Tulsa World: New DHS child safety plan in use

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New DHS child safety plan in use
Fewer children are being removed from their homes. Child abuse prevention month

Source: State Department of Human Services
DAVID HOUSH / Tulsa World

By GINNIE GRAHAM World Staff Writer
Published: 4/12/2009 2:19 AM
Last Modified: 4/13/2009 9:51 AM

Related Story: Learning in field and office

NORMAN — Holding a small megaphone, Donna Girdner shows how child welfare investigators are changing the way they decide when to remove a child from a home on allegations of abuse and neglect.

With the small end up, that's the old way, she says.

"We used to get a little information at first," Girdner explained. "We always did screening assessments; we just weren't getting enough information to assess risk correctly."

It was a prevention approach for a decision to be made quickly by investigators at Department of Human Services. It went with the motto: When in doubt, take them out.

It led to Oklahoma being second in the nation for removal of children for abuse and neglect — a rate of 13.4 children per 1,000. Only Nebraska is higher. The national rate is 6.9 children per 1,000.

The high removal rate is a concern for causing trauma to children by forcing multiple moves and for not helping high-risk families stay together.

Officials say the rate also is high because the state's legal definition of when to remove a child is broader than other states. Oklahoma allows for removal on risk of danger and not just "imminent" danger.

Also, Tulsa and Oklahoma counties have agreements that allow law enforcement to place children

in custody without a DHS consultation. Pending legislation would change those standing orders to require DHS involvement in all child removals.

In Oklahoma, the courts have the final say about when a child enters and leaves state custody.

But to lower the removal rate and keep more families intact, a task force of child welfare advocates and workers was put together in 2007 and it refined the initial screening, added a family team meeting component and changed the way foster and biological parents interact, said Girdner, a DHS administrative programs officer who trains child welfare workers.

With her megaphone turned so that the large end is up, Girdner said this is the result.

"Now, we are getting a lot of information up front so we can determine the safety of the child," Girdner said. "Hopefully, through the process, we will have smaller numbers on the back end."

County offices have been adopting aspects of the model during the past year. It will be fully implemented July 1.

The changes have altered the training of child welfare investigators to emphasize interviewing and interpersonal skills. The skills are to help gather the most important information, formulate a safety plan and surround the parent with social service supports.

In the past 19 months, the number of children being removed from their homes has been reduced by 16 percent to its lowest point in five years, DHS officials said.

"The goal is to reduce the number of children in foster care, increase stability in families and reduce turnover of staff," Girdner said. "We are driving the practice to social-work skills and not law enforcement. Before, the approach was punitive and incident-oriented. We would get caught up in 'Did it happen, when did it happen and don't do it again.'

"Now, we are focusing on finding out what led to it and helping parents change."

'It is everybody's job'

Forget checklists. Go with observations and communication with the parent about what might have happened, Girdner tells a class of training child-welfare workers.

"Don't get caught up and ask every question to check off a box," Girdner says. ". . . The only way to keep a child safe is to find out why it happened. We are concerned about the behavior and not just the incident."

Usually, a parent denies abuse or neglect when asked directly. So, questions need to be more probing.

"Their first response is going to be defensive," she says. "You have to have decorum and break down those barriers."

For cigarette burns on a child, ask about who smokes, where people smoke in the home and if any of the smokers have access to the child.

Some problems might be situational, such as stress from a recent job loss or failed marriage. Others might be generational, and the parent is not aware he or she is putting a child at risk of harm.

This comes up often in discipline cases when a parent uses violence when upset with a child.

"There are times kids need discipline," Girdner says. "But discipline is a whole different beast from punishment. We need to help them understand why they discipline a child and what is the appropriate way to do that."

Most child abuse and neglect calls come into DHS rather than to 911 or other law enforcement, Girdner says.

The agency places a priority on the calls, which determines when a worker will go investigate. This is where workers are seeing change.

"Before, risk assessment was approached as a supervisory skill," Girdner says. "Now, it is everybody's job."

Experience helps when assessing risk, and Girdner often tells the workers to lean on supervisors.

"It'll take two years to get to even know your job," Girdner says. "You'll be frustrated by the level of caseloads, and there are pay issues. But not every day will be like that. There will be little things that will make a difference and keep you coming back."

Trainers warn of the burn-out rate among child-welfare workers but hope these changes will improve turnover.

"If I feel like I'm succeeding and being effective in my job, I'm probably going to stay," Girdner said. "That is what we hope happens with this model."

'Out of embarrassment'

Regarding whether a child remains in the home after an abuse or neglect allegation, a family team meeting component has been added to get extra support for a parent.

The meetings include extended family members and people who can help care for a child. Meetings are mediated by DHS workers and can be called at any time.

The meetings help determine a safety plan, tell families what to expect in court and keep everyone aware of ongoing assessment and progress.

In Oklahoma County, holding these meetings has kept 122 children out of foster care in a six-month period, Girdner said.

The biggest obstacle is getting the parent to tell DHS workers the names of other family members.

"They don't want to tell their family out of embarrassment, or they are fighting with them," Girdner said. "The whole purpose is to de-escalate what has been going on in that family and get someone to step up to the plate to see what piece of the puzzle they can play to keep children out of DHS custody.

"Contrary to belief, we don't want to take kids out of their homes. We want to keep kids with their families. With this, we are trying to keep them out of custody."

When a child enters foster care, placement with a family member is the first choice.

But for traditional nonfamily placements, a new concept called "Bridge" is being implemented to cultivate a relationship between the foster and biological parents, said Beverly Smith, trainer and program field representative for foster care.

