Governor Jan Brewer dissolved Child Protective Services

[doggie]

Typical pro life Pro give a shit about actual children stand. Really this really shows how little she cares about the abuse of children.

http://www.addictinginfo.org/2014/01/14 ... olves-cps/

With the scandal of over 6000 uninvestigated child abuse cases hanging over her head, Arizona Governor Jan Brewer dissolved Child Protective Services (CPS) by executive order. She made the unexpected announcement on Monday during her State of the State address to the legislature. Child advocacy groups and politically progressive groups have been calling on her to take action over the scandal. They especially wanted her to dismiss the Department of Economic Security director, Clarence Carter. Carter, who was appointed to his position by Brewer, was responsible for the oversight of CPS. He still has not been fired but, if Brewer has her way, CPS itself will disappear right out from under him.

The 6,000 abuse cases were ‘mis-classified.’

The cases came to light last November. A local police department was investigating allegations that had already been reported to CPS. A CPS worker found that, while the report came through the state’s child-abuse hotline, it was ‘mis-classified’ as ‘not investigated’. That classification meant that someone decided that it, along with 6,000 other reports, should not be investigated. At the time, CPS’s caseloads were climbing. They are currently at 177 percent of the national standard. Brewer’s solution to the problem is to create a cabinet-level, free-standing agency. The head of it will report directly to her. The man she chose in her executive order is Charles Flanagan, her appointed director of the Arizona Department of Juvenile Corrections. Flanagan has already been dealing with the abuse cases since December, as head of a special team. Brewer charged them with finding out why the cases were ignored in the first place.

Legislators of both parties question Brewer’s methods regarding CPS.

While some see the governor’s announcement as progress, others are skeptical. House minority leader, Rep. Chad Campbell, D-Phoenix, disputed the idea that Brewer could dissolve CPS. Plus, he was wary of her choices. In response to her announcement, he said:

Quite frankly, her appointee that was heading up CPS is what got us in this mess in the first place. And now she just did another appointee for what seems like a new entity without any input from us [the legislature] again.

Other lawmakers expressed similar discomfort with the governor’s heavy-handedness, particularly in not consulting them. Sen. Chester Crandall, R-Heber, pointed out that changing the name of the responsible agency means nothing without laws to govern it and money to run it. Those missing ingredients can only come from the legislature. This isn’t the first time Brewer has tried to strong-arm the body into doing her bidding.

Apparently, she has a campaign underway to burnish her tarnished image before she leaves office at the end of the year. Last spring, she bullied her own party into accepting Medicaid expansion in the state, which meant a windfall of additional federal dollars for the state. Both that and reforming the handling of child abuse cases are commendable goals, whatever the governor’s motivation. But putting the change at risk of failure due to the tactics she uses could prove to be very unfortunate.

There are children who are suffering, and they have already suffered enough.

[PennySycamore]

WHAT. THE. FUCK!

[Marianne]

I vomit.

I grew up in CPS, I have not liked it, but hey, CPS SAVES LIVES.

[doggie]

I vomit.

I grew up in CPS, I have not liked it, but hey, CPS SAVES LIVES.

not in this case has it has not worked for a long time and I guess the way to fix it is to eliminate it.

[feministxtian]

Remember this is the dumb bitch who talked shit about the president then had a shit-fit when FEMA wouldn't cough up after the Yarnell fire. She damn well better not get another term as governor. She and Arpaio need to GO.

[doggie]

Remember this is the dumb bitch who talked shit about the president then had a shit-fit when FEMA wouldn't cough up after the Yarnell fire. She damn well better not get another term as governor. She and Arpaio need to GO.

so of course she will be reelected.

[ADoyle90815]

so of course she will be reelected.

That's probably true, and Apario will be reelected if he runs for another term.

[keen23]

Jan Brewer is batshit crazy. Like insane. But, thankfully, she CAN'T run again, unless the state constitution is amended.

Arpaio has decided that catching illegal immigrants is his top priority, no matter that they aren't actively committing any crime other than trying to work.

[2xx1xy1JD]

Here's the story from the New York Times:

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/14/us/go ... ystem.html

She's not eliminating the idea of child protection. She's getting rid of an agency that was obviously incompetent and failing children, and transferring authority to another branch that will hopefully do a better job.

