August 31, 2011
®*’t f o r ila nò (Obstruer
Page 5
Mother Struggles with Expectations
Says costs are
major issue
to getting
children back
but she said she needs help from the
department.
"Right now, I have to pay for
what services are recommended,”
she said. “But my understanding is
that if DHS requires something for
you to do for them, then they are
supposed to help you do it.”
According to Evans, the level of
income cannot be used as a factor to
separate a child from their family.
“There are plenty of parents who
are poor who are excellent parents,”
he said. “Just like there are plenty of
parent who are wealthy who aren't.”
He said, however, the process
needs to be better understood and
recognizes major need for change.
“There are people out there strug­
gling, who want with all their heart
to get their children home,” he said.
“They are doing the best they can to
do that.”
He said the goal of DHS is for
children to be safe at home with their
families.
“Kids come into to Foster Care
when they can’t stay safely at home,”
he said. “But reasonable efforts made
by the state means that DHS is try­
ing to reunite the family because
kids do better when they can stay
safely with family members, and
most of all a parent or both.”
Evans said, however, there are
not enough services for low-income
families, “That is a fact.”
According to Evans, some ex­
penses are covered under health
by M indy C ooper
T he P ortland O bserver
Although the D epartm ent of
Human Services Child Welfare divi­
sion says income is not a determin­
ing factor when deciding if a child
stays with their family, one Portland
parent said requirements by judges
and DHS officials cost too much
money, making it nearly impossible
for families get their children back
home.
“I have a major issue with the
unrealistic expectations the Depart­
ment of Human Services has for
families, especially low-income fami­
lies,” said Melissa Vliet, who has
been working with child welfare
agencies for over a decade.
According to Gene Evans, DHS
communications director, the courts
are involved throughout the pro­
cess, and it is the law that within 24
hours that the child is removed from
a home, the case will have a hearing.
“DHS then presents information
about the safety of the child, and the
judge will determine who the child
will go home with,” he said. “The
judge and DHS set out conditions
photo by M indy C ooper TT he P ortland O bserver
of return, and that varies from family Melissa Vliet plays with her one year old son, Tad in the living room of their northeast Portland
continued
on page 16
apartment.
to family.”
Some of the required conditions of different situations, it just de­ Vliet had her first baby at 17-years-
can include peer support and coun­ pends on the family,” he said.
old, but the only child she has been
seling, early developmental screen­
Parents say, however, these pro­ in contact with over the past two-
ing, parent education, early child­ grams, although seemingly helpful
years has been her one-year-old
hood development, child care, home on the surface, are expensive and baby Tad, who celebrated his first
visits, family resource centers, and often require impossible demands, birthday on Aug. 11.
job or skills education or training. especially for single parents attempt­
Working diligently, every day,
“It could be you need to get into ing to get their children permanently
Vliet said she will continue to do
alcohol, drug treatment or domestic back in their home.
everything in her power to regain
COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTER
violence counseling. There are lots
As the mother of eight children, even a little time with her children,
northby
northeast
Pa re nt's Corner Academic Failure Rate
c o n t i n u e d f r o m front
demic preparedness of American
students state by state. The group’s
2009 report revealed the following
about Oregon’s children:
Am ong Fourth graders, only
10 percent of black students were
able to read at their proficient level
or higher. The scores were only 11
percent for Latino students and
33 percent for w hite students.
Am ong Eighth grade students
able to do math at their proficient
level or higher, black students
scored 28 percent; Latino stu­
dents 14 percent; and white stu­
dents 39 percent.
O ur children are com peting
academically with children all over
the world. A recent report from
the C hildren’s Defense Fund re­
vealed the following: American 15
year olds rank 23rd in the world for
learning science; 17th in reading;
and 31 st in math. The 15 year olds
who ranked num ber one in all c at­
egories were from China.
Peeking behind the language
proficiency num bers, we find an
all too fam iliar pattern: Asian-
Am erican students ranked 2nd in
the industrialized world; white-
A m erican students ranked 7th
w orldw ide; H ispanic-A m erican
students ranked 43rd , and black-
Am erican students ranked 49th,
just behind Serbia and ahead of
Bulgaria.
The statistics for math and sci­
ence are equally alarm ing. Mind
you, these are the num bers before
many of the American 15 year olds
drop out of high school.
One last statem ent from the
C hildren’s Defense Fund report,
“Thirty-five percent o f Black and
29 percent of Hispanic high school
students attend the m ore than
1,600 ‘dropout factories’ across
our country, where less than 60
percent or few er o f the freshmen
class will graduate in four years
with a regular diplom a.”
Portland’s four year gradua­
tion rate unfortunately fits that
description.
Next week we will discuss why
this unnatural disaster continu­
ally recurs and what steps par­
ents can take to ensure their ch il­
dren do not becom e one o f the
these horrific num bers.
Thank you for five
wonderful years...
and more to come!
North by Northeast Community Health Center provides
high quality health care to uninsured neighborhood
adults with diabetes and high blood pressure. Five years
after opening in a small building on N. Williams Ave, we
have served over 5000 patients who had nowhere else
to turn. We are grateful to all of our patients and for the
community’s welcome and support. Thank you!
3030 NE Martin Luther King. Jr. Blvd. | Portland Oregon 97212
503-287-4932 | nxneclinic.org