Higher workload can lead to errors

April 30, 2012
Dennis Thompson Jr., Statesman Journal

While it’s easy to blame DHS, we must instead look at the problem in terms of resources. State budget cuts and long-term hiring freezes have meant that the caseloads of three full-time employees are now being handled by two. The legislature needs to invest in child welfare services that equip DHS with the necessary tools to do its job.

In a newly released audit, the Oregon Secretary of State’s office found that high caseloads likely are delaying or preventing the return home of some children in foster care.

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The report noted a workload study conducted in 2008 by an outside consultant that found caseworker resources were 24 percent to 37 percent short of that required for high-quality casework. The Child Welfare Division noted in its 2011-13 biennium budget presentation that proposed staffing levels were adequate for about 68 percent of the required workload.

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Foster Care Awareness Month Kick Off Big Success!

We are very excited to report that more than 70 people joined us for happy hour last night at Bridge Meadows to kick off Foster Care Awareness Month – making it one of our most successful happy hours yet! We were honored to also be joined by Representative Tina Kotek, not to mention Congressman Kurt Schrader, who shared his own heartwarming personal experience as a foster parent.

What’s more, we left the event with 35 new duffle bags for foster youth thanks to generous donations from our supporters. For those of you who weren’t able to make it, but who would still like to donate a duffle bag or get involved in other ways . . . it’s not too late.

How you can make a difference for Foster Care Awareness Month:

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2011 Data Book is Now Available!

More than 20% of Oregon’s children are living in poverty, according to new data released today in this year’s County Data Book. Children who experience poverty are disproportionately exposed to abuse and neglect, drop out of high school at a higher rate, and are more susceptible to hunger or homelessness.

But a closer look at the numbers reveals a greater problem: Just as many Oregon children (another 22%) are growing up in low-income households. Families today need an income of about twice the federal poverty level to cover the cost of housing, food, and medical care. This data shows us that more than 40% of Oregon children are barely getting their basic needs met — if at all.

Children who grow up in low-income families are more likely to suffer from preventable illnesses and struggle in school. And because they often reach adulthood without the resources or support to help them succeed, they are more likely to be unemployed as adults.

Because of the increase in poverty, it’s more important than ever to protect programs and agencies that support families and ensure that children are safe and able to thrive.

Here are three easy ways you can be a voice for Oregon’s children:

1.) Like us on Facebook for all the latest news and join the conversation.

2.) Spread the word about the status of children in Oregon by sharing this link on Facebook and Twitter.

3.) Help Children First continue to advocate for vulnerable children and families by making a donation here

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Foreclosures Directly Affect One in Ten Children, New Report Says

April 18, 2012

Washington -  A report released today reveals that an estimated 8 million children will be directly impacted by the mortgage crisis. The report, “The Ongoing Impact of Foreclosures on Children,” is the second released by First Focus on the foreclosure crisis’ impact on children and families.

Of the 8 million children affected, 2.3 million have already lost their homes. Three million more children are at serious risk of losing their homes in the near future, and an additional 3 million have been evicted, or may face eviction, from rental properties that undergo foreclosures. This report is the first to quantify the children in rental units affected by foreclosure.

“Children are the often invisible victims of the foreclosure crisis,” said report author Julia Issacs of the Brookings Institution. “Foreclosure affects not just the homeowner or landlord, but also the children living in the foreclosed properties.”

The report analyzed foreclosures in all states and the District of Columbia. In Alaska and North Dakota, only 2 percent of children are affected, the lowest rates in the country.  Nevada leads the country in children affected by foreclosure at 19 percent. Other states above the national average include Florida (15 percent), Arizona (14 percent), California (12 percent), Michigan (10 percent), Illinois (9 percent), Maryland (9 percent), Rhode Island (9 percent), Colorado (8 percent), and Georgia (8 percent).