I'm nowhere near Arizona and have no idea if this is a good move or if the new system will work, but I can understand that not all child protection agencies actually do what they are supposed to do. I don't know why it hard to get this bad for her to take action, but hope that any changes will be positive.

[doggie]

yes I found more info. but who knows what she will create

PHOENIX (AP) -- Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer used her annual State of the State address Monday to announce decisive action to overhaul the state's child welfare agency, pulling Child Protective Services from its current department and placing it under the oversight of a new Cabinet-level post reporting directly to the governor.

Brewer called the executive order that "abolished CPS as we know it" a critical step to protect children in the state, a move made more pressing by the discovery in November of more than 6,500 uninvestigated child abuse and neglect reports.

She named the head of the state's juvenile corrections department to head the new unit and asked the Legislature to help her do more to overhaul the agency.

"We need to go even further. The time has come to statutorily establish a separate agency that focuses exclusively on the safety and well-being of children and helping families in distress without jeopardizing child safety," Brewer said. "I call on the Legislature to work with me to codify a new permanent agency. Child safety must be the priority and become embedded in the fabric of this new agency. It is our legal and moral duty."

Brewer also laid out other parts of her agenda for 2014, including boosting the economy by creating more business incentives, eliminating a utility tax for manufacturers and changing the way K-12 schools are funded.

During the address, Brewer touted the state's recent economic growth, casting it as a result of business-friendly legislation in recent years.

"Our message to job creators has been heard: Arizona is open for business," she said. "We now have more jobs, more businesses and more opportunities for growth and prosperity."

The Republican governor then asked lawmakers for a new package of business incentives, saying they are setting the tone for job creation for years to come with their actions this session.

"What we are doing today will set the tone for Arizona's economy and job creation for years," she said.

On education, Brewer wants the Legislature to pass a funding plan that includes more cash for schools that perform above standards. Brewer says her plan will reward improved student performance and give incentives for success.

She floated a similar proposal last year but it gained little traction in the Legislature.

Brewer also has called for the state's three public universities to adopt a tuition plan that assures that students' costs don't increase during the four years it should take for them to earn a degree.

Brewer says 3 in 5 Arizona jobs will require a college degree by 2018 and the state needs to boost its education system to ensure new workers have the skills they need.

"Our children must be better prepared for the challenging and competitive world they will soon enter," she said.

Lawmakers on Monday were considering the speech, which lays out the governor's legislative agenda.

"I heard a lot of rhetoric up there," said Rep. Chad Campbell, D-Phoenix, the minority leader. "The only concrete thing I heard was she created a new agency, which I don't know what that means, and she's pushing the (tuition) plan that I've been pushing for two years."

House Speaker Andy Tobin said he's hoping there's more to the governor's agenda than the items she ticked off Monday, including restoring roadway funding to counties, more cash for rural areas and forestry and technical jobs education.

"The governor did a good job with her speech," said Tobin, R-Paulden.

"At the end of the day we have some more things to discuss," he added.

© 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

[docmom]

She named the head of the state's juvenile corrections department to head the new unit

Hmmm, wonder how that's going to work out?? I don't know what was wrong with the Arizona CPS but I can guess- grossly underfunded and understaffed...

[lizziesmom]

You couldn't pay me to live in Arizona.

[doggie]

The guy responsible for the screwup is one of her cronies.

[Hisey]

Arizona actively tries to discourage people from becoming social workers.

I am a social worker who lived in AZ for a number of years. When we first moved to Az, I had the highest level social work license from another state. I got the paperwork to get my Arizona license, and I found, to my amazement, that the application had been drafted by a madman.

Arizona would not recognize my out of state license--fine. There was no reciprocity--fine. But the application itself was insane. Just as an example, they wanted the original newspaper clipping for the job ad for each job I had held as a social worker. The original newspaper clipping (oddly, I had them)! This was a few years back when people still read the newspaper. They also wanted recommendations from previous supervisors, which was fine, but they wanted the supervisors to send away for notarized proof of their own licenses, before they would even read the supervisors recommendations.

