Page 20 - Flathead Beacon // 9.23.15

NEWS
COVER
There is a crisis at the Kalis- pell child protection ser- vices office, with a high turnover rate of employ- ees leaving little consis- tency for the children and families already in service, and just three permanent staffers on board to inves- tigate dozens of new child abuse claims each month.
The situation has reached enough of a boiling point to receive attention from local law enforcement and children wel- fare officials, who in a recent letter point- edly asked the state’s Department of Pub- lic Health and Human Services (DPHHS) to rectify the issue because such a vulner- able population is at risk.
The letter comes at a time when the state’s Child and Family Services Divi- sion (CFSD) is already under public scru- tiny. A group of Montana grandparents protested the Kalispell office on Sept. 8 for more rights, and the state is at risk of losing federal grant funding because its privacy laws don’t allow for standard mandating reports of child abuse deaths.
There has been enough of an outcry that Gov. Steve Bullock announced on Sept. 21 a new initiative to protect Mon- tana’s children.
Permanent staffing levels for child protection specialists in Kalispell are at unprecedented lows, and the state has resorted to bringing in temporary
workers and retired supervisors to cover the gaps left in care.
So far this year, 12 of the total 15 posi- tions at the Kalispell CFSD office have turned over. The office is charged with investigating reports of child abuse in Flathead County and following up with necessary cases.
Officials from DPHHS say there are many contributing factors to the lack of staffing, including not being able to find enough qualified professionals to fill the child protection specialist positions.
But former employees of the Kalispell and Lake County offices allege that an unsupportive management culture has pushed many skilled and qualified work- ers out of their jobs or away from CFSD in general.
While the root of this problem may be up for debate, all parties involved agree that the safety and protection of Mon- tana’s children is and should be the top priority. But while the discussion contin- ues, local children are left in dangerous and vulnerable situations.
Devin Kuntz, program coordinator and forensic interviewer with the Flat- head County Children’s Advocacy Center, said that CFSD is a vital resource, and the high turnover rate affects children and families.
“An agency like that, if they’re expe- riencing turnover, there’s going to be a negative impact or at the very least an
impact to the people they serve,” Kuntz said. “Any lag time is bad, especially when
t its core, CFSD works to protect children who “are at substantial risk of abuse, neglect or abandon-
ment,” to ensure children have safe fam- ily environments, and to collaborate with community resources in an effort to pro- mote child safety.
CFSD operates a child abuse hotline in Helena, where intake specialists screen calls, assess the risk to children, priori- tize reports, and then send those reports to social workers in county offices for investigation.
The division also plays a key role on many interdisciplinary teams in the valley tasked with protecting children, such as the Flathead County Multidis- ciplinary Team, which consists of local law enforcement agencies, the Flathead County Attorney’s Office, Youth Court Services, the Kalispell Regional Hospi- tal Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner Pro- gram, and the Western Montana Mental Health Center – Stillwater Therapeutic Services.
On Sept. 16, the Flathead County Chil- dren’s Advocacy Center, on behalf of the multidisciplinary team, sent a letter to Sarah Corbally, the CFSD administrator for DPHHS, regarding the high turnover rate at Kalispell’s child protection office,
BY MOLLY PRIDDY
with concerns about inconsistencies in staffing, lack of participation in import- ant meetings, and the possibility of losing grant money because CFSD isn’t showing up.
The letter says CFSD has not had a representative at the multidisciplinary team’s case review sessions since June, and the division has not responded to forensic interview notifications since August.
“(There was) one emailed response saying resources are not at sufficient levels to participate at this time,” the letter reads. “This is having detrimen- tal effects on case development, coordi- nation, communication, collaboration, and interagency relations with CFSD. Professional working relationships are near impossible to develop and maintain presently. Our primary concern is child safety/protection.”
Without participation from CFSD on the multidisciplinary team, the Chil- dren’s Advocacy Center could lose its accreditation with the National Chil- dren’s Alliance, which would affect fund- ing and training.
The letter also describes a “public outcry” at the lack of services, includ- ing a Sept. 8 protest outside of the CFSD offices.
“Most importantly, the absence of CFSD negatively impacts the effective investigation and prosecution of child
FALLING
THROUGH
THE CRACKS
A severe lack of child protection workers is jeopardizing the safety of local children. The root of the problem and a solution to fix it remain unclear.
t’s cases that involve kids.”
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SEPTEMBER 23, 2015 // FLATHEADBEACON.COM