Agency overview | |
---|---|
Jurisdiction | Rhode Island |
Headquarters | 101 Friendship Street Providence, RI |
Employees | 600+[1] |
Annual budget | US$ >220 million (2019)[2] |
Agency executive |
|
Parent agency | Executive Office of Health and Human Services |
Website | www |
The Rhode Island Department of Children, Youth & Families (DCYF) is a state agency of Rhode Island, headquartered in Providence with regional offices across the state.[3][4] The agency provides services for children and families within the U.S. state of Rhode Island.
The most recent permanent director was Trista Piccola. Since her resignation after a two year directorship longtime DCYF lawyer Kevin Aucoin has been the acting director.
The agency is a department of the Executive Office of Health and Human Services also responsible for the departments of health, human services, and other social service agencies.
Services
The DCYF provides foster care and adoption services.
Juvenile corrections
The agency is also responsible for the state's juvenile corrections. The Rhode Island Training School (RITS) is a secure residential facility for juvenile delinquents.[5] RITS is located in Cranston.[6]
Controversies, abuse, and negligence
Out of state placements
In an Associated Press article about foster care by AP investigative reporter David Klepper it was disclosed that Rhode Island had been spending millions of dollars on sending children out of Rhode Island.[7][8]
Representative Roberto DaSilva introduced several bills to stop the out of state placements and was interviewed for the Associated Press article. DaSilva's financial and ethical concerns were noted. DaSilva said "The amount of money we're spending here is huge. There are facilities here in Rhode Island that could provide these services. And who does the oversight on these out-of-state facilities? Are they being watched as closely as the ones right here?"[9]
Night-to-night Program
From the late 1990s until the mid-2000s, DCYF engaged in a practice wherein a foster child without a home or otherwise any relative to stay with would be subjected to spending their days in a DCYF office building until the agency could find a temporary bed for them to be sheltered for the night, hence the name "night-to-night."
Former DCYF director Jay Lindgren promised that there would be "no kids in the hallways at DCYF late in the afternoon" in 2003, but the practice was not ended until much later.[10] Longtime Providence Journal columnist Bob Kerr described the brutal practice where kids were shuffled from unsafe home to unsafe home, unable to go to school, spend time participating in extra-curricular activities, sport, or preparing for university.[11]
In 2002, the Rhode Island House of Representatives read and passed a resolution that requested "that the Department of Children, Youth and Families present a plan to the General Assembly on or before May 1, 2002 which will eliminate night to night placement in Fiscal Year 2002."[12]
The practice was condemned in another House of Representatives Resolution as it was still being practiced years later in 2011. The resolution, entitled "Creating an Emergency Oversight Commission on DCYF would have provided the Rhode Island House of Representatives with additional oversight of the Department[13]
June 2013 foster care death and abuse
In June 2013, a child's arm was broken at DCYF facility Harmony Hill School[14] and a toddler in foster care was found dead.[15]
2018 Fetissenko Lawsuit
In August 2018, DCYF project manager Maxim Fetissenko alleged in a Rhode Island Superior Court complaint that his supervisors misused a $2 million federal government grant under his purview. Fetissenko alleges that senior DCYF staff altered his report to the supervising federal agencies and continued to do so despite his objections.[16]
Death of Zha-Nae Rothgeb
A girl, aged 9, in the care of a DCYF foster carer died in a bathtub in January 2019. The girl, who had cerebral palsy, died after spending at least eight hours in the bathtub. One state representative, Patricia Serpa, noted that "This is murder." The criticism of DCYF was aimed especially at its Director, Trista Piccola. Lima said at a Rhode Island House of Representatives Oversight Committee hearing that "None of you deserve to be there, none of you. If you had any honor, or any dignity, you would hand in your resignations immediately and walk away."[17]
Criticism
Criticism from the Federal Government
In October 2018, the Administration for Children and Families, a division of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, ordered DCYF to improve in 33 of 36 areas assessed.[18] The federal report noted that DCYF services were "inadequate, not developed when needed, or lacked consistent monitoring."
