Baltimore City Child Welfare Briefing

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Baltimore City Child Welfare Briefing

• March 10, 2005

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The Scope of Child Maltreatment in Baltimore City
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(No Transcript)
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(No Transcript)
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Trends in Service when a Case is Indicated

• According to federal reports analyzing data
  submitted by DHR, Maryland ranks at the rock
  bottom 47th among the 47 states regarding the
  provision of services to abused or neglected
  children.1

• According to BCDSSs own data, caseworkers fail
  to make mandatory monthly visits to see children
  in foster care in nearly a quarter of all cases
  (24).2

• Department of Legislative Services 2003 audit
  found that 48 of BCDSS children in care did not
  receive recommended therapy for mental health
  issues.3

1 Source Attachment 22, DHHS, Administration for
Children and Families, Childrens Bureau, Child
Maltreatment Fact Sheet, Table 6-3, Receipt of
Post-Investigative Services, 2002. 2 Source
L.J. 32nd Compl. Rep. 3 Source Department of
Legislative Services Audit, 2003.
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Trends in Services

• The recent Child and Family Services Review
  (CFSR) found that Permanency Goal was a
  strength in only 23 of Baltimore City cases
  compared to 56 of Anne Arundel County.1

• All of the BCDSS adoption cases were
  non-compliant with CSFR standards, compared to
  40 of Anne Arundel County and 50 of Allegany
  County.2

1 Source CFSR Item No. 7 at pg. 35 2 Source
CFSR Item No. 9 at 40
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Placement Services

• Thirty-eight percent of Baltimore City cases
  were deficient in finding relatives for placement
  options.1

• Children and families were appropriately
  involved in case planning in only 57 of BCDSS
  cases, compared with 92 of Allegany County and
  79 of Anne Arundel County cases.2

1 Source CFSR Item No. 15 at pg. 50 2 Source
CSFR Item No. 18 at pg. 54
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Critical Placement Issues

• BCDSS lost a net of nearly 1,000 foster families
  in just an 18 month period.1
• The number of children placed in expensive and
  often inappropriate and institutional care
  placements has risen by more than 50 during the
  last three years.2

1 Source L.J. 32nd Compl. Rep, p. 41. 2 Source
SSA Monthly Management Report, July 2004 and
March 2002.
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Overburdened Juvenile Courts

• In Baltimore City, five to six judges and
  masters conduct more than 25,000 CINA hearings
  per year.1

• Despite these problems, the Baltimore City
  Juvenile Court finds in 99 of all cases that
  BCDSS has made reasonable efforts to reunite
  children with their parents or to find other
  permanent homes for them.2

1 Source Legal Aid Bureau 2 Source L.J. v.
Massinga Six-Month Compliance Reports
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Baltimore and Comparable Cities
Sources 1 2000 Census Data (Childrens Defense
Fund Web site), 2 State Agency Data (source web
site or phone calls) does not include delinquency
cases served by some agencies.
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Performance Accountability Measures

• L.J. v. Massinga Consent Decree Baltimore City
  1988
• Maryland Childrens Electronic Social Services
  Information Exchange (MD CHESSIE)
• Child Welfare and Adult Service Performance
  System (CAPS)
• Department of Legislative Services Audit of
  Out-of-Home Placement
• Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting
  System (AFCARS)
• Federal Child and Family Services Review (CSFR)

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Federal Child and Family Services Review Maryland
Assessment Results
Outcome Measures Areas Needing
Improvement Safety Children are safe from abuse
and neglect 1 of 2 Children are safely
maintained at home when possible 2 of 2
Permanency Children have permanent and stable
living arrangements 6 of 6 Continuity of
family relationships is preserved 5 of 6
Child and Family Well Being Families have
enhanced capacity to provide for childrens
needs 3 of 4 Children receive services to meet
their educational needs 1 of 1 Children
receive services to meet their physical and
mental health needs 1 of 2
Systemic Factors Statewide Information
Systems 1 of 1 Case Review System 4 of
5 Quality Assurance System 1 of
2 Training 0 of 3 Service Array 2 of
3 Agency Responsiveness to the Community 0 of
3 Foster and Adoptive Parent Licensing,
Recruitment and Retention 1 of 5
Source U.S. Department of Health and Human
Services, Administration for Children and Families
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MDs Performance on the CFSR

• Based on General Findings from the Federal Child
  and Family Services Review, Case-Level Analyses,
  available at
• http//www.acf.dhhs.gov/programs/cb/cwrp/results/s
  tatefindings/genfindings04/ch2.htm.

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What Have We Tried?

• American Humane Association (1980s)
• L.J. v. Massinga Consent Decree (since 1988)
• Child Welfare League of America (1997)
• Foster Care Court Improvement Project
• Task Force on Child Welfare Accountability
  (2004)
• Performance Improvement Plan (2004)
• Fiscal Penalties for Failure to Meet Child
  Welfare
• Workforce Requirements (2004-5)

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Child Welfare Staffing
Source Department of Legislative Services,
Analysis of FY 06 Maryland Executive Budget, 2005
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Legislation We Have Tried

• HB 1133 Child Welfare Workforce Initiative of
  1998
• HB 7 Child Welfare Substance Abuse Integration
  (1998)
• HB 1093 Family Law Children Out of Home
  Placements (1998)
• HB 958 Child Welfare Citizens Review Panels
  and Child Fatality
• Review Teams (1999)
• House Budget language creating the Task Force on
  Child Welfare
• Accountability (2003)
• HB 1146 Children in Out of Home Placement Plan
  for a System of
• Outcomes Evaluation (2004)
• HB 1197 Child Welfare Accountability Act of 2005
• SB 69 Juvenile Causes Children in Need of
  Assistance (2005)

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Effects of Child Maltreatment on Brain
Development

• The chronic stress and repeated trauma of child
  maltreatment can result in a number of biological
  changes to brain functioning including 
• Extreme anxiety which then interferes with the
  childs ability to learn and remember
• Hyper sensitivity and hyper vigilance
• Difficulty forming attachments to other people
• Impulsivity
• Depression
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• Source Understanding the Effects of Maltreatment
  on Early Brain Development, National Clearing
  House on Child Abuse and Neglect Information,
  2001

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Economic Cost of Maltreatment in America
Total Annual Cost of Child Abuse and Neglect in
the United States  
Source 2001 Prevent Child Abuse
  2001 Prevent Child Abuse
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Questions for Baltimore City Leaders

• What is your role in the child welfare system?
• What are the main challenges you see from your
  perspective?
• How would you like to see leaders in this room
  work together to solve these challenges?