County aims to stabilize kids in foster care
More than half of York County kids with a
longer stay in foster care were moved three or more times, according to
a recent report, but county officials are working to make sure that
changes.
In the past, if a child had an issue in one foster care setting, the
child might just be moved. "We do not want that to happen anymore," said
Debbie Chronister, interim director of York County Children and Youth
Services. "Now we're saying, 'Why isn't that working?'"
They will see what support they can offer or look into why problems are arising. Children need a sense of permanence, a sense of belonging, she said. The more times you move a child, the less chance they have to bond with someone.
A recent report from Pennsylvania Partnerships for Children looked at data related to foster care in York County. The report, which covered April 2008 to March 2009, highlights the percentage of children in foster care for 12 to 23 months who moved three or more times. York County's rate, almost 53 percent, was higher than the statewide rate of 33 percent.
Chronister said the rate of kids having multiple placements has historically been higher than preferred, but she doesn't think it was "really in the forefront of our minds. It wasn't recognized as being prevalent and potentially disruptive to the children," she said.
Bev Mackereth, county director of human services, said children, whether toddlers or teenagers, react the same way when they're detached from someone. They start to act out, withdraw. It's common sense, she said. "You can't take away the only thing a child knows and not expect them to react," she said.
A family's view
Kathleen Brent and her husband Charles were chosen as York
County's 2009 foster parents of the year. Kathleen Brent agreed that
it's not good for kids to hop to multiple places. "They won't attach
themselves to anyone," she said. "When they do, they get hurt."
She's had children come to her home after being in several other foster situations. "They do have special issues," she said. "A lot of my kids have been in counseling for that reason. ... They need someone in their life that is stable."
Charles Brent said it's harder on the kids if they've been to multiple places. "You can tell when a kid's been around the block a few times," he said.
At the same time, Kathleen Brent said they have, on only two occasions during 12 years as a foster parents, requested a foster child leave their house. Then, it was only because the children were causing problems for her other foster children.
Chronister said there are exceptions to every rule, but there would have to be "an awfully good reason" for a child to be moved multiple times. For most, she said, it's better to see what can be done to help the family cope with the situation. County officials now want children to have no more than two placements after entering foster care, she said. The emergency placement when a child is removed from a home counts as the first. It's understandable that one more move might be necessary, she said, but no more should happen after that. It's just not fair to keep moving them, she said. "You're just flipping their whole life," she said.
Family focus
Pennsylvania Partnerships for Children officials praised York
County for the rate at which it reunified children with parents or
relatives – nearly 56 percent. That's better than the state rate of
about 48 percent. The report also showed that about 21.5 percent of
those county children who had been reunited with parents returned to
foster care within a year, still better than the state percentage of
27.8.
York County has incorporated a number of state initiatives to help get children in permanent homes, Chronister said. Much of that is focused on the family – finding relatives in some cases or involving others to help the family make decisions. Those initiatives are helping the county reunite children and parents, she said. "There are a lot of children that need to find their way back home," she said. "Of course, we want these children to be safe."
During the first 12 months a child is in care, the county will work with families to try to help them deal with issues such as housing or employment, she said. But at the same time, they'll be planning for what to do if the child can't return home. Ideally, another family member could step forward. "You really do have to look at all the other options," Chronister said. "I think the greatest disservice we can do for a child is to fail to make a connection for that child."
Before a child is returned home, a risk assessment and family plan are done, which include criteria that must be met to ensure the child's safety, she said. Every family's plan is different.
The county is also going to start a new project to work on preparing families and children when they are to be reunited, which is a "huge adjustment for everybody."
Kathleen Brent said she thinks it's important for kids to return to their families. But if they're in foster care too long, she said, that connection diminishes. "It's really hard because you do bond with these kids," she said.
Change of philosophy
Mackereth said that the way the system has worked in the past
has failed. "We have to think better and act better," Mackereth said.
Richard Gold, from the state's office of children, youth and families, visits York County each month to review cases and help the staff determine what they're doing right and what could be done better, she said.
Mackereth said some working in the system have been doing so for years and don't want to make changes. But with partners like Gold, she said, they're working on it. "It's going to take us some time but it's the right thing to do," she said.
The Brents have had so many foster children they've kind of lost count. It's probably about 45 to 50. The kids' faces adorn the wall in their kitchen. They can tell stories about each one. Some have been there for as little as three hours. With others, it's been years. The couple adopted Kristen, who will soon be 14, and received guardianship rights for Nicole, 15.
The important thing, Kathleen Brent said, is to make sure to focus on the individual children and what they need. It can be tough, they said, but patience is key with foster children. "Most of them just want to be loved," Charles Brent said.
Angie Mason
12 December 2009
