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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (May 30, 2012)
Summer Natural Fun Guide Hazards Professional theater company opens production at the University of Portland Neighborhood maps rate risks and show community resources See page 17 e y nrtlait See Health, page 7 Read back issues of the Portland Observer at www.portlandobserver.com City 0/Roses’ Volume XXXXI, Number 20 Wednesday • May 30. 2012 Established in 1970 C om m itted to C ultural D iversity oj •'community sen vice State Audit Not Enough Long way to go for bringing children home by M indy C ooper T he P ortland O bserver Although a recent state audit shed light on necessary improve ments within the Child Welfare Di vision, both agency workers and families believe there is more to the picture than the findings revealed in the report. According to the audit, 29-per- cent of Oregon foster children are reunited with their families. Al though the number is higher than the national average of 22-percent, the findings have revealed that there is a lot of room for improvement. The goal of the report, a routine part of state government, was to look at how well the child welfare program does in returning children home to their parents or families, once they have been removed by the state. Heavy caseload, lim ited access to drug and alcohol treatm ent pro gram s for parents and lim ited fi nancial resources were am ongst m any problem s found within the state’s analysis, which concluded there is a lot o f work to be done to ensure c a se w o rk e r’s have the ability to help families be reunited with their children. Currently there are around 2,700 case workers, who work within ev ery county in the state, said Gene Evans, communications director for the Department of Human Services Child Welfare Division. M ultnom ah C ounty, he said, has largest num ber o f casew o rk ers because nearly h a lf o f the fo ster kids in the state are in the P o rtlan d m etro area. “I think the biggest issue the continued on page 5 photo by M indy C ooper /T he P ortland O bserver Carollynn Smith, founder of the organization Grandparents Raising Grandparents, takes a seat on the front porch of her north Portland home to talk about the long struggle she has waged with the state over the custody of her grandchildren.
