State adds funding to stop "boarder baby" problem
Marley Greiner
Human Services wants to spend $300,000 to discourage parents from abandoning
boarder babies at hospitals while at the same time he wants to spend
$500,000 ( different article) to encourage parents to abandon babies at
hospitals....via SH.
Of course, boarder babies aren't very adoptable.
Safe Havens: the new white meat.
Marley
http://www.newsday.com/news/local/wire/ny-bc-nj--dyfs-boarderbabie0203feb03,0,
7094180,print.story?coll=ny-ap-regional-wire
State adds funding to stop 'boarder baby' problem
February 3, 2004, 7:17 PM EST
of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey; NO PICKUP. AP Photo hotbad
NEWARK, N.J. (AP) _ State officials announced Tuesday that additional
funding
would be put into the effort to stop the problem of "boarder babies,"
newborn
infants left in hospitals because they are not wanted by their parents.
James Davy, the recently appointed commissioner of Human Services, said
$300,000 would fund studies to determine what type of programs could be
developed
to get the babies placed with relatives. Some of the money would be used to
buy
baby supplies for the families.
"We must do whatever it takes to stop this disturbing problem," Davy said.
"With this additional funding we will be able to help more boarder babies go
home with relatives.
Davy made the announcement in Newark at University Hospital, which usually
sees the most cases of infants left behind in the state. About 75 percent of
the
600 cases statewide each year are from the Newark area, officials said.
Two caseworkers from the Division of Youth and Family Services have been
assigned to the hospital to help develop a plan for placing the babies. Davy
said
the goal is to get family members to take the babies home.
The state is also seeking more foster homes for the infants and other
children and has established a special phone number _ (877)NJ-FOSTER _ for
that
program.
Those programs are among several emergency measures aimed at reforming DYFS
that were put in place by Davy after he was appointed last month.
The state must submit a plan by Feb. 18 that details how the troubled child
welfare agency will be completely overhauled. That plan was required under
the
terms of a lawsuit settlement the state reached with a children's rights
group
in June. It is being overseen by a federal judge.
Copyright © 2004, The Associated Press
Fern5827
around Newark. A very poor inner-city area.
Additionally, it seems that DYFS may not be actively looking for kin to take
these babies home. The recent foster parent from Richland Co., WA stated that
in her county relatives are often delayed, denied, dissed, and disallowed from
fostering kin. So much so that she is organizing a group in her county to
address the problem.
>James Davy, the recently appointed commissioner of Human Services, said
>$300,000 would fund studies to determine what type of programs could be
>developed
>to get the babies placed with relatives. Some of the money would be used to
Mr. Davy is assessing the costs of *stranger foster care* vs kinship adoption
or placement.
Kin do NOT generally receive the same types of remuneration that stranger
fosters do.
If a child is designated *special needs* in NJ, placement with *stranger
fosters* can pay up to $1400/per month.
The ads in the Trenton papers confirm this.
I do not know if an infant with D& A issues is rountinely classifed as *special
nees.*. My guess is that it depends on who you know.
Great article, Marley.
Marley sent in:
>Subject: State adds funding to stop "boarder baby" problem
>From: "Marley Greiner" maddog...@worldnet.att.net
>Date: 2/4/2004 12:11 PM Eastern Standard Time
>Message-id: <uJ9Ub.175072$6y6.3...@bgtnsc05-news.ops.worldnet.att.net>