The
following are published articles from CAPF:
Developmental
Screening Program - One Year Later
When
the Child Abuse Prevention Foundation (CAPF) learned that that up
to 60 percent of the youngest children entering Polinsky Children’s
Center are developmentally delayed, CAPF teamed up with PCC medical
staff and Children’s Hospital to implement the Developmental
Screening Program (DSP).
Funded by the Child Abuse Prevention Foundation, this program began
Dec. 1, 1997, and provides a developmental screening for children
who are between 3 months and 5 years 11 months of age upon entering
the Center. Initial screening is performed by trained personnel
and tests for developmental delays in the areas of language, fine
and gross motor skills and personal/social skills.
If delays are noted the child is referred for a full developmental
evaluation by a psychologist and recommendations are made for services
to address the developmental problems. Developmentally delayed children
are at risk of lifelong consequences if these delays are left untreated.
Since last December, more than 1,000 children have received developmental
screenings. During its first month, program staff were able to screen
77 percent of the children in the target age group. By this past
August that percentage had climbed to 97 percent. All children who
fail the initial screening receive a full developmental evaluation.
A major benefit of the DSP is to improved placement of developmentally
delayed children by providing case workers and foster parents with
information about the child’s developmental needs. In-home
assistance is given to the foster parents to enroll the child in
available treatment programs and to encourage them to work with
the child in his or her areas of delay.
"We’re doing a lot more in the way of follow up to make
sure the kids we test actually get the treatment they need to help
overcome their delays," says Kim Wilkes, Ph.D., program psychologist.
"We know early intervention works. The more we can help these
kids now, the better off they and the community will be."
Thanks to your generous support, the Child Abuse Prevention Foundation
has been able to provide more than $41,000 for the DSP to help ensure
that these children will receive the special treatment they need
to reach their full potential.
Judge
Gets Kids on the Fast Track to Stability
Everyone
likes to get away from home once in awhile, but what if you had
to be gone for months at a time and you never knew where you would
end up?
Try to put yourself in the place of a child in the foster care system
who has no power to choose his destination or how long he’ll
have to stay. The sad fact is that the average length of time a
child is in foster care in San Diego is more than three years.
There are currently 6,000 children in the foster care system. Only
3,500 of these kids are in foster care with members of their extended
family. The remaining 2,500 children are in non-relative foster
care.
"Non-relative foster care placement of kids is developmentally
damaging and can cause attachment disorder," asserts The Honorable
James Milliken, presiding judge of the Juvenile Court. "It
becomes irreversible damage with the passage of time and probably
isn’t reversible for a child who has been in non-relative
foster care more than 12-18 months. The prognosis for a child in
this type of situation for 36 months or more is very poor. We have
the authority to reunify kids with parents or to make permanent
placement decisions within 18 months."
Judge Milliken recognized this situation had reached crisis level
and that action was needed to protect these children from lifelong
consequences. After studying various systems in other jurisdictions,
Judge Milliken recommended ways to overhaul the system and the County
of Board of Supervisors allocated the funds. The first steps toward
putting these kids on a fast track to family stability began just
this past April.
An initial focus involved recognizing the link between drug and
alcohol abuse and child abuse.
"Of the kids being removed from their homes, 80 to 85 percent
of their caretakers are drug or alcohol involved,"explained
John Robbins, Director of the Polinsky Children’s Center.
A major component of Judge Milliken’s plan provides substance
abuse treatment for these parents, with intensive monitoring to
hold them accountable for their progress in complying with the court-ordered
treatments.
Immediate access to treatment and case management permits judges
to reunify or make the necessary "reasonal services" finding.
This is the legal predicate for termination of parental rights within
18 months for parents who are non-compliant with their reunification
plans by refusing recovery services.
Starting in April 1998, drug or alcohol-involved parents who had
their children taken away due to abuse or neglect were given a family
reunification plan and were assigned a Substance Abuse Recovery
Management Specialist (SARMS). The SARMS conduct an interview with
the parent, recommend a treatment plan, and monitor the parent’s
compliance.
Parents are encouraged to have supervised contact with their families
as an incentive for them to stay committed to their treatment programs.
The SARMS make an in-home visit once a week to monitor the parent’s
progress and perform a drug test. These reports are sent to the
court twice each month. Parents who fail drug tests are held in
contempt of court and may spend up to three days in jail.
"Of the 130 parents we have in the program, 75 percent of them
are in compliance with their reunification plan and staying off
drugs," reported Judge Milliken. Without the monitoring provided
by the SARMS, there is only a 33 percent average success rate for
substance abuse treatment.
