Dear Friends,

1. Response from the Governor: I grabbed the opportunity to speak to Governor Napolitano April 23rd as she was taking calls over the air on KJZZ and was privileged to share with her our group's concerns and request her response. The Governor talked about the CPS Advisory Commission and, as expected, elaborated on her appreciation of need and goals for reform of CPS in several areas, including opening some records. I pressed her to specifically tell me how I as a citizen and constituent could ensure that our concerns could be heard regarding the protection of children in the care of mentally ill guardians. The Governor encouraged me to prepare a package of our concerns and send it directly to the head of the CPS Advisory Commission, Noreen Sharpe. I have done that and will copy all of you in the SSCP Network on that letter. I encourage each of you to hit the reply button, ensure Noreen's email address is in the SENDTO box, and send her your "I Concur" response for full effect.

2. Responses to our letters. We have received modest but meaningful responses to our letter writing campaign.

First,

From state Rep. Colette Rosati, District 8, I received the following response: "I will print your email and send it on to Constituent services. I am a wife, mother and nurse. What a sad story to read. We will do what we can. ... Thank you so much for caring enough to write us."

I have not heard from Constituent Services, nor do I know what that department can provide, but the representative's empathy is noted.

Second,

The Department of Economic Security, which overseas CPS, informed me that the Governor had forwarded my letter to DES for response. In turn, DES Acting Director William Bell delegated the task to Mary Lou Q. Hanley, Acting Assistant Director of the Division of Children, Youth, and Families.

Writes Hanley, who declined to discuss details of Sarah's specific case: "I have asked staff to review the case file to assure that CPS worked within statute and policy regarding this situation."

Regarding the CPS Advisory Commission, Hanley writes: The Reports Subcommittee is currently reviewing the statutory definitions of abuse and neglect. One of their tasks is to review and make recommendations on the emotional abuse definition so that CPS is less limited in being able to establish emotional abuse to a child. Additionally, the Health Subcommittee is focused on children's health issues including behavioral health treatment and services for not only the child but for the caretakers."

About CPS itself, Hanley writes: "The Agency is also working to better assess child safety and identify risk factors that may contribute to abuse or neglect of a child. The Division of Children, Youth and Families (DCYF) in collaboration with the National Resource Center of Child Maltreatment, have developed a Child Safety Assessment (CSA) Protocol that is used during investigation and throughout the life of a CPS case. The CSA, which was implemented statewide in March 2002, requires consideration of behaviors or conditions associated with a child being in danger of immediate or serious harm. The physical or mental health limitations of a caregiver and other who have access to the child is a "safety factor" that must be considered. In addition, mental health and substance abuse curriculum has been added to the CPS Case Manager training."

This response from the Acting Director is most encouraging, yet I don't believe we should rest on our laurels just yet. If this protocol had been in effect in November, would it have been enough to protect Sarah? Even if on paper it looks like the right recipe, there are issues of protocol dissemination, training, and staffing to consider. I'd like to ask the mental health care professionals in our network to respond back to me with their view and if they've seen or plan on reviewing the protocol. And still, we need the Governor's Advisory Commission recommendations and to see how those actually will be implemented.

By the way, Hanley has referred us to CPS Policy Specialist Carolyn Rice, 602.542.4850, for additional questions. I intend on contacting her for a copy of the protocol and encourage others than myself to put in your two cents directly with any of these bureaucrats and elected officials.

3. Summing Up and Letting Me Know Where You Stand: While feedback has been slim, I, for one, am pleased with the quality of our responses. Again, this is not the time to catch our breath just because a few are beginning to lend us an ear. This is the time to really dig in and ensure we optimize our desired results. There is a small core group of you who respond to these updates, but where do the rest of you stand? What are your thoughts, concerns, hopes, apathies, frustrations? I encourage all of you to please drop me a quick comment. It takes an awful lot out of me to continue hammering at this wall and believe me, I could use a bit of encouragement. Everyday as I read suicide notes and view crime scene photos and bang on peoples' doors, email and phones, I seem to re-live those tragic weeks of October and November. It ain't easy. Are you watching passively disengaged or do you concur? Not that I'd hesitate one iota till the job is done to my satisfaction, but it's nice to have company!

Yours in truth and action,
Ellen Nusbaum
Founder, Sarah Stevens Child Protection Network

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