State CPS worker faces child-sex charges
By Leslie Slape / The Daily News | Posted: Thursday, July 15, 2010 5:26 pm | 1
Leslie Slape / The Daily News
Mark Workinger appears at his arraignment Thursday.
A state child protective services worker has been charged in Cowlitz County Superior Court with first-degree child molestation and two counts of communication with a minor for immoral purposes from acts alleged to have occurred about a decade ago.
Mark Edmond Workinger, 56, of Castle Rock pleaded not guilty Thursday to the allegations, which were investigated by the Clark County Sheriff's Office at the request of the Cowlitz County Sheriff's Office to avoid potential conflict of interest.
For the same reason, the Cowlitz County prosecutor deputized Jeff McMarty of the Clark County Prosecutor's Office, and visiting judge James W. Lawler presided at Thursday's arraignment. Bruce Hanify is Workinger's defense attorney.
Lawler set the trial date for Aug. 30.
Workinger has been employed in the Kelso office of Child Protective Services since February 2001, said Sheri Hill, a spokeswoman the Department of Social and Health Services, CPS's parent agency.
Most of his work involved evaluating the homes of potential foster parents or adoptive parents, she said. Workinger was not a foster parent himself, she said.
"In the last six months he has also helped conduct CPS investigations" into allegations of abuse or neglect, she said.
The victim, now 14, was 4 or 5 years old at the time of the incidents, which are alleged to have taken place between January 2000 and August 2001 in Cowlitz County. She was not a CPS client at the time, Hill said.
Hill said she was not aware of any other victims, but law enforcement is continuing to investigate.
Workinger was placed on "alternative assignment so he didn't have client contact" the instant DSHS was informed in early June about the investigation, she said. Court documents did not indicate what prompted authorities to begin an investigation.
Workinger turned himself in at Woodland Police Department Tuesday and was booked into the Cowlitz County Jail in lieu of $100,000 bail.
According to court documents, Workinger admitted fondling himself in front of the girl, showing her a pornographic magazine and making her touch him inappropriately.
Although Workinger told Offender Services workers that he had been fired upon arrest, Hill said he has been placed on paid annual leave pending the outcome of the case. Court documents indicate Workinger is paid $3,200 a month.
As with all department employees, Workinger underwent a background check, she said, and "there has been no prior history" of criminal behavior. Court documents also showed no criminal history.
Law enforcement is taking the lead into the allegations against Workinger, Hill said. At the same time, the state will conduct its own criminal investigation. Kim Witherspoon of the Attorney General's office and a Vancouver CPS case worker were in court Thursday at a dependency hearing for the victim, who is in foster care.
After the criminal investigations are closed, the Kelso office will make an internal personnel investigation, Hill said.
"The criminal side and the protection of children is most important," Hill said. "We take very seriously allegations of child abuse and neglect. We expect law enforcement to conduct a fair and thorough investigation and we're cooperating."
http://tdn.com/news/local/article_02311f84-9071-11df-8350-001cc4c002e0.html
Isabella Brooke Knightly and Austin Gamez-Knightly
In Memory of my Loving Husband, William F. Knightly Jr. Murdered by ILLEGAL Palliative Care at a Nashua, NH Hospital
Friday, July 16, 2010
Why Do Foster Stranger's Have Such A Bad Reputation?
I came across this question in one of my groups today and felt that I have a few answer's to this question, after being thrown into the CPS/DCYF arena of deceit and fraud, through NO FAULT of my own.
Anyone who read's my blog is well aware I am a grandmother. A grandmother screwed over by the State of New Hampshire in the custody of my granddaughter Isabella and my grandson Austin.
First off, I was not allowed custody of Isabella after she was illegally kidnapped from her mother, due to the perjury committed by a Nashua DCYF Lawyer. My family was slandered, without any proof of wrongdoing after a false, anonymous report was called in against my oldest daughter, temporarily staying with us with her two children. The false report was actually called in against her estranged husband. The husband who did NOT live with us, nor did he visit after leaving his wife and children in their apartment penniless, to survive on their own. Because we could NOT let our daughter and her two children live on the street's, we were treated like criminals by the State of NH. Because we did what any REAL family would do, we were not allowed custody of our granddaughter. We were instead slandered by a lying DCYF Lawyer.
I met the foster couple who were chosen to take Isabella. They were from Massachusetts and had just recently moved to NH. They lived in NH less than two year's. Two year's is the minimum required for a child to be placed with potential foster's, but of course NH DCYF didn't care. They do whatever they want.
I talked to the foster stranger's in the hospital, while Isabella was still there. Isabella was needlessly fed morphine for the first month of her life, after the Methadone program Director talked Social Services into reporting my daughter for abuse and neglect, two day's before toxicology result's came back on the baby, which showed morphine in the baby. The morphine given to my daughter for nineteen hour's in labor, spilled into the baby, which is normal, yet this irreputable hospital in Nashua wouldn't admit it. Even the DCYF Assessment worker testified in court that she had no idea Isabella's mother was given morphine in labor. She didn't bother to investigate. She filed for custody without a REAL investigation.
Five month's after Isabella's birth, the hospital finally gave my daughter her record's. Paperwork proved there was nothing wrong with Isabella and she was supposed to be discharged two day's after her birth. Everything was signed off. That was until the lying Methadone Director stuck her nose into it.
I took my proof to the hospital and spoke to the Vice President. She told me Isabella WAS put on morphine needlessly. She told me she would go after her staff but I would have to fight DCYF myself. When it came time for the TPR, she denied everything she told me. The Lawyer refused to subpoena her stating he wouldn't subpoena any hostile witnesses.
Back to the foster's. We talked and they seemed really nice. They told us we would become good friends and we would be seeing a lot of each other. Once they had my granddaughter, everything changed. The day my granddaughter was kidnapped and delivered to the foster's, their first question was,"When will we be financially supplemented?" I have the call log as proof. Does this sound like a good placement for a child? People who only care about the blood money the state reward's them with?
The people who send a premature, newborn baby out on a rainy, chilly October morning with no hat or jacket on? Just a flimsy pair of pajamas, after telling DCYF they have everything they need?
