from State Social Worker System to Private Agency Social Workers System. We have a lot of questions and concerns and want you to hear the answers and comments. There may never be a better time for foster parents to come together. The location will be near Sea-Tac Airport, the time and exact location will be on the State’s web page. You can connect to that page from our home page.

 

7-19-10 My apologies for such a long break. Just know that we were using our time wisely. It has been a busy month for our FPAWS Board highlighted by the ESHB 1624 Retreat in DuPont. Many thanks to the Girl Scouts for letting us use their space for this daylong meeting. The working relationship between Children’s Administration and Foster Parents reached a new high as we recognized what we have accomplished and planned for our future successes. This is all very exciting for those wanting the best for kids in care. We are really working hard to foster care doable. Education for foster parents is an ongoing issue which we are making a big difference. Of course part of our work was to figure out what else we could call this workgroup besides 1624. I think we settled on getting input from the masses. So if you are reading this, what would you call this group?  Currently the title of this group is; Washington State Children’s Administration and Foster Parent Consultation Team.  We are working together to fix problems that cause us all grief.

 

 At our Ellensburg Board meeting we had board members representing Regions 1, 2, 5, and 6. We are working on Night of 1000 Dreams, Walk Me Home events, and generally taking care of our members needs. We are feeling good about what we can accomplish as we develop the Greenhouse project that will support kids aging out of foster care. 

 

 

6-9-10  Beth and I are back from the NFPA Conference in Baltimore. If you get a chance to attend a NFPA Conference take it. The knowledge shared is incredible. The most encouraging news I want to share is related to creating a National Parent Training Academy. Foster Parents and others will create curriculum they feel all care givers should have. The idea is to have different tracks for different specialties. We would have Freshmen, Sophomore, Junior and Senior level classes. We want to assure that folks have the real training they need to be successful. We will pilot one track here in Washington State in cooperation with Gateways for Youth and Families. This track will focus on youth aging out of foster care. Other National news includes new NFPA leadership. Irene Clemons and Sue Don Diego are off to a fast start. There are new expectations for Regional VPs and better communication between NFPA, States, Local Associations and caregivers. We are excited to be back and ready to continue moving forward. 5-24-10 Beth and I leave for Balitmore and the NFPA Annual Conference. These are exciting times at NFPA. This weekend we will help set the path for the national organization. If you are not a member of NFPA, please consider joining at www.nfpaonline,org . NFPA will seat a new President, Irene Clemons from Texas.  If you would like to take a moment and send me an email about what you think a national foster parent association should be.. Today Beth met with RFTI, the training unit for CA, and you can look for changes in the amount of training one needs over the course of your foster care life.

 

5-18-10 We had our board meeting on the 14th and the Region 6 Vancouver Mini-Conference on the 15th. There may have only been 30 people in attendance, but the message was strong and clear. Dee Wilson reiterated the need for Children's Administration to support the foster parents that carry much of the load for new kids coming into care. We have talked about the many types of foster parents. Some get licensed as a way to adopt, others for a specific child they know needs a home. Others take in a relative or a friend of their bio-child. About 20-25% of the folks doing foster care are long term foster parents. These folks need ongoing support and education. FPAWS supports all foster, kinship and adoptive parents any way we can. There is no red "s" on our chest, just dedicated, hard working volunteers. Mary Mienig continues to speak supportively of foster parents from her position as the Director of the Office of the Family and Children's Ombudsman. You can see her report at http:www.governor.wa.gov/ofco/reports/ . These conferences also bring in the local supports such as Children's Administration, CASA and Treehouse. The afternoon provides additional training as deemed relevent from the local perspective. Our next meeting and Mini-Conference is in Yakima June 11th and 12th, hope you can make it!

5-3-10 We had a nice Mini-Conference in Lakewood. Gateways For Youth was a fine host, thanks Mel! Participants received 6 hours of diverse training. Nancy Sutton, Region 5 Administrator, gave a wonderful opening speech. The Kitsap Foster Care Association  and Family Resource Network representatives did a great job informing attendees about their groups. All of us working together equals better care for the kids we serve. We will be back in Region 5 in one year, look for us. Now we are on to Region 6. This year the Mini-Conference is in Vancouver. Organizers are pulling together the resources available to foster, adoptive and kinship parents in the Vancouver area and beyond. We will provide relevant training in the afternoon. Due to time restrictions, this is a 5 hour training opportunity.                       Yesterday was the May Caregivers Celebration event at Safeco Field. The Mariners did a great job helping Children's Administration host the event. Several of our favorite State Senators and Representatives were there and gave encouraging and supportive talks. We got a chance to champion some of the work we need to get done over the next year. One piece of legislation we need to work on is around CPS allegations and the founded/unfounded issue. We want to address the "pattern of allegations" language being used  to revoke. What services can we give these foster parents with "patterns of allegations"?               Finally, I want to let you know that you have a terrific group of folks on the FPAWS Board. They are well informed and actively working to create a better foster, adoptive and kinship system. We have 13 of 17 Board positions filled. We need four people willing to join the group. We are recruiting in Regions 1, 3, &4. We are currently well represented in the other regions, but will accept all applications. If you are in Regions 2, 5, & 6, we welcome you apply and also attend our board meetings as they are all open to the public. We meet the night before a Mini-Conference. Call us!

