The DCF Target: It Is Not Over

So much is being written about what is going on at the Department of Children and Families and there is so much finger pointing that the Daily News should really take on a new name - How about the Daily Target?  It is doubtless that a series of tragic events has occurred over the past months:

·         Three children died;

·         The agency charged with protecting these children and strengthening their families did not prevent the deaths;

·         The workers assigned the job of protecting and strengthening failed…the agency failed.

All this was reported from various sources and we all feel so helpless – we being the workers assigned to the cases, the managers assigned to support the workers, the professionals associated with  the child welfare agency (i.e. the police, school systems, community agencies contracted with DCF to provide services).  The list goes on.  And the NASW, the association representing the social work profession is also in the mix, for  the term ‘social worker’ applies to us.

Beyond all the ‘knee jerk’ responses about which I have previously written, I have offered the following to the press:

1.       That the media catch the child welfare community doing something right, rather than looking for what is wrong.  What is right is…

a.       The thousands of children and families that have benefitted from short and long-term supports offered by DCF and its contracted agencies;

b.      The thousands of kids that say that DCF saved them; AND

c.       The thousands of foster families who not only provided valuable assistance to the biological families in need of the positive modeling foster parents supply and the thousands of social workers, including myself as a former DCG worker, who believed in parents intentions to do the right thing, but who just did not know how to do it.

2.       That the DCF training unit be adequately funded to provide the essential professional training needed for individuals going into the field.  It is short-sighted and irresponsible to hire 200 new workers without giving them the tools, the knowledge and the supervised training required to understand and intervene appropriately in the complicated situations into which they thrust.

3.       That the law, regulations and practice require that only individuals with social work degrees from accredited BSW and MSW Schools of Social Work be hired to work with some of the most complex and compromised family and individual cases to which DCF is charged.  There is a place for other professionals to do important case management, coordination and related work but the demanding role of a social worker in DCF requires people who have had several years of supervised experience and course work before they take on the serious work within the child welfare field.

LEAD: THE BEST YEAR YET

Every year the Chapter’s annual Legislative Education and Advocacy Day gets better and better.  This  year’s event hit the top of the scales.  What a powerhouse of speakers, workshops and attendance.  Every MSW program in Massachusetts sent a contingent with Boston College Graduate School of Social Work offering a special gift to its group of 200 MSW students, paying everyone's registration fee.  Nine of the Massachusetts BSW programs were in attendance.  There was even a group of criminal justice students from Merrimack College who joined us so they could rub shoulders with and learn from social workers on how to lobby and make one’s voice heard.  In total, 750 students, professionals and other advocates joined legislators, professional lobbyists, faculty, and Health and Human Service administrators who were either in the audience or at the podium.

The event was highlighted by the appearance of several Constitutional officers.  State Treasurer Steven Grossman addressed the group, acknowledging several of his family members were professional social workers.  Attorney General Martha Coakley brought greetings from her office.  Both these high profile officers are closely aligned with the values and priorities of the social work profession.

The featured dignitary, Governor Deval Patrick graced the audience with his usual thoughtful and substantive remarks about the social work profession and the work we do.  And of course, the centerpiece of the morning was Governor Patrick’s declaration of March as Social Work Month and the handing over to me, his official proclamation.

The day was truly memorable, not only for the substance of the presentations, the energy of the participants but also the celebration of Social Work Month through the banner that flew on the front of the State House.  LEAD is a reminder of what it means to be a part of our proud profession.

Leading From Possibility

CHILDREN’S MENTAL HEALTH

This morning I attended the monthly meeting of the Children’s Behavioral Health Initiative (CBHI) Advisory Council, with one of our MSW Interns from Salem State University.  This is the group that is advising the Department of Mental Health on the implementation plan of the Rosie D. case outcome. All the professional mental health societies and trade organizations as well specialty MD groups, advocacy groups and client consumer groups, Executive Office of Health and Human Service Agencies, hospitals serving children and others concerned with Mental Health Issues and services related to children.  It was a big group as it always is.  These are the folks who not only care about the mental health services provided to children, but are really focused on the barriers standing in the way of delivering these services. And there are many that seem to be unintentional- the consequence of addressing a complex set of issues, services and financial restraints.

As we started reviewing what are mission was, our accomplishments, our authority, our power (or lack of), we noted all the other initiatives that were occurring at the same time with similar missions:  There is: the CANS project that zeros in on providing ‘wrap around services’ for children; the Behavioral Health/Primary Care Integration Group, which is focuses on just what the title says; the state Mental Health Planning  Council which oversees mental health services to kids and adults; the Department of Child and Family Services Advisory Council, which focuses on the services provided to DCF families and Children; the group that; the Office of the Child Advocate; the group that is reviewing the Governor’s proposal to restructure the provision of state services to children;  and several others.

As we started listing all the groups, we saw that we really needed to get clear about our own focus and to coordinate these efforts of well informed, dedicated, and committed mental health individuals caring about the mental, social and educational health of our children. Our next meeting will focus on this question. As we go through this process, I remind myself that many good people care tremendously about providing services to our children and that there are many routes to follow-none are simple or clear cut, just like most of life.  We need to ‘be with’ the lack of clarity as we sort it all out. The ambiguity is clear.

Carol J. Trust