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Thursday, November 21, 2002

By Barbara White Stack, Post-Gazette Staff Writer

Solutions to virtually every major problem confounding the child welfare system -- from ill-paid foster parents to musical-chair judicial assignments -- are proposed in a state advisory committee report sent yesterday to the Legislature.

	Related article: Panel wants to open hearings

Two years of work by the 46 child welfare advocates on the committee resulted in a 270-page report containing hundreds of recommendations for reform.

Large sections of the report are devoted to addressing educational problems facing foster children; the lack of training and oversight of juvenile court lawyers, judges and hearing officers; and the scarcity of drug treatment programs for the parents of children in the child welfare system.

Specific recommendations include:

Developing a uniform school enrollment and withdrawal form, which would make it easier to get children registered in new school districts when foster care moves them out of their home districts. Currently a confusing array of demands by various districts can delay enrollment and place many of the state's 23,000 foster children at an educational disadvantage.

Permitting foster children to remain in the school that best suits their needs, even if they are moved out of its geographic area for foster care or to be reunited with their parents.

Requiring judges assigned to juvenile court to serve there at least three years, a rule that would reduce turnover and increase experience levels since the court is often a place where inexperienced judges are sent first and from which they try to move as quickly as possible.

Establishing a formal training program for judges, attorneys and hearing officers in juvenile court.

Setting minimum standards of practice for attorneys in juvenile court. Some of the standards for lawyers already in place -- but rarely met -- include meeting with the children before the hearing, interviewing potential witnesses and gathering evidence such as medical and psychological reports.

Offering cost-of-living increases to all foster parents and larger stipends to those caring for older children; providing mentors to advise foster parents and caseworkers to properly inform them of the services to which they are entitled.

Improving funding and access to drug treatment programs for parents of children in the child welfare system. Although juvenile court is associated mainly with child abuse, the most prevalent problem is drug abuse by parents.

The committee that drew up the recommendations was established by the Joint State Government Commission's Task Force on Services to Children and Youth, a group of eight state senators and House members appointed by the Legislature. Committee members said yesterday they will seek public hearings on the recommendations.

David Hostetter, executive director of the Joint State Government Commission, said the report's bulk reflects the committee's attempt to draft comprehensive reform.

Advisory committee Chairman Frank P. Cervone, executive director of Philadelphia's Center for Child Advocates, said he has hope that the reforms will be implemented because the staff of Gov.-elect Ed Rendell has expressed interest in these issues.

The committee also recommended creation of state and local complaint forums to chart and address problems with the child welfare system.

On the state level, there would be a children's ombudsman to investigate complaints. These officials in other states use the office not only to mediate individual grievances but also to report on trends that the complaints suggest and recommend solutions. The result can be sustained improvement in the system.

On the local level, the committee recommended a complaint resolution process that might be similar to the Director's Action Line in Allegheny County, which handles complaints not addressed through normal channels.

It also advised creation of a state Office of Prevention Services to keep children out of the system in the first place.