I eventually did something else while I was living in Arizona. The application was too daunting and pissed me off too much. I could see they would never honor my previous experience and the idea of working my way back up through such a hostile system annoyed me. So, one less social worker for Arizona.

I recently moved to a new state, and should have my high-level license in a couple of weeks. IT was easy-peasy.

[salex]

cjonline.com/news/state/2013-11-29/kansas-coalition-pressing-conservative-agenda

I actually know a person who joined a group in KS that

He said coalition members were prepared to fight for restraint of the Kansas Department for Children and Families' capacity to remove children from biological parents. The agency's mission should be to "preserve families, not protect children," the coalition's policy statement said, and failure by the department to reach family reunification targets should result in state funding cuts.

"In my opinion," said Gabel, who ran unsuccessfully in 2012 for the Kansas House, "the worst family in the world is better for a child than the best foster home."

In a fair universe, Gabel would come back as a child in the worst family in the world with no hope of rescue by anyone.... but the universe is not fair.

[theCR]

As a child I was involved alot with cps in Arizona. I have lived here all my life. I was placed in a shelter and then foster care when my parents abandoned me and my brother. I never understood the situation and I still dont. My parents dropped me off at my grandmothers we were taken from her house and placed in foster care only to be placed back in her care 6 months later. (No abuse happened with her she is an amazing woman) but as an adult I had to deal with cps when I was a nanny becuase of abuse at the other parents house. ( joint custody) and they brushed the case off and did nothing. The police were involved and told us cps would do the investigation which consisted of 2 phone calls and the case was closed.

The system was very flawed and I really hope that this does change things and helps more children. Im not going to speak ill about the changes until they have a chance to work or fail.

[RosyDaisy]

WTF? Really, WTF did I just read. This woman is a monster who will have blood on her hands! Citizens of Arizona need to kick her ass out of office.

[crancraz]

I live in Phoenix and work in a non-profit social services agency. My staff and I have made reports to CPS, including some pretty serious neglect, which were seemingly never followed up on. I suppose they were part of that 6,000.

Hisey is right, too. It is nearly impossible to be relicensed as a SW here, deterring many a good SW.

The good news: Jan Brewer is constitutionally ineligible for another term as governor.

[Aggie2145]

The good news: Jan Brewer is constitutionally ineligible for another term as governor.

Term limits can save states.

Perhaps the only way to restructure AZ CPS is to wipe the slate clean....however it would be far better to have a new agency structure in place.

[doggie]

Term limits can save states.

Perhaps the only way to restructure AZ CPS is to wipe the slate clean....however it would be far better to have a new agency structure in place.

in this case people vote for her they will vote for someone just as bad. Well wiping it out can't hurt as it was doing nothing. but no plan in place to replace it either that's not good at all.

[Just Not Good]

I work in the child welfare system in Arizona, and have for years. CPS workers are hideously underpaid, under trained, overworked, and scapegoated by CPS Central Office. The problem is deep seated, and won't be solved by some cursory reorganization.

The bottom line is: Arizona does not value children or families, and the issue lies with our cheapskate legislature.

[dianapavelovna]

I work in the child welfare system in Arizona, and have for years. CPS workers are hideously underpaid, under trained, overworked, and scapegoated by CPS Central Office. The problem is deep seated, and won't be solved by some cursory reorganization.

The bottom line is: Arizona does not value children or families, and the issue lies with our cheapskate legislature.

Thanks for your input, Just Not Good. I have no doubt that little will change for the workers on the ground. The general public in this country expects Porsche-caliber work from CPS on a Geo Metro-budget. Until we put our money where our mouth is, children's safety will continue to suffer, and we will continue to see stories like this. Let's invest in substance abuse and mental health services, universal preschool and home visiting services for new mothers. Let's pay CPS workers a salary that will help retain tenured workers and attract qualified people to the agency instead of repelling them. Any of that would be a better use of money than printing everything on a new letterhead.

[theologygeek]

I live in Phoenix and work in a non-profit social services agency. My staff and I have made reports to CPS, including some pretty serious neglect, which were seemingly never followed up on. I suppose they were part of that 6,000.

.

I had read somewhere that Arizona has the worst CPS in the country. They ignore thousands of reports.