DCFS Policy of Regulation of Day Care Centers - Research Paper Example

?DCFS Policy of Regulation of Day Care Centers Affiliation with more information about affiliation, research grants, conflict of interest and how to contact DCFS Policy of Regulation of Day Care Centers Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) is one of the most important departments under the regulation of government of USA. The DCFS has a legal background and is accredited by the government. This department was formed mainly for the protection of children. In this paper a clear picture of the Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) is given. The history of the DCFS policy is analysed along with the aim of the policy, services provided, beneficiaries of the policy, finances and funding of the DCFS policy etc. The History of the DCFS Policy: Since its inception in 1965, DCFS has played a major role in the protection of children. The DCFS came into being by making child welfare on a State basis from Illinois. The policy of DCFS has got momentum and started spreading in various states. The DCFS policy has reached from the State of Illinois to other states like Nevada, Utah, Louisiana, Los Angeles, Arkansas, etc. The Impetus for the DCFS Policy: The DCFS policy was created with the aim of protecting the children through all possible ways. The impetus behind the formation of DCFS is clear from its mission. “The mission of DCFS is to: Protect children who are reported to be abused or neglected and to increase their families' capacity to safely care for them Provide for the well-being of children in our care Provide appropriate, permanent families as quickly as possible for those children who cannot safely return home Support early intervention and child abuse prevention activities Work in partnerships with communities to fulfil this mission” (Mission Statement, 2009, para. 1). DCFS Programs or Services: The DCFS policy provides various services for the welfare of children. The services of DCFS are child protection, foster care, adoption, day care and other services which include community services, extended family support, child welfare services and cash assistance and housing locator service. Child protection is the prime aim and service provided by DCFS. An outline of the DCFS’s goals about child protection is clearly stated in Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting Act. Foster care is another service provided for the betterment of children and under this child who faces neglect or dependency or is abused is placed outside the home in a temporary place. A foster family doesn’t mean a permanent home for the child but a temporary shelter to protect the child. Adoption is a service of the DCFS for children without home or protection. DCFS provides a chance for the children who need care through the process of adoption. A society in a building block is constituted as family for these children who provide love and care to them for growing them as healthy adults. “The Department helps thousands of adoptable children to find a new home each year. Most children placed by DCFS were from homes so abusive or neglectful that it would be unsafe for them to return” (Adoption, 2009, para. 2). Day care centres and its regulation is another service or function of DCFS policy. For this the process of licensing, Protective/Family Maintenance Day Care Programs and Family Maintenance Day Care services are introduced. The main programs introduced by DCFS include licensing, Protective/Family Maintenance Day Care Programs and Family Maintenance Day Care services. The licensing of day care centre is done by the DCFS for the betterment and protection of children. It is the function of DCFS to give license and set standards for day care centres, homes, group homes and day care agencies in the state. Protective/Family Maintenance Day Care Programs is implemented by DCFS for protecting the children who are found to be neglected or abused. DCFS implemented the Family Maintenance Day Care services for taking effective steps in controlling the abuse and neglect of children as a result of the stress faced by the parents. Such families are said to be high risk families and these services help them to keep the family together and to grow the child properly. The Audience for the Policy: The audience or the beneficiaries of DCFS policy are primarily children. The policy of DCFS was formed mainly for the protection of the children. The benefits from DCFS are received by the children on the basis of their need. The benefits are made available to the children through various services like adoption, foster care and day care. Through the process of adoption permanent protection and care is guaranteed to the children. Foster care helps the children to get care and protection for a temporary a period. The benefits of the DCFS policy is also enjoyed by foster parents in terms of financial benefits. The benefits through the process of licensing of day care centres is for the parents who have no time to take of their children due to work. The children for whom it is difficult to find adoptive families, DCFS is of great help. Such children are categorised as ‘the waiting children’ and they may constitute older children, sibling groups, or they may have special medical or behavioural needs. DCFS regulation on day care centres: One of the major functions of DCFS in ensuring the protection of children is the regulation of day care centres. Day care centres if not regulated may prove to be disastrous in the development of children. So the regulation on day care centres is imposed through