Families In Crisis Flooding DCF With Calls

unhappygrammy-It's a good thing these parents don't live in NH. NH DCYF does NOT provide services before placing children in foster care. They would rather take the child and run! It's all about the MONEY!

Posted: 5:54 pm EDT May 10, 2010
Updated: 6:21 pm EDT May 10, 2010

CENTRAL FLORIDA -- An increasing number of families in crisis are turning to the state for help. Overwhelmed parents are calling the Department of Children and Families so much, calls for help were up 25 percent just from March to April.
RESOURCES: DCF | Crisis Nursery
It's the bad economy that's pushing so many families to the brink.
If it isn't dozens of phone calls, it's a stack of 15 new cases a day on investigators’ desks.
“We are getting calls from parents who have reached their limit and says, ‘I just can't take care of this kid anymore,’” said Carrie Hoeppner, DCF.
DCF officials call them "Parent Assistance Calls" and, since January, there's been an upward trend in the number they've received from Orange and Osceola county parents. There was a 25 percent hike in April compared to March.
In the cases, parents are turning to DCF for help before the agency puts their child in foster care.
“I just look for the proper referrals and services they need,” Hoeppner said.
That could mean help paying bills or giving the parents a break by placing the child in the Crisis Nursery until they get back on their feet.
“We have been busier. We’ve seen an increase of calls in the last weeks,” said Tara Hormell, Crisis Nursery.
The nursery is a 24-hour, grant-funded emergency shelter. Parents can place their kids there voluntarily. The center is licensed to house up to 18 children and it has everything a child could want, from TVs to books to toys to beds.
Depending on the severity of the case, children can stay there for a month, but the goal is to get families back together.
“What we don't want is for parents to think foster care is a better alternative than actually getting family help,” Hoeppner said.

http://www.wftv.com/countybycounty/23510976/detail.html