what i learned about the DCF program
The Vermont Department for Children and Families (DCF) provides a large sections of programs and services, including adoption & foster care, child care, child development, child protection, child support disability determination, and
economic benefits such as 3SquaresVT, fuel assistance, and
Reach Up . there goal is to reduce homelessness, improve
the safety of families and children, and to provide support to the families and children part of the system and helping it. on the website it says that there vision is for children and families be safe around there staff and help them live up to their potential. well from listening to the news and catching up on the free press for vermont they said that a mother killed a DCf worker and family members for losing custody of her child and putting the child in the system they put the child in the program because they illegitly thought the mom was unstable and needed the daughter to be in safe hands. i know they only did that because the mom had a problem with drugs but to kill family members and a DCF worker is not okay. see the DCF staff want us to trust them and make sure everybody is safe. how are we going to be safe if parents are killing staff to get there child back?. it doesn't work that easy anyways you can't just go killing people, get your child back and think it's okay well it's not. i really want to help out and make sure everybody is satisfied with this program and make sure everybody is safe and secure. while i'm working with this program i think it's good to find the pro's and cons and work out the cons so we only have pro's with this system.
Thanks Van for coming through with this post. I'm here to help and modify assignments if things get overwhelming or seem to be too much for you or anyone else, too.
ReplyDeleteI think anyone would get lost in looking at details about "the system." If that is true, search for stories. What are the stories (pro and con) about the DCF / Foster Care system that speak to its strengths and weaknesses?
Tim
Hi Van,
ReplyDeleteDCF/Foster system can be such a hard topic to look into, not only because it's complex, but because it's so difficult to read about families in such distress.
I came across this organization recently that is trying to help in a small way: http://ifosterhope.com/01/category/care-kits/
I thought you might find it interesting. Hope school is going well, Van!
Emily
Van, what a wonderful goal: to aim, through your involvement in this project, to help make the DCF system in Vermont one with fewer problems and greater strengths. What are you and your team hoping to accomplish in your video project towards that goal? Have you worked out a focus or started thinking about whom you might want to interview?
ReplyDeleteYou certainly have the right attitude - wanting to help, and to ensure the safety, security, and just treatment of everyone involved in the program. I think that is one place of common ground between all the different constituents - parents, children, DCF staff and administration, community members, lawmakers - everyone would like to see children grow up in safe, healthy environments. It is in the "how" of accomplishing such a goal that conflicting perspectives tend to arise.
As Tim suggests above, you and your group now need to pick up some of those threads of different perspectives and weave your own story that can help spark conversation about how to solve problems within the DCF system.
I'm eager to see your next steps and growth in learning about this topic.
Take care,
Dana