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Child Welfare Legislative Oversight Panel

MINUTES OF THE

CHILD WELFARE LEGISLATIVE OVERSIGHT PANEL

August 14, 1998_9:00 a.m. -- Room 305 State Capitol



Members Present:    
    Sen. Lyle W. Hillyard, Senate Chair
    Rep. J. Brent Haymond, House Chair
    Rep. Steve Barth    
    Sen. Blaze D. Wharton
    
    
        



Members Absent:
    Rep. Nora B. Stephens          
Staff Present:                 Mr. Bryant R. Howe
     Research Analyst
    Mr. R. Chet Loftis
     Associate General Counsel
    Ms. Tracey Fredman
     Legislative Secretary

Note:    A list of others present and a copy of materials distributed in the meeting are on file in the Office of Legislative Research and General Counsel.

Chair Hillyard called the meeting to order at 9:10 a.m.


1.    Panel Business --

    a.    Approval of minutes of June 26, 1998 meeting.

     MOTION: Rep. Barth moved that the minutes of the June 26, 1998 meeting be approved as printed. The motion passed unanimously.

2.    Report on District Court's Denial of David C. vs. Leavitt Settlement Agreement Extension

    Carol Clawson, Office of the Attorney General, reported that the motion of the National Center for Youth Law for extension of the Settlement Agreement was denied by Judge Campbell, U.S. District Court, on August 4, 1998. She explained that an appeal would need to be based upon new cases which evidence the state's violation of children's constitutional rights. Ms. Clawson said that an appeal would have to be made by September 3, 1998.

3.    Response to District Court Ruling

    a.    Robin Arnold-Williams, Executive Director, Department of Human Services, distributed and discussed a handout summarizing the requirements, entities, and reports of Federal and State organizations that monitor the State's Child Welfare System, as established by statute.

     b.    Ken Patterson, Director of the Division of Child and Family Services (DCFS), provided an update on the Comprehensive Plan. He said that the current draft of the plan includes suggestions made by DCFS with a few changes incorporated by the Monitoring Panel. Mr. Patterson suggested that as national outcomes and measurements become available, as required by the Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997, DCFS would seek to adopt those standards into the Comprehensive Plan. The final draft is expected from the Monitoring Panel on August 20, 1998.

4.    Family Preservation Study

    a.    Elaine Walton, School of Social Work, Brigham Young University, distributed copies of the Executive Summary of the Family Preservation Study and the evaluation of a Family Preservation project for which a six year follow-up study was recently completed.

    b.    Ms. Walton briefly explained the development of Family Preservation Services and outlined the underlying values and goals of these services. These include the keeping of families together when possible and believing in the ability of at risk families to change. She said that programs are family-centered as opposed to child centered. The findings revealed that the children in the experimental group returned to their homes more than the children in the control group.

    c.    As Ms. Walton presented the findings of the study, discussion ensued on several issues including returning children home before a shelter hearing is held, access to informal services, and long term effects in the lives of the children involved.

5.    Report of the David C. vs. Leavitt Monitoring Panel

    a.    Pamela Atkinson, Chair of the Monitoring Panel, commented on the results of the Monitoring Panel's most recent report. She outlined specific concerns about the effectiveness of training programs for case workers, mental health assessments and counseling, working relationships with schools, and family preservation and reunification. Ms. Atkinson also said that the Panel has recognized the accomplishments of the Division of Child and Family Services, adding that if the leadership moves DCFS in the direction proposed within the Comprehensive Plan, in five years time, Utah will be a much better place for foster children.

    b.    Sen. Wharton thanked Pamela Atkinson for her time, effort, and energy she's given to the Monitoring Panel. Ms. Atkinson responded by reminding those present that "You can't do everything for everybody, but you can do something for somebody. If you care, you can make a great deal of difference."

6.    Other Business

    a.     Discussion of Agenda Item No. 1b was postponed.

    b.    Next Meeting Date left undetermined.

7.    Adjournment

     MOTION: Sen. Wharton moved to adjourn the meeting at 11:10 a.m. The motion passed unanimously.

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