wexwimpy
July 16th 04, 04:09 PM
DCF's welfare program
Palm Beach Post Editorial
Thursday, July 15, 2004
The technology company that in April got a $21 million contract from
the Florida Department of Children and Families to upgrade its
dangerously defective computer system did not have the lowest bid or
the best ranking, but its board of directors did include DCF Secretary
Jerry Regier's former boss. According to reporting by The Miami
Herald, the contract went to AMS Inc., based on a second, subjective
review that measured DCF's "confidence" in the company. Such cronyism
does not inspire confidence in the state's commitment to missing,
abused and neglected children.
The computer system that stores Florida's confidential child-welfare
information is five years behind schedule, $130 million over budget
and so flawed that an internal review in March warned of potential
harm to children and "unnecessary deaths... due to lack of, or
untimely, information." DCF is aiming for a 2005 completion date of
HomeSafenet, at a total cost of $170 million, but there is no credible
reason to trust those projections.
The state's efforts to privatize child welfare have produced further
examples of favoritism. The 22 private agencies taking over the work
get public money and have hired -- without seeking bids -- a
3-year-old company with no experience in social-service technology to
provide software that links the agencies to HomeSafenet. The company,
Edmetrics, was founded by James Bax, who was the state's first social
services chief from 1969 to 1971 and remains influential in DCF.
The governor's inspector general is investigating DCF. The contents of
Mr. Regier's computer have been seized, and two administrators have
been placed on leave for taking trips and gifts from two companies
that got nearly $1 million in contracts from DCF. Records from the
state Commission on Ethics show that Deputy DCF Secretary Ben Harris
and Information Technology Director Glenn Palmiere took thousands of
dollars for trips to Australia and California, speaker's fees,
lodging, food and drinks from Attachmate, which has done $215,000
worth of business with DCF since 2002, and InterSystems Corp., which
got a $550,000 no-bid contract. A year ago, Mr. Harris and Mr.
Palmiere urged private child-welfare agencies to hire Edmetrics, whose
software is dependent on InterSystems' technology.
Recently, DCF released some numbers to claim that it is better at
protecting children. The case isn't conclusive, and these numbers show
that taxpayers remain at risk.
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/opinion/content/auto/epaper/editions/thursday/opinion_045fda6ba306c15100e8.html
Defend your civil liberties! Get information at http://www.aclu.org, become a member at http://www.aclu.org/join and get active at http://www.aclu.org/action.
Palm Beach Post Editorial
Thursday, July 15, 2004
The technology company that in April got a $21 million contract from
the Florida Department of Children and Families to upgrade its
dangerously defective computer system did not have the lowest bid or
the best ranking, but its board of directors did include DCF Secretary
Jerry Regier's former boss. According to reporting by The Miami
Herald, the contract went to AMS Inc., based on a second, subjective
review that measured DCF's "confidence" in the company. Such cronyism
does not inspire confidence in the state's commitment to missing,
abused and neglected children.
The computer system that stores Florida's confidential child-welfare
information is five years behind schedule, $130 million over budget
and so flawed that an internal review in March warned of potential
harm to children and "unnecessary deaths... due to lack of, or
untimely, information." DCF is aiming for a 2005 completion date of
HomeSafenet, at a total cost of $170 million, but there is no credible
reason to trust those projections.
The state's efforts to privatize child welfare have produced further
examples of favoritism. The 22 private agencies taking over the work
get public money and have hired -- without seeking bids -- a
3-year-old company with no experience in social-service technology to
provide software that links the agencies to HomeSafenet. The company,
Edmetrics, was founded by James Bax, who was the state's first social
services chief from 1969 to 1971 and remains influential in DCF.
The governor's inspector general is investigating DCF. The contents of
Mr. Regier's computer have been seized, and two administrators have
been placed on leave for taking trips and gifts from two companies
that got nearly $1 million in contracts from DCF. Records from the
state Commission on Ethics show that Deputy DCF Secretary Ben Harris
and Information Technology Director Glenn Palmiere took thousands of
dollars for trips to Australia and California, speaker's fees,
lodging, food and drinks from Attachmate, which has done $215,000
worth of business with DCF since 2002, and InterSystems Corp., which
got a $550,000 no-bid contract. A year ago, Mr. Harris and Mr.
Palmiere urged private child-welfare agencies to hire Edmetrics, whose
software is dependent on InterSystems' technology.
Recently, DCF released some numbers to claim that it is better at
protecting children. The case isn't conclusive, and these numbers show
that taxpayers remain at risk.
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/opinion/content/auto/epaper/editions/thursday/opinion_045fda6ba306c15100e8.html
Defend your civil liberties! Get information at http://www.aclu.org, become a member at http://www.aclu.org/join and get active at http://www.aclu.org/action.