The disgusting price of deliberate inaction
Thursday, Jun 1, 2017 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Phil Luciano writes about some desperate parents who are seriously considering turning their adopted daughter over to the state…
The couple knew the girl faced challenges, as she’d suffered neglect and abuse in former homes. For instance, she has reactive attachment disorder, where a lack of parental love and care renders a child with bonding difficulties.
“We tried our best to take care of her,” the mom says. “But we had lots of bumps in the road.”
The girl turned out to have other disorders, including psychoses that make her see hallucinations and hear voices. She’d steal from siblings and run away from home. Three times, the couple took the girl to mental health facilities. But the problems seemed to worsen.
She has been diagnosed as suicidal. “She will bang her head against a concrete wall, trying to give herself a concussion,” the mom says.
And she has been diagnosed as homicidal. “She has talked about killing me and how she would kill me,” the mom says.
So, last year the couple contacted The Baby Fold, a human-services agency in Normal that helps more than 1,000 children. Its services include residential treatment for children with severe mental and emotional challenges. It’s the only such treatment center in central Illinois, one of only two outside of a handful in Chicago and northern Illinois.
At The Baby Fold, the Washington girl (now 12) is under supervision 24-7, usually by two staffers — a level of care impossible at her home. Under treatment, the girl has been improving, with fewer outbursts. In fact, during visits, she gets along well with her adoptive mom.
As we’ve already discussed, The Baby Fold is closing its residential treatment center in a month because of the lack of a state budget.
* And so the mom is facing a huge crisis…
She can’t afford the $200-plus per day her daughter needs for inpatient care and supervision. But the mom knows that if she signs the girl back over to the state, DCFS would have to cover the cost of moving her to a new treatment center. Nonetheless, such a move could mean the mom would never see her daughter again.
Think about that quandary. What would you do?
- BuckinIrish - Thursday, Jun 1, 17 @ 12:31 pm:
Thanks Rich, keep these stories coming. People need to see that this isn’t some political game behind a chess board (as much as we here at CapFax would prefer it that way). These are people suffering disastrously under a state (mis)led by two arrogant men.
- @MisterJayEm - Thursday, Jun 1, 17 @ 12:32 pm:
“Think about that quandary. What would you do?”
A nightmarish reminder that you don’t have to believe there’s a God to believe there’s a Hell.
– MrJM
- Montrose - Thursday, Jun 1, 17 @ 12:33 pm:
Don’t get me wrong. The stark reality I am seeing in post after post on here is important. Critical.
But maybe a photo of Oscar? Something to keep me from pulling out the bourbon at noon on Thursday?
- don the legend - Thursday, Jun 1, 17 @ 12:41 pm:
Everybody who has to make these kinds of decisions should call Ounce of Prevention.
It might sound like this.
Ounce: Ounce of Prevention how may we help you?
Caller: My (son ,daughter, mother etc.)) just had their treatment center close due to no state budget. I know that you continue to be funded and you are my last resort. Is there any help you and Mrs. Rauner can offer?
No snark intended
- Almost the Weekend - Thursday, Jun 1, 17 @ 12:42 pm:
Bruce Rauner’s family would never have to deal with that problem, so it’s just another thing the state of Illinois doesn’t need.
- JS Mill - Thursday, Jun 1, 17 @ 12:44 pm:
For that parent the choice may have to be a move out of Illinois if that is even possible.
There is a facility in Rockford, but I do not know if they work with kids that have that diagnosis.
- wordslinger - Thursday, Jun 1, 17 @ 12:44 pm:
Future generations will rightfully judge us harshly for our collective fecklessness and stupidiy in the face of this willful assault of misanthropy by our government.
We were supposed to leave it better than we found it.
We are failing, from selfishness, misplaced resentments, and laziness of mind and spirit.
Great work, Phil. Keep giving a voice to those who need it.
- pawn - Thursday, Jun 1, 17 @ 12:45 pm:
To be clear, The Babyfold is closing its residential treatment center, where this young girl lives. The entire organization is not shutting down.
That said, this is the result of the deliberate choice made by our Governor to forsake a budget and use human services as a wedge to create the crisis that he wants to leverage into enacting ideological policies that he cannot get otherwise through the normal legislative process. Plain and simple. He does not have the votes, and so he is using threatening and bullying tactics, as well as hostages like this family, to try to get his way 100%.
It is morally unconscionable.
This family has done what few do — been willing to take a chance on a child who has suffered tremendously. They have opened their hearts and homes to do the right thing and give a child a chance at a family and health and a future.
Oh, but job creators are really excited about term limits and property tax freezes! So it must be OK that we are going to break up a family and let this child be abandoned once again.
Sickening.
