Last week, Casey Family Programs released the latest in a series of reports and investigations examining Vermont’s Department for Children and Families. This follows the death earlier this year of two toddlers who were under state supervision.
Perhaps no DCF district office has come under more scrutiny than Rutland’s, where one of the toddlers, 2-year-old Dezirae Sheldon, had received services.
Many in Rutland who deal with abused children say their number one wish for the coming year is better communication and a more proactive approach to protecting kids.
At Rutland’s Parent Child Center, a large play room is filled with the sounds of busy 3, 4 and 5-year-olds.
Caprice Hover, the center’s executive director, says her staff works hand-in-hand with DCF. If a local family is being investigated for possible abuse, and children under the age of 3 are involved, Hover says the center goes into action.
“That family automatically receives a referral to our early intervention program so that our staff can go in and do assessments and determine what needs there might be for the family. If they’re emotional, then we partner with Rutland Mental health,” says Hover. If they find a child has developmental delays, “we’ll do the assessments for speech, physical and occupational therapy.”
If the problems are money-related, she says they’ll help the family access fuel aid and other assistance.
Hover says they’ll often see these families more often than state caseworkers, yet she says communication with DCF is frustratingly one-sided and slow. “When a family signs an information release, whether it comes from family services or my agency, or Rutland Mental Health, it should be valued across agencies,” she says. “So that if I have information because I happen to have a child in my facility who we believe is being abused, we should be able to communicate back and forth,” says Hover, “not just with central office but with the workers in our own community. And that has been a struggle,” she says shaking her head.
"If I have information because I happen to have a child in my facility who we believe is being abused, we should be able to communicate back and forth, not just with central office but with the workers in our own community. And that has been a struggle." - Caprice Hover, Rutland Parent Child Center executive director
Hover understands confidentiality restrictions, but says they seem inconsistent. For instance, her staff has no trouble getting financial information about a family. “We’re able to access the state information portal, so we get the information directly as that worker types it in. If we go in and look, and we need to change something, we can tell that something happened.” But, Hover goes on, “that system does not exist for family services. We are not allowed to access that information, and that’s huge.”
The recent report by the Citizens’ Advisory Board cited lapses in communication as a key factor in 2-year-old Dezirae Sheldon’s death. And members of a legislative committee looking into the situation have said the state’s confidentiality laws may need to be changed.
Lynne Klamm, DCF’s interim district director in Rutland, says she’s worked hard in the six months she’s led the office to improve communication both within the agency and with partnering organizations.
But she says determining what to share can be tricky: “Some people may feel more comfortable if their financial info is shared than if their mental health info is shared, or if their substance abuse information is shared.” Klamm says there are certain federal rules and regulations that prevent sharing certain substance abuse information. But she says all of these things play into what can and can’t be shared, and she says it’s something that needs to be looked at.
Klamm admits, “sometimes the inability to communicate is a barrier that doesn’t need to be there.”
Klamm says she’s encouraged by efforts in Rutland to draft a universal release form so that all participating organizations in the community can share information. “I think that’s certainly a statewide dilemma, and if we can pull it off here then maybe it can be a model.” Holding up her thumb and index finger close together, she smiles and says, “it’s been a long time coming and we’re this close to being there.”
But it’s not just inter-agency communications that family service advocates want to see changed.
Dan Boyce heads the Vermont Foster and Adoptive Families Association. He says judges making decisions about at-risk children should be able to hear from grandparents, foster parents, school counselors and other non-parental caregivers. Boyce said the issue was a sore point at many of the legislative hearings on DCF he attended this summer and he hopes lawmakers will address it. “Grandparent after grandparent after grandparent would talk about how they didn’t have any standing in the process and therefore weren’t allowed to testify in court on behalf of the child.”
"Grandparent after grandparent after grandparent would talk about how they didn't have any standing in the process and therefore weren't allowed to testify in court on behalf of the child." - Dan Boyce, Vermont Foster and Adoptive Families Association
Outgoing Rutland Police Chief James Baker says the issues facing child protective services in Rutland are similar to those he faced when he took over the city’s police department.
Baker points to a program he launched to help the department that has members of various community organizations, like the local women’s shelter and Rutland Mental Health, working alongside his officers.
Baker says police calls concerning domestic violence are down by a third and he’s frustrated that DCF has not joined the effort despite repeated invitations. “I don’t think we’ve done enough to embed their specialty, which is the social work end of the business, into the everyday work of the folks who are dealing with the front end of this mess, which is dysfunctional families.” Clearly, Baker goes on, “the better way to collaborate and share info is you do that in front of a water cooler with people who are sharing office space. It breaks down barriers, it breaks down silos, it facilitates conversations and the results are amazing.”
DCF’s Lynn Klamm likes that concept, and says her staff has been reaching out and partnering more with various community organizations. But she admits staffing issues have limited that.
“One of the issues that’s come up in these reports over and over again is staffing levels and it’s the reality,” says Klamm. “Should it prevent us from doing things? Not necessarily,” she says, “but it’s going to impact how and when we do them.”
She says two new specialists in domestic violence and substance abuse will help tremendously. And she’s pleased the state temporarily assigned two additional caseworkers to Rutland in October. But Klamm believes the office needs two more.
Caprice Hover, of the Parent Child Center, says the additional staff is good news, but the question remains: Who will head the office when Klamm leaves at the end of the month?
“You want to hear about understaffing?” Hover asks, shaking her head. “We’re taking the Bennington County District Director [Beth Sausville] and sharing her with Rutland. Rutland has one of the highest caseloads and you’re going to share a district director? I know that’s what we have to do in the interim,” says Hover, “but yes, I’m concerned about how does one person handle two large counties.”
A special legislative oversight committee is expected to address caseload and confidentiality issues in a bill lawmakers will consider in January.
