Perhaps the most memorable orphanage in pop culture influences society of today is from the Broadway musical and multiple movie remakes of Annie.  We, the viewers, are enraptured by Mrs. Hannigan, Punjab, Daddy Warbucks, the singing and dancing orphans, and of course, Annie.  We know there is a happy ending, so watching the sorrows and suffering of the children with a hard knock life is not unbearable.  Imagine, however, if the end of their stories were not set.  In reality, the “Annies” of the world do not often find their “Daddy Warbucks.”  Further still, their hard knock lives are not just the lyrics to a song.  It is, in some cases, an actuality. It is because of these realities that I, adoptive and foster mother of 16 inter-racial and special needs children and advocate for abused and neglected children, will take an inside look at the crisis in the foster care system regarding out-of-home child placement and the options available to the well being of these orphaned or abandoned children.

Interestingly, it was in 1881 that the first orphanage was founded. The Diskin Orphan’s Home was created due to the large amount of Russian orphans that, at that time, had recently immigrated to Jerusalem[1].  This, essentially, was the reason for the erections of many orphanages.  Due to the Jewish immigration of World War I, and the continuous death of those on the battlefield, the number of orphans grew.  And, due to the lack of scientific advancement during the 1920’s, cholera and typhus also contributed to the large numbers of orphaned children.

As a result of the orphaned growth, child welfare projects developed during that time; and due to the Palestine Orphan Committee, 12 orphanages, caseworkers and diagnoses for social disabilities, family-oriented dependant child care, developed model for the first children’s village, and the beginning of healthcare, education, and vocational training in orphanages grew.  The history of child welfare and the caseworkers needed for these institutions to function is important knowledge as well as the effects, both negative and positive, of these early child welfare developments and the effects the Palestine Orphans Committee had on the modern orphanage and childcare.

The ideas of child welfare and the Palestine Orphans Committee and some of the earliest and best-known orphanages sprang from immigration.  Of the institutions, Hutton Settlement, an orphanage on the National Register for Historical Preservation in the city of Spokane, Washington State, is of the Jacobethan revival style design, with a “Whitehouse and Price” feel to the four large house, 319 acre complex.  Here, Levi Hutton, founder of the settlement, is introduced.  His wife and children are discussed, as well as the influence the Hutton Settlement had on the Spokane, and on the Shriners.  The Complex showcased the region’s first underground power cables and telephone lines.  As restated on the Shriners website, “if one man could build and do for children what Mr. Hutton has done, what could 500,000 Shriners do?” was the figurative conception of the Shriners Hospital for Crippled Children.

Noting a fast history of orphanages country wide is not my only intent; rather, laying out a theoretical and physical blueprint of various orphanages, the political histories of these orphanages, the educational abilities along with the statistics accrued by the facilities, and the moral obligation we have to the welfare of children, are the issues needing to be focused on today.  Reasonable options will to stop or at least effectively reduce the amount of children forgotten in the system and left to age out into an adult world they are hopefully prepared for.  Explanations of the various choices society will help support and reunite families both for the families and for the budget, as it costs to keep children in out-of-home services.

With all background information laid out, what then can we do to create a more stable environment for the more than 143 million orphaned children?  There are options available to get the over half a million children in the dead end programs out.  The fact remains that over 39% of white orphanage alum have 39% higher rate of college graduation than any other white American.  But, orphanages are expensive, due to the stigma that causes workers to have the mindset that other forms of childcare are more efficient and higher quality than other facilities.

As a foster and adoptive mother as well as a court advocate for the rights of neglected and abused children, I have first hand knowledge of the living environments in both foster homes and modern orphanages.  Some argue that orphanages send out more fully developed and prepared young adults.  Others say the one on one-ness of foster care is more effective for a healthy child.   I wish for all to have the opportunity to hear all sides of the same story, bringing my own personal thoughts into the equation.

The foster care crisis in America is three-fold.  There are not enough quality families in America to support the children who need them.  Further, children with emotional and behavioral issues in the system are on the rise, creating a need for additional families in this already deteriorating situation.  To make matters worse, the recession in our country is directly affecting both biological and foster families as well as provider reimbursements, frontline caseworkers and mental health.

