The term special needs is preferred. We have no objection to this measure. We have no objection this measure. We have no objection to this measure. We hope the Children's Bureau is not implying that placement into a group home or residential group care facility is a poor outcome when we know that type of placement should fit the individual needs of children and youth.
Comments are the same as the previous measure.
We agree that it should be the goal of every state to serve children and youth as close to their homes and communities as possible. Finally, CWLA strongly believes that using outcomes to assess the performance of state systems makes no sense outside the context of the resources brought to bear on those outcomes. CWLA recommends including dollars spent on child welfare per 1000 children in the population, the number of direct service practitioners whose primary responsibility is the investigation of child abuse and neglect per 1000 children reported and referred for investigation, the minimum educational requirement for a direct service practitioner whose primary responsibility is the investigation of child abuse and neglect, the required number of pre-service training hours for a direct service practitioner whose primary responsibility is the investigation of child abuse and neglect, and the annual turnover rate for direct service practitioners whose primary responsibility is the investigation of child abuse and neglect. Note that the measures are anchored by a position description that would be common to most, if not all child welfare systems. We appreciate your attention to these comments and look forward to working with you to advance the safety, permanency, and well-being of children and families.