Caution this post long. It is my proposal for dshs restructure: Comments welcome. Here is a rough draft that I wrote for our restructuring proposal. Nation Wide Coalition to: SAVE OUR BABIES (SOB) Mission Statement of Save our Babies (SOB)....this is not a fixed title...suggestions welcome... We believe It is a civil rights violation to institutionalize a child for the alleged crime of its parent or guardian. If a parent or guardian is identified as being a substantiated threat to the child it is the parent/guardian who must leave the home environment. Not the innocent child. When a child is removed from its home environment it is being punished for the supposed crimes of another. We believe that restructuring resources is paramount so that the resources come to the child. Removing a child from their home is punishing the child for the purported crime of the parent. When a child is removed from its home environment the child looses their siblings, their cousins, their grandparents, their school friends, their established medical care.(If a medically fragile child is removed from established medical care it can be a life threatening event for the child) SOB: Save Our Babies is a Coordinated national coalition to Save our Babies (all children) from all forms of institutional care. Our restructuring proposal will save over $3,628,000,000 nation wide per year. Factual Data: Children in foster care have an incidence of Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome that is GREATER....HIGHER than that of combat soldiers Children in foster care have a death rate that is SIX times higher than children not in foster care. Children removed from their homes, and into state institutions have significant health and cognitive maladies. I will add to this list. Monetary Savings This plan, once executed will reduce the current budge of the Department of health and human services administration for children and families foster care and permanency department by an estimated 50% Current 2012 National Estimate of cost: (From the 2012 FY Budget of Department of Health and Human Services Adninistration for Children and Families) $4,541.000,000 allocation estimate for 2012 Foster Care and Tribal $2,495,000,000 allocation estimate for 2012 Adoption Assistance $80,000,000 allocation estimate for 2012 guardianship assistance $140,000,000 allocation 2012 Chafee foster care independence program Total 2012 request is $7,256,000,000 Our proposed restructure will save tax payers an estimated annual: $3,628,000,000 In addition to the above figures is the cost of the judicial process involved. Currently the cost of juridically processing children s administrations cost is: xxx Matt I will research what the court cost savings will be using the mediation method. Bill Conover....could you help with obtainig the national judicial cost? Summery of our Plan of Action #1. All children whose parents or guardians are identified as a danger to the child will be removed from the home environment by a restraining order. The child will stay in their home environment, and resources will be brought into their home to care for them if needed. (70% of child removal incidents involve only one of two parents/guardians in the childs home. It is rare that both parents are identified as a potential risk to the child. This model alone of not taking children from their home, and bringing resources as needed into the home will save millions of dollars per year.) #2 The only time that a child will leave their home environment is when the parent/guardians have their rights terminated. Children will go directly from their home..to their permanent adopted or guardianship home. No separation of siblings. #3 The biological family of the child gets first dibbs on the child for permanent placement. The ONLY requirement for placement of a child with a biological family member is that the identified family household members pass a criminal background check. #4 The approved biological family/parent/guardian at ANY TIME IN THE PROCESS of dshs investigation may seek guardianship outside the family court, and place the child with biological family...The parents may voluntarily give up their parental rights to the guardian of their choise. (As long as the guardian has passed a criminal background check.) (This will greatly expedite the court process and will save tax-payers millions of dollars.) #5 A new restructuring of the courtroom/judicial process. The current system of court appointed lawyers is broken. The dshs side has unlimited judicial resources. The parent/guardian does not. The system of appointing lawyers is a conflict of interest as the court appointed lawyers are paid on an hourly basis, and they...and this is an oxymoron..... the court appointed lawyers get more money to drag the case out as long as they can. A lawyer who actively resolves the case gets paid less. This is just wrong on many levels. #6 Restructuring the children s administration to remove foster care from its child care path model will reduce the liability the states have. Currently when a foster home is found guilty of abuse....the State is liable for the abuse settlement. Millions of dollars currently are paid on a national basis to civil cases involving child abuse in a foster care settings that the state. Eliminating foster care will save millions of dollars...need to reserch the exact amount. Children s Court Mediation Model The proposed judicial structure of all dshs cases is a mediator model: At the first court hearing, the parents and dshs are both assigned mediators. The mediators will be freely chosen from a pool of lawyers trained in mediation and family issues. The lawyers will be paid a lump sum for a four month mediation cycle. If early resolution occurs...they will get paid the same...plus a bonus for a positive outcome...not hourly wage that encourages the case to be dragged out. The mediators will be trained in science based treatment of abuse, neglect, ect. The parents and dshs will be assigned mediators from the same pool of lawyers. Both sides are free to fire their mediators and choose another mediator from the pool at any time. The mediators will be assigned a four month block of time. They will be paid for the full four month block...even if the case is resolved in a speedy, positive early outcome. There is a bonus for children returning to biological family. No bonus for a child that is adopted outside the biological family circle. There will be two rounds of mediation. Four months each. At the end of the two four months cycle, if there is not resolution of the parents deficiency, then the case will immediately go to court for guardianship or adoption. Children have a short shelf life and should not be in limbo for extended periods of time. The child will remain at their home of origin until permanent placement is achieved. (The child may have overnight visits with the placement option...but will remain in their home of origin until they have a permanent home.) DHSH Restructure #1 All civil servants, who are in a position of power, will wear a body camera at all times. (Model after Sammys law in California.) #2 A social worker must obtain a search warrant to forcibly enter the home of a parent/guardian #3 Prior to interviewing any parent/guardian, the Miranda rights must be read to the parent/guardian. #4 Absolute immunity must be abolished. Every citizen of the United States but be equal in the arms of justice. #5 DSHS will develop specific, science based care paths for parents: IE If the deficiency is meth addiction, then within 2 weeks of court involvement ALL parents/guardians will be offered an inpatient drug treatment program. ALL parents and guardians will be on the same case care plan path. The parent will be given the written care path at the first court date. If the parent follows the written care path...they get their child back. This gives hope to the hopeless. As the system is currently administered, even if the parents comply they often do not get their children back Federal Restructure Stop the cash for kids program. Mat could you add to this section? Plan of action: Coordinated date of action: June 22 2015 Specific Plan of Action: 1. Coordinated file motion for contempt of court in all family law courts for all identified cases of social worker pergery, altering documents, false statements ect that are entered into family court. Also file civil, federal and criminal court filings all on the same date June 22 2015. 2. Coordinated peaceful protest at children s Court Buildings at noon on June 22 2015 3. Coordinated legislative State wide legislative proposals. (if your legislator does not know you by name...get to work!!) 4. Coordinated federal National legislative proposals.(Matt if you take the federal legislature...I will work on state_ 5. Coordinated letter to the editor and news the week before June 22 2015. 6. Coordinated press release of our mission statement and plan of action. Step 1. Form Executive Board for SOB National Coalition: A Think-Tank. Executive Board: The executive board will meet via phone conference once weekly on Monday 4 pm Pacific Time. The goal executive board membership number goal is approximately 10 executive members. Each Executive member will be in charge of the organization of 5 states...to be assigned at the first meeting. Step 2. Form SOS National Membership. States will be grouped into a coalition of five states. One assigned executive member will be assigned to five state group, and will conduct weekly meeting of the five state group. The board member must commit to weekly Executive phone conferences weekly. Every Monday at 4pm Pacific time. Each board member must commit to weekly phone conferences with the five states membership they have been assigned to.
Posted on: Wed, 31 Dec 2014 16:46:11 +0000
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