Harvard Kennedy School professor and former Obama Administration official Jeffrey Liebman claimed that the DCYF is "the most messed-up agency ever."[19]
Criticism from the Annie E. Casey Foundation
In 2014, the Annie E. Casey Foundation released a report that revealed Rhode Island as third-highest in the nation (after Wyoming and Colorado) for placing youth in out-of-home placements, such as group homes and residential treatment facilities.[20] The report, which also cited high turnover rates and funding cuts, explained that 28% of the children in the DCYF system were in group homes and residential treatment facilities, as opposed to foster homes, adoptive homes, or living with relatives.[20]
Criticism from the Office of the Child Advocate
In 2018, the Office of the Child Advocate called for DCYF to be overhauled[21] due to the failure of the Child Protective Services division of the department to investigate all cases referred to them, lack of an intake process for new children and families, inadequate staffing, and the fact that 3,200 Rhode Island children were abused or neglected in DCYF care.[21]
Resignation of Director Trista Piccola
DCYF union members overwhelmingly that they had "no confidence" in Piccola following the death of 9-year-old Zha-Nae Rothgeb who was found unresponsive in a bathtub and later pronounced dead in hospital. Rothgeb's adoptive mother, Michele Rothgeb, housed 8 children, all under the care of DCYF. Later, Warwick police found Rothgeb's home filled with rubbish and human waste. She later faced a manslaughter charge.[22] Piccola accepted that DCYF was responsible for the death of the child, explaining that poor staffing decisions and "inadequate policies" failed to prevent the girl's death. The Rhode Island Office of the Child Advocate later revealed that three DCYF workers were terminated as a result of the death.[23]
Serpa and Rep. Charlene Lima called for the resignation of Trista Piccola, which finally occurred in July 2019.[24][25][26] Piccola was in the post for merely 2.5 years and cited her reason for leaving being a job offer to her husband, and that they were relocating to the state of Arizona. Piccola was appointed to the directorship in January 2017.[27]
Agency Operations
Financial issues
It was revealed in November 2019 that the DCYF is overspending its budget by $22 million in the current fiscal year. The Providence Journal reported that Rhode Island House of Representatives Finance Committee Chairman Marvin Abney was "not happy." The discovery was made when a quarterly spending report was made available to the public that showed the DCYF had overspent its legislature-approved $165.1-million budget by nearly $22 million.[28]
2020 Legislation
In February 2020, Rhode Island State Representative Ray Hull introduced another bill to create a DCYF legislative oversight commission.[29]
Co-sponsors of the bill included Reps. John J. Lombardi, David Bennett, and James N. McLaughlin.[30]
Interim Director
With the departure of Piccola, DCYF Executive Legal Counsel Kevin Aucoin, who has served in an interim director capacity twice before when DCYF was without a permanent Director, has resumed the role as temporary director until a permanent Director can be found. Rhode Island Health and Human Services Secretary and Raimondo Administration cabinet member Womazetta Jones said in December 2019 that she was "very determined to stay the course of not hiring anybody unless it’s the right person." As of December 2020 DCYF does not have a permanent Director.[31]
References
- ^ Rudin, Sofia (6 November 2019). "R.I. Child Advocate: "DCYF Is Desperate For More Workers"". The Public's Radio. Retrieved 3 December 2019.
- ^ "Governor unveils FY 2020 budget". ABC News. 17 January 2019. Retrieved 3 December 2019.
- ^ "How Do I Contact DCYF...?." Rhode Island Department of Children, Youth & Families. Retrieved on December 24, 2020.
- ^ "Region 1 (Providence)." Rhode Island Department of Children, Youth & Families. Retrieved on December 24, 2020.
- ^ "Juvenile Correctional Services." Rhode Island Department of Children, Youth & Families. Retrieved on August 23, 2010.
- ^ "DLLR's Division of Workforce Development and Adult Learning." Maryland Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation. Retrieved on August 23, 2010.
- ^ Klepper, David (14 August 2011). "RI pays millions to send foster kids out of state". The New Haven Register. Retrieved 13 Nov 2019.