They wanted their blood money and then beg to adopt Isabella, stating they will pay for everything she need's. What was wrong with paying for anything she needed to begin with? Were they trying to con the court into figuring they'd save money by letting these greedy people adopt my granddaughter?
After all the promises of friendship, we were still not allowed to see our granddaughter. Nashua DCYF lies to foster stranger's about the childs family. They scare the foster's, to make sure the foster's and families don't become friends. They lie to the foster's, just as they lie to parent's. They have no conscience! DCYF led the foster's to believe that I would kidnap my granddaughter if I ever visited her. If I were deceitful and non-law abiding, unlike DCYF, I would have taken her from the hospital. They would have never gotten their slimy hands on her, but at that point in time I trusted them. I never thought a government agency would practice fraud and steal children. I should have know something was up in the beginning, when my daughter wanted Isabella transferred to the reputable Nashua hospital and was told she would be arrested if she even tried. That Isabella wasn't being transferred. She was stuck being treated like dirt by the incompassionate hospital staff as was the rest of her family. Stuck in the hospital that works with DCYF in the illegal kidnapping of Nashua area children.
I was home alone one Saturday cleaning, when all of Isabella's toy's in her un-used bedroom starting playing themselves. I found the foster's phone number and called to make sure Isabella was alright. The foster bitch started yelling at me and told me not to call there. Then she had the Hudson Police call, who in turn sent the Nashua Police to my door. I was told if I ever called there again, I would be arrested, yet there is NO court order stating that fact.Even after I was accused, the lying DCYF Lawyer tried to get the Judge to court order no contact. But he refused.
Then I was accused of trying to break into their condo in the middle of the night and was accused of leaving cigarette butt's at their door. First off, at the time I had cataracts and night blindness. I never drove anywhere at night. Second, if I broke in and took Isabella, where would I go? I have my own house in Nashua and family. Do I leave everything behind and become a grandmother on the run or do I stick around and let the world know how corrupt Nashua DCYF is? Real smart thinking on the part of DCYF and the court. The crazier their lies are, the more the Judges believe them. I've never even gotten a parking ticket never mind tried to break into a house. I asked them in court if they took DNA off the cigarette butt's, because they sure as hell weren't mine. No answer of course. Unlike Nashua DCYF, I abide by the law and I AM NOT A LIAR! I'm just a GRANDMOTHER screwed over by the state of NH!
So now you have my reason's why Foster Stranger's have such bad reputation's. But these are just a few that I have been witness to. Ask anyone else and they'll give you plenty more. Granted, there are some good Foster's, but not many.
Isabella's foster stranger's, illegally adoptive parent's, which wouldn't have her If I didn't take care of Isabella's mother while she was pregnant, Isabella never would have been born. The hospital and the prenatal clinic my daughter went to, didn't care whether Isabella or her mother lived or died. That was quite obvious, considering she was never treated for any of the complications she suffered. Just think, if I hadn't taken care of her, they wouldn't have my granddaughter. The state wouldn't have been able to make all the money off her kidnapping that they've made and the stranger's wouldn't have gotten all the blood money off the state. And what about the abortion the clinic tried to force my daughter into? Just think, if we knew then what we know now, Isabella would NOT be with DCYF's chosen stranger's and we never would have had the misfortune of learning how corrupt DCYF and the judicial system in NH are!
State Fact Sheets on Child Welfare Funding 2010
State Fact Sheets on Child Welfare Funding 2010
http://www.clasp.org/resources_and_publications/publication?id=0708&list=publications
Child Welfare in New Hampshire (NH lies again!)
http://www.clasp.org/admin/site/publications_states/files/child-welfare-financing-newhampshire-2010.pdf
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Fiscal Year 2010 Budget in Brief Administration for Children and Families: Discretionary Spending
http://dhhs.gov/asfr/ob/docbudget/2010budgetinbriefr.html
Office of Budget
Budget and Performance
Office of Finance
Office of Grants and Acquisition Policy and Accountability
Office of Recovery Act Coordination (ORAC)
Fiscal Year 2010 Budget in Brief
Administration for Children and Families: Discretionary Spending
(dollars in millions)
2008
2009
ARRA*
2009
Omnibus
2010
2010 +/-
Omnibus
Zero to Five Initiative
Head Start**
6,878
2,100
7,113
7,235
+122
Early Head Start (non add)
688
1,100
710
721
+11
Child Care & Development Block Grant (discretionary)
2,062
2,000
2,127
2,127
--
Other Assistance for Children and Youth
--
Teenage Pregnancy Prevention
--
Community Based Grants (discretionary)
109
--
95
110
+15
PHS Evaluation Funds
5
--
4
4
--
State Grants (mandatory)
50
--
38
50
+13
Subtotal Teenage Pregnancy
163
--
137
164
+28
Child Welfare Programs
327
--
327
347
+20
Innovative Approaches to Foster Care (non add)
--
--
--
20
+20
Adoption Incentives
4
--
37
40
+3
Adoptions, Children's Health Act
12
--
13
13
--
Child Abuse Programs
105
--
110
108
-2
Home Visitation (non add)
10
--
14
14
--
Promoting Safe and Stable Families (discretionary)
63
--
63
63
--
Mentoring Children of Prisoners
49
--
49
49
--
Runaway and Homeless Youth Programs
113
--
115
115
--
Independent Living (Vouchers)
45
--
45
45
--
Subtotal, Children and Youth
9,823
4,100
10,136
10,306
+170
Assistance to Other Vulnerable Groups
--
LIHEAP
--
State Formula Grants
1,980
--
4,510
2,410
-2,100
Emergency Contingency Fund
590
--
590
790
+200
Legislative Trigger (Mandatory)
--
--
--
***
***
Subtotal, LIHEAP
2,570
--
5,100
3,200
-1,900
Refugee Programs
Transitional and Medical Services
296
--
282
337
+55
Unaccompanied Alien Children
133
--
123
176
+52
Other Refugee Programs
227
--
228
228
--
Subtotal, Refugee Programs
656
--
633
741
+107
Community Services Programs
722
1,000
775
765
- 10
Strengthening Communities Fund
--
50
--
50
+50
Compassion Capital Fund (CCF)
53
--
48
--
- 48
Center for Faith Based and Community Initiatives
1
--
1
1
--
Developmental Disabilities
180
--
184
184
--
Disaster Human Services Case Management
--
--
--
2
+2
Native Americans
46
--
47
47
--
Violent Crime Reduction
125
--
131
131
--
Social Services Research & Demonstration
15
--
14
--
-14
PHS Evaluation Funds (non add)
6
--
6
6
--
Federal Administration
184
--
197
218
+21
Total, Program Level
14,382
5,150
17,273
15,651
-1,622
Less Funds From Other Sources
Mandatory Teen Pregnancy Prevention Funding
50
--
38
50
+13
PHS Evaluation Funds
11
--
10
10
--
Total Discretionary Budget Authority
14,322
5,150
17,225
15,591
-1,634
FTE (including those financed with mandatory funds)
1,283
--
1,328
1,479
151
2008* American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Recovery Act)
