Page A6
March 10, 1999
----------------------------------------------------îlortlanh (Ohserurr
How Oregon Protects Children A N N O U N C E M E N T
G uest O pinion B y K ay T oran ,
D lK K IUR O f THE STATE OFFICE
for
S era ices to C hildrea
and
F amilies
K now ing in w hich fam ilies
children will be abused or reabused is
not ascience. Child protective service
professionals, in conjunction with
law enforcement andjudicial partners,
base decisions on the information we
have.
Even with perfect information, there
is still room for error. The following
are some o f the questions we are most
fre q u e n tly a sk e d a b o u t c h ild
protective services.
Q. If a parent spanks a child, is it
considered child abu se.’
Parents have a right to discipline
their children. Simply spanking is not
child abuse. However, tissue damage
such as bruises, welts, or lacerations
may be signs o f child abuse and must
be investigated.
Q. How does Services to Children
and Families respond to a report of
child abuse or neglect?
SCF assesses the family situation
to determine whether abuse or neglect
has occurred and if the child is at risk
o f further abuse.
Q. W hat is the difference between
SCF’s assessment o f suspected child
abuse and a criminal investigation
and prosecution'’
The two systems may operate at
the sam e tim e but they are
independent. SCF is part of the social
service system designed to protect
children by helping families. SCF does
not prosecute. Law enforcement and
the courts make up the criminal justice
system that is designed to protect the
community, including children, and
to punish offenders.
Q. What happens ifSCF determines
that abuse or neglect has occurred ’
When possible, children remain in
their homes. SCF offers services to
strengthen families so children are
safe in their own homes. Family
resource workers teach parents basic
physical and em otional care of
c h ild re n , h y g ie n e p ra c tic e s,
n u tr itio n , and how to run a
household, including budgeting.
Q. What if a child can’t be kept
safely at home?
Where a child is in immediate
danger, Oregon statute permits law
enforcement or SCF to place a child
in protective custody. SCF first looks
to re la tiv e s for a te m p o ra ry
placement and then to foster parents
in a family setting.
_ __
___ — do if a child
Q.
What can parents
protective service worker removes a
child from their home?
W ithin 24 hours o f a c h ild 's
removal, a juvenile court judge
reviews the need to place the child.
At this hearing parents are expected
to attend and may bring legal
representation. SCF’s goal is to see
that parents are alw ays closely
involved in planning what must be
done to make the home a safe and
healthy environment before the child
is returned.
Q. What if a child in foster care
can’t be returned home?
If a child cannot be safely reunited
with a parent, SCF will find an
alternative plan such as adoption,
guardianship or long-term relative
care. If adoption is the goal, a family
that best matches the child’s needs
is recruited.
Q. Is SCF held accountable for its
decisions and actions?
SCF operates within a system o f
ch ecks and b a la n c e s. Ju d g e s,
c o u n se lo rs, law e n fo rc e m e n t
officers. Citizens Review Boards, and
court-appointed special advocates
are involved in ongoing review o f
SCF decisions.
New Cost Estimate For Siting Women s Prison
Shows Day Road Is Cheaper Then Umatilla
Representative Merkley released a
new budget analysis comparing the
cost o f siting a W om en’s Prison and
aco-gender Intake Facility (WPIC) at
Day Road and the cost o f siting it in
Umatilla
This analysis, prepared by the
Legislative Fiscal Office in Salem,
shows that siting the WPIC at Day
Road results in $29.4 million in
savings. This analysis modifies a
preliminary analysis that suggested
savings o f approximately $90 million
for siting the prison in Umatilla.
A lso, R epresentative M erkley
observed that the savings for Day
Road over Umatilla increase to $35.4
million if one adds into the analysis
the $6 million in special payments
and tn
the e
th at
a t th e H ouse W ater ano
•
Environment Committee has voted to
send to Umatilla.
Representative Merkley noted that
"This new cost analysis corrects the
mistaken impression that Umatilla is
cheaper. Since cost is a big factor in
the decision on siting the prison, I
expect this analysis to influence the
debate. Previously, it was reasonable
to argue that we should save money
by siting the prison in Umatilla. The
same argument now leads to Day
Road."
