Comparing State Agencies

The Georgia Department of Human Services [DHS] has many divisions that are to assist the people of the State of Georgia with different necessities they may need. For instance, there is the Division of Aging Services that caters specifically to the elderly and to report elder abuse. With a total of three divisions and eight offices, this specific department also houses the Division of Family and Children Services [DFCS]. These representatives and workers do what they can by all means necessary when it comes to the care and welfare of children of the state. However, there are times when they fall short of their jobs

Department of Human Services (DHS) is a human service organization meant to help individuals and families with temporary services in their time of need. The mission statement is: “Improving the quality of life in Michigan by providing services to vulnerable children and adults that will strengthen the community and enable families and individuals to move toward independence.” (Michigan.gov) DHS provides an array of services to individuals and families, these include: food assistance, cash assistance, health care assistance, children services, adult services, and many more.

In the state of Arkansas the Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) investigates reports of child abuse and maltreatment. Once a report has been substantiated minors are removed from the home and placed in temporary care. Emergency shelters, group homes, residential facilitates are used to house children when no foster homes are available. Currently, there are about 5,100 children in foster care and about 1,100 open foster homes. Children of Arkansas Loved for a Lifetime or the CALL is a faith based organization that provides an alternative method for Christians, both married and single, to pursue the certification process to open their homes to children in DCFS custody. The CALL recruits, trains, and supports foster and adoptive

After a thorough investigation of the system within DCF, it is seen that the common misconceptions stating DCF are at fault for children experiencing troubling abuse/neglect can be disproved. To the average eye, every time a story is published in the media bashing DCF, it makes it easy to point fingers. However, in order to attain full knowledge of what actually happens, a closer look at the system itself is required.

In conclusion, even though people have made the assumption that DCF is in responsible for the recent increase in catastrophes, they are in fact, limited by the government statutes, experience a lack of able employees, and must listen to whatever the judge says and thinks. The government and the senate are in charge of making the laws that determine what DCF is allowed and not allowed to do. It is in their hands, not DCFs when these statutes cause children to be injured. DCF has no way to control the government laws or the judges in court but must change something to fix the system. The only way for this system to be improved is with the help of the community. They are in need of more people willing to put up with the conditions and help with

We are devoted to providing substance abuse, behavioral health services, housing services, and financial services that provide women and their children, that are strength-based, outcome-oriented and accessible. The transitional housing program for substance abuse for women and children is focused on assisting women and children– especially those who are most at risk –of losing their children or have lost their children to the state foster care system to build upon their inner strengths in order to care for themselves and overcome the challenge of substance abuse and barriers that caused them to lose their children effectively as

The Community Abuse Prevention Service Agency or CAPSA as they are more formally known, works with men, women, children, and families to provide them with a safe place to go in the case of domestic violence, abuse, and hardship. They provide an emergency shelter that is a safe space for victims of abuse (M. Thatcher, personal communication, May 3, 2018). Clients can stay for 30 days and receive a place to stay and counseling and therapies. They also have a 24-hour support line that people can call into for help or to get help to others. CAPSA offers advocacy and support services and a 24-hour response team of community members who are willing to be there to support and help people through their court processes and their crises. Therapy services are offered to community members as well there and there are plenty of children’s activities and a daycare facility to provide a safe space for children to go while their parent(s)

This case study will assess the government of Florida, a state government. It will touch on several important issues such as providing a general overview of how the government functions and what resources it provides, as well as some current issues the State of Florida is facing in government administration. Because the State of Florida is a state government, it tends to “resemble the national government in composition and organization of their executive branch agencies” (Milakovich, 2013, p. 21).

My practicum site was at the Department of Children and Family Services within the Legally Free Unit with Tommy Williams. He has been a social worker for DCFS for approximately seven years. The purpose of DCFS is to protect abused and neglected children. The program is The program is responsible for the investigation of child abuse and neglect complaints, child protection, family preservation, family reconciliation, foster care, group care, in-home services, independent living and adoption services for children ages 0 to 18 years. I specifically worked in the Legally Free Unit of DCFS which is for children ages approximately 7-17 whose parents have has their parental rights terminated and the children are not able to be adopted for various

“To qualify for these grants, states must meet eligibility requirements, such as having a child protection system in place, have laws to preserve victim confidentiality, appointing guardians Ad Litem, and establishing citizen review panels” (National Child Abuse Coalition, n.d.). Discretionary funds are provided to maintain the national clearing house for child abuse and neglect. The national clearing house is responsible for collecting and publishing data annually, provide technical assistance to states and private agencies that prevent and respond to child abuse and neglect, fund research, and support the study of the incidences of child abuse and neglect nationally (Stoltzfus, 2015). Prevention grants are an additional funding provided by CAPTA in Title II, which supports community-based organizations in preventing child abuse and neglect. Commonly a state child welfare agency is the lead entity that receives the prevention grant to provide services through a variety of

office, law enforcement agency or office of the Division of Child and Family Services (DCFS).

The Department of Children and Families exists to ensure the safety of children, from abuse and neglect, while aiming to strengthen families across the Commonwealth of Massachusetts (http://www.mass.gov/eohhs/gov/departments/dcf/).

The Pew Charitable Trusts, which includes The Pew Center for the States (PCS), utilizes the power of knowledge and research

As healthcare professionals we will witness events in our upcoming career that we haven’t yet come across. A topic that while hard to face, is very common in our field is; domestic violence. Not only do we have a moral obligation, but as Medical Assistants we are considered “Mandatory Reporters” for reporting suspected abuse in the state of Florida. The roles and responsibilities as a healthcare professional in reporting abuse are clearly defined in various laws. Chapter 39 and of the Florida Statues any person who has reasonable cause to suspect that a child: (being under the age of 18, unmarried, who has not been emancipated by the court) has been abused, abandoned, or neglected. Chapter 415 of Florida Statues provides services to detect

The New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) is the largest agency in New Hampshire state government, responsible for the health, safety and well-being of the citizens of New Hampshire (NHDHHS, 2015).