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Foster kids just like money in the bank

December 19, 2013
Lee Collins

Lee Collins

By DANIEL BLACKBURN

Children taken from parents and placed in foster homes generate a generous flow of cash to California counties, according to a recent Los Angeles Times report.

County social services agencies throughout the state net at least $1,800 each month for every child placed into foster care.

“The currency of the system is children; the key to getting more children — and earning more money — is finding willing foster parents,” The Times reported.

The newspaper noted the strong financial motivation for government’s placement of children in what often are inferior foster homes.

Approximately 40 percent of a monthly grant for each child goes to the foster parents; the remaining 60 percent goes to individual counties to help pay salaries and reduce office expenses.

Earlier this month, San Luis Obispo County Social Services Department Director Lee Collins asserted this county does not receive any government funding for children in the foster care system.

He told the San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors on Dec. 10 that there is a high cost to the county for keeping children in county custody.

Statewide, many of these children then end up in neglectful or dangerous foster homes.

“The money that foster parents receive — about $748 a month in California, or $25 a day — is for the children’s living expenses,” The Times reported. “The homes are not meant to be profit-making enterprises, but it is the sole income for some parents.”

According to California’s state website, “The preferred placement of children who require out-of-home care is with relatives.” However, county employees have wide-ranging, often absolute, discretion in determining if children stay in foster homes, or with family members, while working to “reunify” kids with parents.

Many parents of children “relocated” to foster homes also reported extreme difficulties in getting child welfare employees to respond to allegations of foster abuse. Those employees are required by law to investigate within 48 hours allegations of abuse or neglect of their wards.


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This is an interesting site that you posted. I have read about this “catch 22” problem recently on other sites. After witnessing what has occurred in the Powers/Velie case, I have read almost everything that is out there. Mothers all over the country are reporting about this latest phenomena. Some are devastated and have lost their children regardless of if they did report or followed the suggestions of others and didn’t report.


Damned it you do and damned it you don’t seems to be the dilemma. There are cases where non- accusatory parents lost custody for not reporting abuse by the offending parent. The case workers concluded that the non offending parent “should have known” but either didn’t know and/or didn’t report it. Then there is the problem of the parents who did report but case workers concluded that the reporting parent is simply making up accusations to alienate the children from the estranged (offending)spouse. So the protective parent becomes the offending parent! So it’s becoming common that in cases where abuse is reported by one spouse against another, the reporting spouse loses custody to the accused spouse! What a mess.


What to do? Does a parent report that another parent is physically/sexually abusing a child or will they risk losing the child to the offender in so doing?


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My view on this is the TRUTH is ALWAYS best!!! No matter what the outcome.

You live with yourself and in your integrity can sleep at night knowing you did the

right thing.Even if you stand alone.

It is a broken system. Please forgive me, I don’t mean to be repetitive and sound like a broken record….

But the family courts are raw sewage. Cases need to have specialized persons required to handling them. Cases CWS/CPS, juvenile dependency hearings, DV cases are unique and requires a specialized expertise in the field.


If one has a Cardiac/heart problem (and needed surgery) they would not go to a ear doctor specialist right?

I think one would want the best darn heart surgeon to perform the surgery. A doctor with reputable experience the Cardiac field.

These Attorney’s ( SLO is limited) handling the above cases do not have the specialized training for the unique contentions which bring multi faced issues.


I know the heart wrenching pain that comes for doing the right thing. Yet, in retrospect and living with the depredation, I did the right thing.


Each one who participated in wrongdoing will be held accountable. It may appear like they get away with their corruption…but God holds a very special place for His children. Nothing they (CPS, Case workers, Lawyers, BOS) alike is hidden.


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What Services is CWS offering to support this family with reunification process?


Services such as..

Family Group Decision-Making

Family group decision-making is a generic term that includes a number of approaches in which family members are brought together to make decisions about how to care for their children and develop a plan for services. Different names used for this type of intervention include family team conferencing, family team meetings, family group conferencing, family team decision-making, family unity meetings, and team decision-making. Approaches differ in various aspects, but most consist of several phases and employ a trained facilitator or coordinator.

The key is a TRAINED facilitator/coordinator.


This is what they claim to do… offer services, so what and were are they?


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Heaven, Please stop. This family doesn’t need any services especially from our local powers that be. Christine just needs her child support payments.


