Residents of Los Angeles County, reeling from allegations of gross incompetence and probable negligence by Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS), have been blessed with the creation of a blue ribbon commission, set up by county supervisors. The allegations arose after social workers and supervisors failed to prevent the torture and murder of a young child in Palmdale, despite ample evidence that the child was in great danger.
DCFS director Browning moved to immediately fire four employees associated with this tragedy. Seeking to fire employees so quickly is in itself is a kind of reform, since union rules, including a ridiculous appeal process, make it almost impossible to fire a social worker for mere incompetence. Similar incompetence once resulted in a two-week suspension. Just ask Rocio La Voie.
Ms. La Voie received a ten-day suspension for actions not so different from the incoherence exhibited by the four employees associated with the horror in Palmdale. Indeed, Ms. La Voie believed that her original suspension was too harsh, and appealed it!
Mr. Browning has his hands full with recalcitrant unions, a much too high percentage of impossible-to-fire employees, and politicians who have gotten it wrong, decade after decade. During the past 15 years, the number of children in foster care has decreased from a top of over 65,000 to a little over 21,000 today. Yet the budget for DCFS is within about 10% of what it was, when foster care placements were at a peak. By any measure, this large reduction in foster care placements, while maintaining a similar budget, should have resulted in significant savings, as well as a huge improvement in overall care for our abused and neglected children. Yet there has been no savings, and by all accounts, no improvement in overall care.
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