According to Faith Bridge Foster Care, there are not enough families for the children who need them.  Researchers for the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) agree.  Due to the economy today, many cases in the need for foster care are due to the homelessness, poverty and unemployment growing rapidly.  Experts believe the need for foster care will rise as the economy worsens.  “Child welfare workers,” The Foster Club says, “are already seeing a rise in reported child abuse and neglect cases, as much as twenty percent in some areas.”  Unfortunately some foster families are simply unprepared for the upheaval of their family.  It is, according to the Faith Bridge Foster Care Agency, because of frequent agency visits, phone calls, court dates, and “seemingly endless paperwork,” plus the shock that the system does not have the sufficient support they need, forty to sixty percent of foster families leave the system within a year.  Without foster families in the system, some children will grow to adulthood and be left to fend for themselves with little to no influence of family structure and minimum skills for employment without any support system to ever fall back upon.  This could begin a cycle of uneducated youth released into the world to create families that are more probable to end up in the foster system due to the lack of care, funds, structure and etc. the first time through.

Because foster children are separated from their biological families, and often times separated from their siblings, after several months there is detachment issues these children acquire.  The longer they are away from their biological families, the harder it is for foster children to rebuild any sort of relationship, whether with their families, or later in life.  Because of this, foster children can lash out in different types of behavioral problems.  According to the DHS Medication Management Work Group, three times as many foster children, as opposed to other children, end up on psychotropic drugs in low-income families.  This can make foster children even more destabilized due to the treatment of their stress symptom rather than the root of that stress.

In nearly every state the amount of money needed for foster care far outweighs the government’s reimbursement rate due to the economic crisis our country is in today.  Not only is there an issue with foster children needing better mental health facilities, treatment programs and etc, but the issue worsens because the foster care system often cuts the budget in three major areas: provider reimbursements, frontline caseworkers and mental health.  This being said, in the case of these budget cuts, there would be less training for group home staff and parental training.  With fewer caseworkers there would be the probability of foster children being in more hazardous situations and an increased risk of trauma to those children. According to CHOP, children are often placed in foster care by availability rather than a good match for foster children and their long-term needs.  Some child protective agencies are requested to send children to government recruited homes rather than professional agencies to save on money.  Unfortunately these homes are not necessarily held to a set standard to validate said homes are the best place for the individual needs of those children.  Further, with the already unstable environments of some foster children, plus the budget cuts of mental health programs such as help and crisis lines, an increase in foster children’ suicides, pregnancy and drug and alcohol abuse may follow.

In nearly every state the amount of money needed for foster care far outweighs the government’s reimbursement rate due to the economic crisis our country is in today.  According to NPR radio in March of 2010, over 1,000 children die of abuse and neglect every year; and to further chill our society, states with big deficits are cutting child abuse prevention programs when those programs are what various communities need to cut down on the ever growing death, neglect and abuse rates (some due to the recession to begin with).  And although researcher Rob Green, on behalf of the Annie E. Casey Foundation, states that the recession may not be a conclusive reason for the rise in child abuse and neglect.  The findings in November of 2010 by the researchers from the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia conclude that the economic downturn often hits the most vulnerable children and families the hardest.  It takes years of post recession for families to come back to the pre recession income levels.  Lower income families obviously take even longer to bounce back.  CHOP also explains that public programs play an incredibly important role in the keeping the families influenced by the recession in a less stressed environment, blocking more trauma for the usually already traumatized children and families involved in foster care.  In short, the most vulnerable foster children, foster families and programs supporting them would get the short end of the stick for years to come.

About the Author

As a researcher, Karen Jean Matsko Hood places her focus on child abuse and neglect and drug abuse.  She also researches to find possible solutions to these growing social problems. Hood has incorporated the studies of findings of research and drug abuse in families in her writings.  Hood’s research topics include such diverse topics as education, attachment disorder, attachment disorder therapy and treatment, the foster care system, human development, parenting, adoption, health, and historical topics.  Hood uses her B.S. Degree in Natural Science along with her research training in her Ph.D. program to conduct research on various plants and animal topics including equine, canine, and botanical research.

Hood resides in Greenacres, Washington, along with her husband, sixteen multi-racial and special needs children and foster children.  Her hobbies include cooking, baking, collecting various collectibles and antiques, photography, indoor and outdoor gardening, and the cultivation of unusual flowering plants and orchids.  She enjoys raising several specialty breeds of animals including Icelandic horses, bichon frises, cockapoos, Icelandic sheepdogs, and a few rescue cats.  Hood also enjoys bird-watching and finds all aspects of nature precious.  She demonstrates a passionate appreciation of the environment and a respect for all life.