 

3-23-10 The plans for the Region 5 Educational Mini-Conference are well under way. You can attend from any region if you like hanging out with foster parents. Save the date, April 17th, 2010. The location is the Gateways Bingo Hall in Lakewood. Registration starts at 9:00. Dee Wilson from the UW School of Social Work and Mary Meinig from the Ombudmans Office will again highlight the morning. Foster Parents can get six hours of training and connect with other supports from the Region. I will attach the flyer when it is finalized. See you there.

3-7-10 Carl Jones, Executive Director from the National Foster Parent Association met with and trained Walk Me Home leaders in the Tri-Cities area. I want to thank Carl for taking 13 hours to drive over, train and drive home for our Walk Me Home efforts.

3-1-10  On 2-26-10   I (Mike) attended the Supporting Early Connections Program (SEC) meeting in Kent along with about 35 other child care professionals from Washington and California. The forum was titled, Supporting Infants and Toddlers in the Child Welfare System. Visit their web site, http://www.ccyj.org/. I was very impressed with the program as it recognizes the important role a foster parent can play in reunification and reducing the amount of trauma a young child's brain experiences. FPAWS can support this important work by sitting at the table and bringing their parenting skills and knowledge to the team.   

2-16-10 Your FPAWS Board will meet this weekend in Lewis County to plan for the next year of supportring foster, kinship and adoptive parents. Much of our work will be around board development and board member responsibilities. It is an exciting time to be on the FPAWS Board. It is also a good time to let the board know if you would like to participate. Members should consider submitting a board application or joining a committee. Send us an email at fpaws@fpaws.org and join the future of foster care in Washington State. Many hands make... you know.

2-7-10 Beth and I met with Susan Dreyfus and Denise Revels Robinson last week. Our conversation was terrific! We touched on a couple important FPAWS issues, training and respect. We agreed to meet quarterly with the Secretary and more often with the Assistant Secretary. We have a common theme, "Creating the best system for the kids that come into care." FPAWS wants to raise expectations for foster parents. We believe that given the right training and support, foster parents can play a bigger role in the lives of the kids they care for. We want to move our relationship with the State towards a more respectful partnership. We can commit to giving this effort our best shot, and Susan and Denise commit to doing the same. We can move forward with a spirit of one team for the kids! We appreciate their understanding that we are an organization that needs to be able to stand up for foster, adoptive and kinship parents without fear. We feel Susan and Denise agree with this stance.

Our board is meeting on the 19th and 20th to develop our plan for the year. We will be looking at how our group will impact foster care over the next year and into the future. Training and respect will continue to be areas we focus on. Your comments are always welcome.

1-31-10  I apologize to readers that it has taken so long to get back here and write. So much going on! First, 1000 Dreams was wonderful. Big hugs go to Jamie Beletz and Mary-Jeanne Smith for all your work. There was a power outage in the area and we spent the day in the cold cloud filtered light. It did not hinder the conversation though, and some powerful thoughts about the future of foster care were discussed by the expert panels.

By dinner the lights came on and the dinner guest started filling the room. The food was outstanding and the Tyee staff took great care of us. Dick Arneberg from Coke made us all tear up as he talked about his and wife Micah’s journey through adopting their daughter. Bob Partlow was gracious with his praise. Michael Luque was honored with the Bob Partlow award. The Partlow will be given annually to the staff that was willing to put it all on the line for foster care.

It was wonderful to have our past Presidents Danielle and Steve Baxter with us. They are the rock from which FPAWS was rebuilt. That is why we created the Annual Baxter award. It will go to those in the foster care world that step up and do the right thing for foster parents. This year the award also went to Dee Wilson. Dee has spent years helping improve the foster care world. You can look forward to hear Dee at future FPAWS Mini-Conferences. I hear Mary Meinig is a shoe-in for next year!

If you were not there, you will want to mark your calendar for next Martin Luther King Junior day when we do it all again. I look forward to it. It was very exciting.  It was such an honor to meet our award winning social workers. It was easy to see why they were foster parent favorites.  Marilyn McKenna spoke of Foster Promise and we plan to work with her to further that cause. Her husband Rob hinted he will work with us to make the event even bigger next year. It was a huge honor to meet some of the foster parents that FPAWS was able to help over the last year. It is exciting to think what we can do with all the energy I felt in that room in Lacey.

Big thanks to go to Mel Curtis and Gateways for Family and Youth for partnering with FPAWS to make this event happen.  Mel also spoke to the dinner attendees of honoring Martin Luther King Junior’s legacy in the work we do for kids.  Dr. King would have been proud.

