LAW HASTENS SETTLING FATE OF FOSTER KIDS

Star loved crack cocaine as much as she loved her children.

But her love affair with the drug that has separated parents and children
for more than a decade ended on Dec. 27, 1997. That day, while on a crack
high, she had a car crash that landed her in the hospital and her four
children in the custody of the state Department of Children and Families.

Since that afternoon, Star, who asked that her last name not be used, has
battled her addiction and Florida's child protection system with a
vengeance. Her work paid off Dec. 11, when she regained custody.

"I've quit doing drugs. I just keep to myself now," Star said. "I want to
stay clean and keep my kids."

Cherished victory

For Star, reuniting with her children - Tony, 8; Brittany, 7; JoAnn, 5; and
Faith, 4 - was a cherished victory.

For child advocates, it's a sign that recent changes in federal and state
laws governing child protection and foster care may keep families together
instead of tearing them apart.

The new federal law gives states 12 months - instead of 18 months as in
years past - to determine whether to return children to their parents or
sever parental rights forever.

But critics say a year may not be enough time to solve the problems of
families or to successfully treat those with addiction.

Locally, youngsters spend an average of two years in foster care, which is
twice as long as the federal law allows. Local DCF officials hope to reduce
that figure by sending fewer children into the foster- care system.

If the state fails to comply with the new federal law, it could lose
federal foster-care money. Fifty-five percent of the $102.4 million that
the state now spends on foster-care comes from the U.S. Department of
Health and Human Services.

Pilot program gives more aid

In Palm Beach County, social service officials are banking on a year-old,
$2.9 million pilot program. By using nonprofit agencies to offer services
the state can't afford, the Child Abuse and Neglect pilot project is
expanding the help it can give to families accused of abusing and
neglecting their children.

Star receives help from four social workers, including a DCF foster-care
counselor. The social workers do such things as take her to appointments,
provide reports to juvenile court and teach her parenting skills.

And the social workers won't close her case and move on to the next one as
soon as she appears to be making progress. In some instances, she can
receive help for up to two years.

Caseworkers say that's a real benefit to her recovery, especially if she
relapses.

It's the intense focus of the social workers that helped Star regain
custody of her children so quickly. Under the old system, her children
would still be in foster care because one DCF social worker would have to
do the job that is now done by four people, said Justin Piatt, Star's care
coordinator. Piatt works for Boys Town of South Florida, a nonprofit agency
that helps families of abused and neglected children.

System reformed

The approach is a drastic change from the 1980s when the crack epidemic
flooded the nation's foster-care system with abused and neglected children.
Social workers were swamped. Children were lost in the bureaucracy.

That's why Congress passed the federal legislation in 1997 to reform the
foster-care system. The goal is to keep children from growing up in the
child welfare system and either put them back in the home or make them
available for adoptions.

As an incentive, the new law gives states extra money if they boost their
adoption rates.

Florida officials already are seeing some success. The state's adoptions
went from 1,477 in the 1997 budget year to 1,538 in the 1998 budget year,
according to DCF figures.

Prompt action required

Pamela Day, director of child welfare services at the Child Welfare League
of America in Washington, said 12 months may not be enough time for
troubled families to heal. The law does allow states to give families more
time, but only in select cases, such as when a parent's drug treatment runs
beyond the 12 months.

"I think it's going to be tough in some instances," Day said. "But I
certainly think it can be done."

The key to making the reforms work is the state's ability to do a better
job of assessing a family's problems as soon as the child enters state
custody. Too often, according to Day, families in crisis can't get the
services they need because state workers are overburdened.

"We have families who want to change, but we're not able to give them the
right services," Day said.

Jack Levine, president of the Center for Florida's Children in Tallahassee,
agrees. In the past, the state hasn't provided enough money for abused and
neglected children to get intense therapy. Levine said much of the money is
geared for short-term programs that offer little stability.

"I don't mean just a visit or two to the local clinic," Levine said. "I
mean a clear and consistent avenue for them to express their own terror and
fears."

Bush's budget request

In his budget, Gov. Jeb Bush has asked the legislature to spend $101.3
million for the DCF to hire 300 new social workers and improve programs in
foster care and adoptions. State lawmakers are reviewing the request.

Until the money comes, groups such as Pamela Sicher's are trying to pool
resources. Sicher is president of The Children's Mental Health Alliance
Foundation in New York, which links professionals to discuss the impact of
removing children from their parents.

Sicher, a child psychologist and founder of the organization, said that
some social service agencies are trying to put families back together when
the root causes of the separation persist. Sicher, who has an office in
Palm Beach, said the key barriers that keep troubled families apart are
prolonged substance abuse and violence in the home.

"You can have the best program in the world," she said. "If these factors
aren't corrected, it would cause even the best models not to work."