** The 2009 Omnibus funding level does not include $1.4 billion appropriated in FY 2008 but not available until FY 2009.
*'** Release amounts determined by FY 2009 energy price increases. Based on probabilistic scoring $450 million is shown for FY 2010.
The FY 2010 discretionary Budget request for ACF is $15.6 billion, a decrease of $1.6 billion below FY 2009. Children’s programs are prioritized with major increases for Head Start and new initiatives to prevent teenage pregnancy and reduce long term foster care placements. Included in this Budget request is $3.2 billion for LIHEAP, a reduction of $1.9 billion but the highest LIHEAP funding level for any year except for the most recent. A legislative proposal would provide additional mandatory LIHEAP funding if energy prices increase significantly.
ZERO TO FIVE INITIATIVE
The Budget makes a down payment on the President’s Zero to Five Initiative, a comprehensive early childhood education plan to support young children and their families. Within ACF, this initiative includes a commitment to affordable, high quality child care, to expanding Head Start and Early Head Start, and to launching a new Home Visitation program, described in the ACF Mandatory section of the Budget in Brief.
Recovery Act
The Recovery Act provides $2.1 billion for Head Start, $1.1 billion of which is specifically for Early Head Start expansion. This historic increase will allow Head Start and Early Head Start to serve approximately 70,000 additional children, 55,000 of whom are infants and toddlers. The Head Start program helps low-income children arrive at school ready to learn by enhancing their social and cognitive development through the provision of educational, health, nutritional, social and other services. The program has served more than 25 million children since it began in 1965.
Helping Children Get the Best Start: The FY 2010 Budget request for Head Start is $7.2 billion, an increase of $122 million over FY 2009. Including one-time funding from the Recovery Act, Head Start received a total of $9.2 billion in FY 2009, which will provide services for an estimated 978,000 children from birth to age five, an increase of approximately 70,000 over FY 2008. The FY 2010 increase will ensure that the portion of grantees’ FY 2009 cost-of-living adjustment paid for with Recovery Act monies remains available to grantees within their base funding in FY 2010. The FY 2010 increase, combined with Recovery Act resources, enables Head Start to sustain the FY 2009 increase in children served in FY 2010. In support of the President’s emphasis on the early care and education of infants, approximately 115,000 infants and toddlers, nearly twice as many as in FY 2008, will have access to Early Head Start services in FY 2009 and FY 2010.
Child Care: The discretionary Budget includes $2.1 billion for the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG), the same as FY 2009. These resources support child care subsidies to low income families who are working or attending training or education and other activities that improve the quality and availability of child care. The Recovery Act also provided $2 billion to expand the availability of child care and improve its quality. These funds will serve an estimated 200,000 to 220,000 additional children and families over two years, with maximum flexibility for States.
The Budget requests a total of $5 billion for child care through the Child Care and Development Fund, which includes CCDBG ($2.1 billion) and $2.9 billion in mandatory funds for the Child Care Entitlement to States, sufficient to provide assistance to an estimated 1.6 million children each month. Combined Federal and related State child care funding provides child care assistance to 2.6 million children per month.
PROVIDING ASSISTANCE FOR CHILDREN AND YOUTH
Teen Pregnancy Prevention: The ACF Budget includes $110 million to support community-based efforts to reduce teen pregnancy. The majority of funds for this effort will support programs using models whose effectiveness has been demonstrated through rigorous evaluation. A smaller portion of funds will be available to develop and test promising teen prevention programs. Previous evaluations indicate that the most positive results come from high intensity youth development programs that provide a range of services in addition to comprehensive sex education, such as after school activities, academic support, or service learning.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will increase its support for national organizations and State teen pregnancy prevention coalitions to select, implement, and evaluate science based programs to prevent teen pregnancy. ACF evaluation funds ($4 million annually) also will continue to be used to test a range of teen pregnancy prevention programs.
The Budget redirects funding from ACF’s abstinence-only education programs to evidenced based and promising teen pregnancy prevention programs as described above. The Administration will not seek reauthorization for the mandatory State Abstinence Education formula grants when they expire in June of 2009. The Budget instead requests $50 million in mandatory funds for State, Tribal, and Territory teen pregnancy prevention efforts.
Child Welfare: The Budget requests $347 million to support State public welfare agencies to protect and promote the well being of all children. These activities include preventing abuse and neglect; supporting at risk families through services to keep children at home where appropriate; securing alternative placements (e.g., foster care, adoption) for children who must be removed from their homes; and reunification services when it is appropriate for children to return home to their families.
Innovative Approaches to Foster Care: The Budget request includes $20 million to fund projects that aim to improve outcomes for children in foster care. This program will provide upfront funding for the purpose of implementing and sustaining evidence-based practice improvements. Grantees demonstrating an improvement in child and family outcomes will be eligible to receive bonus funding.
Adoption Incentives: States that successfully increase the number of children adopted from their public foster care systems receive bonus payments from ACF. The Budget requests $40 million for these bonuses, an increase of $3 million over FY 2009, to fully cover anticipated State bonus payment levels. States receive bonus payments for adoptions completed in the previous year. The Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act of 2008 raised bonus payments for adoption of special needs and older children and made other program improvements. After remaining unchanged for several years, data indicates a 5 percent increase (to 54,000) in the number of adoptions between FY 2007 and FY 2008.