 

1-14-10 Yesterday we attended the HB 1624 Foster Parent / Children's Administration Consultation Meeting. If you are not familiar with this meeting; it was legislation passed in 2008 that requires Foster Parent Representatives from each of the 6 Regions, FPAWS and CA leaders to meet regionally and statewide every quarter. Here we get to identify and work to resolve issues in the foster care system. These are some of the most effective gatherings we have seen in our 27 years as foster parents.  Amazing people from these groups have worked to improve several areas that have been a concern for foster parents. The notes from this meeting will be posted once we receive them. Foster parents and other caregivers can look for changes in mileage reimbursement. This change will give relief back dated to July 2009. CA will be sending out the forms. We are also hearing from CA that much more emphasis will be put on, "Best Interest of the Child" when they consider permanency. "Best Interest of the Child" will also play a role during CPS investigations of foster parents. CA will recognize the importance of the bonding between the child and caregiver, and when possible CA will support visitation if the child was removed. There is more to report, so look for the minutes.

 

01-02-2010 Children's Administration's plans to cut foster care maintenance January 1st has been put on hold. FPAWS received a call from Bob Partlow at CA, and he was authorized to spread the news. This decision will be made jointly between CA and the Legislature. We plan to be heard on the matter. Thank all those of you who contacted Susan Dreyfus and your Representatives in Olympia.  Next; Night of a Thousand Dreams is shaping up to be a fine event. There will be tree training during the afternoon, a dinner and awards event in the evening. The theme is 'How to support foster parents in the future'. We know that it is a long way to travel for many of you. My thoughts include raising enough money over the next year that we can fly in representatives from around the State to participate in year two. If there is a chance you are going to be in the area, please consider joining us. One last thing for today. We at FPAWS know what caregivers do day in and day out. There is sacrifice and there is joy in every day. May the knowledge you gained last year help make this year the best ever. Happy New Year to you all, Mike and Beth

12-23-09 Children's Administration plans to cut foster care maintenance January 1st. Times are tough all over, but foster care rates are too low already. This averages about $50 for every foster child. This is in essence a tax on foster parents of about $600 per child per year. Will this affect your ability to do foster care? Let FPAWS know your thoughts. Let your legislators and local media know your thoughts. Send Susan Dreyfus a note asking her to wait until the legislature has their say.

 12-15-09 Beth has spent the last two days at the 2106 Transition Design Committee meetings. You can go to the web site on our front page to get the notes put out by POC. In short, as I listen to her tell me about 2106, I get the feeling that it is going forward but maybe not. There are five sub-committees reporting to the main committee, but it sounds like it is a challenge to make the tough decisions. It still feels to me like the big decisions were already  made years ago, and this public input piece is about making the frog comfortable in the pot as the heat is turned up. I could be wrong, and who says I should be comfortable. The committee is now using different language for the lead agencies piece, they are now Master Contractors. This doesn't make me more comfortable either. "A Rose by any other name...” There was a final voting member added to the committee, he is the foster care alumni and he works at Mockingbird as does the foster parent representative. These things make me feel uncomfortable too. It could just be change. It just feels like in the end, someone is going to get a lot of tax payer money, and those people are sitting at the table ready to eat a lot of little frogs. Perhaps a plan being put forth by WFSE, (Washington Federation of State Employees) will make me feel better.

 

Child Welfare Reform Recommendations
From
WFSE Members
Over the past several years, because of deteriorating morale and legislative mandates, members of the Washington Federation of State Employees who work in the Children’s Administration of DSHS have given considerable thought to reform of the child welfare system in Washington State. Many Federation members not only have decades of experience in the field but in many instances they are responsible as well for creating existing private sector services.
To gather reform recommendations, the Washington Federation of State Employees (WFSE) has solicited input from its members and has examined other current child welfare models and public and private business models in other fields. Taking into consideration the current economic climate, any reform plan must be particularly creative and resourceful. One widespread complaint in our current child welfare system is the lack of consistent services across jurisdictions. The recommendations put forth by our members emphasize creating mechanisms to generate revenue that can be reinvested as seed money to develop an appropriate array of services, consistently available, statewide. It is the hope of our members that these recommendations will result in reinvestment, reduced workload, more efficient use of staff and improved relations between the state agency and the private agencies, courts, tribes and the families they serve.
To that end, our members offer the following initial recommendations to improve the current Washington State child welfare system:
·          Analyze the Current System 
First, it is imperative that an independent analysis of the current system be conducted. Without fully understanding what currently works and what does not in the public and private sectors in this State, it is difficult for DSHS management much less the Legislature to propose reform. Without knowing what is available, duplicative, not effective, or not available in the private sector, improvements to the existing model are not possible. It is imprudent to simply discard entire functions and transfer to a private entity without understanding if the restructuring investment is more cost effective and efficient. 
Included in any analysis must be an analysis of the agencies current policies. Our review has identified more than 90 performance measures that CA staff must meet to pass Braam mandates and state and federal requirements. A comprehensive analysis needs to identify redundancies, outdated requirements, and conflicts between policies. 
·         Explore Funding Sources In Other State Agencies
In order to generate revenue while improving the delivery of services to children and families, the WFSE recommends increasing the connections between CA and other state agencies that either provides services or assistance. Examples include the Department of Alcohol and Substance Abuse, Department of Vocational Rehabilitation and Department of Health. These agencies not only provide services but have federal and local funding mechanisms for services. By further leveraging local and federal dollars, CA would free up budget dollars for reinvestment. Examples include food, housing, transportation and child care for eligible individuals.
·         Investigate Co-Location of Private and Public Partners
Co-location of private partners as well as more relevant state agencies or departments with CA offices could also potentially yield immediate savings. Through resource sharing agreements, co-location would offset CA’s lease and operating expenses creating additional reinvestment opportunities. Further savings are achieved by reducing the transportation costs of shuttling CA clients to these services. 
In addition to the financial benefits, such an arrangement improves relations between CA and its public and private partners and benefits the families they serve by making the services more accessible. Recognizing that the other agencies (public and private) have existing leases, it isn’t likely that a full cadre of services would immediately be available, but over time, the partnership system could be consolidated, as is found in the WorkSource model.
 
