On May 23, the House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Human Resources held a hearing to review proposals to improve child protective services and to consider the reauthorization of the Promoting Safe and Stable Families program (PSSF), last reauthorized in 2001 (P.L. 107-133). The subcommittee showed particular interest in services that have been proven effective, the long-term outcome of families provided with these services, and what additional steps must be taken to ensure that children safely remain in their own communities.
The PSSF program, along with the child welfare services program, provides the largest source of federal funds—approximately $700 million—to states for prevention of child abuse and neglect, the placement of children with safe foster and adoptive families, family preservation and reunification, and services to assist at-risk families and youth.
In May 2004, the subcommittee heard testimony from the Department of Health and Human Services and the Government Accountability Office (GAO) regarding the Child and Family Service Reviews (CFSRs) completed by each state (see The Source, 5/14/04). The testimony revealed that no state was fully compliant with all measures in the CFSR. The findings indicated that states needed to prevent repeat abuse and neglect, conduct more frequent and thorough evaluations of at-risk families’ participation in prevention services, improve needs assessments, and provide better immediate and long-term planning with families in crisis.
Chair Wally Herger (R-CA) stated, “It is important that we do all we can to help families receive services to prevent child abuse and neglect. I look forward to learning about how federal funds have been used to provide services to protect children, whether those services are effective, and what else we can do to improve how we protect vulnerable children from harm. Based on the record to date, much more work needs to be done.”
After hearing a detailed history and current analysis of state spending provided by Cornelia Ashby, director of education, workforce, and income security issues at the GAO, the subcommittee heard testimony from Judge Constance Cohen of the Fifth Judicial District of Iowa, on behalf of Zero to Three. Ms. Cohen told the subcommittee that “every day in the United States, 118 babies leave their homes because their parents cannot take care of them.” She attributed the vast majority of her cases to the “rapid proliferation” of methamphetamines, saying that “approximately 90 percent of the 1,300 cases of abuse and neglect involving children under five [in Polk County, Iowa] can be attributed to methamphetamine use and/or manufacture.” Ms. Cohen advocated the use of “court teams” of social service, educational, legal, and medical professionals to “ensure that infants and toddlers have expedited access to the services they need for healthy development and their parents have the opportunity to learn to create a safe home for their children.”
Linda Spears, vice president of corporate communications and development for the Child Welfare League of America, reported that in 2004, an estimated 3 million children were alleged to be abused or neglected, and of those, approximately 872,000 cases were confirmed. Of the confirmed cases, more than 60 percent of child victims were victims of neglect, while 18 percent were physically abused and 10 percent were sexually abused. She emphasized the need for reform, saying, “Another consistent statistic from year to year is that of the children who have been substantiated as abused or neglected, nearly 40 percent do not receive follow up services.” Dr. Kent Hymel, testifying on behalf of American Academy of Pediatrics, called attention to the long-lasting effects of abuse and neglect, saying that children who were abused are “5 times more likely to have been alcoholic; 9 times more likely to have abused illegal drugs; 17 times more likely to have attempted suicide; 3 times more likely to have an unintended pregnancy; 2.5 times more likely to develop heart disease; and twice as likely to be obese.”
Cari DeSantis, cabinet secretary of the Delaware Department of Services for Children, Youth, and Their Families thanked the subcommittee for providing a $40 million increase in PSSF funds but noted that the funds had not yet been appropriated. She urged the subcommittee to include these additional funds in the reauthorization. She further asked the subcommittee to allow states flexibility in spending some of the PSSF program dollars for social worker salaries, clerical support staff, and for the continuing education for child welfare professionals, saying that “a supported, skilled, and stable workforce is crucial in child welfare practice given the tremendous impact caseworkers can have on the chances that vulnerable children and families have to overcome difficult life circumstances.” The need for continued training and support of social workers was echoed by Ikeita Cantu Hinojosa, associate counsel of the National Association of Social Workers.
Daniel Hatcher, assistant professor of law at the University of Baltimore School of Law, said the most critical reform of child protective services involved better coordination among federal agencies to reduce the long-term societal costs of children placed in foster care. He noted that 40 percent of former foster children were dependent on public assistance or Medicaid, 51 percent were unemployed, and 27 percent of males were incarcerated at least once. Mr. Hatcher also called attention to the serious issue of underfunded child welfare agencies, telling the subcommittee that “agencies are seeking resources from the very children they serve. State agencies are systematically converting Social Security benefits belonging to foster children into a source of state funds rather than using the benefits as a crucially needed resource in planning for the children’s current and future needs.”
Other witnesses included Terry Cross, director of the National Indian Child Welfare Association, Thomas Atwood, president and CEO of the National Council for Adoption, Richard Wexler, executive director of National Coalition for Child Protection Reform, William Bell, president and CEO of Casey Family Programs, William Tower, president and CEO of the American Family Rights Association, and Heidi Goldsmith, executive director of the Coalition for Residential Education.