- ^ Beale, Stephen (21 September 2012). "DCYF Spends $10 Million Sending Kids Out of State". Go Local Prov. Retrieved 13 November 2019.
- ^ "Former foster child says Rhode Island failed him and others". Associated Press. 14 August 2011. Retrieved 21 November 2019.
- ^ Landis, Bruce (3 January 2003). "Task force rips child welfare". The Providence Journal.
- ^ Kerr, Bob (20 April 2012). "A hard lesson in what a state can do to a kid". The Providence Journal. Retrieved 22 November 2019.
- ^ "House Resolution: RESPECTFULLY REQUESTING THE DEPARTMENT OF CHILDREN, YOUTH AND FAMILIES TO PRESENT A PLAN TO THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES WHICH WILL ELIMINATE NIGHT TO NIGHT PLACEMENT". State of Rhode Island General Assembly. 4 June 2002.
- ^ "House Resolution CREATING THE RHODE ISLAND HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES EMERGENCY OVERSIGHT COMMISSION ON THE DEPARTMENT OF CHILDREN, YOUTH, AND FAMILIES". Rhode Island General Assembly. 8 March 2011. Retrieved 22 November 2019.
- ^ Rappleye, Bill. "Woman claims school staff broke her son's arm". NBC News WJAR. Retrieved 28 June 2013.
- ^ Krause, Nancy. "Police await tests in tot's death: Found unresponsive in bed at foster home". CBS 12 Eyewitness News. Retrieved 28 June 2013.
- ^ Mooney, Tom (2 August 2018). "R.I. DCYF sued, project director alleges misuse of $2M federal grant". The Providence Journal. Retrieved 21 November 2019.
- ^ Cullinane, Ashley (13 June 2019). "'This is murder,' RI state representative says of DCYF's role in Warwick girl's death". NBC 10. Retrieved 21 November 2019.
- ^ San Miguel, Michelle (5 October 2018). "DCYF needs improvements says ACF". NBC News. Retrieved 15 November 2019.
- ^ Bogdan, Jennifer (30 July 2015). "Auditors find history of chaos at R.I. Department of Children, Youth and Families". The Providence Journal. Retrieved 17 December 2020.
{{cite news}}
: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ a b Arditi, Lynn (5 June 2014). "DCYF report: RI children placed in group care at nearly twice national average". The Providence Journal. Retrieved 22 November 2019.
- ^ a b Resende, Patricia (23 March 2017). "RI Child Advocate recommends system overhaul after deaths of four children". NBC 10 News. Retrieved 22 November 2019.
- ^ "DCYF Director responds after union's 'no confidence' vote". NBC 10 News. 21 November 2019. Retrieved 22 November 2019.
- ^ Mooney, Tom (11 June 2019). "Report: State ineptitude to blame for death of 9-year-old girl". The Providence Journal. Retrieved 22 November 2019.
- ^ Kalunian, Kim (10 July 2019). "DCYF Director Piccola to leave post". CBS 12 News. Retrieved 21 November 2019.
- ^ "DCYF director steps down". NBC 10 News. 10 July 2019. Retrieved 21 November 2019.
- ^ Mooney, Tom (10 July 2019). "DCYF Director Trista Piccola to depart after tumultuous 2½-year tenure". The Providence Journal. Retrieved 21 November 2019.
- ^ Dotzenrod, Nicole (10 January 2019). "Raimondo names Piccola new DCYF director". Providence Business News. Retrieved 21 November 2019.
- ^ Gregg, Katherine (7 November 2019). "DCYF overspending its budget by millions in faceoff with R.I. General Assembly". The Providence Journal. Retrieved 21 November 2019.
- ^ Mooney, Tom (17 February 2020). "DCYF oversight legislation proposed in honor of advocate". The Providence Journal. Retrieved 17 February 2020.
- ^ "House Resolution Creating an Emergency Oversight Commission on the Department of Children, Youth, and Families" (PDF). State of Rhode Island General Assembly. 14 February 2020. Retrieved 17 February 2020.
- ^ Sherman, Eli (12 December 2019). "Months later, still no director for DCYF". WPRI 12. Retrieved 3 December 2020.