 
·         Capture Home Adoption Costs
Currently CA provides home adoption studies at no cost to the adopting family. Federal law permits the agency to charge for this service and access more federal dollars available to adopting families through the non-recurring adoption expense. Other states charge fees ranging from $500 - $3000 per home study. Considering the number of adoptions CA currently provides the available reinvestment dollars would be substantial. Over time, as outcomes for permanency improves, those dollars would be reduced but the benefit for initial reinvestment cannot be ignored. It is the WFSE’s recommendation that this option is explored and any processes necessary to implement be immediately identified.
·         Maximize Federal Funding Sources
There are a number of federal grants or other available funds for programs such as post-adoption (or after care) services. Currently, Washington State does not offer post-adoption services to adopting families that would assist in transitioning the family and stabilizing the new relationship. These services are used in other states with improved outcomes for lasting adoption family relationships and can amount to as much as $9 million a year to the state. Making use of grant writers with experience in Federal funding sources would more than pay for itself and prove a valuable resource in developing needed services.
·         Expand The Alternative Response System (ARS)
As revenue is generated, the WFSE recommends reinvestment into expanding the Alternative Response System (ARS) services. Our member’s believe that this investment would yield the most significant and immediate impact for both saving money and for improving outcomes for families and children. Due to recent budget restraints, the use of ARS is declining and is likely to continue. These services are used for accepted CPS referrals rated low or moderately low risk. Such services keep families intact, save substantial dollars in out of home placement and in avoiding court costs, while freeing up the time of CPS investigators to focus on higher risk investigations and assessments.
·         Reinvest Savings in Early Intervention and Prevention Services.
 Included in this expansion must be an increase in the amount of time a family can receive early intervention services. Currently a family is limited to less than 30 days for intensive in-home programs and there is a limit of a once in a lifetime for family preservation services. The WFSE recommends legislation remove the limitations on services that improve the ability of families to remain intact and saves the state significant amounts of money on backend casework.
·         Increase the Participation of The Courts in CA Partnerships
Actively partnering with the court system is essential for improving outcomes and achieving further efficiencies in the overall child welfare system. Since 2006, Spokane has implemented a Court Teaming concept that has resulted in outstanding reunification and kinship placement results. The courts have determined that assigning one commissioner to a family’s case and following it through the process is more efficient. We agree. The model also provides for preliminary mediation with all interested parties reviewing the case plan together rather than immediate engagement in a formal, adversarial hearing process. Through these reforms, our members have noted a significant improvement in their relationships with families and partners. Our members believe that attempting resolution before formal court proceedings will result in lower court costs and more efficient case management. Our recommendation is to legislate mandatory mediation up front to encourage this Court Teaming concept statewide.
·         Cautiously Examine the Efficacy of a Lead Agency Model
The WFSE is not convinced that moving to a lead agency model, or brokerage model, is either more efficient or more effective. In fact, our research clearly indicates the contrary. The Children’s Administration is the largest purchaser of child welfare services in this state. In other business models, it is the smaller purchaser that finds value in retaining the service of a larger buyer to benefit from the expanded buying power. The lead agency model is exactly the reverse, disbursing the larger buying power to smaller external buyers that currently purchase the needed services. To parcel out that buying power to other entities so they can secure and develop the same services will only result in at least an additional layer of management while reducing the pay to private providers. Reduced pay will drive many vendors out of the market thereby, at a minimum, disrupting service delivery.
Rather than purchasing services externally at a higher cost, the WFSE recommends that CA begin its own reform by regionalizing contract administration functions to improve connections with local communities. Regionalization of contract development and purchasing would enhance the performance monitoring of service provider contracts while providing training and the development of meaningful performance standards for contract administration staff.
Until such a model is tested and accepted in Washington State, through the demonstration sites provided for in SHB 2106, the lead agency or supervising agency model should be prohibited from being implemented for the performance based contracting phase of the new law.
·         Demonstration Sites Should Be Held in Abeyance Unless Fully Funded
In consideration for the high costs of implementation and the current economic crises, the WFSE recommends that the legislature explicitly state that the demonstration sites do not proceed until the costs are identified by the Transformation Design Committee and full funding is provided by the Legislature. 
·         Maintain Case Management As a Public Function
Federation members remain unconvinced that moving case management functions to private agencies is either efficient or effective. In fact, every jurisdiction that has implemented this model has had significant front end costs. Further, because liability for case management decisions remains with the state, the liability exposure is significantly increased and federal funds are placed at risk. The kind of investment and risk required to move to such a relatively new business model (only first initiated in 1996) is unwarranted. Given what is at risk, and the notable failed experiments around the country, it is imprudent to consider privatizing case management.
 