Child Abuse Prevention: The Budget request includes $108 million, the same level as FY 2009 excluding one-time congressional projects. Funds support grants to States through the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act to strengthen the State’s child protective service systems, including their investigation of abuse, training for child protection workers, and programs to prevent and treat child abuse and neglect. Funds also support a continuum of prevention efforts, including community based activities, research on child maltreatment, and training and technical assistance.
Promoting Safe and Stable Families: To continue supporting States’ efforts to coordinate their family preservation services, the FY 2010 Budget maintains funding at $443 million for the Promoting Safe and Stable Families program, of which $63 million is financed through discretionary resources. Funds support community-based activities to promote parental competencies, time limited reunification services, and adoption promotion and support services.
Other Programs for Children and Youth: The Budget maintains funding at $49 million for the Mentoring Children of Prisoners program to provide grants to eligible entities that support one on one mentoring for children of incarcerated parents and those recently released from prison. The Budget also includes $115 million for Runaway and Homeless Youth programs, the same as FY 2009, to make grants to public and private organizations that establish and operate shelters for youth, offer supportive services, provide street based outreach, and operate Maternity Group Homes. To continue to provide post secondary educational assistance to foster care youth ages 16 to 21, the Budget maintains funding at the FY 2009 level of $45 million for the Independent Living Education and Training Vouchers programs, which provides up to $5,000 per participant for expenses like tuition, books, and other fees.
Strengthening Communities
The new Strengthening Communities Fund will build the capacity of nonprofit organizations to address the needs of distressed communities. Capacity building activities are designed to increase an organization’s sustainability and effectiveness, enhance its ability to provide social services, and create collaborations to better serve those in need.
ASSISTANCE FOR OTHER VULNERABLE GROUPS
Low Income Home Energy Assistance: The Budget requests $3.2 billion for the LIHEAP program to help low income households heat and cool their homes. The Budget request is larger than any previous year, except for the most recent, when the nation was threatened with an unprecedented increase in energy costs. Energy prices are volatile, making it difficult to match funding to need. For this reason, the Budget includes a legislative proposal to provide additional mandatory LIHEAP funding if energy prices increase significantly.
Under the Administration’s preliminary design, the legislative proposal would trigger additional funds when oil and natural gas prices increase by at least 15 percent or electricity prices increase by at least 10 percent. Price increases would be measured by comparing quarterly prices with prices from the same quarter of the previous year. The amount of funds released would be determined by the percent increase in prices, and the size of the prior year’s formula grant appropriation. For example, if fourth quarter 2009 energy prices exceed last year’s peak prices by just two percent (oil at $126 per barrel) this legislative proposal could bring total LIHEAP funding to $5.1 billion, the same as the FY 2009 level. The Administration will work with Congress to develop a final trigger design within the resources provided in the Budget.
The Administration is committed to more efficient use of energy. The Recovery Act provided $5 billion to the Energy Department’s Weatherization Assistance Program, sufficient to permanently lower home energy bills for hundreds of thousands of low income homes.
Refugees: The Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) provides services to newly arrived refugees and other entrants, unaccompanied alien children and victims of trafficking and torture. Major activities include the provision of time limited (transitional) cash and medical assistance, English instruction, and job-training to help new arrivals achieve economic self-sufficiency. Care is also provided to unaccompanied alien children (UACs) who are apprehended in the U.S. by the Department of Homeland Security, or other law enforcement. ACF retains custody of these children until they can be released to relatives or sponsors or their relief claims under U.S. immigration law are resolved.
The Budget requests $741 million for these activities, an increase of $107 million over FY 2009. The Budget includes an additional $55 million primarily to reimburse states for the transitional and medical costs of helping newly arrived refugees achieve self-sufficiency. State costs are increasing as refugees take longer to achieve self-sufficiency in the current economy. An additional $52 million is also included to address legislative changes to the UAC program, which are anticipated to increase the number of children in ACF custody. The recently enacted William Wilberforce Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization gives ACF custody of certain UACs from contiguous countries (Mexico and Canada) who are apprehended crossing the Border. In the past, UACs from Mexico were re patriated without coming into ACF’s custody.
Community Services Programs: To support State efforts to reduce poverty and assist low income residents, the FY 2010 Budget request includes $765 million for Community Services Programs, a decrease of $10 million below FY 2009. Funding is maintained for the Community Services Block Grant and for all other Community Service Programs except for the Rural Community Facilities Program ($10 million in FY 2009), which provides grants to communities to develop and design water treatment facilities. Maintaining a separate rural water facilities program in ACF is inefficient. Both the Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Agriculture provide far larger amounts of funding for financing water treatment programs.
Strengthening Communities Fund: The Budget provides $50 million in FY 2010 for the Strengthening Communities Fund (SCF), a new effort created through the Recovery Act and funded at $50 million in FY 2009. Funds will be used to build the capacity of faith-based and community-based non profits to serve low-income and disadvantaged populations. Grant activities will help these organizations expand service delivery, increase community access to public benefits, and help low and moderate income people secure and retain employment. The SCF replaces the Compassion Capital Fund.
Developmental Disabilities: The Budget requests $184 million, the same as FY 2009, to help ensure that individuals with developmental disabilities have opportunities to contribute to and participate in all facets of community life and can access culturally competent support services that are consumer centered. These funds are also used to protect the legal and human rights of individuals with disabilities and to increase their voter participation.
Disaster Human Services Case Management: Hurricane Katrina demonstrated the need for case management to assist individuals affected by disasters regain self sufficiency. To determine how to create a model disaster case management program, ACF conducted a pilot project during the 2008 Hurricanes Gustav and Ike. More than 5,500 individuals enrolled and received case management services faster than ever before. The FY 2010 Budget includes $2 million to further address this issue.
Performance Highlight
The percent of unaccompanied alien children that received medical screening or examination within 48 hours of admission to Office of Refugee Resettlement facilities increased from 75.5 percent in FY 2006 to 88.9 percent in FY 2008.
Native Americans: The Administration for Native Americans promotes economic self sufficiency and preservation of Native American languages and culture. Grants are provided to Tribes, other Native American communities, Native Hawaiians, and other Native Pacific Islanders organizations. Funds can be used for a range of projects including jobs creation, increasing the capacity of tribal governments, establishment of local court systems, enactment of new codes and environmental ordinances and improved control of natural resources. The Budget requests $47 million, the same as FY 2009.
