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Wex Wimpy
August 22nd 03, 04:07 PM
DCF: Abuse Cases Closed Faster

By Eric Pera The Ledger

LAKELAND -- Department of Children & Families officials say
investigations of abused and neglected children are being closed
faster in Polk County and throughout the state after a six-month
offensive to reduce backlogs.

Keeping it that way is the tricky part, though local DCF officials
insist they have new tools to prevent caseloads from getting out of
hand.

Calls to the state's child abuse hot line trigger investigations. If
not concluded within 60 days, DCF considers the investigations
backlogged.

Critics of DCF said high numbers of backlogged cases place children in
danger.

In recent years, the DCF has been plagued by high turnover as
front-line workers have complained of high stress and low pay.
Cutbacks to the agency's budget have added to fatigue and large
caseloads.

In August last year, shortly before DCF Secretary Jerry Regier took
the job amid public outcry over children missing and dying while under
the department's care, nearly 35,000 investigations statewide were
open beyond the 60-day window.

In DCF District 14, which includes Polk, Highlands and Hardee
counties, the backlog was 1,690, or 57 percent of all the cases under
investigation. The state considers 10 percent acceptable.

As of Aug. 4 the district backlog had dropped precipitously to 98, or
10 percent of active investigations.

Statewide, the number had dropped from nearly 35,000 to 2,759.

"We're doing good," said Julia Hermelbracht, who oversees child-abuse
investigations for Lakeland-based DCF District 14.

"We've been able to stabilize the work force, which has brought the
caseloads down."

Investigators in the Polk district are handling an average of 15 cases
right now, she said, while the number was as high as 30 or more a year
ago.

High-profile cases, such as the beating death last summer of 4year-old
Alfredo Montes of Winter Haven, often give rise to a spike in calls to
the Florida Child Abuse Hotline -- 1-800-962-2873.

On average, nearly half of all hot line calls fail to rise to the
level of abuse or neglect, said Brenda Hornickle, spokeswoman for the
DCF's District 14.

But in cases that do, timing is essential to safeguard children, she
said. "The investigation determines whether the department needs to
get involved," Hornickle said.

Hermelbracht said her 82 investigators have new tools to streamline
investigations and minimize backlogs.

Investigators now have wireless laptop computers to file reports from
the field, giving supervisors instant access to reports through a
central database.

The old method required investigators to hand write notes, then drive
to the office and enter the notes into the computer system. The new
laptops also have lifted morale, Hermelbracht said, because the
paperwork can be filed from the car or home.

"It saves them time," she said.

Another new tool in an investigator's arsenal is the state's
controversial child welfare computer system, called HomeSafenet.

In use locally since April 21, the system wasn't fully operational
statewide until early July, four years behind schedule and at least
$190 million over budget, according to The Miami Herald.

HomeSafenet is designed to streamline investigations and help
supervisors keep daily track of the process, so they can manage cases
more efficiently.

The program's software prompts investigators for specific clues to
determine a child's welfare. For instance, it asks whether a child is
in day care, a factor that may impact a single mother's level of
stress, which can put a child at risk of abuse.

Children younger than 5, or with a developmental or medical disability
are more likely to add to a parent's or guardian's stress, and
therefore more likely to be abused.

HomeSafenet requires investigators to leave no stone unturned,
Hermelbracht said.

"If you try to skip something, it's going to force you to go back and
try to answer the question," she said.

The new system levels the playing field, Hermelbracht said, because 72
percent of the district's investigators have less than one year of
experience.

The district could use at least 10 more investigator positions to
really keep caseloads from backing up, she said. But so far only one
new position has been added since the Legislature approved a budget
increase earlier this summer.

"I wish I could say there will never be a child death because of our
new system," Hermelbracht said. "(But) we still have human lives we're
dealing with, and judgments."
http://www.theledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20030821/NEWS/308210382/0/FRONTPAGE