In preparing these recommendations, the WFSE addresses the need for reform by valuing public/private partnerships, and by honoring the legislature’s need to hold the agency accountable while keeping the best interests of families and children as the primary objective. We recognize that it has taken decades to produce the system we have and may take time to reform that system. Nevertheless, our members, who are deeply devoted to improve our existing system, offer these recommendations as an attempt to stimulate the reform dialogue. Our members look forward to ongoing dialogue with the agency, the legislature, with tribes, private partners and all interested parties as we all work to develop an innovative, safe, and an effective child welfare system in Washington State.
                                                                                                                                                12/09/09/jl
 

12-06-09 As we move into the Holiday season and are gearing up for Christmas, the work continues. We have our Night of a Thousand Dreams coming up quickly, 1-18-10. There is only room for about three hundred people so check out the site and get your tickets early. This event will be like the best of a conference put into a one day event. Come sit, enjoy good food and good company with the folks that are working to make out of home care the best it can be. Beth and foster care leaders continues to move the foster care agenda working with Senator Carrell to work on how allegations are investigated and how findings are defined. As things stand now CA is going to make some changes:

1. At the onset of the investigation, the accused will be given, in writing, what they are accused of and the investigator will provide more information about the process. An example could be that the investigator will explain why their case worker and other supporters may not be allowed to contact them.

2. They will be given a brochure containing frequently asked questions and the answers.

3. They will provide a list of supports.

4. As the investigation continues the investigator will contact the foster parent within several days to ask if there is anything they want to add since the initial contact.

5. When the investigator is finished with their work, they will go over their findings with the foster parent to assure that there is agreement. Disagreement will lead to a chance for the foster parent to give information to further the investigation or at least more discussion.

     FPAWS is pushing for a more respectful relationship even in the most trying times. Foster, Adoptive and Kinship Parents are some of the finest people on the planet, they should be treated as such. At the same time FPAWS that this street goes both ways. We need to behave respectfully at all times. We will fight the good fight for the people who care for the worlds most needy kids using respectful tools. Oh! Join your local association, FPAWS and NFPA. It is the gift for the person who has everything and nothing!

 

11-20-09 This has been another busy month. HB2106 is heating up with sub-committees meeting with many of the top stakeholders participating. There is or will be foster parents on every sub-committee. What I glean from the process is that even if this bill's intent and goals do not come to fruition, the planning being done can shape our Child Welfare system for decades to come. Performance based contracts are a great idea. These contracts can transition into expectations for State Social workers and guide practice. HB1624 meetings are also impacting foster care. We continue to work on respect issues as well as issues caused by continued cuts to Children’s Administration. Beth and other Board members have met with State Senator Carrell to work on the DLR definition and practice around unfounded allegations. We can look for positive change there. Check the Legislation tab for updates as they occur. Oh, have your friends and family join FPAWS!

 

10-25-09 Beth and I are constantly aware of the enormous amount of time we can spend on FPAWS and NFPA issues. There is a lot to be done to make the system better for families and kids. With Mary-Jeanne managing the office, Beth and I will be able to spend the time needed to get our association organized. We met with our Board on 10-23-09 and decided to push our elections out to February 1st 2010. This will give us enough time to recruit more candidates for Board positions. Our board has been doing the work of the Association and accomplishing a lot. We are also aware that the small details of an association are important too. As we move forward we need to assure all our Board members are able to contribute effectively. These are exciting times to be on the FPAWS Board. Stay tuned for Board opportunities.

 

FPAWS Presidents October 15, 2009 - Much has happened in FPAWS since my last post. We had the Statewide 1624 meeting where we are building a strong working relationship with Children's Administration. I will post the minutes when they are ready. FPAWS has contracted for an Executive Assistant to help meet the ever growing needs of our association. We are building the foundation to manage a centralized complaint system which will compile all foster, adoptive and kinship parent issues. It is our intention to to find problems and work with Children's Administration to problem solve. There will always be issues, that is the nature of being human. It is our belief that we all need to be part of the solution.

