How has child welfare policy changed over the last decade? How do these changes affect the implementation of services at the caseworker level? Why is child welfare policy important for social workers and what impact can it have on children and families?

Over the last decade, there has been more focus placed on permanency and the overall well-being of children in the child welfare system. Reunification to the family, if possible, has been the preferred goal of child welfare cases, but to do so, systems must be in place to help facilitate this. There has also been a push to reduce the amount of children being served in residential style facilities and a move towards more community-based approaches to care. These approaches include family counseling and mental health services.  In regards to improving the well-being of children, more attention has been placed on the meeting the developmental, educational and healthcare needs of children within the system.

I actually worked at a group home for a year that housed children who were in the custody of the Department of Family and Children Services or the Juvenile Court System. Within the facility, there was an academic coordinator who was responsible for each resident’s educational needs, a coordinator that was responsible for adhering to each resident’s healthcare and medical needs, and a resident coordinator whose responsibility included making sure that each child was adhering to their service plan goals while in the care of the facility. While the group home provided the day-to-day services for the child, the caseworker still has to provide services related to the service plan goals. This would include working with the family, relatives or prospective foster-parents in hopes to provide some since of permanency for the child. With the increased focus towards permanency and re-unification, case workers increased responsibilities include scheduling (and sometimes facilitating) family meetings, counseling sessions, and classes geared toward parenting skills. There seems to be more of a wrap-around approach to the care of children in the system, however with this, more accountability is required to effectively service the children and families.

While working at the group home, I can recall a particular child who could never get in contact with her caseworker.  The caseworker would only visit one or two times in the span of 6 months and would even miss court hearings. When looking at the media, there have been more incidents broadcast concerning the deaths of children in care and increased scrutiny of the child welfare system in Georgia and across the country; however the statistics on the PowerPoint provided by Melissa Carter shows a different trend and that Georgia in particular is doing a good job in protecting children within the system. Looking back at my experience at the group home, the issue may not be with system as a whole, but may be with that one particular caseworker because many of the other residents had great caseworkers who were involved in every aspect of their child’s services. When speaking with staff who had been working at the group home longer than me and who had previous experience in the child welfare arena, they expressed that the accountability of agencies and social workers has gotten better over the years due to child welfare policy changes such as the Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997 (ASFA). There have been recommendations to decrease the case load amounts for social workers; however the workload that is required seems to be increasing. With more wrap-around approaches to care involving multiple agencies and systems, the social worker has more to keep up with.

State foster care agencies, court systems, private service providers and public assistance agencies may be involved in a single case.  It is important for social workers to be abreast of how these varying systems are working and what impact potential policy changes will have on the children and families that they are working with. Navigating through the complex child welfare system can be frustrating and intimidating for not only the child, but also for birth and foster parents. Social workers are not only advocates for the children within these systems, but also for the families and other parties involved. The impact that a social worker can have on a case is crucial and in many circumstances, increased the “success” of those cases.

In the program Sick around America, the stories of gratitude and appreciation of the healthcare system followed by the disheartened and horrific examples of when the current system fails individuals is a true testament to the total dysfunctional of the United States’ healthcare system. Now with the implementation of the ACA, many of the discriminations that were occurring previously will be no longer. Underwriting and individuals being denied coverage due to “pre-existing conditions” is eliminated. I experienced this after I graduated from college and was dropped from my father’s employee insurance plan. I attempted to get insurance through the same company, but was denied because they saw in my medical file that I had an ongoing condition. I originally went to see my doctor for a minor issue and was given some medication to take to. The doctor did not require me to come and do a follow up and I was told to only come back if the symptoms did not go away. By me not doing a follow up appointment (as I was instructed), it left an “untreated” condition in my medical file. Similar to this and the individual in the video who could not obtain health insurance due to his heart condition, the implementation of the ACA would prevent this from occurring.

The ACA emphasis on preventative care will be beneficial for the program in the long run. Preventative medicines such as contraceptives or screenings to help detect high blood pressure or diabetes will help individuals maintain a healthier lifestyle. Overtime, insurance companies will see a decline in the more expensive procedures that are associated with advance stages of conditions that could have been treated at a lower cost if detected earlier on.