For more information, you can contact the author at her office below:

Karen Jean Matsko Hood

507 N. Sullivan Rd. Suite LL-7

Spokane Valley, WA 99037 USA

Help is needed throughout the world for foster children to receive the love and care needed for healthy growth. Many classes and career options are available with a human services degree online to provide the care that many children need.

by Parija Kavilanz
Source: Yahoo

Fraud experts say health insurance scams are on the rise as criminals quickly exploit consumers’ confusion about how the new health care law changes their insurance coverage.

Most of the schemes are poorly constructed, using the pretext of reform. “So far there’s no major criminal organization behind them,” said James Quiggle, spokesman for non-profit group Coalition Against Insurance Fraud.

But Quiggle is concerned that as more of the provisions mandated by the new law are phased in over the next four years, these scams “could grow to become an all-encompassing tsunami.”

The government has taken note. Earlier this year, Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius warned state insurance commissioners about new schemes to sell bogus insurance policies.

Last week, HHS announced grants to states to strengthen ongoing efforts to protect consumers from some of the worst insurance industry practices.

Consumers beware: Sally Hurme, who handles consumer fraud issues at AARP, said seniors are especially vulnerable to these new scams. “We’re making a concerted effort to get the word out to our 40 million members,” she said.

But seniors aren’t the only targets. People who buy insurance out of pocket — unemployed individuals, underinsured individuals, as well as individuals who do not get dependent coverage through their work — are also vulnerable, said Lou Saccocio, head of the National Health-Care Anti-Fraud Association, whose members include insurers, law enforcement and regulatory agencies.

Saccocio, citing anecdotal information, said the most common scams involve selling fake health plans, fraudulent medical discount plans and Medicare rebate checks scams.

Here’s what to watch out for:

Phantom government coverage: Scammers, claiming they represent the government, go door-to-door selling fake policies. “These crooks tell people without insurance that the law requires them to buy a policy immediately,” said Quiggle. “They also say there’s a limited enrollment period to sign up.”

Both claims are false. There is no enrollment period in the individual market. And the law gives uninsured individuals until 2014 to buy coverage before having to pay a penalty.

Fraudulent discount plans: Crooks are taking advantage of heightened concerns about health insurance costs to sell people “discount plans” disguised as insurance plans, said Kim Holland, Oklahoma’s insurance commissioner.

Holland said these medical discount plans are not insurance policies. These plans only provide discounts on some medical services. The Federal Trade Commission said 24 states have filed 54 lawsuits this year to stop this deceptive practice.

“Some states have outlawed these plans,” said Holland.

$250 Medicare rebate scam: For beneficiaries who’ve fallen into the prescription-drug coverage gap known as the “doughnut hole,” the law created a program this year where the government mails them a $250 check to cover the gap.

Quiggle said scammers are exploiting this opportunity by calling up seniors, asking for their Social Security and Medicare beneficiary numbers, and promising to expedite the checks.

The crooks will then use the information to bill Medicare for false services.

AARP’s Hurme said the group has also become aware of a Medicare card scam. “Scammers are telling seniors that because of the changes in the law, they will have to send them a new card,” she said. And they ask for their personal information.

“This is blatant identity theft,” Hume added.

Peter Ashkenaz, spokesman for the Center for Medicare & Medicare Services, said the agency was aware of anecdotal reports of such scams.

“We have aggressive efforts in place to educate beneficiaries that they do not need to do anything to get the $250 rebate checks,” he said.

How to protect yourself

As key provisions of the health care law continue to be phased in, scammers will try to take advantage of consumers who aren’t aware of the new changes.

Coming up in January, Medicare beneficiaries will not have to pay co-pays on preventive services. Ashkenaz said scammers might try to exploit that change.

Experts stress the need for consumers to educate themselves about the new law. The National Association of Insurance Commissioners also offered these tips on how to avoid being a victim.

Beware of fax, email, telephone poll solicitations: Be especially suspicious of solicitations that are blasted to consumers through these means.

Check if insurer is legit: Don’t give out any personal information such as your Social Security numbers or bank information until you verify with your state insurance department that the insurer and agent are licensed to write insurance in your state.

Keep paperwork: Ask for copies of all of the paperwork you sign. Keep a copy of the payment receipt or check for your initial premium payment.

30-day deadline: Call the insurer if you don’t receive a copy of your insurance policy outlining your coverage within 30 days of your purchase.

Medicare beneficiaries: If you are approached to buy any kind of medical insurance package, do not give any personal information to anyone you don’t know.

Additionally, Hurme said the AARP launched a major campaign called “Fight Health care Fraud” in September to educate seniors.

“Seniors can get information on our website,” she said. “We’re also training volunteers to go to senior centers in various states to educate the community.”

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