 

On the front page you can see that several of our board members participated with Suzannah Frame's KING5  story on disrespect and retaliation. The stories told that night where incredibaly heart breaking. They are not unlike many we have heard on our FPAWS phone line. Hopefully we can get involved earlier in the future. We may not be able to reverse all the decisions foster parents disagree with, but we want the process to be respectful every step of the way. To that end I am attaching a couple CA policies every foster parent should be aware of.  Click here for the policies.  

 

Beth recently met with Steve and Daniele Baxter and Senator Mike Carrell 28th District. He is the State Senator that worked a couple years ago on removing the "inconclusive" finding from CPS investigations. He was hoping to have clearer more thorough findings that conclude yes it either did or did not happen. He is very interested in getting a group together to fix the issues we are having with Children's Administration's current interpretation. Beth needs to know who is interested in participating on this work group. It will be the Senator’s staff, CA and which ever of us that can be available. He was talking about leaving the founded and unfounded at 51% in the middle and adding without merit and with merit at each end of the spectrum. This would be a good time for all of us to list our concerns with CPS and bring them  to this group. This stems from several foster parents being consequenced for having a pattern of unfounded allegations

 10-15-09 Much has happened in FPAWS since my last post. We had the Statewide 1624 meeting where we are building a strong working relationship with Children's Administration. I will post the minutes when they are ready. FPAWS has contracted for an Executive Assistant to help meet the evr growing needs of our association. We are building the foundation to manage a centralized complaint system which will compile all foster, adoptive and kinship parent issues. It is our intention to to find problems and work with Children's Administration to problem solve. There will always be issues, that is the nature of being human. It is our belief that we all need to be part of the solution.

On the front page you can see that several of our board members participated with Suzannah Frame's KING5  story on disrespect and retaliation. The stories told that night where incredibaly heart breaking. They are not unlike many we have heard on our FPAWS phone line. Hopefully we can get involved earlier in the future. We may not be able to reverse all the decisions foster parents disagree with, but we want the process to be respectful every step of the way. To that end I am attaching a couple CA policies every foster parent should be aware of.  Click here: for the policies.  

9-21-09 Can I add another wow? We just returned from a weekend in Spokane were the Region 1 Mini-Conference was successfully wrapped up. With 150 said to be the capacity of the building, there were some folks turned away. The foster parents of Region 1 deserve a standing ovation. Well done! I will add more soon.

9-11-09 You can now get to this site from Facebook. Join us on Facebook and invite your friends to support FPAWS. Not everyone can be a foster parent, but everyone can join FPAWS!

9-9-09 Wow! This has been a long couple weeks for Beth and I. Five days at the Kitsap County Fair, a couple days off and then three more days at the Blackberry Festival in Bremerton promoting and then having a Walk Me Home event. We are fortunate to have a wonderful women, Marcella, working with us. Without her dedication and motivation the walk would have been very difficult. She contacted news papers and radio shows to set up interviews and get the word out. We all owe Marcella a ton of thanks. We were incredibly fortunate to find Dick, Heather and Dave from Coca Cola at a Blackberry Festival meeting. Dick has adopted a daughter and felt our cause was where he would like to focus his company's charitable attention. Dick's team raised over $1500 for FPAWS, and our partners NFPA and the Kitsap Foster Care Association. Kohl's  Department Store also gave generously and provided 10 volunteers to help with the Walk. Family and Friends Teams like Team Neato, Maya Team, the Cando Kids and the Converse Family were terrific in their efforts. Many others joined the fun and they all know we thank them. We also want to thank the ULHRA (Unlimited Light Hydroplane Racing Association) for bringing the UL-72 Foster Care/ Vitamin Water Hydroplane to our Walk. Champion driver Kayleigh Perkins was there to sign autographs and take pictures with the walkers. I can't say enough about all the people that stepped up for our Walk Me Home event. I hope I get to be part of many events around the State over the next year.

We will be in Spokane on the 18th for a Board meeting and the 19th for the Region 1 Mini-Conference, hope to see you there or in Evertt the following weekend for the Region 3 Mini-Conference. Oh! Don't forget, for $75 you can join your Local, State, and National Associations. These are great times for us all to raise these three boats!

8-25-09 Another month has gone by and we join foster parents around the state in saying, "are we there yet?" It has been a busy summer and school is upon us. It has been challenging to meet the needs of our foster children and the needs of the association, but we are hanging in there with the support of some terrific FPAWS members.

Mary M. has been busy all summer answering calls from foster parents needing the support of FPAWS. Mary is amazing and we can all be proud to have her on the phone. Mary and Tracy have been actively working to pull the Region 3 Mini-conference together. You will find their advertisement on the front page when it is finalized.

Dru and Linda in Region 1 have completed their organizing efforts for their Mini-Conference and you have likely seen the annoucement. They have done a great job pulling together a list of speakers with up to the minute reports on foster care in our State. I really look forward to the conversation.

Lila and her people in Region 2 are also putting a Mini-Conference togther for October! There will be no rest for our Board as we move to keep foster, kinship and adoptive  parents informed and motivated.