- JohnnyPyleDriver - Thursday, Jun 1, 17 @ 12:46 pm:
My heart breaks for this family but workers compensation reform is an absolute must
- btowntruth from forgotonnia - Thursday, Jun 1, 17 @ 12:57 pm:
I hope that’s snark Johnny……
- illini - Thursday, Jun 1, 17 @ 12:59 pm:
@MrJM - Amen
@wordslinger - so very true
But term limits, a property tax freeze, and redistricting reform will solve all this!
- JohnnyPyleDriver - Thursday, Jun 1, 17 @ 1:01 pm:
it is snark. Probably shouldn’t have even posted it, felt bad for it as soon as i hit enter, but internet is forever
- Archiesmom - Thursday, Jun 1, 17 @ 1:01 pm:
This needs more than a print media article. If I were a Democratic candidate for governor, I’d contact these folks and, if they’re willing, hold a big ol’ press conference and call some folks out. The again, “Burning Down the House” is one of my favorite songs.
- Jimmy H - Thursday, Jun 1, 17 @ 1:14 pm:
- Archiesmom - Thursday, Jun 1, 17 @ 1:01 pm:
Great idea. Maybe then this family will get some help.
- Flynn's Mom - Thursday, Jun 1, 17 @ 1:14 pm:
Maybe she should contact the Ounce and see if they have any advice.
- The Dude Abides - Thursday, Jun 1, 17 @ 1:18 pm:
IF Rauner would really like the end to this budget impasse he is utterly incompetent as a Governor given how he is trying to achieve that end. I’m leaning towards the idea that he wants to keep the impasse going for a while longer until things get so bad the Democrats have to give him his agenda. If that’s what he’s doing he’s playing a dangerous game.
- Aldyth - Thursday, Jun 1, 17 @ 1:43 pm:
This is the price that families pay when they are used as hostages by a vulture capitalist posing as a governor.
There is no solution for them. Only bad choices.
- Precinct Captain - Thursday, Jun 1, 17 @ 1:47 pm:
A small price to pay for Rauner and Griffin to get richer!
- Jimmy H - Thursday, Jun 1, 17 @ 1:53 pm:
The Dude Abides - Thursday, Jun 1, 17 @ 1:18 pm:
That’s what Rauner is doing and it’s not a game. Rauner is destroying lives for his agenda. Rauner is not incompetent, he is willfully doing this.
- Mama - Thursday, Jun 1, 17 @ 2:09 pm:
- Jimmy H - Thursday, Jun 1, 17 @ 1:53 pm: ==
Jimmy H., You are 100% right, “That’s what Rauner is doing and it’s not a game.” “Rauner is destroying lives for his agenda.” “Rauner is not incompetent, he is willfully doing this.”
Rauner’s so called “reforms” will not make IL better.
- Jimmy H - Thursday, Jun 1, 17 @ 2:52 pm:
This is just one of the families losing services. Think of all the families impacted by loss of services, each having their own tragic experience.
Rauner says the “short term pain” is so worth it for his TA. Rauner’s demagoguery is a race to the bottom where families like these are stripped of their significance and dehumanized with impunity.
- lake county democrat - Thursday, Jun 1, 17 @ 3:21 pm:
Illini - tell you what, since #1 and #3 don’t cost a cent, why not offer to add them to the grand bargain and THEN if no GOP senators bolt or Rauner doesn’t agree I’ll join you at the Rauner effigy fire party. (And #3 arguably would have solved it, but that’s another debate…)
- Anonymous - Thursday, Jun 1, 17 @ 3:27 pm:
Very sad to tell but parents of DD individuals have been told this for years. I have dealt with several parents who were told by social workers that if they gave up their rights to their child and allowed the state to become the child’s guardian then the state would give them services. This is absolutely ludicrous, but so true. And………once a family turned over their guardianship the child was placed in a state center with hours…..this is just so wrong! This has been going on for years, at least the past 5 (before Rauner), but it has probably worsened now.
- Cassandra - Thursday, Jun 1, 17 @ 4:46 pm:
So I infer that the state would pay for residential care if the parents sign the youngster over to DCFS. There is government money to pay for her care, the problem is the process to access that money.
I believe this is a separate issue from the closing of particular residential treatment centers because of a lack of state funding. For many years, as one commenter notes, there has been a struggle between state agencies-DCFS, DMH and others as to who should pay for the care of similarly afflicted children, some of whom were adopted via DCFS.
I agree that parents shouldn’t have to make their kids wards of the state get the care they need, but without major procedural changes, I believe this problem would persist even if the state were not experiencing budget problems.
- pawn - Thursday, Jun 1, 17 @ 8:27 pm:
Cassandra, the problem is that the state rates are not high enough. If you read the original news story, The Babyfold noted that they have lost more than $1 million operating this program. The rates can’t be adjusted because there is no budget and therefore no appropriations. The courts have just locked in spending.
- Term Limits, Like ONE! - Friday, Jun 2, 17 @ 7:16 am:
It’s past time for the Churches and the Church owned hospitals to step up to the plate and use their charitable organizations to care for individuals in this predicament. Obviously the STATE has failed in its activities.