Kalamazoo County Department of Health and Human Services agency is the host to many assistance programs and services that aid in the advancement of our community. The organization was originally created in 1965 and was named “Department of Social Services” (Michigan.gov, 2017). In 1995 it was renamed “Family Independence Agency”; in April 2015, Governor Snyder decided that the Department of Human Services (DHS) would merge with the Department of Community Health (DCH) to create the Department of Health and Human Services. Hence the name Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) was born. The DHHS office “provides public assistance, child, and family welfare services, and oversees health policy and management” …show more content…
This form assesses the potential foster families on whether or not they are equipped to take care of children. The beginning of the 3120-A gives information on the potential foster parent such as date of birth and whether there is a legal relationship between the adult and child in care. The form also discusses whether or not there are any additional member(s) of the household that needs clearance during the background check. The next section of the 3130 is information on the potential foster families criminal history and whether they are on the central registry for crimes against children. This assessment also requires the worker to get more details if criminal history exists and whether or not this can potentially prohibit direct placement.
The next portion of the assessment goes into a description of the home. During this portion of the questionnaire, the worker and potential family will tour the home. The worker will make a notation on rooms condition, layout, and appearance of the home. During this time the worker will also discuss and review potential safety hazards, this can include weapons in the home, medications, and pets. If any of the following are in the home the worker will discuss a plan of action to ensure the safety of the child in the home.
Financial and employment status is also assessed in addition to notifying the potential family that there is hardly financial gain in fostering children. This also lets the worker know the source of income,
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 today’s society Fostering Children has become a form of employment, and too many Foster Parents consider fostering to be nothing more than just a job. Agencies are considering the hiring process as an urgency to match staff with cliental; considering families as just another case to fill their homes and keep their agencies up and running instead of taking time to match families according to the needs of the children and qualifications of the foster parents.
In the past few decades there has be an increasing amount of children placed in the foster care system. With the amount of rising teen pregnancies and maternal drug abuse means increasing numbers of infants abandoned at birth. There have been many cases of child abuse or neglect that have been on the rise. State and local agencies are unable to suitably supervise foster homes or arrange adoptions. Statistics show that many children will spend most of their childhood and teenage years in the foster care system, which has shown to leave emotional scars on the child. Today, Child Welfare groups are looking for federal funding and legislation to increase programs and services aimed at keeping families together.
Foster Care and Adoption are the most multi-faceted areas of child welfare. Foster care consists of placing children outside of the custody of their parents or legal guardians. This out-of-home placement can be temporary or long-term. Adoption on the other hand, consists of the legal and permanent process that establishes a parent/child relationship between individuals not related biologically (Downs, Moore, & McFadden, 2009). These two areas of child welfare are constantly evolving and the decisions made on a child’s behalf can affect many areas of their biological, spiritual, social, and emotional wellbeing.
I would therefore maintain records, making clear who is responsible for tasks and confirming that they are being carried out effectively. Each assessment would identify a review date and include the signature of everyone involved in the assessments. The Health and Safety of staff, residents and visitors while on the home’s premises or involved in the home’s organised activities (e.g. church visits) must be protected as far as reasonably practicable. Risk assessments are undertaken for all activities and measures put in place to minimise or control risks.