As foster, kinship and adoptive  parents, we must stay on top of the changes that impact our lives and the lives of all those that will follow. We can not leave our future to the well intended. Becoming a member of FPAWS is a statement every parent out there can make about our personal responsibility. I would like to encourage us all to join our local, state and national associations. For me that is about $75 a year. Please take the time and money to support the foster, kinship and adoptive work these organizations are doing for the children. Mike

7-21-09 The world keeps turning and the need for trained foster, adoptive and kinship parents continues. To that end there are two Mini-conferences in September. We start in Spokane where FPAWS and FPAS (Foster Parent Association of Spokane) are teaming to bring you a full day of training on Saturday the 19th. Our Board will meet on the Friday the 18th. Everyone is welcome to attend both days. We are then off to Burlington for the Region 3 Mini-Conference for Foster Parents,Caregivers, and Agency Staff. A lot of work is going into these events by some very dedicated folks. We hope to see you there. See attachments for the Region 3 Flyer. We will post the schedules for both events when they are finalized.

Don't forget to join FPAWS on Facebook! Oh, try to get involved with our Bremerton Walk Me Home Event!

6-30-09 The end of June marks the beginning of Child Welfare Transformation Design Committee. They met in Olympia for the first time today. The legislative leaders choose a foster parent licensened with Mockingbird since 2005 rather than a 26 year veteren from FPAWS. Rep. Kagi phoned us this morning and said there is a chance that another foster parent position could be added next legislative session. This is what we have to work with and we will do everything possible to support our representative on the commission. We have some questions for the committee that Beth presented to the them today.  Plans for the Mini Conferences are steaming ahead for Region 1, 2 and 3 .

6-18-09 It is hard to believe that it has been almost one month since I have added to this note. That is actually a testament to how busy we have been at FPAWS and of course fostering 6 teenage boys. Beth has been incredibly busy supporting foster parents as several feel they are being retaliated against. She is also attending the Braam Panel meetings http://www.braampanel.org/ and the Washington State Supreme Court Commission on Children in Foster Care. Here is a link to follow the commission. http://www.courts.wa.gov/committee/?fa=committee.home&committee_ID=50 

The adoption support side of FPAWS has been heating up as well. Many find that the state adoption social workers will try to under support their adoptions and offer much less financial support then the foster care rate. For some this is a non-issue because they became foster parents to adopt, they find their child and move on. For others the State places medically or behaviorally challenged children and then moves to have the foster parents adopt.  It feels as though some offices see this as a cost saving issue and have policies to low ball the foster parents. This practice will be a major focus at upcoming 1624 consultation meetings. These meetings have been extremely motivating. You can go to this link for minutes. http://www.dshs.wa.gov/ca/fosterparents/meetMin.asp 

 Our Board is very busy setting up mini-conferences in Regions 1,2, and 3 for September and October. In the absence of a statewide conference, we are coordinating with local support groups to bring training and collaboration to an area near you. With strong Regional Reps like Dru Powers, Lila Rose, and Mary McGauhey in these Regions, we will have some of our largest mini-conference to date. Region 2 Rep. Mary-Jeanne Smith did an absolutely job pulling together and submitting the Lerner Grant to help support this effort. If you would like to attend one of these conferences, revisit this web site for dates and times. You do not need to live in these regions to attend. I hope you get a chance to hang out with theses and other wonderful foster, adoption and kinship parents.

 

5-21-09 - It has been a busy 10 days since our last addition. We have been working on several issues. One concern was around the State's Training Unit's inclusion of the 'Scream Box' and 'Throwing Rocks at Trees' as part of the PAY Training, (Physically Aggressive Youth). That group fisrt agreed to remove the rock throwing but choose to keep the scream box. After continued questioning of the use of the scream box Carolyn Jones contacted trhe University of Maine where Washington bought the curriculum. The University said we could remove the scream box if we wanted, and it has been removed. We have contacted the Uof M to continue the discussion so that they might address their thinking about using aggressive behavior as a tool to reduce aggressive behavior. We now need to address the fact that many foster, adoptive, and kinship parents have been taught this inapporopriate intervention. There will be more to come on this one.

Our Board met on 5-18-09. In addition to the training unit's issues we discussed S.410 the "Resource Family Recruitment and Retention Act of 2009" It is a bill before the United States Senate which clearly denotes the responsiblilities of a State or County that receives federal money for foster care or adoption assistance under part E of title IV of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 670 et seq.) Go to http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=s111-410 to track the progress of this bill. We are exciterd about this bill.

Our Board has set September for elections of the Executive Board. We are looking to have a Mini-Conference in Spokane which would include a general membership meeting. We have decided not to have Mini-Conferences over the summer, so they will stack up in the fall. We will organize a Region 2 mini-conference in October. Then we will look to Region 3.

You can find FPAWS on Facebook. We encourage everyone to add us to your cause list. We also want to endorse a book co-authored by NFPA (National Foster Parents Association) and Rachel Greene Baldino, MSW, LCSW titled 'Sucess as a Foster Parent' It is an easy read packed with everything you need to know about foster care.

