Funding will boost child protection programming

(Well at least Anoka County has the right idea. It would be nice if the rest of the nation followed suit!)

Funding will boost child protection programming

Friday, 19 February 2010
by Peter Bodley
Managing editor

Anoka County has received state dollars to boost its child protection family group decision making program, which is designed to keep children with their families and out of foster care.

Last year, the Anoka County Board shifted money from its out of home placement budget to the family group decision making project in an effort to be more pro-active and involve families, not just parents, in the process.

In a competitive grant process, the county has been successful in obtaining a $150,000 two-year grant, $75,000 each year, from the Minnesota Department of Human Services from Jan. 1, 2010 through Dec. 31, 2011.

“We got all the money that we asked for which was very encouraging,” said Bill Pinsonnault, county social services and mental health director.

“It will enhance our efforts to deal with abuse and neglect at the front end without having to go through the full legal system.”

With the state money, the county will be able to help more families through the program, according to Pinsonnault.

Last year, the county board approved a staff recommendation to shift $300,000 from its out of home placement budget to the family group decision making program to launch the new effort, Pinsonnault said.

With that money, the county contracted with two vendors to bring two social workers on board who work out of the human services department specifically on the family group decision making process, he said.

The county board through its 2010 budget funding has continued the emphasis of the family group decision making program rather than out of home placement, Pinsonnault said.

The purpose of the change of focus in the family group decision making program, which began July 1, 2009, is that not only is it in the best interests of the child to remain in a family setting rather than in foster care, but out of home placement is a major expense for the county, Pinsonnault said.

“Families are involved in safety planning for their children,” he said. “The goal is to keep the child at home or with family members.”

This can include the family making informal relative placements, reducing the need for out of home placements through the court system, Pinsonnault said.

“These services have reduced the out of home placement of children, reduced court ordered child protective services and prevented the repeat of maltreatment,” he said.

The family decision making meetings support families in making decisions and developing plans that nurture children and prevent abuse and neglect, according to Pinsonnault.

But families in child protection cases of “an egregious nature” are not eligible for the family group decision making program and the program is also voluntary, Pinsonnault said.

Safety of the child remains the primary focus in all these cases, he said.

But there is an added incentive for families to be part of the program and avoid out of home placement of their children – the case of maltreatment may not end up on their record for 10 years, he said.

“We are using our resources on the front end, rather than the back end,” Pinsonnault said.

According to Cindy Cesare, manager of children and family services in the county social services department, the state money will help offset some of the county dollars in the program, but it will also be used to provide crisis financial help to families in such critical areas as housing, utilities and transportation.

While the family group decision making process has been part of the child protection program for several years, the decision to change emphasis and move resources to upfront services was based on research that keeping kids with their families has benefits, Cesare said.

Some 50 families have gone through the volunteer program since its inception some seven months ago, she said.

“The results have been good,” Cesare said. “We have been able to get children back with their parents sooner and we have found relatives who have had kids live with them.”

“We have also had a great deal of support from parents, families and the community.”

Peter Bodley is at peter.bodley@ecm-inc.com

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