The assessment holistic approach to understanding what has occurred and currently occurring in the clients life as well as understanding what is considered a priority of treatment for them and their guardian. The assessment begins with the presenting issues asking what brought the client in. The section also covers when the problem started, how long it has been going on, what is the level of intensity of the problems, and how frequently do they occur. In the family and social history section examples of questions asked are current household member, how does the client get along with others, client's strengths, and who do they go to when they need help. The next section is the abuse and sexual risk behavior where the client is asked if they feel safe inside and or outside there home and if they have or know of anyone that has been abused or neglected. Developmental history is then taken, which includes history of pregnancy, any disorder or disabilities the client has been diagnosed with, and delays in any motor
Oklahoma’s leading cause of death is cardiovascular disease. Overall, Oklahoma ranks number 48 in having the highest amount of cardiovascular disease-related deaths. We are the third worst in the nation, only being beat by Alabama and Mississippi. (Americas Health Rankings, Oklahoma State Data, 2014) In 2013, Oklahoma had a total of 9,703 deaths from cardiovascular disease. Heart disease accounts for 29.6% of all deaths in Oklahoma. Overall, out of every 100,000 people who die in Oklahoma, 252 of those people died from cardiovascular disease. (Oklahoma State Department of Health, “Vital Statistics”,2013) In comparison, in 2009, the latest year recorded, California had a total of 58, 801 cardiac related deaths out of 231,764. The percentage
The Mississippi department of Human Services (MDHS) administers federal and state programs serving children and adults in Mississippi. MDHS began in 1935 during the last days of Governor Mike Conner’s administration and the beginning of Governor Hugh White’s when a solution was needed to financially assist qualifying Mississippi residents. This resulted in the legislature passing the “Emergency Relief Act” creating the State Department of Emergency Relief. Five months later, the Emergency relief act was abolished and the legislature passed the “Mississippi Old Age Security Act” forming the State Department of Public Welfare. In 1989, The State Department of Public Welfare was renamed the Mississippi Department of Human Services, as part of
Child welfare systems have always had a history of providing suitable care for children. However, what makes that façade believable is the fact that they are covering up the children who were never given a fair chance to begin with and who have slipped through the rapidly widening cracks. The system needs to concede and make amends to the wrongs they have caused. The child welfare system need to adduce the reevaluation of their procedures to ensure the better interest of the children in their care.
For the purpose of this policy analysis, we will focus on section 201 and 202 of the Fostering Connections Act which focuses on locating and strengthening supports for children whose permanency goal is independent living. Prior to this act, these children were often emancipated from foster care because they had reached the age of 18 rather than because they were in a permanent placement. This act allows states to have the option to provide care and support to youth in foster care
Maximizing the accessibility of foster care sectors would allow for substantial attention to more foster care children, leading to better mental health in an average foster care child. Furthermore, local institutions could be allowed more flexibility in terms of federal funding usage, which could result in a more centralized focus on providing the best outcomes for children involved in foster care. Changes in current policies, such as the aforementioned ASFA, would additionally aid in lessening the unclarity in cases and allow for a greater focus on the well-being of children. Removing children from unfit environments must be done at a faster rate and within maximum reasoning. Children are the future, and we need to attempt to help the future be the best it can
When considering psychological testing and whether it is appropriate for selecting foster care parents, is in my opinion, very useful for this specific selection process. As Dr. Levak discusses in the video, the first few years of child’s life are extremely crucial the development and the ability to bond, care, and form attachments with others. Young children who are not held, related to, or receive and appropriate amount of affection can end up suffering a great deal throughout the rest of their lives. Therefore, programs such as Angels Foster Family Network ensure they are able to provide children with a care taker that is able to fulfil the child’s needs, as well as forming connections between the child and their foster parents. According
The NYC Health Department of health and mental hygiene, serves at New York City and covers all the five boroughs which are Manhattan, Staten Island, Brooklyn, Queens, Bronx. It is located at an urban center. This department functions about 8 million diverse populations with different cultural, ethnic and economic background. The major industries in NYC are Financial services, Health Care, Technical Services, Retail Trade and Food service, Manufacturing. The characteristics of this urban center is that it’s an international city with mixed groups of cross culture. This city has people from different backgrounds and is known as an immigrant land with broad-based. Also, New York City is known as the wealthiest city with growing job opportunities in all different fields. (New York City Population)
To provide strategies and policy options to keep children and young people in out-of-home-care in education with a relatively satisfied performance, and to help the government in training and supporting for foster carers as they play a significant role in the academic performance and development of the children and young persons under their care.
Further, applicants for adoption should be accepted on the basis of an individual assessment of their capacity to understand and meet the needs of a particular available child at the point of adoption and in the future (Rosario, 2006, p.8). The United States is facing a critical shortage of adoptive and foster parents. As a result, hundreds of thousands of children in this country are without permanent homes. These children deteriorate for months, even years, within state foster care systems that lack qualified foster parents and are frequently faced with other problems.