5-11-09

May 11, 2009 - Beth and I have just returned from the National Foster Parent Conference held this year in Reno. Collaborating with other States is always informative and invigorating. The biggest reminder we take away is that as an Association we must remember our purpose. We keep doing what we can to support a better system for foster, kinship and adoptive parents. They will take care of the kids. The work being done on a national level is very impressive. We can look forward to some very supportive legislation. NFPA needs our support. I encourage everyone reading this to take a few moments and join our National Association. www.nfpaonline.org

We have recently been in contact with the foster parent training unit to inform them that the training video currently required for foster parents to view is flawed. It suggests that foster parents create a scream box for their angry foster children to scream into when angry. Another suggestion was to have foster youth throw rocks at trees when angry. Carolyn Jones convened a work group after Beth contacted them with our concerns. At this writing they have removed the throwing rocks portion.  They decided to keep the scream box in the curriculum. I have written and asked that they reconsider their position. At this time we highly recommend that no parent create a scream box. That form of anger reduction is short lived and trains the youth to scream when angry. We have better training that teaches self-control even when we are angry.

The news does not shine a positive light on DCFS. The Langley case sounds all too familiar. http://www.king5.com/sharedcontent/membership/signin.jsp?redir=1  In a time when forces are strong to tear DCFS apart at the seams; we need to see leadership from State Administrators. We have some terrific social workers and foster parents out there. In order to recruit and maintain a foster parent system; foster parents need to know they can make some mistakes and still be okay. The only mistake this family made was that they did not follow the State's rules for placing their child with a friend. I am not sure that they even come under the State's jurisdiction related to this child, if the youth was an adopted son. Can't regular families send a child to a friend's farm? More to come on this one.

We had a productive Statewide Consultation meeting on 4-8-09 in Tacoma (HB1624). Ginger Schutt, foster parent from Spokane, took some great notes, though as she points out they are 'not official', but they work for my purposes. I was disappointed that the State seemed unable to budge on the medication log requirements, but we did get some work done on other important issues. You can read Gingers notes at the link below.

Statewide Children 4-8-09 Ginger.doc

Our Mini-Conference in Centralia on April 4th was terrific. Marci Miese and The Lewis County Foster Parents Association in cooperation with many others put on a great show. Six hours of training included up to the minute issues from the legislature and other connections to the foster parent world of Region 6. More to come from these well organized foster parents. We met as a Board during part of the day and officially confirmed new Board Member Dianne Dorey. Tracey Squires also applied to the Board.

We are planning a Board Meeting for May18th in Yakima. It is a Monday, so thanks to you all for being flexible. We will be welcoming a couple new Board Members Fay Cadwallader and Kathy Bernier from the Spokane area.

These are exciting and scary times. It is sad to think that as we use HB 1624 to work more closely with the Children's Administration, that along comes HB5943 that may eliminate the workers we are building a better relationship with. As an association though, no matter what happens, we will stand together to uphold our values and mission. At this post we are getting ready for our mini-conference and Board Meeting on April 4th in Region 6.

Beth has been successfully working the chain of command to bring justice to a couple foster families that we feel have been experiencing some retaliation from CA. It seems at times that this chain fails to take the time to understand the impact their decisions make on the families and youth in their care. The ripple effect of their decisions can cause unforeseen damage to the system they are hired to perfect. We know there are other families hurting out there. We will work to see that the work being done on these recent cases lead to better treatment of care givers.

We are also working on trying to get Walks established around the state. If you have the desire, time and energy; now is the time to step up. We will help!

We have Regional and Statewide1624 (April 8th) meetings coming up. Beth is bringing forth the need to have foster parent input regarding allegations be part of the report read by those that determine the outcome of an allegation. As it stands now, those powerful individuals only read what their employees write. This seems incredibly bias and short sighted. So often the allegations can be read in a way that even the foster parent being investigated would want to have their license revoked. 

 

Please add comments or email me at

Mkbeth@comcast.net,

Mike

 

 

 

 

 fpaws@fpaws.org

You know what they say when things seem too good; “It can’t last.” This last week on the eve of our 1624 State wide meeting we were informed that a decision has been made to not reimburse foster parents for any travel expenses. The meeting was postponed. We know times are tough and everyone needs to share the burden, but these meetings need to be face to face. We are talking about the cost for bringing 5 foster parents over from the East side. Anyone who attends these meeting knows that they are a valuable resource for the retention and recruitment of healthy foster parents. This workgroup is the best thing to happen for foster care in thirty years. FPAWS will work to bring these foster parents back to the table.

 

AttachmentSize
Statewide Children 4-8-09 Ginger.doc52.5 KB
Questions for Child Welfare Transformation Design Committee 6-09.txt.doc51.5 KB
Reg 3 mini 9-09.pdf239.63 KB
POLICY SUMMARY.doc37.5 KB

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