Don’t Play Jenga with Child Protection
February 13, 2014 Florida’s child protective services system is the definition of instability.
The state’s Department of Children and Families (DCF) has a history of radical changes to the
Child Protective Investigations (CPI) mission and structure based on reactions to high-profiles
cases of tragic child deaths.
Legislative leaders have expressed their impatience. Speaker of the House Will Weatherford and
Senate President Don Gaetz included child welfare reform in their shared priorities for 2014.
They would invest in the expansion of
Florida’s Guardian ad Litem program,
increase funding for child advocacy
centers, and strengthen protections against
sexual predators.
We encourage them to go further and
address the fundamental flaw – the
structure of CPI itself.
Think of it like Jenga, the simple game of
balance and structure. In Jenga, players
take turns removing blocks from a tower
and then balancing those blocks on top
until, eventually, the tower falls.
Hard enough. Now imagine playing the game on a wobbly table.
That’s what’s happening in Florida today with CPI. Even if all the many issues plaguing the
state-run system were addressed, it still would be the equivalent of strengthening the blocks, but
leaving the table unsteady.
To be sure, the issues facing DCF and its execution of CPI are numerous and giant in scope.
These are just a few:
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Revolving door at the top. DCF is on its seventh secretary since 1999.
Cost-cutting that has decimated critical oversight and operational leadership.
Rules and regulations that often leave those on the front lines hampered and hamstrung.
Struggling case management with unrealistic workloads, unreasonable expectations and
extended time commitments.
Coordination issues and communication with children’s legal services.
Theories abound about the magic cure to fix the
CPI system.
Many of the ideas offered to date are based on
sound business, management, and child welfare
principles. These include technology that actually
works for investigators; qualified, motivated staff;
common sense.
But no matter how firm the plans or suggestions,
they still are not strong enough to stand up when
placed on the wobbly CPI foundation provided by
DCF.
There’s a reason insurance companies “total”
cars. Sometimes the effort, time, and expense to
make the car drivable, if not a shadow of its
former self, are far outweighed by the cost and
drivability of a new model.
The best way to fix the CPI system and help DCF
at the same time would be to scrap the old and build on the community-based model already put
in place across the state.
Benefits would be realized by having CPI led by local leaders who are chosen by the CITIZENS
living in the community in which they serve. It would seem a no-brainer as the larger Florida
child welfare system was established on the belief that local knows best.
For instance, we could – and should –
encourage Sheriff’s Departments – on a
voluntary basis – to take over CPI from the
state. We could – and should – invest in
community mental health, substance
abuse and domestic violence programs with
an emphasis on providing help early on and
sustaining it.
In the coming weeks we’ll go deeper into the
solutions and what Florida lawmakers have in
mind for the upcoming Legislative session
The most important point to remember,
however, is that good and workable options
exist to the current game of playing Jenga with
children’s lives.
Photo courtesy of Arizona Department of Public Safety.
Written by Amanda Ostrander. Contributions made by Lynn Osgood and Roy Miller.