.
. ONE
. ONE FOSTER KID A THIRTY SEVEN THOUSAND DOLLAR BILL THAT WAS
THE COST OF CARING FOR JUST ONE
CHILD FOR ONE MONTH.
IT'S AN EXTREME CASE BUT IT
DOES SHOW THE PROBLEMS WITH
WASHINGTON'S FOSTER CARE
PROGRAM.
KING 5 INVESTIGATOR CHRIS
ENGLE'S HAS BEEN LOOKING AT THE
STATE'S FOSTER CARE SYSTEM FOR
YEARS AND TONIGHT HE TELLS US
ABOUT A PROPOSAL TO IMPROVE THE
LIVES OF VULNERABLE KIDS.
BUT POLITICS AND PROFITS MAY BE
GETTING IN THE WAY.
ASHLEY HOUSE RUNS A NETWORK
OF GROUP HOMES LIKE THIS ONE IN
KENT FOR FOSTER KIDS WITH
SEVERE MEDICAL OR BEHAVIORAL
CHALLENGES.
THE STATE'S COSTLIEST FOSTER
CHILD LAST YEAR WAS AN ASHLEY
HOUSE RESIDENT WHOSE CARE COSTS
37000 DOLLARS PER MONTH,
ACCORDING TO RECORDS FROM THE
DEPARTMENT OF CHILDREN, YOUTH
AND FAMILIES DCF.
ASHLEY HOUSE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
KEN MAZE EXPLAINS THE BIG BILL
IN THE SITUATION THAT YOU'RE
TALKING ABOUT.
WE HAD A CHILD WHO WAS SELF
INJURIOUS.
IN OTHER WORDS, IF HE WAS ALONE
HE WOULD HURT HIMSELF BANG HIS
HEAD ON THE FLOOR OR THROW
HIMSELF OUT OF THE BED OR EVEN
PICK HIS EYE OUT COULD BE AN
EXTREME EXAMPLE.
HE SAYS THE CHILD REQUIRED AN
AROUND THE CLOCK TEAM TO WATCH
OVER HIM.
BUT DCF RECORDS SHOW OTHER
CHILDREN NOT FROM ASHLEY HOUSE
WHO ALSO COST TENS OF THOUSANDS
OF DOLLARS PER MONTH EACH
REPUBLICAN STATE REPRESENTATIVE
MICHELE CALLED HERE DOESN'T
THINK TAXPAYERS ARE GETTING
THEIR MONEY'S WORTH FROM THE
GROUP HOME SYSTEM.
THEY'RE NOT GOOD LOVING
ENVIRONMENTS AND UNFORTUNE FOR
A LOT OF THEM.
THEY TEACH CHILDREN KIND THE
LORD OF THE FLIES SKILLS AND
YOU KNOW, I'VE SEEN THEIR
BEHAVIORS GET WORSE KILDEA IS
NOT ONLY A LAWMAKER SHE'S ALSO
A LONGTIME FOSTER PARENT WHO
TAKES CHALLENGING KIDS INTO HER
HOME IN PORT ORCHARD.
SHE SAYS FOSTER KIDS ARE BETTER
SERVED IN FAMILY, FOSTER HOMES,
REGULAR FAMILIES IN TYPICAL
NEIGHBORHOODS WHERE THEY CAN GO
TO SCHOOL AND MAKE FRIENDS.
BUT SHE SAYS DCF IS FUNDING
MODEL FAVORS GROUP HOMES AND
MAKES IT DIFFICULT FOR FOSTER
PARENTS TO EARN MORE THAN THE
800 DOLLAR BASIC MONTHLY FEE
FOR A FOSTER KID.
SO BASICALLY MY BILL WOULD
HAVE, YOU KNOW, HELPED FUNNEL
SOME OF THESE DOLLARS INTO YOU
KNOW, TO HELP CARE FOR THEM IN
A FOSTER HOME SETTING, KILDEA
HAS INTRODUCED A BILL THAT
WOULD CUT THE RED TAPE THAT
MANY FOSTER PARENTS ENCOUNTER
AND OPEN MORE FOSTER HOME DOORS
TO CHALLENGING CHILDREN.
