Privitization: Salaries for Florida's child care officials are out of control

[cali]

Salaries for Florida's child care officials are out of control, lawmakers say
Since state privatized child welfare, pay for top executives has climbed

By Sally Kestin, Sun Sentinel

10:19 p.m. EDT, April 2, 2011


Florida's privatization of child welfare services was supposed to be good for kids and taxpayers.

But in the decade since the state began making private agencies responsible for the care of abused and neglected children, one cost has soared — the salaries of top employees.

Child welfare executives throughout Florida are now making six-figure salaries, with some topping $200,000 — double what state employees used to be paid to do the same work.

"They should not under any circumstances be paid these sorts of outrageous salaries,'' said state Sen. Ronda Storms, R-Valrico and chairwoman of the Committee on Children, Families and Elder Affairs. "If you get your money from taxpayer funds, you should not be paid more than the governor.'

<snip>

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/health/fl-child-welfare-privatization-20110401,0,5915642.story

[Tansy_Gold]

1. Oh, Ronda, you sorry twit. What did you THINK was going to happen?

Why would any for-profit company take over a state agency if not to, duh, MAKE MONEY AT IT?


Tansy Gold

[madrchsod]

2. gee.... i wonder how that happened?

[valerief]

3. Uh, duh. That's how it ALWAYS happens. That's why it s/b public not private. nt

[SlimJimmy]

4. They are doing a better job for the same or less money. So, what exactly is the problem, then?

The administrative costs at the private agencies are warranted, Benitez wrote in an email, considering that they are "outperforming their predecessors, and they are doing so with virtually the same, or even less, money."

[Harmony Blue]

5. Ronda Storms is a good example

of the stupid we have to combat on a daily basis in Florida. I mean Palin is a Socratic scholar compared to her....

[SlimJimmy]

10. I live in Florida also. But this is the first I've heard that the

privatization of child welfare services has been a failure. According to the article, it hasn't - and has in fact improved performance using the same or less money.

[Armstead]

19. How much do the actual care staff make? Lower, higher or about the same as state workers did?

[Hannah Bell]

6. a better job? lol.

After eight years, millions of dollars and numerous studies, there is no evidence that
privatized child welfare has made life any better for Florida’s most vulnerable citizens or for
taxpayers. There is no evidence that the privatized services are better than what they replaced,
and some data suggest that counties in which child welfare is still operated by public
employees did better than those that have been privatized...

Although there were cost variations between counties, none of the evaluations offered any
evidence that CBC is any more cost effective than the public system...

Despite the legislative requirement for comprehensive measurement of the
effectiveness of privatized services, Florida began this experiment without a system in place
to monitor results. Today, the state still cannot accurately evaluate if privatization works
better than the public system. It does not appear that they will have this capability any time in
the near future...

Still, Florida continues its rush toward privatization.

http://www.afscme.org/docs/flchild.pdf

[SlimJimmy]

9. I'm quoting from the article. Did they lie?

[Hannah Bell]

11. you mistake PR statements for facts.

[SlimJimmy]

12. A representative for the state made the statement. I'm not mistaking anything.

If they made the statement and it's untrue then they lied. If they made the statement and it's true, then the premise of the large salaries is bogus since they (the private firm) came in under budget.

[Hannah Bell]

13. A representative for the state that privatized the service is going to say it costs more & does less

and the bosses don't deserve their increased salaries?

please.

The body of a 10-year-old girl, Nubia Barahona, was found on Valentine's Day in a garbage bag in a truck alongside Interstate 95 in Palm Beach County, her twin brother nearby and doused in toxic chemicals. The twins' adoptive parents, Jorge and Carmen Barahona of West Miami-Dade, are charged with murder and child abuse.

A panel investigating the case last month concluded that despite numerous red flags about the dangers the children faced, none of the child welfare professionals "put it all together.'' The panel recommended DCF examine the "quality of the services'' that Our Kids and its subcontractors provide as well as the "salary scales'' at the private agencies and why they are so much higher than at DCF.

Child abuse investigators at DCF make about $35,000 a year compared to $40,000 for case managers at Our Kids. DCF's inspector general has an open investigation into the private agencies' finances, including salaries, spokesman Joe Follick said.

Lawmakers first became alarmed by the pay after learning that Our Kids over the past year cut by as much as half a monthly stipend to foster children who turn 18, while paying a total of $331,000 in bonuses. "That's what incensed me,'' Storms said.

[SlimJimmy]

15. Don't fuck'n "please" me. I'm just quoting from the article where state officials have made certain

statements. If those statements are not true, then show me some data that says so. I'm not hard to get along with, but I do operate under the premise of "show me the facts." One case, and a disparity over salaries does not prove anything in my mind. If they are operating at the same or better levels, and for less or the same money, then I don't have an issue with them.

[Fuddnik]

16. State officials are full of shit.

I don't care what they say.

My wife works for one of those agencies. I know how it works. But, due to their confidentiality requirements, I can't say more.

Like I said. State officials are full of shit.

[SlimJimmy]

18. Quotes from the OP source. Are these lies?

It sounds like they are doing a better overall job at the same cost, and it looks like they pay their CAI workers about five grand more a year.

Agency leaders say that children are safer and better off under the private system, but Storms and others say the pay is out of control.

On several key measures, "Florida now ranks at or near the top of any state in the country,'' he said.

For instance, children who cannot be returned home are being adopted on average within 26 months, compared to the national median of 32 months. Florida also is doing better than most states in reuniting families faster.

Child abuse investigators at DCF make about $35,000 a year compared to $40,000 for case managers at Our Kids.

[Hannah Bell]

20. i linked you to a study. sorry for your handicap.

[SlimJimmy]

21. What the hell are you talking about? (nt)

[SlimJimmy]

22. I read the report prepared by the afscme and found this as the real

bottom line. The report can't really answer the question. Since I live in the greater Sarasota area, I might be a bit prejudiced, but we don't have a single issue with how the CPS works here. I can tell you that it's 100% better than it was under state control. So, as far as I'm concerned, the question *was* answered. Now feel free to take your "handicapped" remark and put it where there is no sun.

After many years, millions of dollars and several studies, the simple question of how Florida’s privatized child welfare programs work compared to the public child welfare system cannot be answered. The Legislature laid out specific objectives in authorizing this experiment – to strengthen the support and commitment of communities to the reunification of families and care of children and their families and to gain efficiencies and increase accountability. Whether any of these objectives have been met is an open question

[Phaedrus76]

8. Just like every other time some...

function of govt gets privatized, then actual outcomes plummet, then govt has to come in and save the program's recipients.

[jwirr]

7. Please explain what you mean by privatized child care services.

Here in MN the state has contracted with private agencies to provide services for social services client for ages. They contract with foster families, therapy providers, day achievement centers, psychologists, transportation services, home health providers, personal care attendants, meals on wheels and many other things. It works her just fine. These are the jobs that were created in place of the institutions, etc.

Edited to say that the state determines the amount paid for the services in many cases.

[Hannah Bell]

14. child protective services

[jwirr]

17. Okay, the actual government office and workers are still government in

MN. That is done to prevent a conflict of interest. What the rethugs assume is that private business has the best interest of the client at heart. They are absolutely wrong. The market may work to fix an imbalance in some things but it will never work to provide compassion. The rethugs are idiots.