Public Policy

Child Welfare Providers have received only two increases in rates for the past 7 years. Rates need to be adjusted for inflation each year or contracts should include an escalator clause. Child welfare has no third party payers, as do most other providers. Therefore, child welfare providers cannot turn to others to make up for the lack of state increases.
Additionally, the gap between public and private worker salaries continues to widen. It is increasingly challenging to recruit and retain qualified employees; and staff turnover has increased, disrupting the continuity and quality of services to children.

2.Pay private providers for the last day of care.

Currently, providers are not paid for the last day of care in shelters, residential treatment or PMIC. This artificially skews the actual number of days children are served, particularly in shelters where the length of stay if shorter and youth turnover is higher. Providers still provide services on the last day of care and should be paid for the costs incurred.

3.Provide funding for children who are voluntarily requesting mental health treatment following PMIC placement.

The children’s mental health waiver enacted July 1, 2005, allows families to receive PMIC or other mental health services without having to be adjudicated CINA (Children in Need of Assistance). In these cases, DHS does not open a case on these children, and because there is no DHS or court involvement, they cannot receive services prior to or after PMIC placement unless their parents have private insurance that includes mental health services or the child is eligible for Medicaid. Solutions could be to open the waiver to more children, develop more PMIC beds, or allow funding for more voluntary services.
Additionally, PMIC staff must do all the administrative work DHS staff did for these children, but with no money to do so.

The Coalition supports the following issues:

4.Fund the gaps in child welfare/juvenile justice for FY2007 as a result of de-linking Medicaid Services.

Please be aware that the child welfare system is changing dramatically with the de-linking of Medicaid Services. While we support the need to provide for the behavioral healthcare needs of children separately, this system change will result in less federal funding for services to children. The Department of Human Services has requested additional dollars for the FY2008 budget to offset some of these losses ($12.5 million), which we support, but this does not resolve the short fall in service dollars for FY2007. Please also be aware there may be other unintended consequences as the system adapts to its largest change in 15 years. We need to work together on these changes in order for children to receive the help they need in the interim.

5.Judges should have complete discretion about whether or not to put a child on the sex offender registry.

Children who offend against other children are not necessarily pedophiles, and should not be treated the same as adult offenders. The most dangerous juvenile offenders are in adult court, but other children who are involved in sexual perpetration should not be automatically be listed on the Sex Offender Registry, subject to the 2000’ rule or required to wear electronic monitoring devices.
Children are more amenable to treatment than are adult offenders. There needs to be different ways of treating youth who were juveniles when the sex offence was perpetrated rather than punishing them in ways that make it difficult for them to become educated or employed when they turn 18.

6. Fund the gaps in child welfare/juvenile justice for FY2007 as a result of de-linking Medicaid Services.

Eliminating waiting lists for child welfare services.
Curbing the youth use of alcohol and tobacco through beer keg registration and cigarette tax.
Anti-bullying legislation.

Coalition for Family and Children Services in Iowa

1111 Ninth Street, Suite 235 ● Des Moines, Iowa 50314 ● Phone 515-244-0074 ● Fax 515-244-0075