Wex Wimpy
August 20th 03, 06:22 PM
Foster care agency already in money crunch
By DEBORAH CIRCELLI
Staff Writer
Last update 19 August 2003
DAYTONA BEACH -- The dust has barely settled on the new state budget
and already the private agency that handles foster care
says it will be short more than $700,000 by the end of June, causing
child advocates to demand more money.
Community Based Care of Volusia/Flagler County says it was not given
enough money from the budget that went into effect July 1 to
handle the increase in children going into the foster care system.
If it does not get additional money from the state, officials say they
won't be able to reduce the number of cases per worker, as the
state is requiring, or add needed prevention services to keep children
from being abused and entering the system.
"The bottom line is it won't harm the progress that has been made, but
we were hoping to make some additional improvements,"
said David Bundy, president of Orlando-based Children's Home Society,
which formed the private community agency in December
2001 to handle foster care services in Volusia and Flagler counties
for the state for five years.
But the administrator for the local Department of Children & Families
counters that the district will continue to reduce the number of
children in the system and care for children will not suffer.
"There are some things we would like to do at the front end that we
will not be able to do . . . but we can handle this," said Ron
Zychowski, the department's adminstrator.
Community Based Care will receive about $17.9 million this year to
provide services to children who have been abused or
neglected. There are about 2,100 in its care.
While that is up from about $12 million last year, part of the
increase is because the agency recently took over adoption services
from the state, said Ray Smith, president of Community Based Care.
They also added 20 additional caseworkers in the past year for
a total of 67 workers, Smith said.
The Legislature also provided money for pay raises for case managers
and supervisors. While Smith said the raises are nice, he
would rather hire more workers to lower the ratio of 32 children per
worker.
"Everyone knows we're struggling as it is," Smith told members of the
Community Alliance, a local advisory board to the state, at a
meeting last week. "Our caseworkers are really stretched as
individuals. A lot seem to be at the end of their rope."
The Community Alliance board is sending a letter this week to
Department of Children & Families Secretary Jerry Regier asking for
more money. It follows a similar letter by state Sen. Evelyn Lynn,
R-Ormond Beach, who chairs the Senate Children and Families
Committee.
Lynn sponsored legislation that was approved earlier this year to slow
down privatization until money and other programs are in
place.
"We tried to do it too fast in Volusia County and elsewhere in the
state," Lynn said. "I have great concerns because we are not
receiving the funds that I believe we need if we are going to be
successful in our privatization attempts here in Volusia."
But David Fairbanks, assistant director for community based care for
the Department of Children & Families, said the state has no
additional dollars and it is too early for the local agency to be
projecting losses.
"There's so much that can be done to contain costs and to live within
the budget," Fairbanks said. "Our belief is they will be able to
take good care of the kids with the amount of money available to
them."
The state department in a report last November berated the local
Community Based Care for high turnover of caseworkers,
unmanageable caseloads and other problems. Reports show there has
since been "significant improvements."
Community Based Care in February also received an additional $1.1
million to handle an influx of children, but Smith said the district
is still far behind compared to other counties. To bring the district
up to equity, Smith said it would need an additional $4 million.
Zychowski said that while the district is lagging in funding, he
agreed with Fairbanks that Community Based Care will be able to
reduce costs this year by moving children more quickly through the
system by reuniting them with family or increasing the number of
adoptions.
Jack Levine, president of Voices for Florida's Children, said there
are concerns throughout the state about counties entering
privatization without proper funding.
"Florida is not a state that should be pleading poverty when it comes
to child protection," Levine said. "Anyone in Tallahassee who
tries to tell us that we can't afford a better level of funding for
this . . . is simply not telling the truth."
http://www.news-journalonline.com/NewsJournalOnline/News/Politics/LocalGov/03AreaEAST02GOV081903.htm
By DEBORAH CIRCELLI
Staff Writer
Last update 19 August 2003
DAYTONA BEACH -- The dust has barely settled on the new state budget
and already the private agency that handles foster care
says it will be short more than $700,000 by the end of June, causing
child advocates to demand more money.
Community Based Care of Volusia/Flagler County says it was not given
enough money from the budget that went into effect July 1 to
handle the increase in children going into the foster care system.
If it does not get additional money from the state, officials say they
won't be able to reduce the number of cases per worker, as the
state is requiring, or add needed prevention services to keep children
from being abused and entering the system.
"The bottom line is it won't harm the progress that has been made, but
we were hoping to make some additional improvements,"
said David Bundy, president of Orlando-based Children's Home Society,
which formed the private community agency in December
2001 to handle foster care services in Volusia and Flagler counties
for the state for five years.
But the administrator for the local Department of Children & Families
counters that the district will continue to reduce the number of
children in the system and care for children will not suffer.
"There are some things we would like to do at the front end that we
will not be able to do . . . but we can handle this," said Ron
Zychowski, the department's adminstrator.
Community Based Care will receive about $17.9 million this year to
provide services to children who have been abused or
neglected. There are about 2,100 in its care.
While that is up from about $12 million last year, part of the
increase is because the agency recently took over adoption services
from the state, said Ray Smith, president of Community Based Care.
They also added 20 additional caseworkers in the past year for
a total of 67 workers, Smith said.
The Legislature also provided money for pay raises for case managers
and supervisors. While Smith said the raises are nice, he
would rather hire more workers to lower the ratio of 32 children per
worker.
"Everyone knows we're struggling as it is," Smith told members of the
Community Alliance, a local advisory board to the state, at a
meeting last week. "Our caseworkers are really stretched as
individuals. A lot seem to be at the end of their rope."
The Community Alliance board is sending a letter this week to
Department of Children & Families Secretary Jerry Regier asking for
more money. It follows a similar letter by state Sen. Evelyn Lynn,
R-Ormond Beach, who chairs the Senate Children and Families
Committee.
Lynn sponsored legislation that was approved earlier this year to slow
down privatization until money and other programs are in
place.
"We tried to do it too fast in Volusia County and elsewhere in the
state," Lynn said. "I have great concerns because we are not
receiving the funds that I believe we need if we are going to be
successful in our privatization attempts here in Volusia."
But David Fairbanks, assistant director for community based care for
the Department of Children & Families, said the state has no
additional dollars and it is too early for the local agency to be
projecting losses.
"There's so much that can be done to contain costs and to live within
the budget," Fairbanks said. "Our belief is they will be able to
take good care of the kids with the amount of money available to
them."
The state department in a report last November berated the local
Community Based Care for high turnover of caseworkers,
unmanageable caseloads and other problems. Reports show there has
since been "significant improvements."
Community Based Care in February also received an additional $1.1
million to handle an influx of children, but Smith said the district
is still far behind compared to other counties. To bring the district
up to equity, Smith said it would need an additional $4 million.
Zychowski said that while the district is lagging in funding, he
agreed with Fairbanks that Community Based Care will be able to
reduce costs this year by moving children more quickly through the
system by reuniting them with family or increasing the number of
adoptions.
Jack Levine, president of Voices for Florida's Children, said there
are concerns throughout the state about counties entering
privatization without proper funding.
"Florida is not a state that should be pleading poverty when it comes
to child protection," Levine said. "Anyone in Tallahassee who
tries to tell us that we can't afford a better level of funding for
this . . . is simply not telling the truth."
http://www.news-journalonline.com/NewsJournalOnline/News/Politics/LocalGov/03AreaEAST02GOV081903.htm