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Need good child care? Start looking two years ago

Sunday, April 01, 2012
Susan Nielsen, The Oregonian

In March, our child received the acceptance letter we’d prayed for. The letter followed multiple campus visits, a written application, a wait list and a few pleading calls to the admissions office.

The acceptance letter wasn’t from a college, mind you. It was from a day care.

A lovely, regular, non-fancy-pants Portland day care.

Before having children, my spouse and I didn’t realize the extent of the child care crunch in Portland. We knew child care was expensive, and that parents in places such as Manhattan and San Francisco got crazily competitive for elite preschools. But we never realized that Oregon was seventh worst in the country for the affordability of child care. We certainly never knew that many Portland child care centers encourage parents to apply for a slot months or years in advance—in fact, before the child’s birth.

Now we know. And now that our 8-month-old and our preschooler are both finally squared away with four-day-a-week care, our monthly child care bill handily exceeds our mortgage payment. This predicament isn’t unusual in Oregon: The state average for full-time care is about $10,750 a year for babies and $8,300 for preschoolers, and we’re paying pretty close to that.

This helps explain why my spouse and I eat PB&J most days for lunch, and why our last real vacation was sometime during the Bush administration.

It also explains why child care is one of the major stressors facing working parents. It’s hard to find and impossible to pay for, yet parents still clamor for it. They need their jobs to survive, or they can’t stomach the risks and costs associated with temporarily leaving the workforce. So they suck it up, to the tune of many thousands per kid.

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Tax credit program can help families afford adoption

Monday, March 26, 2012
Melissa Hart, The Oregonian

What if you had $13,360 to lavish on your newly adopted child?

If you adopted last year from the U.S. foster care system, the government will issue a cash refund up to that amount courtesy of the adoption tax credit. However, many adoptive parents let the refund slip through their fingers, unaware of its existence.

Since 2003, they’ve been eligible for the credit. Because of health care reform legislation, those who took it last year or this year may receive a refund check. This is the last year for such bounty; for 2012, parents can claim a credit, but it’s non-refundable.

Foster children in the United States get a rough start in life. Often, they’re born addicted or exposed to drugs. They experience neglect and abuse before being placed in foster care. Potential adoptive parents want to help, but they read a child’s biography and cringe, wondering how to afford therapeutic horseback riding, a tutor, counseling. The tax credit helps people from all demographics to adopt and provide for children.

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Happy Birthday, Affordable Care Act!

The Affordable Care Act Turns Two
Wednesday, March 21, 2012

On Friday, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act turns two and, already, millions of kids are benefiting from its far-reaching reforms.

About 86 million Americans are now taking advantage of access to preventive services and saving on co-pays for things like immunizations and doctor visits. The result is a more affordable, prevention-focused approach to children’s health. When kids have access to routine check-ups, parents and doctors can address colds before they become pneumonia, tackle obesity before it develops into diabetes, and head off complications from preventable illnesses like chicken pox.

In a major victory for kids, the ACA extends the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) through 2019. CHIP covers children whose parents earn too much for Medicaid but not enough for private insurance. Since Oregon expanded CHIP in 2009, an additional 110,000 kids have gained coverage and we have cut our child un-insurance rate in half. Now 94.4% of Oregon children have health coverage.

The Affordable Care Act also stops insurance companies from denying coverage to 17 million children with pre-existing conditions. Before, these children could not find a reasonable health plan that would cover basic care. Meanwhile, their parents lived in fear that a medical emergency might drive them into bankruptcy. And insurers can no longer put lifetime benefit limits on the care children receive—children with rare conditions once faced limits on their healthcare.

Finally, 34,532 young Oregonians gained insurance coverage in 2011, thanks to a provision that allows them to stay on their family plans until age 26.

It’s clear that the passage of health reform two years ago this week has ushered in a more civilized age. Children can now receive care without the complications that an unchecked health insurance market imposed. Of course, what these benefits for children really mean is more security for the whole family.

If the ACA has helped you, please share your story with us!

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