Violent Crime Reduction: The FY 2010 Budget maintains funding at the FY 2009 level of $131 million for programs that prevent family violence, offer shelter for victims of family violence and their dependents, and provide intervention services for families in abusive situations. Funds also support the National Domestic Violence Hotline, a toll free telephone hotline that operates 24 hours a day to provide information and assistance to victims of domestic violence.
OTHER ACF PROGRAMS
Research: In addition to the evaluation of teen pregnancy prevention ($4 million), the Budget includes $6 million for Social Services Research and Development. These funds support investigation into critical areas, such as the best ways for low income families to become economically self sufficient.
Federal Administration: The Budget requests $218 million for staff salaries, and other necessary administrative activities, an increase of $21 million over FY 2009. Additional funds will primarily be used to meet additional program requirements from new legislation. For example, the Head Start Reauthorization made significant changes to the program, including creating new competition requirements for poor performing grantees. The Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act creates a new Kinship Guardianship program and allows Federally recognized Tribes to run their own Foster Care and Adoption Assistance programs, both of which required significant additional staff. The William Wilberforce Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization includes increased monitoring requirements for the Trafficking and UAC programs.
FY 2010 Budget in Brief Home
Office of Budget
Budget and Performance
Office of Finance
Office of Grants and Acquisition Policy and Accountability
Office of Recovery Act Coordination (ORAC)
Fiscal Year 2010 Budget in Brief
Administration for Children and Families: Discretionary Spending
(dollars in millions)
2008
2009
ARRA*
2009
Omnibus
2010
2010 +/-
Omnibus
Zero to Five Initiative
Head Start**
6,878
2,100
7,113
7,235
+122
Early Head Start (non add)
688
1,100
710
721
+11
Child Care & Development Block Grant (discretionary)
2,062
2,000
2,127
2,127
--
Other Assistance for Children and Youth
--
Teenage Pregnancy Prevention
--
Community Based Grants (discretionary)
109
--
95
110
+15
PHS Evaluation Funds
5
--
4
4
--
State Grants (mandatory)
50
--
38
50
+13
Subtotal Teenage Pregnancy
163
--
137
164
+28
Child Welfare Programs
327
--
327
347
+20
Innovative Approaches to Foster Care (non add)
--
--
--
20
+20
Adoption Incentives
4
--
37
40
+3
Adoptions, Children's Health Act
12
--
13
13
--
Child Abuse Programs
105
--
110
108
-2
Home Visitation (non add)
10
--
14
14
--
Promoting Safe and Stable Families (discretionary)
63
--
63
63
--
Mentoring Children of Prisoners
49
--
49
49
--
Runaway and Homeless Youth Programs
113
--
115
115
--
Independent Living (Vouchers)
45
--
45
45
--
Subtotal, Children and Youth
9,823
4,100
10,136
10,306
+170
Assistance to Other Vulnerable Groups
--
LIHEAP
--
State Formula Grants
1,980
--
4,510
2,410
-2,100
Emergency Contingency Fund
590
--
590
790
+200
Legislative Trigger (Mandatory)
--
--
--
***
***
Subtotal, LIHEAP
2,570
--
5,100
3,200
-1,900
Refugee Programs
Transitional and Medical Services
296
--
282
337
+55
Unaccompanied Alien Children
133
--
123
176
+52
Other Refugee Programs
227
--
228
228
--
Subtotal, Refugee Programs
656
--
633
741
+107
Community Services Programs
722
1,000
775
765
- 10
Strengthening Communities Fund
--
50
--
50
+50
Compassion Capital Fund (CCF)
53
--
48
--
- 48
Center for Faith Based and Community Initiatives
1
--
1
1
--
Developmental Disabilities
180
--
184
184
--
Disaster Human Services Case Management
--
--
--
2
+2
Native Americans
46
--
47
47
--
Violent Crime Reduction
125
--
131
131
--
Social Services Research & Demonstration
15
--
14
--
-14
PHS Evaluation Funds (non add)
6
--
6
6
--
Federal Administration
184
--
197
218
+21
Total, Program Level
14,382
5,150
17,273
15,651
-1,622
Less Funds From Other Sources
Mandatory Teen Pregnancy Prevention Funding
50
--
38
50
+13
PHS Evaluation Funds
11
--
10
10
--
Total Discretionary Budget Authority
14,322
5,150
17,225
15,591
-1,634
FTE (including those financed with mandatory funds)
1,283
--
1,328
1,479
151
2008* American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Recovery Act)
** The 2009 Omnibus funding level does not include $1.4 billion appropriated in FY 2008 but not available until FY 2009.
*'** Release amounts determined by FY 2009 energy price increases. Based on probabilistic scoring $450 million is shown for FY 2010.
The FY 2010 discretionary Budget request for ACF is $15.6 billion, a decrease of $1.6 billion below FY 2009. Children’s programs are prioritized with major increases for Head Start and new initiatives to prevent teenage pregnancy and reduce long term foster care placements. Included in this Budget request is $3.2 billion for LIHEAP, a reduction of $1.9 billion but the highest LIHEAP funding level for any year except for the most recent. A legislative proposal would provide additional mandatory LIHEAP funding if energy prices increase significantly.
ZERO TO FIVE INITIATIVE
The Budget makes a down payment on the President’s Zero to Five Initiative, a comprehensive early childhood education plan to support young children and their families. Within ACF, this initiative includes a commitment to affordable, high quality child care, to expanding Head Start and Early Head Start, and to launching a new Home Visitation program, described in the ACF Mandatory section of the Budget in Brief.
Recovery Act
The Recovery Act provides $2.1 billion for Head Start, $1.1 billion of which is specifically for Early Head Start expansion. This historic increase will allow Head Start and Early Head Start to serve approximately 70,000 additional children, 55,000 of whom are infants and toddlers. The Head Start program helps low-income children arrive at school ready to learn by enhancing their social and cognitive development through the provision of educational, health, nutritional, social and other services. The program has served more than 25 million children since it began in 1965.