I was reading an article this week on The New York Post that discussed some of the implications that the ACA was having on many cancer patients in the country. Thousands of cancer patients are losing their coverage due to insurance companies having to cut down the number of doctors in their networks. Many of the quality cancer doctors, hospitals and centers are no longer being covered in insurance plans, leaving numerous cancer patients having to either foot the bill for themselves, or settle for lower levels of care at higher costs. So it seems, through the many stories that are being shown in the media, that the ACA is having negative consequences for many Americans.  Working with senior citizens, I am currently dealing with many of my clients seeing a dramatic change in what their Medicaid will cover and costs for co-payments and medicines increasing. Many of them argue that it is because Obamacare is “messing up everything for them”. However, many of the changes that are occurring has more to do with Georgia opting out of the Medicaid Expansion package under the ACA. The AJC highlighted the Georgia legislation efforts in passing HB 990 and HB 943 that would essentially kill any notion of Medicaid expansion for Georgia, which is throwing away thousands of dollars that current recipients of Medicaid as well as many uninsured Georgian could benefit from.

In sick around the world, Switzerland’s view of healthcare is one of the reasons why their reformed system works relatively well. Viewing healthcare as a basic human right, rather than a privilege for some, I believe is what sets Switzerland’s healthcare system apart from other countries. If the United States viewed access to affordable and quality healthcare as it does for education, than much more would be getting done in the policy stream. How can effective reform occur when the country is divided on who is worthy to have access to it? My belief is that the Affordable Health Care Act will eventually begin to work more effectively for the country, but only if all of the players get on the same board. Business, doctors and hospitals, and even insurance companies said that they wanted “reform”, but it seems that no one is will to sacrifice or at least compromise in order to make reform happen effectively.

The intersection of race, gender and class:   How did reading DeParle change your perception of the ability of social policy to combat poverty?  In thinking about Stone’s definition of the goal of liberty and the problem of equality, describe how DeParle’s book discusses the liberty-welfare trade off.  Do you think DeParle believe’s there is a trade off?

The intersection of race, gender and class:   How did reading DeParle change your perception of the ability of social policy to combat poverty?

Before reading American Dream by DeParle, my thoughts of the welfare system was conflicting. At one end, I believe helping those in need is a good thing and the government should intervene with programs and initiatives to execute those efforts. However, I also feel that there comes a point where you may be hindering the progress of an individual. I’m not sure if setting time restrictions on the aid to these individuals or restrictions such as requirements to work is the answer, but the welfare program as it was depicted through the lives of the three characters did not do much to fight poverty for them. The stories depicted in American Dream helped shed light that there is more to being in poverty than limited income coming into the household. Also, the parallels that were made between the main characters family history of sharecropping and their current efforts in maneuvering within the welfare system causes me to question my view of the welfare system and the motivation behind it.  Though I want to feel that the overall effort of welfare is to help individuals succeed, DeParle shows how the system of sharecropping is so similar to the structure of the welfare system today.  Beliefs surrounding the sharecropping system of the past and how individuals were viewed was that “the Negro is congenitally lazy and must be kept in debt in order to be made to work” (DeParle, p.29). The popular belief today is that welfare recipients are too lazy to go and get a job on their own and to provide for themselves and families.

In thinking about Stone’s definition of the goal of liberty and the problem of equality, describe how DeParle’s book discusses the liberty-welfare trade off.  Do you think DeParle believe’s there is a trade off?

In American Dream, DeParle quotes anthropologist Carol Stack who studied improvised single mothers by saying “survival demands the sacrifice of upward mobility” (DeParle, p.79). The character Angie attempted to become independent and get a job (though she denied being dependent on the welfare system), however she found that it was not worth it; She would be getting more if she continued to receive the welfare check, as opposed to working full time and not being able to afford her rent and bills. Similarly, Jewell attempted to become a part of the JOBS program and receive education, however the dysfunction of the overall program discouraged her.  I think in both of these two cases, survival for them did demand that they sacrifice the opportunity to move up into better circumstances. DeParle would blame this on the overall bureaucracy and faulty set-up of the system which continued to fail them.

DeParle believes that government assistance such as welfare programs are needed in order to help all individuals achieve equality. Similar to Stone’s discussion on positive liberty, making basic resources available such as education, income, health and security is a part of having liberty. DeParle feels that there is more to inequality and poverty than just being poor. Issues such as single-parent households (lack of fathers in the home), sex and drug abuse cannot be solved by issuing out a check.  If these issues are not addressed while providing the assistance (which is legitimately needed), then the cycle will continue and the culture of poverty will continue as well.

