'No place to put that baby.' State takes more kids away from parents than it can handle

[TexasTowelie]

Frankfort -- Nearly all of the state’s child-welfare caseworkers say their workload is unmanageable — on average, it’s twice the recommended standard — even as the state of Kentucky removes more children from their parents every year because of abuse and neglect, according to a report released Thursday.

The report and a list of recommendations was prepared by staff members of the legislature’s Program Review and Investigations Committee. It focused on the needs of the 11,387 Kentucky children living in foster care in 2016, up 15 percent from 2012, and it recommended hiring hundreds of additional caseworkers, with higher salaries.

“The increasing number of children in foster care has created challenges for state child welfare systems,” the report warned. “Excessive caseloads can lead to workers making mistakes that harm children and their families.”

Nothing in the report was surprising to people familiar with the system, said Adria Johnson, commissioner of the Kentucky Department of Community Based Services, which oversees child-protective services.

Read more here: http://www.kentucky.com/news/politics-government/article178547111.html

[no_hypocrisy]

1. "Abuse and neglect" often means

poverty where parents don't have access to decent housing, enough food, and/or medical care. Or counsing for parenting and/or domestic violence.