Helping Children Get the Best Start: The FY 2010 Budget request for Head Start is $7.2 billion, an increase of $122 million over FY 2009. Including one-time funding from the Recovery Act, Head Start received a total of $9.2 billion in FY 2009, which will provide services for an estimated 978,000 children from birth to age five, an increase of approximately 70,000 over FY 2008. The FY 2010 increase will ensure that the portion of grantees’ FY 2009 cost-of-living adjustment paid for with Recovery Act monies remains available to grantees within their base funding in FY 2010. The FY 2010 increase, combined with Recovery Act resources, enables Head Start to sustain the FY 2009 increase in children served in FY 2010. In support of the President’s emphasis on the early care and education of infants, approximately 115,000 infants and toddlers, nearly twice as many as in FY 2008, will have access to Early Head Start services in FY 2009 and FY 2010.
Child Care: The discretionary Budget includes $2.1 billion for the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG), the same as FY 2009. These resources support child care subsidies to low income families who are working or attending training or education and other activities that improve the quality and availability of child care. The Recovery Act also provided $2 billion to expand the availability of child care and improve its quality. These funds will serve an estimated 200,000 to 220,000 additional children and families over two years, with maximum flexibility for States.
The Budget requests a total of $5 billion for child care through the Child Care and Development Fund, which includes CCDBG ($2.1 billion) and $2.9 billion in mandatory funds for the Child Care Entitlement to States, sufficient to provide assistance to an estimated 1.6 million children each month. Combined Federal and related State child care funding provides child care assistance to 2.6 million children per month.
PROVIDING ASSISTANCE FOR CHILDREN AND YOUTH
Teen Pregnancy Prevention: The ACF Budget includes $110 million to support community-based efforts to reduce teen pregnancy. The majority of funds for this effort will support programs using models whose effectiveness has been demonstrated through rigorous evaluation. A smaller portion of funds will be available to develop and test promising teen prevention programs. Previous evaluations indicate that the most positive results come from high intensity youth development programs that provide a range of services in addition to comprehensive sex education, such as after school activities, academic support, or service learning.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will increase its support for national organizations and State teen pregnancy prevention coalitions to select, implement, and evaluate science based programs to prevent teen pregnancy. ACF evaluation funds ($4 million annually) also will continue to be used to test a range of teen pregnancy prevention programs.
The Budget redirects funding from ACF’s abstinence-only education programs to evidenced based and promising teen pregnancy prevention programs as described above. The Administration will not seek reauthorization for the mandatory State Abstinence Education formula grants when they expire in June of 2009. The Budget instead requests $50 million in mandatory funds for State, Tribal, and Territory teen pregnancy prevention efforts.
Child Welfare: The Budget requests $347 million to support State public welfare agencies to protect and promote the well being of all children. These activities include preventing abuse and neglect; supporting at risk families through services to keep children at home where appropriate; securing alternative placements (e.g., foster care, adoption) for children who must be removed from their homes; and reunification services when it is appropriate for children to return home to their families.
Innovative Approaches to Foster Care: The Budget request includes $20 million to fund projects that aim to improve outcomes for children in foster care. This program will provide upfront funding for the purpose of implementing and sustaining evidence-based practice improvements. Grantees demonstrating an improvement in child and family outcomes will be eligible to receive bonus funding.
Adoption Incentives: States that successfully increase the number of children adopted from their public foster care systems receive bonus payments from ACF. The Budget requests $40 million for these bonuses, an increase of $3 million over FY 2009, to fully cover anticipated State bonus payment levels. States receive bonus payments for adoptions completed in the previous year. The Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act of 2008 raised bonus payments for adoption of special needs and older children and made other program improvements. After remaining unchanged for several years, data indicates a 5 percent increase (to 54,000) in the number of adoptions between FY 2007 and FY 2008.
Child Abuse Prevention: The Budget request includes $108 million, the same level as FY 2009 excluding one-time congressional projects. Funds support grants to States through the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act to strengthen the State’s child protective service systems, including their investigation of abuse, training for child protection workers, and programs to prevent and treat child abuse and neglect. Funds also support a continuum of prevention efforts, including community based activities, research on child maltreatment, and training and technical assistance.
Promoting Safe and Stable Families: To continue supporting States’ efforts to coordinate their family preservation services, the FY 2010 Budget maintains funding at $443 million for the Promoting Safe and Stable Families program, of which $63 million is financed through discretionary resources. Funds support community-based activities to promote parental competencies, time limited reunification services, and adoption promotion and support services.
Other Programs for Children and Youth: The Budget maintains funding at $49 million for the Mentoring Children of Prisoners program to provide grants to eligible entities that support one on one mentoring for children of incarcerated parents and those recently released from prison. The Budget also includes $115 million for Runaway and Homeless Youth programs, the same as FY 2009, to make grants to public and private organizations that establish and operate shelters for youth, offer supportive services, provide street based outreach, and operate Maternity Group Homes. To continue to provide post secondary educational assistance to foster care youth ages 16 to 21, the Budget maintains funding at the FY 2009 level of $45 million for the Independent Living Education and Training Vouchers programs, which provides up to $5,000 per participant for expenses like tuition, books, and other fees.
Strengthening Communities
The new Strengthening Communities Fund will build the capacity of nonprofit organizations to address the needs of distressed communities. Capacity building activities are designed to increase an organization’s sustainability and effectiveness, enhance its ability to provide social services, and create collaborations to better serve those in need.
ASSISTANCE FOR OTHER VULNERABLE GROUPS
Low Income Home Energy Assistance: The Budget requests $3.2 billion for the LIHEAP program to help low income households heat and cool their homes. The Budget request is larger than any previous year, except for the most recent, when the nation was threatened with an unprecedented increase in energy costs. Energy prices are volatile, making it difficult to match funding to need. For this reason, the Budget includes a legislative proposal to provide additional mandatory LIHEAP funding if energy prices increase significantly.
Under the Administration’s preliminary design, the legislative proposal would trigger additional funds when oil and natural gas prices increase by at least 15 percent or electricity prices increase by at least 10 percent. Price increases would be measured by comparing quarterly prices with prices from the same quarter of the previous year. The amount of funds released would be determined by the percent increase in prices, and the size of the prior year’s formula grant appropriation. For example, if fourth quarter 2009 energy prices exceed last year’s peak prices by just two percent (oil at $126 per barrel) this legislative proposal could bring total LIHEAP funding to $5.1 billion, the same as the FY 2009 level. The Administration will work with Congress to develop a final trigger design within the resources provided in the Budget.
