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Arizona leaders take on child welfare overhaul

By WTOP Staff

BOB CHRISTIE
Associated Press

PHOENIX (AP) — Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer on Thursday called the state Legislature into special session to debate and enact her proposal for overhauling the state’s troubled child welfare agency.

The Republican governor proposed the overhaul after revelations late last year that more than 6,500 child abuse and neglect reports were closed without investigation. The discovery of the “not investigated” cases was the most serious in a long string of problems at the agency.

Arizona has seen skyrocketing numbers of child abuse and neglect reports in the last several years that came as state lawmakers cut the agency’s funding to deal with a budget crisis. One of the first tasks is moving to eliminate a backlog of nearly 15,000 cases.

“As we all know, our child welfare system has been beleaguered for decades, failing the vulnerable children it’s supposed to be protecting,” Brewer said. “Now, I am asking the Arizona Legislature to act expeditiously to get this legislation to my desk so we can begin this overdue and necessary transformation. It is truly a matter of life and death.”

Her proposal will formally separate the old Child Protective Services department from its parent agency, set it up as an independent cabinet-level agency, create new oversight and transparency policies, and beef up its resources.

Brewer set up a temporary department in January under a new leader — the former head of the state’s juvenile corrections department. The Legislature gave her about $59 million to help remake the agency in the upcoming budget.

A group of lawmakers, new agency chief Charles Flanagan, Brewer’s chief of staff and others worked for months to write legislation overhauling the agency.

The proposal includes a call for an additional $60 million, bringing total agency funding to $827 million in the budget year that begins July 1. That’s up from $626 million two years ago.

It also adds extra child welfare and criminal investigators and creates bonuses for new caseworkers who stay past 18 and 36 months in an effort to reduce turnover.

Five senior child welfare employees were fired last month for their role in executing a plan to deal with an overwhelmed staff by closing cases after a paper review. A senior administrator in the Department of Economic Security, formerly CPS’ parent agency, also was fired.

Flanagan cited a lack of policies and procedures by the workers that led to illegal actions. The five fired CPS workers said they were following orders and were made scapegoats for an agency struggling to deal with soaring workloads and abandoned by the governor and Legislature.

The new agency is designed to be more transparent as it investigates abuse and neglect reports, promotes child safety and family reunification or other permanent placement.

Other provisions include the authority to investigate people in a household who aren’t relatives and may be abusing children, authority to contract out services and retain outside lawyers to advise the director. The proposal also creates an inspections bureau to ensure internal policies are followed and lays out specific guidelines for responding to complaints called into the agency’s child abuse hotline.

A key child welfare advocate says Brewer’s proposal lays a “very solid foundation.”

“It will be up to all of us to keep us on that track going forward,” said Dana Wolfe Naimark, president and CEO of Children’s Action Alliance. “But it’s an excellent start to reset and repair with new leadership, new policy and new funding.”

Still, Naimark said there’s not enough emphasis on prevention, which would reduce the number of children entering the system, but she hopes that will change over time.

“We’re still in crisis mode, so the focus is reducing the number of inactive cases, which has to be a priority because kids are sitting there in danger,” she said.

It’s unclear if the governor has the complete support of the Republican-controlled Legislature for the spending portion of her plan. House Speaker Andy Tobin said members are eager to create the agency, but the state’s revenue picture remains poor and the economy is still struggling.

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Don’t Settle for Student Loans to Pay for Online Education

By WTOP Staff
Online college programs are becoming a more popular choice for prospective students, with one study finding that more than 6 million students enrolled in at least one online course in fall 2015. The popularity of these courses can be attributed in part to their flexibility with working adults' schedules, students' ability to progress more quickly through online programs and, oftentimes, cheaper tuition. [See 10 low-cost online bachelor's programs for out-of-state students.]Online degrees can be beneficial to many college students, but some studies have shown online learners complete their programs at lower rates than students at traditional brick-and-mortar campuses. Individuals with student loans but no degree comprise two-thirds of defaulted borrowers. Though these numbers are not encouraging, just like for traditional programs, there are ways to reduce how much you'll need to borrow for an online program to ensure you won't become one of these statistics. Don't just settle on borrowing student loans to cover the whole cost of your program and living expenses. Instead, start thinking about how to cut costs and cover your balance in different ways, such as the following. -- Grants and scholarships: Even though you are taking an online course, you can still apply and receive grants and scholarships. But your first step should be to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, commonly referred to as the FAFSA, which will allow you to receive a Pell Grant if your expected family contribution is low enough. The EFC criteria and award amounts are adjusted annually, but the 2017-2018 academic year awards range from $606 to $5,920, which could significantly lower the amount you borrow annually. Your next step is to apply for scholarships. You can start by checking online scholarship search engines, such as the Salt Scholarship Search, College Board's BigFuture and Peterson's. But don't forget to take advantage of local organizations and your school's financial aid office. Both may offer scholarships that you can't find with a national scholarship search. [Review these 10 sites to kick off your scholarship search.]For instance, organizations like the Elks Club, Knights of Columbus or the Rotary Club typically offer scholarships annually to local students. Just because you're going to school online doesn't mean you're ineligible. Visit your local library for scholarship listings, and ask around town. You might be surprised how many local organizations offer scholarships. While these scholarships typically aren't large, every little bit counts. Each dollar you receive in a scholarship is a dollar you don't have to borrow and pay interest on. -- Work-study: Another option for online students may be work-study awards. Not all students enrolled in online programs are eligible, but students at some schools -- including, for example, SUNY Empire State College and Liberty University -- are. Work-study awards are not given upfront like scholarships and grants. In most cases, they are an offer to earn up to the awarded amount if you secure an eligible work-study job. While there is a misconception that all work-study jobs must be on campus, students can work for off-campus, nonprofit or public employers as long as the work is in the public's interest. You may be able to work for a for-profit employer if the job is relevant to your course of study. No matter who the outside employer is, it will need to have an established agreement with your college for you to receive work-study funds. Remember, to be eligible for federal financial aid, you must be enrolled and pursuing a degree or certificate. If you're not working toward a credential, Pell Grants and work-study won't be option, but you may still be able to take advantage of private scholarships -- just be sure to read the eligibility criteria carefully. [Explore what to know about financial aid in online programs.]-- Pay as you go: One of the great benefits to enrolling online is the flexible schedule, which can allow you to complete your college coursework around your responsibilities. But prospective students often overlook using their part- or full-time job earnings as an option for paying for college. Almost 80 percent of college students in 2015 worked at least part time while attending classes, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. By budgeting and thinking strategically about your college costs, you can likely reduce your dependence on student loans by paying a portion out of pocket. Many -- but not all -- online programs are less expensive than traditional programs and often have shorter payment periods. Six, eight or 10 weeks are common course durations. Because of the frequency of payments in an online setting, you may be well-placed to pay as you go and possibly avoid borrowing altogether. Attending college online and avoiding student loans may be challenging, but if you are willing to put in the effort, you can limit the amount you need to borrow. More from U.S. News Q&A: Understanding Student Loan Discharge Eligibility Student Loan Refinancing Isn't Right for All Borrowers
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