"The Change in the numbers,"
Representative Merkley noted, “is
th e re su lt o f c o m p le tin g the
preliminary analysis. That analysis
didn’t’ supply a complete plan for
Umatilla under both the Day Road
and Umatilla scenarios. -------
Thus, - it didn’t
n _* that using tVio
reflect
the cprnnH
second halt
halt for
a man s prison is much more efficient
than using the second halt ot the
Umatilla site for a women’s prison
and co-gender intake facility. Also,
the preliminary analysis didn’t reflect
that using the second half o f the
Umatilla site for a wom en’s prison
and intake facility means that the
state must create another site for the
men who would otherwise have been
housed at Umatilla."
"To put it another way, the savings
realized from operating two m en’s
prisons at Umatilla more than offset
the high costs o f building and
operating the WPIC at Day Road.
R epresentative M erkley can be
reached in Salem at (503)986-1416 or
via email at merkley .rep@state.or.us
. , , face
p ___
i____
ticker's
value
are _ applied atinct
at just
about any event req u irin g the
advance purchase o f a ticket at
venues all over, from the Rose Garden
to the Schmtzer. Attendees have no
choice but to buy tickets through a
vendor, and these vendors can charge
as much as they want on top o f the
legislative action in the nation
protecting citizens from the exorbitant
fees Ticketmaster and other vendors
impose on concert-goers and sports
Concert-Goers: 1 Ticketmaster: 0
S tate Rep. Ryan D eckert (D-
Beaverton) has introduced a bill to
stop ticket vendors from gouging
c o n su m e rs w ith u n re a so n a b le
surcharges on tickets to concerts and
sporting events held in venues built
with public funds.
“These outrageous charges are a
double hit on the taxpayers. When
people have paid their tax dollars to
build and maintain a facility," Rep.
Deckert said, “it is appalling to charge
them huge fees to attend events in
these venues. It’s like being charged
rent to live in a house that you already
own. It’s a racket.”
Stiff surcharges o f up to 70% o f a
ticket cost.
The days o f paying in service
charges are numbered ifDecket sHB
2728 passes the Oregon Legislature.
HB 2728 limits service charges to 15%
o f the face value o f the ticket for
events at venues built or maintained
with public funds.
T his b ill w ould be the first
Pamplin Fellows Present The 3rd
Annual “Increase the Peace”
All-Star Basketball Game
The "Increase the Peace" All-Star
Basketball Game is a yearly event
designed to foster community unity
and promote non-violence. This year’s
event is scheduled for March 16,1999
at 7:00 p.m., and will take place in the
gymnasium at the Center for Self
Enhancemen,(392ON. Kerby St.).
The game will pit some o f today’s
standout high school prep basketball
players like Pamplin Fellow Ben Coffee
and Terrence Greene from Benson
High School, Brandon Brooks and
Pamplin Fellow Andre Lawrence from
Jefferson High School, against SEI
A ll-Star staffers such as former
College All-American Phil Hopson
and Steve Adams, a member o f the
B enson High School '83 State
Championship Squad, also a former
college player tor the Idaho Vandals.
With all o f the heated competition
and attention this year in the Prep
sports arena, the Pamplin Fellows
feel this is an excellent opportunity to
motivate the youth of their community
towards making positive choices
when faced with the pressures of
drugs, gangs, and violence.
influence their peers, and serve as
role models to inner-city teenagers
within the community.
ABOUTTHE PAMPLIN PROJECT:
The Self Enhancement, Inc. (SEI)
Pamplin Project is a high school
leadership program funded by local
businessman Dr. Robert B. Pamplin,
Jr., with thirty student “ Fellows”
participating from Benson, Grant, and
Jefferson High Schools. The project
encourages and empowers young
adults to use their natural skills of
influence to persuade peers to make
positive choices when confronted
with teen pressures such as drugs,
gangs, and violence. The premise is
simple: give young adults a chance to
live and learn by positive influence
and they will, through their own
natural ability, persuade their peers
to make positive decisions when
confronted with the challenges of
growing up in today’s inner-city.
