Utah lawmakers call for ‘culture shift,’ budget increase for state’s child welfare system

SALT LAKE CITY –- Mia Chase wished to assist. That’s why she grew to become an advocate for teenagers inside Utah’s little one welfare system.

“It took its toll on me emotionally,” she advised the KSL Investigators. Final 12 months, she made the troublesome determination to step away from her function as a volunteer with Utah Court docket Appointed Particular Advocates (CASA.)

She mentioned she witnessed an excessive amount of dysfunction in how Utah’s Division of Youngster and Household Providers operates.

The ultimate straw, in response to Chase, was seeing inaccurate stories submitted to the courts.

“That’s form of after I began pondering, ‘You recognize, that is most likely not the place I have to be serving. I would like to seek out one other option to serve little children,’” Chase recalled. “I don’t need to be part of one thing that’s not working the proper method.”

However Chase didn’t keep silent. She approached her consultant within the Utah legislature to share her issues a couple of system she believes is damaged.

“The youngsters that I labored with have suffered loads contained in the system,” Chase mentioned. “I don’t know that it’s worse or higher than the house they got here from, and that’s not truthful. When you’re taking somebody’s youngsters as a result of they’re not doing a adequate job or their youngsters are in hurt, you higher do a greater job.”

“I feel that’s the worst sort of presidency consequence that we don’t need to must occur, that as a result of she was so proactive as a result of she was such an ideal advocate, she was pushed out of the system,” mentioned Rep. Candice Pierucci, R-Herriman.

Pierucci, having heard from Chase and different constituents with issues, teamed up with Rep. Kera Birkeland over the summer time to discover options.

“We owe a lot extra to those susceptible youngsters,” mentioned Birkeland, R-Morgan.

Rep. Kera Birkeland, R-Morgan, (left) and Rep. Candice Pierucci, R-Herriman (proper). (KSL-TV)

Birkeland and Pierucci are calling for systemic adjustments inside DCFS, together with a shift within the division’s tradition. Birkeland is talking from her personal expertise serving as a foster mum or dad in Utah.

She advised the KSL Investigators she too needed to finally step away, feeling unsupported by DCFS as she tried to make a distinction.

“It wasn’t the youngsters that had been exhausting,” Birkeland recalled. “It wasn’t even the organic dad and mom who had been struggling to look after the youngsters that had been exhausting. It was the system.”

The KSL Investigators steadily hear from dad and mom and foster households concerned in troublesome little one welfare and household court docket instances who’re experiencing issues.

“If that is occurring to us, who else might or not it’s occurring to?” Kevin Leary questioned in June.

Leary contacted the KSL Investigators after discovering DCFS stories filed of their household court docket case had been riddled with inaccuracies.

Kalie Jones and Nicholas Hulse referred to as the KSL Investigators final summer time too. They imagine DCFS relied on defective drug check outcomes to maintain them from their children.

Kalie Jones and Nicholas Hulse. (KSL-TV)

These dad and mom and a number of other others advised KSL they worry elevating issues will result in retaliation.

“I feel should you’re noisy, yeah, that’s an issue,” Chase defined.

“I’ve heard lots of those self same issues from constituents,” Birkeland added. “I’ve felt a few of those self same issues as a foster mum or dad.”

Throughout an interview in August, DCFS Strengthening Households Program Administrator Kyla Clark advised KSL, “We don’t condone retaliation and we undoubtedly would need to look into any of these issues.”

Along with addressing the tradition inside DCFS, each Birkeland and Pierucci additionally see addressing an ongoing turnover disaster amongst caseworkers as a prime precedence.

“They’re simply overworked and underpaid,” Birkeland defined. “However sadly, if we’re not correcting that drawback and offering the most effective sources, we’re going to proceed to see folks saying, ‘I’m right here for the youngsters, however I can’t work in a system that isn’t actually there for the youngsters on the finish of the day.’”

The state elevated beginning pay for caseworkers to $20 per hour final 12 months. A DCFS spokesperson advised KSL greater than 94% of its frontline employees – which incorporates caseworkers – had been impacted by that increase.

Presently, DCFS has vacant positions in each area within the state, and as of December, greater than half of caseworkers employed by DCFS had lower than three years of expertise.

“When you’ll be able to go to Taco Bell and make $18 an hour, or , Chick-fil-A and make $16 an hour and get scholarships, what would make you need to keep in such a high-stress, high-intense job, proper?” Pierucci expressed.

She mentioned she is contemplating pushing for a pay enhance for caseworkers throughout the upcoming legislative session, “whereas additionally acknowledging throwing cash at an issue isn’t all the time the answer. And if there are points inside a system, we have to work that out.”

DCFS denied a number of requests from the KSL Investigators for an on-camera interview.

As a substitute, the company launched a press release saying;

DCFS acknowledges the usually complicated circumstances that carry our company into the lives of kids and households, and the excessive requirements of confidentiality, ethics and empathy this work requires. We imagine in a system of steady high quality enchancment and are continuously striving to offer security and wellbeing for kids in Utah. We welcome the chance to listen to from and accomplice with state management and legislators in our necessary work of secure youngsters and strengthened households.

Have you ever skilled one thing you suppose simply isn’t proper? The KSL Investigators need to assist. Submit your tip at investigates@ksl.com or 385-707-6153 so we are able to get working for you.