Cook County commissioners listened in silence as Cook County Public Health and Human Services worker Grace Bushard read the 2016 year-end Children’s Services Report.
In 2011 the number of child maltreatment reports in Cook County was 28. In 2016 that number jumped to 220, an approximate 300 percent increase in documented findings.
Of that 220 number, 132 children were recipients of services related to the maltreatment reports.
And, said Bushard, the 220 figure represents 25 percent of Cook County’s children under the age of 18.
Of the 114 calls received reporting intake, said Bushard, “48 reports (or 42 percent) were screened for child maltreatment, and either an assessment or investigation was done.
“An estimated 35 (or 30 percent) were referred to child welfare services or other voluntary services,” she added.
The number of Child Protection Intakes in 2016 increased 67 percent over 2015.
There was a 6 percent increase in child welfare reports in 2016 over 2015, with 50 reported last year and 47 reported in 2015.
While the statistics were grim, Bouchard said some positive steps were taken in 2016 to address the problems, with more coming in 2017.
Changes include forming a Multi-disciplinary Team “to address procedures and protocols. This increased the quality of interviews that were conducted and strengthened relationships between team members,” she said.
Cook County Health and Human Service workers received Trauma Informed Care training “That will provide a basis for more work in providing early intervention with children, and help build resiliency and deter abuse,” said Bushard.
Cook County staff participated in Signs and Safety training that increased access to tools that help identify safety for children and families, and after-hours crisis response services for children were initiated in Cook County.
Some of the reason for the increase in reports, said Bushard, is that the rules have changed. In 2016 the county screened each report that was filed.
Going into a family’s home is a traumatic event, said Bushard, and not taken lightly. “We want to be very careful and thoughtful,” she said.
However, in severe cases, Bushard made it clear, “The earlier we can intervene the better, child abuse is 100 percent preventable.”
When asked which was the most common report, Bushard stated that neglect was number one, followed by physical abuse and then sexual assault. Neglect, however, was by far the most common of the three.
Neglect in a home is when a child is consistently left alone or is in a home where there is drug abuse, or alcoholism, or fighting among spouses, or the house is substandard and living conditions are poor, said Bushard.
“Children who grow up in a constant environment of abuse have poorer outcomes. We help families see how their behaviors affect their child” she said.
“Our practice is not to blow families up. We build on the strengths and resources all families have so they can have a secure, stable life together. I’m sure it doesn’t feel that way to them at the time. It’s very intrusive.
“The earlier we can get in, the less likely a child will be removed from a home, depending upon what the event is. We try to bring someone in, remove the perpetrator, and try not disrupt the child.”
When there is a lot of trouble in a home, “we ask the parent(s) where they want their children to go, their aunt’s, their neighbor’s, a friend’s house. We try to make it less traumatic for the child. And the parents should have a say. These are their children.”
With only one licensed foster care provider in the county, it’s tough to drive children in the middle of the night to a foster care family in Grand Rapids, said Bushard, adding, “We are trying to develop more foster care homes in the county.”
“This is the third year for me listening to these reports, and every year I am shocked,” said Commissioner Jan Sivertson. “One-quarter of our children are affected. How do we make a dent?”
Bushard said that two counties are working with a program called ACE (Adverse Childhood Experience) Interface. With this program, said Bushard, counties are seeing a reduction in child abuse, domestic violence, etc.
ACE began in the early 1990s and data collected from more than 17,000 patients clearly showed that adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), were common; that they had a profound negative effect on health and well-being; and were a prime determinant of the past, current and future health behaviors, social problems, disease incidence, and early death in the study population.
By identifying trauma in a child’s life early, said Bushard, “The sooner you respond to it, address it, resolve it, then a child can move forward, be resilient and live a healthy life.”
Other steps to build up the county’s social services programs included the hiring of Josh Beck as director of Public Health and Human Services and staff re-welcomed Heidi Akins as intake and voluntary services social worker, said Bushard.
For the coming year, there will be continued work in the area of trauma and resiliency building, and the staff will refine reporting and the referral process. A new social worker in the field of children’s services will be hired, as well.
SNAP
In related matters Director Beck said over the course of 2016, the state reported that 2,650 people in Cook County received SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program).
The average SNAP case in Cook County is $76 per month for an individual or $103 per month for a family.
The maximum an individual with no income can receive is $194; a family of four can get up to $649 per month assuming there is no income.
A person with a job can make $1,600 and receive SNAP, while a household of four can make up to $3,442.
“We know that the majority of this money is going to children who wouldn’t have food,” said Beck.
Nationally, SNAP is the largest program in the domestic hunger safety net. The Food and Nutrition Service works with state agencies, nutrition educators, and neighborhood and faith-based organizations to ensure that those eligible for nutrition assistance can make informed decisions about applying for the program and can access benefits.
Beck said that he is working with Alison Heering, the school nurse, on an education component that teaches children healthy eating habits.
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