The Administration is committed to more efficient use of energy. The Recovery Act provided $5 billion to the Energy Department’s Weatherization Assistance Program, sufficient to permanently lower home energy bills for hundreds of thousands of low income homes.
Refugees: The Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) provides services to newly arrived refugees and other entrants, unaccompanied alien children and victims of trafficking and torture. Major activities include the provision of time limited (transitional) cash and medical assistance, English instruction, and job-training to help new arrivals achieve economic self-sufficiency. Care is also provided to unaccompanied alien children (UACs) who are apprehended in the U.S. by the Department of Homeland Security, or other law enforcement. ACF retains custody of these children until they can be released to relatives or sponsors or their relief claims under U.S. immigration law are resolved.
The Budget requests $741 million for these activities, an increase of $107 million over FY 2009. The Budget includes an additional $55 million primarily to reimburse states for the transitional and medical costs of helping newly arrived refugees achieve self-sufficiency. State costs are increasing as refugees take longer to achieve self-sufficiency in the current economy. An additional $52 million is also included to address legislative changes to the UAC program, which are anticipated to increase the number of children in ACF custody. The recently enacted William Wilberforce Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization gives ACF custody of certain UACs from contiguous countries (Mexico and Canada) who are apprehended crossing the Border. In the past, UACs from Mexico were re patriated without coming into ACF’s custody.
Community Services Programs: To support State efforts to reduce poverty and assist low income residents, the FY 2010 Budget request includes $765 million for Community Services Programs, a decrease of $10 million below FY 2009. Funding is maintained for the Community Services Block Grant and for all other Community Service Programs except for the Rural Community Facilities Program ($10 million in FY 2009), which provides grants to communities to develop and design water treatment facilities. Maintaining a separate rural water facilities program in ACF is inefficient. Both the Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Agriculture provide far larger amounts of funding for financing water treatment programs.
Strengthening Communities Fund: The Budget provides $50 million in FY 2010 for the Strengthening Communities Fund (SCF), a new effort created through the Recovery Act and funded at $50 million in FY 2009. Funds will be used to build the capacity of faith-based and community-based non profits to serve low-income and disadvantaged populations. Grant activities will help these organizations expand service delivery, increase community access to public benefits, and help low and moderate income people secure and retain employment. The SCF replaces the Compassion Capital Fund.
Developmental Disabilities: The Budget requests $184 million, the same as FY 2009, to help ensure that individuals with developmental disabilities have opportunities to contribute to and participate in all facets of community life and can access culturally competent support services that are consumer centered. These funds are also used to protect the legal and human rights of individuals with disabilities and to increase their voter participation.
Disaster Human Services Case Management: Hurricane Katrina demonstrated the need for case management to assist individuals affected by disasters regain self sufficiency. To determine how to create a model disaster case management program, ACF conducted a pilot project during the 2008 Hurricanes Gustav and Ike. More than 5,500 individuals enrolled and received case management services faster than ever before. The FY 2010 Budget includes $2 million to further address this issue.
Performance Highlight
The percent of unaccompanied alien children that received medical screening or examination within 48 hours of admission to Office of Refugee Resettlement facilities increased from 75.5 percent in FY 2006 to 88.9 percent in FY 2008.
Native Americans: The Administration for Native Americans promotes economic self sufficiency and preservation of Native American languages and culture. Grants are provided to Tribes, other Native American communities, Native Hawaiians, and other Native Pacific Islanders organizations. Funds can be used for a range of projects including jobs creation, increasing the capacity of tribal governments, establishment of local court systems, enactment of new codes and environmental ordinances and improved control of natural resources. The Budget requests $47 million, the same as FY 2009.
Violent Crime Reduction: The FY 2010 Budget maintains funding at the FY 2009 level of $131 million for programs that prevent family violence, offer shelter for victims of family violence and their dependents, and provide intervention services for families in abusive situations. Funds also support the National Domestic Violence Hotline, a toll free telephone hotline that operates 24 hours a day to provide information and assistance to victims of domestic violence.
OTHER ACF PROGRAMS
Research: In addition to the evaluation of teen pregnancy prevention ($4 million), the Budget includes $6 million for Social Services Research and Development. These funds support investigation into critical areas, such as the best ways for low income families to become economically self sufficient.
Federal Administration: The Budget requests $218 million for staff salaries, and other necessary administrative activities, an increase of $21 million over FY 2009. Additional funds will primarily be used to meet additional program requirements from new legislation. For example, the Head Start Reauthorization made significant changes to the program, including creating new competition requirements for poor performing grantees. The Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act creates a new Kinship Guardianship program and allows Federally recognized Tribes to run their own Foster Care and Adoption Assistance programs, both of which required significant additional staff. The William Wilberforce Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization includes increased monitoring requirements for the Trafficking and UAC programs.
FY 2010 Budget in Brief Home
Former child abuse investigator pleads not guilty
Former child abuse investigator pleads not guilty
Story
Discussion
MARCI LAEHR TENUTA mtenuta@journaltimes.com | Posted: Wednesday, July 14, 2010 10:45
Related Stories
COUNTY: INSTEAD OF INVESTIGATING CHILD ABUSE, WORKER FILED FALSE REPORTS
Fired investigator: withhold judgment until all facts available
Child abuse investigator charged with fabricating reports
RACINE - A former child abuse investigator for the Racine County Human Services Department who is accused of not looking into abuse complaints and filing false reports waived his preliminary hearing in court Wednesday.
Todd P. O'Brien, 37, of Franklin also entered a not guilty plea to the six counts against him of misconduct in office for making a fraudulent record or statement.
O'Brien was bound over for trial, however Racine County District Attorney Mike Nieskes said the state and defense are working toward a resolution. A plea agreement would avoid a trial.
A pretrial conference was scheduled for Aug. 13.
O'Brien was a veteran investigator with HSD when administrators there found evidence that he had filed a false report on a abuse case he had never investigated. In February, a woman being considered as a possible placement for a child who needed a place to live had a flag on her file from a previous abuse investigation.
HSD workers asked the woman about the previous investigation. She told them no one had ever spoken with her about anything like that.