By the end of a twelve-month period there are 24 reports on each
parent, fully documenting their level of compliance with their family
reunification plan. The goal is to make sure all cases are resolved
within 18 months either by reunification of the family or by placing
the child for adoption.
"Historically, we’ve taken much longer to resolve these
cases," said Judge Milliken. "Parents were told to go
into drug treatment but we didn’t do a good job of providing
these services. In the past, if a judge terminated parental rights
without drug treatment services being provided, the judgment could
be overturned on appeal in two years, causing more upheaval in the
child’s life.
"We want the number of kids in foster care to be cut in half
and to cut the budget in half," declared Judge Milliken. "We
can allocate half of the $60 million a year cost of the foster care
system to getting and keeping these parents on track and we’ll
have a better outcome for the kids."
The children in San Diego are truly fortunate to have such a dedicated
champion as Judge Milliken!
Foundation
Supports Polinsky School
Most
mornings in San Diego, children are rolling out of bed and getting
ready for school. Children living temporarily at the Polinsky Children's
Center follow a similar routine. Operated by the San Diego County
Office of Education's Juvenile Court and Community Schools, the
Polinsky School seeks to create a safe and stable environment for
all students, enhance self-esteem and self-confidence and expose
children to innovative learning techniques and curriculum. Improving
basic social skills is also a goal each day. "Most people
don't know we even exist, or what we do," said Dan Vess, who
taught for five years at the Hillcrest Receiving Home before moving
to Polinsky in 1994. "We actually do a full school day with
a complete curriculum, including time in the computer lab, the literacy
center and physical education."
Why have a school at a short-term, emergency shelter like the Polinsky
Children's Center? While the average stay is under 12 days, many
of the older children stay much longer and can't afford to miss
any school. In addition, many of the children coming in Center have
suffered from educational neglect in addition to other forms of
abuse. If these children are to have any hope of succeeding educationally
they need an assessment of their basic skills and a plan for addressing
their individual needs.
Krista's story is an example. On her 11th birthday, Krista received
a gift through the Child Abuse Prevention Foundation's Birthday
Club. According to her social worker, she wanted to write a thank
you note, but could not. Krista had never had the opportunity to
attend school. While Krista may be an extreme case, a significant
portion of children entering the Polinsky Children's Center are
behind in their studies, due to a combination of untreated developmental
delays and chaotic, unstable home environments.
Polinsky School Principal Pete Treadwell sees the effects of this
educational neglect first-hand. Treadwell has been with the County
Office of Education for 10 years, and principal of Polinsky School
since last July. "What harms these kids' academic progress
the most is their transience, their lack of roots and stability,"
Treadwell explains. "Typically, these kids have been in at
least two different schools just in the year prior to coming to
Polinsky. If a child happens to attend the Polinsky School for more
than 20 days, their re-tests show that they make significant progress
given the structure and consistency they receive here."
Permanently staffed for 120 children, classrooms have been stretched
to accommodate as many as 190 students a day in recent months. In
addition to the ever-changing student population, the student's
emotional states can effect their readiness to participate in learning.
"Each day is a 'new day' of school," says teacher Dan
Vess. "We try to do short, thematic, literacy-bases programs
tailored to the needs and abilities of each student. And if a new
student just wants to watch the fish in the aquarium for a little
while his first day, that's okay, too." Recognizing the importance
of education to a child's future success, the Child Abuse Prevention
Foundation is providing support to the Polinsky School. Through
a $15,000 grant for medical and school supplies from the Donald
and Elizabeth Dickinson Foundation, CAPF has been able to purchase
science kits, a microscope, computer software, nature toys, calculators,
math games and text books for the school's math and science program.
Another focus of support for CAPF is the school's Literacy Center.
Funds from CAPF were used to purchase materials to promote literacy
for grades 6 through 12, and to address the special needs of children
learning English as a second language. Cassette players and tapes,
computer software, books and display racks fill a colorful corner
of the well-utilized computer center, and help teachers assess a
student's literacy level and strengthen areas of weakness.
"I work with students from every classroom each day",
said Whitney Cramer, Literacy Center teacher. "Too many of
our students are below grade level in their literacy skills. The
ability to work with individuals and small groups on their specific
needs helps them make progress in a short time." "It's
amazing how well these kids can do, given their circumstances,"
says Vess. "What these kids need is structure, fairness and
consistency. My main goal is to inspire them to be self-motivated
so they can make it out in the real world. And seeing the kids'
excitement at coming to school each morning is the greatest part
of my day."
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