Yes Commissioner, This is a Santa Clause!

“Despite the challenging fiscal climate, the Department continues to conduct quality work on behalf of Connecticut’s children and families.”
(DCF Commissioner Susan Hamilton, December, 2009, Commissioners Highlights, Juan F. v. Rell Exit Plan Quarterly Report, p. 104 http://www.ct.gov/dcf/lib/dcf/homepage/pdf/3rd_qtr_report_2009.pdf )

Yes, Commissioner this is a Santa Clause! In the third quarter of 2009, the most recent quarter reported, the Department achieved only 15 of its 22 required outcome measures. That’s 68%. That’s a D+. That is not quality work! Among the poorest outcomes was, presumably, one of the most important objectives – that of “Meeting Children’s Needs”. This measure carried a score of just under 56%. That’s an F. That is not quality work!

The report indicated that, while social workers’ case loads were within the recommended limits (i.e., they were not over burdened), the principal reasons for children’s unmet medical, dental, and behavioral health needs were lack of timely referrals and lack of follow-up. That is not quality work!

Fair is fair; the report also showed that the Department initiated and completed investigations in nearly 100% of cases and that social worker-to-child visitations exceeded the 85% standard. That appears to be quality work, but…failure to meet the former standard results in a 100% likelihood of undesirable media coverage. As for the latter... speaking only for the children in my home, in nearly 17 months there has been only one social worker-to-child visitation (it was really a social worker-to-parent visitation, but let’s not split hairs). Our social workers have appeared at the end of our driveway approximately once monthly to collect the children for visits with their biological mother. There has been not a single social worker-to-child visitation in our home. I suspect that our case is not unique.

Commissioner, please tell us how you define quality work.