However, O'Brien had filed a report in 2008 that said he spoke to he woman and the children in her home. He found the allegations unsubstantiated.
At that point, HSD officials began looking into other cases where O'Brien had determined there was no abuse. They found five other cases where he allegedly fabricated information on investigations he had never conducted.
O'Brien was charged last month. He is out of custody on a $5,000 signature bond.
Posted in Crime-and-courts on Wednesday, July 14, 2010 10:45 am Updated: 1:03 pm. | Tags: Racine County Human Services Department, Todd O'brien, Mike Nieskes, Child Abuse, Courtnews
http://www.journaltimes.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/article_3a91826e-8f5f-11df-9c2d-001cc4c03286.html
Story
Discussion
MARCI LAEHR TENUTA mtenuta@journaltimes.com | Posted: Wednesday, July 14, 2010 10:45
Related Stories
COUNTY: INSTEAD OF INVESTIGATING CHILD ABUSE, WORKER FILED FALSE REPORTS
Fired investigator: withhold judgment until all facts available
Child abuse investigator charged with fabricating reports
RACINE - A former child abuse investigator for the Racine County Human Services Department who is accused of not looking into abuse complaints and filing false reports waived his preliminary hearing in court Wednesday.
Todd P. O'Brien, 37, of Franklin also entered a not guilty plea to the six counts against him of misconduct in office for making a fraudulent record or statement.
O'Brien was bound over for trial, however Racine County District Attorney Mike Nieskes said the state and defense are working toward a resolution. A plea agreement would avoid a trial.
A pretrial conference was scheduled for Aug. 13.
O'Brien was a veteran investigator with HSD when administrators there found evidence that he had filed a false report on a abuse case he had never investigated. In February, a woman being considered as a possible placement for a child who needed a place to live had a flag on her file from a previous abuse investigation.
HSD workers asked the woman about the previous investigation. She told them no one had ever spoken with her about anything like that.
However, O'Brien had filed a report in 2008 that said he spoke to he woman and the children in her home. He found the allegations unsubstantiated.
At that point, HSD officials began looking into other cases where O'Brien had determined there was no abuse. They found five other cases where he allegedly fabricated information on investigations he had never conducted.
O'Brien was charged last month. He is out of custody on a $5,000 signature bond.
Posted in Crime-and-courts on Wednesday, July 14, 2010 10:45 am Updated: 1:03 pm. | Tags: Racine County Human Services Department, Todd O'brien, Mike Nieskes, Child Abuse, Courtnews
http://www.journaltimes.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/article_3a91826e-8f5f-11df-9c2d-001cc4c03286.html
Calif. girl found safe in Phoenix, nearly 7 years after she was abducted as infant
CRIME & COURTS
If CPS/DCYF would do the job's they are paid to do, relatives wouldn't be kidnapping these children stolen by the state. Relative placement before foster care is
"Supposed" to be a priority, but isn't! Foster placement mean's more money for the state and more trauma for the children!
Police: Calif. girl found safe in Phoenix, nearly 7 years after she was abducted as infant
Published July 15, 2010 | Associated Press
NORWALK, CALIF.
A girl abducted by three aunts from her foster parents nearly seven years ago, when she was an infant, is back in California after she was found safe in Phoenix, authorities said.
The girl returned to Norwalk Wednesday night and was placed in the custody of the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services, Los Angeles County sheriff's Lt. Bill Evans said.
Detectives from the Phoenix Police Department's missing persons unit, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department and the FBI located the 7-year-old girl at a Phoenix house earlier Wednesday.
A woman was trying to hide the child in a bathroom shower under a pile of clothes and towels when investigators searched the home under a court order, authorities said.
The girl appeared to be in good physical condition, Evans said. Her name was not released.
Police said three biological aunts — all juveniles at the time — abducted the girl when she was less than a year old, during a "noncustodial visitation" at a Norwalk restaurant. The child was in the custody of foster parents at the time.
The foster parents were distracted by two of the aunts and the third aunt got away with the child, Evans said.
Two of the aunts were later arrested, and the third hasn't been located, authorities said.
The girl apparently was not related to the Phoenix family with whom she was living, Evans said. The investigation is ongoing, and no arrests have been made.
The girl had been kept out of schools and her name and birth date had been changed, authorities said. Footprints, photographs and DNA swabs were taken of the girl to confirm her identity.
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2010/07/15/police-girl-taken-calif-foster-parents-aunts-nearly-years-ago-ariz-home/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+foxnews/national+(Text+-+National)#content
If CPS/DCYF would do the job's they are paid to do, relatives wouldn't be kidnapping these children stolen by the state. Relative placement before foster care is
"Supposed" to be a priority, but isn't! Foster placement mean's more money for the state and more trauma for the children!
Police: Calif. girl found safe in Phoenix, nearly 7 years after she was abducted as infant
Published July 15, 2010 | Associated Press
NORWALK, CALIF.
A girl abducted by three aunts from her foster parents nearly seven years ago, when she was an infant, is back in California after she was found safe in Phoenix, authorities said.
The girl returned to Norwalk Wednesday night and was placed in the custody of the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services, Los Angeles County sheriff's Lt. Bill Evans said.
Detectives from the Phoenix Police Department's missing persons unit, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department and the FBI located the 7-year-old girl at a Phoenix house earlier Wednesday.
A woman was trying to hide the child in a bathroom shower under a pile of clothes and towels when investigators searched the home under a court order, authorities said.
The girl appeared to be in good physical condition, Evans said. Her name was not released.
Police said three biological aunts — all juveniles at the time — abducted the girl when she was less than a year old, during a "noncustodial visitation" at a Norwalk restaurant. The child was in the custody of foster parents at the time.
The foster parents were distracted by two of the aunts and the third aunt got away with the child, Evans said.
Two of the aunts were later arrested, and the third hasn't been located, authorities said.
The girl apparently was not related to the Phoenix family with whom she was living, Evans said. The investigation is ongoing, and no arrests have been made.
The girl had been kept out of schools and her name and birth date had been changed, authorities said. Footprints, photographs and DNA swabs were taken of the girl to confirm her identity.
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2010/07/15/police-girl-taken-calif-foster-parents-aunts-nearly-years-ago-ariz-home/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+foxnews/national+(Text+-+National)#content
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