The Pamplin Fellows believe that
giving back to the com m unity
p rogram s, they w ill p o sitiv e ly
ABOUT SELF ENHANCEMENT,
INC.(SEl)
Founded in 1981 by Tony Hopson,
SEI is a non-profit organization
committed to helping Portland’s inner-
city youth make positive choices to
achieve their full potential. Located in
north Portland, SEI provides young
people with constructive options for
personal success to help them avoid
the pitfalls o f drugs, gangs and
violence. Today, SEI serves 1,200
school-age youth with services in 11
Portland public schools in north/
northeast Portland as well as in after
school and summer programs in its
new Center for SelfEnhancement. SEI
has been recognized as a national
model of youth violence prevention
by the U. S. Centers for Disease Control
and was ranked in the top 100 of
President George Bush's Thousand
Points o f Light.
Community Forum Focuses
On Preventing Youth Suicides
. .
Youth suicide prevention is the
topic of a community forum scheduled
for March 18 from 6:00 to 9:00 pm at
the Portland State Office Building,
800 NE Oregon Street in Portland.
The forum will raise awareness
about teen suicide and gather local
input into a statewide prevention plan
that is currently being developed,
according to Ron Bloodworth, youth
suicide prevention coordinator at the
Oregon Health Division.
“Suicide is the second-leading
cause o f death for young people in
Oregon, and reaches into every corner
o f the state. Youth suicide is also a
fans.
In the past, high-publicity suits
arguing that T icketm aster is a
monopoly have tailed. Rep. Deckert s
bill tries a different approach by
focusing on the types of venues
Ticketmaster is contracting with and
the relationship that taxpayers have
to these venues.
HB 2728 has been assigned to the
House Commerce Committee and is
awaiting a hearing.
.
.,
,.
.
v .
public health problem that can be
prevented,” says Bloodworth." I his
forum is an opportunity to raise
awareness, and for members o f the
community to help identify strategies
to prevent youth suicide.”
A 1998 Health Division report
showed that one in five Oregon high
school students reported they had
considered suicide and that the
suicide rate for 15-to-19-year olds
has increased more than five-fold
over the last 35 years. Oregon is 17lh
highest in the nation foryouth suicide,
according to Bloodworth.
The Portland forum is one oftwelve
k being
.„ n n held
hpiH around
a r o u n d the state. Input
from the forums will be compiled and
developed into a final statewide plan
for yo u th su ic id e p re v e n tio n .
M em bers o f the planning team
represent different disciplines and
different geographic areas ot the
state. They have been involved in the
project forsix months, since returning
from a national suicide prevention
conference in Nevada last Octobei.
Anyone wanting more information
about the Portland forum can call Dr.
Kirk Wolfe at 503-236-4343 or Ron
B lo o d w o rth ,
yo u th
su icid e
prevention coordinator at the Oregon
Health Division, 503-731-4978.
T he W E A T H E R M A N
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Commission
npredictable. T h a t’s th e best
U
way to describe our w eather this
Members
time of year. From one day to the n e tt,
nobody knows what M other N ature
has in store. But there is one thing you
T he
M u ltn o m ah
C o unty
Commissionon Children, Families and
C o m m u n ity seek s p ro sp e c tiv e
members to apply for volunteer service.
Successful applicants are appointed
by the Multnomah County Board o f
Commissioners for four year terms
and are responsible for setting social
policy and making funding allocations
for a wide range o f social change
initiatives. Members are asked to make
a minimum commitment o f four hours
per month. Community advocate, and
under-represented groups including
low income people are encouraged to
apply. M em bers are eligible for
reimbursement oftransportation, child
care and other costs.
can count on when bad w eather hits
Pacific Power crews will be out there
working. Because no m atter what the
■ Create a story with pictures on the Internet
■ Participate in fun indoor and outdoor
games and activities
V Find out about cool, high tech careers
If you are 11— 14 years old and live in Multnomah County,
you can arend one of our free week-long day camps.
Applications due April 15. Camps take place in July
For more information or to request an application packet, call
503.736.6012 or go to the library's web site:
www.multnomah.lib.or.us/lib/webcamp/
weatherm an says, the fact that our trew s
are on the job is totally predit table.
So if M other N ature packs a punt h that
knocks out your power, give us a tall
at I-877-LITES O U T (1-877-548-3768).
At Pacific Power, we’re here to help you
w eather the storm .
PACIFIC POWER
,1 1'n,ifiCxrr Compwi*
PROVIOCD .V A GRANT FROM
roowoAiiqw
LIBRARY
u u 'w .p a iifh n r p .in m
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