We’re Kathey and Rob Raskin of Las Vegas and we care about our nation’s children. And Iowa needs to do better. The deaths of two teenage girls there caused the investigation of Iowa’s DHS, an investigation they requested themselves.
Results from the Child Welfare Policy and Practice Group were released, and the 106 pages show the world of overworked, under-trained employees and low department morale. Media outlets have interviewed a former DHS employee who agreed with the results. Amy Sacco was the case worker for one Natalie Finn. Sacco was fired by the DHS when Finn starved to death in October of 2016.
She stated, “This is a horrific thing […], and DHS is really good at sweeping things under the rug, […] firing myself was their answer […] we’ll fire Amy Sacco and maybe […] it will show […] we did something.”
The CWP study shows child abuse evaluations in Iowa have increased 43% compared to the previous year. Sacco stated this was not difficult to believe, remarking that employees typically receive at least one new case every day. In a month that could be 20 cases and sometimes it could even be up to two a day. According to the report, over 20 cases per month is common in Iowa counties such as Polk and Linn.
The investigation also revealed that the DHS staff believe their training is inadequate. Sacco agrees with that and stated that she wonders if additional training could have saved Natalie Finn’s life.
She stated, “I couldn’t get direction […], so I had this court order, and no one was trained on it. I would ask my supervisor, […] she would say […] get this served and keep going out to the home.”
This all created poor moral within the DHS. The report faults “… legislative changes in collective bargaining, budget cuts, workload, and a culture [which] seems […] compliance focused.” The new DHS director, Jerry Foxhoven, has stated that improving moral is one of his chief priorities. He has not remarked directly on the report which is imperative to the DHS.
Our foster homes and systems must do better. One child dying is too many. On the Kathey and Rob Raskin Stop DHR site, you can report complaints. Please, do so. They can save lives like Natalie Finn’s.