Title: Combining Child Welfare and Welfare Reform at a Local Level
Abstract: Over the years, we have heard the lament that virtually all of the money and resources in child welfare are used for expensive deep-end services such as institutionalization or other forms of out-of-home care. It is argued that if we gave more attention to prevention and early intervention, we could obtain better outcomes and save money in the long run. We agree with this concept. To gain a better understanding of what is needed for prevention, we asked the question at several meetings and conferences with child welfare professionals and advocates. Their responses were always similar: We need to address poverty, employment, housing, nutrition, medical care, substance abuse, education, and training. Resources need to be devoted to child care, transportation, and domestic violence. As we looked at the list of what our respondents considered to be essential elements of a quality child welfare prevention initiative, we noted that nearly all of the items were elements of Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF), Food Stamps, Medicaid, or other programs handled by public assistance payments staff. In El Paso County, Colorado, we invest about $34 million in such child welfare services as foster care, adoption, protective services investigations, and in-home services. We invest or authorize about $60 million in payments or services for TANF, food stamps, Medicaid, and other forms of medical and financial assistance. In other words, we are investing nearly twice as much on programs and services that could be classified as preventive in nature as we are on traditional child welfare. This dichotomy led us to ask, What would it take to turn TANF and other assistance programs into the primary prevention program for child But before we describe our conclusions, let's discuss a related issue that rose to the surface. Poverty Issues The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services released the national incidence study of child abuse and neglect in 1996. In that report, it was noted that families with incomes of $15,000 or less per year were 22 times more likely to be in the child welfare system than families with incomes of $30,000 per year or more. This fact confirmed our view that many of the clients served in the child welfare system face issues of poverty. When we talked to staff in the child welfare units, all confirmed that poverty was a huge issue. Unfortunately, they were so overwhelmed with concerns about safety and permanence, they did not have the time nor the opportunity to address employment, child support, or other strategies that could help alleviate poverty. At the same time, the workers expressed concern that counseling, therapy, parenting skills, and drug treatment were not sufficient by themselves to keep children safe. Often, parents did not complete their treatment because of problems with transportation, child care, housing, or other poverty-related concerns. It was also noted that even middle-income families face financial crises when they become involved with child welfare. As an example, if a stepfather sexually abuses his stepdaughter, he may be removed from the home. If he is the major source of income for the family, mother and daughter are left without that income. The child may feel that she is responsible for their financial plight and may feel pressure to recant her story. Unless we adequately address the financial needs of this family, they may be prematurely and inappropriately reunited with the perpetrator. Uniting Child Welfare and Welfare Reform So, what would it take to turn TANF and other assistance programs into the primary prevention program for child welfare? We have concluded that TANF must be the primary prevention program for child welfare and that child welfare must become an antipoverty program. To accomplish these two goals, we need strategies that unite and restructure both programs into a common system. …
Publication Year: 1999
Publication Date: 1999-03-01
Language: en
Type: article
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Cited By Count: 6
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