The last thing this family needs is some coordinator sitting down overseeing family meetings as if there is something wrong with any of them. This family is close and manages to work out any problems they encounter together, they get along just fine and the children are very happy, loved, well cared for, well fed and secure, or “were secure” until CWS broke all the laws that we the people rely on. The best thing that can be done now is to pay for some private counseling outside the agency or it’s affiliates for these children who have been victimized and traumatized by these vindictive dysfunctional agency workers.


The faster CWS gets out of their lives and see’s to it that Christine gets her child support the better.


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Cindy and all readers: No offence meant! I know the DESTRUCTION CWS causes and I live with it daily!!!


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As 2013 comes to a close, it’s count down to shut down CPS what a great goal for the

New Year.

Never underestimate the power of prayer!!!

Just as the Gov’t shut down, drastic cuts are on the way to the San Luis Obispo County

Superior Court system, including employee furloughs, service cuts and even the

shutdown of a courthouse. Grover Beach closed!


SLO courts could be next…… 2014 will bring drastic changes as to how CPS/CWS does business.


Many Blessings to all and Happy New Year+


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DYSFUNCTIONAL SYSTEM is correct!!! I took my case to the appellate court thinking Justice would be severed. It was extremely disappointing and heartbreaking. My experience was the same. This court rubber stamped the lower courts ruling.

If I can suggest.. I would be worth the energy and time to take case to the Supreme Court.


It does help to know that you are not alone. It feels like you are isolated and trust me I know it takes an emotional toll.


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heaven, why don’t you tell us your story? I would like to hear it, perhaps it’s already out there and I’ve seen it but don’t know that it’s your story? I think many of us would like to hear about your personal experience.


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As far as me airing my families “story” and “personal experience” I have shared well enough– ANYONE, who (first hand) has been involved with CWS/CPS. All have a

story. Unfortunately, most not favorable.

Really, that in itself speaks volumes. So I have made the choice to spare using this venue with the details and becoming that another “story.”

This is about the Velie family.

Just knowing that when CPS/CWS is involved with our children their are always casualties. Enough said.


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When you are victimized by CWS, CPS, you feel alone, powerless, and generally despondent. To know that others have shared your grief is at the least knowing your are not alone. To those who have not been crushed by these agencies, please be warned that YOU or your extended family may be ensnared by them. Through the effort to provide a voice for those who are to young to defend or speak for themselves, CWS, CPS has acquired power far beyond legal and moral limits. Talk with any attorney who is outside the power clique of the juvenile court system and they will tell you of the unethical practices, and the disregard for the laws governing child welfare that CWS,CPS agents routinely demonstrate . In my opinion, this County Agency should be investigated by the Federal agency that deals with corrupted civil service representatives and their supervisory staff. To my knowledge, no one governmental group operates with such uncontrolled power. As their child redacting generates revenue for the County, I would strongly suspect law enforcement is often in partnership. I sincerely hope that YOU don’t become a victim of their “revenue enhancement.”


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That is what CPS does VICTIMIZE families with threats and retaliation using children as

their pawns. Unfortunately, they are on a one way track and it is difficult to stop the train.

These track I wish upon no one to have to encounter.

Speaking of the incentives $$$$ I am surprised their are children in there homes.

I wonder what it would look like if CPS was offered incentives/bonuses to keep families in tact? As long as they continue to receive money for each child that enters the “system” they will produce them….or they would not be employed.

Be careful. Your family could be next!

Very sad commentary.


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After reading all these posts and the articles related to this ordeal with these children, I decided that I have to say something about all this.


I do hope that people realize that many of these social workers involved with CWS are not qualified by any means. Many have only completed minimal college credits in a related human health or services field but they achieve high end “unaccredited” credentials from within the agency based on experience. This experience can be related to anything in the field. They are not highly educated workers by any means, many don’t even have an AA degree. These so called social workers are the incompetent uneducated people who are making life changing decisions about who gets to raise their own children and which children will sold to a stranger, that is; with the help of a jv judge who relies on the reports that the SS workers present. The parents and children receive very little legal representation as these court appointed attorneys are usually flunkies in their own right, burned out and often fraternize with the social workers who they see on a daily basis.


Recently, the Santa Maria Agency decided to upgrade 11 of 14 “intake workers” (“intake worker” this is a person who takes care of children on premise at the agency when they are initially brought into the system on the first day) to “social worker 1 status”. So now these intake workers are social workers out in the field looking for more children.. OMG


I agree, this system needs a serious overhaul complete with real permanent oversight.


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