posted on December 19, 2006 09:10:19 AM
Foster parents move toward joining union
By Maureen O'Hagan
Seattle Times staff reporter
The pay is lousy, the hours are terrible, and they don't get much respect — foster parents have been saying this for years.
Now they're trying to do something about it. For the past few months, foster parents in the state have been working quietly on a plan to join the Washington Federation of State Employees and make Washington the first state in the country where foster parents will be part of a union.
"I think being able to speak together has some benefits," said Steve Baxter, co-president of the Foster Parents Association of Washington State, which has been leading the effort.
The federation, the largest state government labor union, also represents state Children's Administration employees.
Cheryl Stephani, assistant secretary of the Children's Administration, was notified by e-mail of the plan last week, but her department declined to comment on it Thursday.
The e-mail, signed by Baxter's group, said the state foster-care system "is in crisis." Turnover among foster parents is high, which means children don't get the stability they need. Foster parents, meanwhile, "feel unprepared and unsupported" by the state to do a job that everyone agrees is crucial, the e-mail said.
Washington's child-welfare system is already under pressure to reform, under the terms of a lawsuit settlement calling for a massive overhaul of foster care. The suit detailed the cases of foster children who were bounced through dozens of homes, separated from siblings and denied basic services.
In some cases, children with serious medical conditions or mental-health problems were placed with untrained foster parents; sometimes caseworkers kept these problems secret from the foster parents, virtually ensuring the children would be moved once again.
Under the settlement, the state agreed to provide more training and help for foster parents. In March, a panel overseeing the settlement found the state had not met those requirements.
Karen Jorgenson, executive director of the National Foster Parent Association, said it's likely foster parents in other states will take notice of the move to unionize.
"I think you'll see it popping up in other states," she said.
In Washington, about 6,000 foster parents care for some 9,600 children at any given time. Pay ranges from $374 to $525 per month, depending on the child's age. Parents get no health insurance or holidays and are on call round-the-clock.
One of the biggest complaints from foster parents is that no one listens to them, according to those who work in the field. Instead, they're treated like baby-sitters, said Bill Grimm, a senior attorney with the National Center for Youth Law.
"I believe their voices are ignored; yet they are the ones that know the most about these children," he said. "I'm not saying they're always right and that their opinions should prevail, but that their opinions should be considered."
At this point, it's still unclear exactly what the unionization efforts will bring. The union said it will announce details May 30.
The concept of unionizing people who aren't employees has been well-tested in Washington. Over the past few years, home health-care and child-care workers joined unions and were granted the right to collective bargaining.
posted on December 19, 2006 01:49:02 PM
You might not like this, but I don't think foster parents should be paid anything. I think they should do it for the love of children and because they see a way to help out. If they can't afford it, they should babysit or something. Once any money is exchanged, it's simply a business of renting children.
And who checks to see if the foster parents are qualified to raise children?
Also, I'd really love to know how many pro-lifers are foster parents. Wouldn't you, Mingo?
posted on December 19, 2006 06:13:07 PM
That is a good question Kraft, it would be nice to know that there are some pro-lifers who care about children AFTER they're born.
Kraft, think the following over as it pertains to teachers or people who adopt...""You might not like this, but I don't think foster parents should be paid anything. I think they should do it for the love of children and because they see a way to help out. If they can't afford it, they should babysit or something. Once any money is exchanged, it's simply a business of renting children.""
Taking a child or children into your home is an expensive proposition...I'd hate to see children stay in an institution simply because good loving people didn't have the money to take care of them. I'd rather pay QUALIFIED people than an institution.
And actually, my whole point was the movement towards unionization when groups of people want to get something done...
posted on December 19, 2006 09:43:58 PM
Sorry Mingo. Didn't mean to go off topic like that but I always think of the mouthy pro-lifers when I hear of foster parents or adoptive parents.
Classic, you would think the people that protest the loudest about unwanted children would be the ones that bring the most into their homes, but it's only another bs story by the religious right.
posted on December 19, 2006 11:46:34 PM
It wasn't really off-topic, Kraft, so I won't go into a screaming tirade about how ALL liberals change the topic ALL the time(like someone we know).
It's a good point...there are so many kids who need help and a home even if it's temporary....but if you ask anti-choice people how many they've adopted or fostered you get a blank look.
People LIKE LINDUH who are so anti-choice yet once the kid is here they do NOT want one penny of their taxes going to help it out...even with a free breakfast when the alternative is NO breakfast...TSK TSK TSK!
I think the union thing is good because then foster parents will get the support and oversight that is necessary for the good of the kids. If there's an issue that isn't being addressed then a bunch of voices are better than one or two.
posted on December 20, 2006 03:01:47 AM
Kraft-good point
The best thing is not to have them in the first place-if you cant afford them-do not have them.
I do not want to support someone elses little bastards.From what I've seen nowadays,half of these people on the planet shouldnt be having kids anyway.
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If you dont want to hear the truth....dont ask the question.