Thinking about the three characters in the book, I don’t recall them expressing any of their dreams or aspirations. Positive liberty involves being able to conceive goals and to realize you potential, however how can you have goals when your basic needs are not being met? I believe DeParle was attempting to highlight this point.  For these three women, the “American Dream” was not part of their reality nor did they have any familiarity with it from other family members. Their liberty was already lessened at a young age due to family structure and history, so to say that these three individuals were sacrificing their liberties to become dependent on welfare is somewhat problematic. What are the reasons why these individuals are seeking welfare and assistance? What obstacles are in their background and environment? I would say that DeParle’s overall feelings of liberty and welfare is that if the welfare is not helping to provide those essential liberties, then there is a trade-off. The system (which includes the focus, structure, rules, regulations and types of programs offered) is being ineffective in its role to help individuals gain opportunities and realize their potential.

After looking over the various bills being proposed and amended, I became interested in Senate Bill 233. This bill is intended to amend O.C.G.A. 16-6-3, which deals with victims of human trafficking and the legal ramifications for individuals under the age of 18 when charged with sexual crimes. According to the proposed amendment, the bill would allow individuals under the age of 18 who are being charged with crimes such as prostitution, to use the affirmative defense. Along with the added defense option, a fund for these individuals who are deemed victims of human trafficking would be created. The funds would come from the fines and payments of individuals who are charged with promoting human trafficking such as pimps or businesses. With these funds collected, programs would be created to help victims of human trafficking with services such as counselling and education. A committee would also be formed to overlook the fund, which would be made up of 8 members appointed by the Governor as well as appointments from the Governor’s Office for Children and Families, Criminal Justice Coordinating Council, Department of Human Services, and Department of Public Health.

While trying to research this bill, I did not come up with much information about it other than the sponsors of the bill.  Senate Bill 233 is sponsored by senators Mike Crane, Renee Unterman, Joshua McKoon and Tyler Harper.  All four of these senators are affiliated with the Republican Party. SB 233 was presented on February 27, 2013 and was read and referred on February 28, 2013. Of these four senators, Renee Unterman seems to have the most experience with issues of child exploitation. She has worked in the Public health field, as a clinical social worker, and is the chairman of the Health and Human Services Committee.

The need to address this problem I believe arose because many under aged individuals were being arrested and prosecuted for prostitution and other illegal sexual activities, while giving little thought to how they ended up in these types of situations. Instead of treating these individuals as victims of sex trafficking, they were being criminalized. The overall goal of the bill is to provide protection and to diminish further victimization of individuals who have been sexually exploited.

Human sex trafficking in the United States has been a growing concern in recent years. Once thought to be an occurrence in other countries, more research and analysis has brought this into the forefront. I believe this is due in part to more statistics and data available. Similar to the discussion on the problem stream, more focused is geared towards numbers. Because little research and statistical analysis was given to human trafficking within the United States in prior years, these events were not deemed as problems. Now with the daunting figures showing the rising occurrences of human trafficking and sexual exploitation of children in the United States, more attention is being put towards it.

Also, I believe that redefining these individuals as exploited victims, rather than prostitutes or criminals is very important in the success of this bill and others related to it. Prior to the focus of human trafficking and exploitation in the United States, teenage prostitution was a result of individuals running away from home and partaking in this behavior for survival. Very little was done for these individuals and many ended up back on the streets. By looking at these individuals as exploited children instead of illegal sex workers, it helped shift the public view and opinion, which has allowed for these events to be considered more of a “problem”.

The fact that this proposed bill is an amendment to an already established law, makes me believe that continued issues arose with under aged individuals being prosecuted for sexual crimes, further victimizing these individuals. Also, once these children were found to be victims of exploitation, there may have been a lack of services available to them. Allotting money to assist in the mental, physical, and emotional recovery of these victims is key to rehabilitating and in some cases, stopping the cycle of sexual abuse for these individuals.

I feel that the amendment is needed in order to help victims of human trafficking and sexual exploitation. Problems for this amendment may arise when hatching out the fund aspect of the proposed bill. How much of the money should be allotted to the fund? Exactly what programs will be available to the recipients and what are the effectiveness of these programs? From my research, I saw little movement or discussion of this proposed amendment which is unfortunate, however there is still a chance that this bill may be picked back up this session. I am eager to see if this bill will move forward and if so what new services are going to be available for these victims.

http://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/en-US/Display/20132014/SB/233

http://legiscan.com/GA/bill/SB233/2013

http://www.legis.ga.gov/Legislation/20132014/132733.pdf