LilMtnCbn
07-03-2004, 05:40 AM
http://www.denverpost.com/Stories/0,1413,36~53~2250023,00.html
Programs to aid kids looking at more cuts
By David Olinger and Kris Hudson
Denver Post Staff Writers
The Denver agency that serves abused and needy children has lost its appeal to
receive more state funds, a decision that will mean layoffs and reduced
services.
This month, 63 full-time employees of the Denver Department of Human Services
will lose their jobs.
The department also expects to reduce payments to foster parents, agencies that
place abused children and families who adopt children with special needs.
Denver will have $54.7 million in state, federal and local funds for child
welfare programs this year, or $5.2 million less than last year.
While its child-welfare programs were hardest hit, the department also is
cutting payments to subsidized child-care programs.
Department manager Roxane White said child-care providers will take cuts of 12
percent to 17 percent, but the department will be able to take hundreds of
low-income children off a long waiting list next month and start to provide
them with day care.
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White said the department already has reduced its staff from almost 1,300
employees to about 1,000 in two years.
In the new round of budget cuts, she tried to avoid laying off people working
directly with children, but "you can't lose 23 percent of your staff and do
exactly what you used to do," she said.
Those who care for needy or adopted children lamented the cuts as putting
children at further risk.
Deborah Cave, president of the Colorado Coalition of Adoptive Families, warned
that at worst, the lack of money to subsidize families that adopt children with
medical or other special needs might spell the end for some adoptions.
"We understand the budget crisis," Cave said. "But if the adoption dissolves
and the child goes back into foster care, nobody wins."
Peg Long, executive director of the Colorado Association of Family and
Children's Agencies, said Denver foster homes will feel the pinch as well.
"This is one of those situations where it's like throwing a stone in - the
ripple effect is huge," Long said. "It's going to impact lots of different
areas of child welfare."
The city had appealed the loss of state funds, contending its child welfare
expenses greatly exceeded what the state accounting system showed.
But the Colorado Department of Human Services concluded that Denver was
entitled to only a negligible increase, and the city then abandoned its appeal,
according to Denver agency spokeswoman Sue Cobb.
The state has not yet allocated about $6 million of the money available to
county departments. Denver expects a portion of that money, but not enough to
avoid layoffs and program reductions.
Denver lost money this year partly because it had been paying more for child
welfare services than other counties, and a new state allocation formula
rewards frugality. Denver also lost money because of the way it had transferred
child welfare funds from one account to another.
The state did not claim, however, that Denver spent money improperly. "There
were no misspent funds," Colorado human services spokeswoman Liz McDonough
said.
White said her department is coping with staff reductions by:
Inspecting fewer child care facilities.
Investigating fewer fraud allegations.
Reducing supervision of contractors that provide mental health and job training
programs.
Increasing some employee caseloads. As a result, people who apply for food
stamps or Medicaid may wait longer for a decision.
The state child-welfare formula bases allocations to counties on factors
ranging from population and calls for services to average payments for
adoptions and foster care.
"Denver happened to be high on all the (payment) factors," White said, and lost
money as a result.
She said the state formula does not consider the cost of living in Denver.
-------------------------
A good friend will come and bail you out of jail . . . but, a true friend will
be sitting next to you saying, "Damn . . . that was fun!"
-----Unknown
Programs to aid kids looking at more cuts
By David Olinger and Kris Hudson
Denver Post Staff Writers
The Denver agency that serves abused and needy children has lost its appeal to
receive more state funds, a decision that will mean layoffs and reduced
services.
This month, 63 full-time employees of the Denver Department of Human Services
will lose their jobs.
The department also expects to reduce payments to foster parents, agencies that
place abused children and families who adopt children with special needs.
Denver will have $54.7 million in state, federal and local funds for child
welfare programs this year, or $5.2 million less than last year.
While its child-welfare programs were hardest hit, the department also is
cutting payments to subsidized child-care programs.
Department manager Roxane White said child-care providers will take cuts of 12
percent to 17 percent, but the department will be able to take hundreds of
low-income children off a long waiting list next month and start to provide
them with day care.
Advertisement
White said the department already has reduced its staff from almost 1,300
employees to about 1,000 in two years.
In the new round of budget cuts, she tried to avoid laying off people working
directly with children, but "you can't lose 23 percent of your staff and do
exactly what you used to do," she said.
Those who care for needy or adopted children lamented the cuts as putting
children at further risk.
Deborah Cave, president of the Colorado Coalition of Adoptive Families, warned
that at worst, the lack of money to subsidize families that adopt children with
medical or other special needs might spell the end for some adoptions.
"We understand the budget crisis," Cave said. "But if the adoption dissolves
and the child goes back into foster care, nobody wins."
Peg Long, executive director of the Colorado Association of Family and
Children's Agencies, said Denver foster homes will feel the pinch as well.
"This is one of those situations where it's like throwing a stone in - the
ripple effect is huge," Long said. "It's going to impact lots of different
areas of child welfare."
The city had appealed the loss of state funds, contending its child welfare
expenses greatly exceeded what the state accounting system showed.
But the Colorado Department of Human Services concluded that Denver was
entitled to only a negligible increase, and the city then abandoned its appeal,
according to Denver agency spokeswoman Sue Cobb.
The state has not yet allocated about $6 million of the money available to
county departments. Denver expects a portion of that money, but not enough to
avoid layoffs and program reductions.
Denver lost money this year partly because it had been paying more for child
welfare services than other counties, and a new state allocation formula
rewards frugality. Denver also lost money because of the way it had transferred
child welfare funds from one account to another.
The state did not claim, however, that Denver spent money improperly. "There
were no misspent funds," Colorado human services spokeswoman Liz McDonough
said.
White said her department is coping with staff reductions by:
Inspecting fewer child care facilities.
Investigating fewer fraud allegations.
Reducing supervision of contractors that provide mental health and job training
programs.
Increasing some employee caseloads. As a result, people who apply for food
stamps or Medicaid may wait longer for a decision.
The state child-welfare formula bases allocations to counties on factors
ranging from population and calls for services to average payments for
adoptions and foster care.
"Denver happened to be high on all the (payment) factors," White said, and lost
money as a result.
She said the state formula does not consider the cost of living in Denver.
-------------------------
A good friend will come and bail you out of jail . . . but, a true friend will
be sitting next to you saying, "Damn . . . that was fun!"
-----Unknown