SHE BELIEVES THAT WOULD REDUCE
THE NUMBER OF KIDS THE STATE
PUTS UP IN HOTEL ROOMS AND EVEN
ON COTS IN DCF OFFICE
BUILDINGS.
LAST YEAR WE REPORTED ON THE
GROWING NUMBER OF HOTEL STAYS
BY FOSTER CHILDREN LIKE DAVID
SARON WHO SPENT TWO MONTHS WITH
SOCIAL WORKERS AND RENTED ROOMS
UNTIL DCF FOUND HIM.
A PLACEMENT GIVES YOU A VERY
NEGATIVE OUTLOOK ON SOCIETY AND
THE WORLD AND JUST THE WAY
THINGS ARE SAID REPRESENTATIVE
CALLED HERE SAYS SHE WAS
BLINDSIDED WHEN AN ORGANIZATION
REPRESENTING GROUP HOMES
OPPOSED HER BILL AND APPEARS TO
HAVE KILLED IT FOR THIS
LEGISLATIVE SESSION.
THEY'RE THERE TO PROTECT
THEMSELVES.
YOU KNOW THEY'RE NOT THERE FOR
THE CHILDREN.
THEY'RE THERE TO PROTECT THE
SYSTEM.
I WOULD DISAGREE WITH THAT
FOSTER INTEGRATOR AND THE RIGHT
FOSTER HOME CAN BE LIFE
CHANGING FOR OUR CHILD BUT THE
WRONG FOSTER HOME CAN BE
DAMAGING AND IT CAN BE ANOTHER
FAILED PLACEMENT.
IT COULD BE ANOTHER REJECTION.
I DON'T WANT TO SEE THAT WHEN I
SPEAK ABOUT MY CHILDHOOD THAT
IS ONE OF THE FEW TIMES WHERE I
START CHOKING UP A LITTLE BIT
JUST BECAUSE IT WAS HARD FOR
REPRESENTATIVE CALLED WE'RE
GETTING IT RIGHT FOR EACH KID
IS PERSONAL BECAUSE IT ALWAYS
TAKES HER BACK TO HER OWN
CHILDHOOD WHEN SHE WAS PLACED
IN FOSTER CARE TO ESCAPE WHAT
SHE SAYS WAS AN
STEPFATHER FOR THESE KIDS. I MEAN THEY THEY NEED LOVE MORE THAN ANYTHING ELSE AND SHE SAYS
KIDS SIMPLY DON'T GET THAT WHEN
THEY ARE FORCED TO SPEND THE
NIGHT IN A PLACE LIKE THIS.
THE CHILD WELFARE OFFICE IN
KENT IN FACT JUST WITHIN THE
PAST HALF HOUR OR SO WE SAW
SOCIAL WORKERS LEADING SOME
KIDS OUT OF THE DOOR HERE WITH
THEIR SUITCASES UNTIL MAYBE
THOSE ARE KIDS.
WE DON'T REALLY KNOW THEIR
STORY BUT MAYBE THOSE ARE KIDS
WHO DO NOT HAVE A PLACE TO STAY
AND I COULD END UP IN A MOTEL
OR HEAR BACK AT THE OFFICE
REPRESENTATIVE CALLED HERE AND
THE WASHINGTON ASSOCIATION FOR
FAMILIES AND CHILDREN AND DCF
ITSELF ALL AGREED THAT THE
FUNDING SYSTEM FOR THESE
CHALLENGING FOSTER KIDS IS
FLAWED.
THEY MAY NOT NECESSARILY AGREE
HOW TO ON HOW TO FIX IT BUT DCF
SAYS IT IS PREPARED TO TRY TO
WORK ON A DIFFERENT MODEL TO
HELP SAVE THESE KIDS, THESE
KIDS WHO ARE CHALLENGING
PLACEMENTS EVEN IF
REPRESENTATIVE CALLED YEARS
BILL DOES NOT PASS THIS
LEGISLATIVE SESSION.
I'M CHRIS INGLES REPORTING LIVE
IN KENT.
CHRIS, THANK YOU.
IN THE STATE IS ALWAYS LOOKING
FOR GOOD FOSTER PARENTS MAYBE
THAT IS YOU TO FIND OUT MORE
JUST TEXT THE WORD FOSTER TO