Bridge may include parent visits to the foster home while the child is in custody, and visits from foster parents after the child is reunited with the parent.

"Even though things happen to make us remove a child sometimes, we can do more damage to a child when they come in the system and put them in a family resource center and experience multiple transitions.

"We used to break all connections with their child in their lives. Thank goodness our system has changed. We recognize how important connections are to children."

CHILD ABUSE PREVENTION MONTH

To recognize April’s National Child Abuse Prevention Month, Tulsa World reporter Ginnie Graham spent several days attending training required for DHS child welfare investigators. In Monday’s edition, a story will focus on the people who choose to go into this line of work.

Ginnie Graham 581-8376
ginnie.graham@tulsaworld.com By GINNIE GRAHAM World Staff Writer

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	Report Comment WindRider, Heavener (4/12/2009 9:41:51 AM) Blah blah blah blah and then we take the child and place them in a foster home that we forgot to investigate and thier life is worse than it was before. Kick butt on the parents drag them into court put them on supervised probation, fix the problem quit adding to it.
	Report Comment taj1958, Henryetta (4/12/2009 12:15:55 PM) How do we know that the D.H.S system has CHANGED? They have been taking children away from their parents for years!Sometimes it wasn't needed. If the parent is abusing the child then yes take the child away!What alot of people DON'T know is that the D.H.S.gets PAID for taking that child away.And once that has happen,the parents has to go to parents classes,anger management classes,and court just because they make one mistake!
	Report Comment mamamany, OKC (4/12/2009 2:58:23 PM) Now take it one step further and offer incentives to foster PARENTS.If children are being removed and kept away from the parents who hurt them then DHS is required to make sure there are loving foster parents to take these children who are traumatized. Foster parents have said many times that we have changed a bad behavior in an abused...yet the minute that child is returned to his "parents" the parents do the same thing to hurt the child. The Bridges program is great to help teach the "parents" a better way to interact w/ their child. TAJ1958, these parents NEED parenting classes.And It's never just ONE mistake. One mistake doesn't make a child cower everytime a cigarette is lit. One mistake doesn't make a 4 yr old girl scream ,"NO DADDY NO!" when the lights go out One mistake doesn't make a child become a screaming mess when you leave the room One mistake doesn't make an 18 mth old devour 8 eggs because they are fearful it's their last meal
	Report Comment mamamany, OKC (4/12/2009 3:03:12 PM) Also there are very very few foster parents willing to allow the bio parents of foster children into their home. We do not even let bio parents see our cars and license plates~!
	Report Comment Bill Strader, (4/12/2009 5:34:00 PM) taj1958, then they coerce the parents into signing away their parential rights. The dhs will not even let the parents see their children, they make family members who are foster parents stay away from family functions for fear the parents will show up. The last person in the tulsa office a case worker wants to lean on is the supervisors there. What about the misjustice the dhs has already done to family that do not deserve to be taken away from parents. They lie in theie SEALED reports about trying to contact other family members that is why they seal them so their many lies will not be found out about. No the dhs with current leaderless ship has not changed and will not change unless drastacially changed.
	Report Comment bigRay, (4/12/2009 8:48:53 PM) Does anyone know how many at DHS have Social Work Degrees. I know some high level Directors and Boss's dont hold degrees in the soical work field. Please tell us that this isn't true and if is true please tell us why so many Social Workers leave DHS? Is it because the ones in charge know nothing about Social Work? Please be up front in your education background investigation. The public needs to know these results.
	Report Comment fstrmama, CLAREMORE (4/13/2009 11:54:48 AM) I have been a foster parent for 7 years..are there bad foster homes yes... but there are far more good ones. at $.43 cents per hour no one is getting rich or making a living doing this. has DHS changed yes... is it for the better NO!! the workers are trained to get the Foster parents to do thier work and we are not trained for it. They only have to have a degree... in what it doesn't matter, This new Bridge program they are touting is a joke... and many good homes are closing because of it... HOw many of you would let a high angry spouse/child abuser come into your home an have dinner with your children and see what you own, how old your boys and girls are or grand children??? This is what they are asking us to do.. WE are supposed to allow them into our homes, at our dinner table, in our family events... . not only the parents but grandparents aunts uncles cousins neighbors... etc... We are not case workers. we do not know court procedures but we will have to testify about what happens when these people are in our homes... we will have to defend ourselves against thier lies and accusations... we will be put on the defensive.. we will have to get attorneys ( not free ones like the parents get)to defend us...and all this for $.43 per hour....not me... I am closing..
	Report Comment queenofmyownuniverse, (4/15/2009 9:19:01 AM) I've worked with and within the Child Welfare system for over ten years. Here's what I know...Five weeks of training for someone with little to no experience or education about social work, paired with jaded, "veteran" workers who were trained under the "when in doubt, take them out" plan is a recipe for distaster. Add to that our state's vague abuse laws, and DHS policies that in cases are in direct violation of state law, some children will continue to be left in bad situations while others are removed unnecessarily. These workers are making life or death decisions with very little training. You wouldn't want a heart surgeon with only five weeks training but we are putting the lives of children and families in the hands of people illequipt to make these decisions. As long as there is a financial incentive to take children into foster care (Federal funding is based on the # of children in foster care)and children can be removed because of the "risk of danger" (which is a violation of Fed. Law, because the 10th. Circut Court has ruled that "imminent danger" is required to justify an emergency removal prior to a hearing)the problem will never be completely solved. The entire system needs to be overhauled. If you are interested in helping to make that happen, please visit w w w dot sq745 dot org

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