the process of licensing and other regulations. This will ensure the quality of the day care centres and thereby the protection of the children. DCFS give license and regulate the day care centres in respective regions. A day care centre get licensed if a DCFS licensing representative gives the report after inspecting the centre and find that the facilities there meets the minimum licensing requirements. DCFS Licensing of Day Care Centres: DCFS licensing requires various standards that have to be met by the day care centres. The validity of a DCFS license is for three years and this license of day care centre must be posted. The licensing standard for a day care centre by DCFS meets the requirement for a healthy development of children. The rule for licensing includes many claws which ensures both healthy and good care of the children. The licensing standards set by the DCFS cover basic health and safety requirements, maximum group sizes, child to adult ratios and minimum requirements for child care training. There are requirements for appropriate activities, discipline, space, equipment, supplies, policies and records. One of the rule states that there should be more than 12 children including the children of the day care provider. If overnight care provided then a notice indicating the same should be posted along with the license. The caretakers must be of age 18 and above and the assistants should be over 14. DCFS also outlines other requirements for the license which are regarding the records to be kept, training to be provided, inspection that will be made, meals given to children and the activities that should be given to the children. A record of the staff and children above the age of 13 should be submitted. Along with this tests for immunization and tuberculosis must be done. The caretakers must be given 15 hours training per year. Also a trained person in first aid, CPR etc. must be present in the day care centres at all time. The inspection from DCFS will require a first aid kit, fire extinguishers, flashlight, smoke detectors, heaters and possible hazards. Meals to be provided to the children are underlined by the DCFS as one to two-thirds of nutrition depending on length of stay. Children who will be present over 10 hours should receive two meals and two snacks. The activities that care centres should make the children do include both indoor as well as outdoor. The toys provided at the day care centres should be those listed under the Children's Product Safety Act. The day care centres according to DCFS should be licensed only if it is able to communicate well and encourage children’s physical, emotional, social and intellectual development. DCFS will complete criminal background checks and Child Abuse and Neglect Tracking System (CANTS) checks on the day care centres to be licensed. An annual inspection is done by the DCFS licensing staff to ensure the facilities of the licensed day care. Any complaint received against the DCFS licensed day care centres will be followed by an investigation by a licensing representative to find out if the suspected violation is true or not. DCFS also operates a day care information line that you can call to check the child care provider’s history of compliance with the DCFS licensing regulations. Benefits of attending a registered day care than a non registered day care: Even though the cost of attending a licensed day care is high, the benefits from the services are also higher than non-registered day care. A licensed day care has its advantages over the non registered day care. A licensed or registered day care gives the confident to the parents to leave their children in the hands of the care takers without any worry. This is because the registered day care is made obligatory to meet the minimum health and development requirements of the children by the DCFS. While the non-registered day cares have no obligation towards the children or parents by law. The services provided by a licensed day care are on the basis of the requirements laid down by DCFS. The DCFS also ensures the quality of day care through yearly inspection. While the non-registered day care are usually with lower quality of health standards and this is bad for the development and protection of child care. Any intended and/or unintended consequences of the policy: The policy had both positive as well as negative consequences. The DCFS policy has been successful in providing and ensuring protection to many children. But in some cases the department were found to be guilty. In cases of providing service of Family Maintenance Day Care, it is found that parents were often harassed taking just the view of children. In one case a DCFS official took the mother as guilty just because the 3 year old kept silent. The success (or not) of the DCFS policy: The evidences of both success and letdown of DCFS policy is available from various sources. The comments from the public about success often related to the financial benefits. “Positive comments about DCFS often concerned its financial support for mothers, foster parents, or foster children but not its protection of children from abuse and neglect. Twenty-seven-year-old Angela, who had been in foster care explained: They’re doing a good job [in Woodlawn]..... Because it does help them out with their, you know, financial-wise, pay bills and stuff like that. They help them out. They do give them money......and she get $2,500 to the kids, a month alone” (Collins et al., 2007, p. 15). The letdown of the DCFS policy is mainly comprehensible from the views of parents and other related persons. The parents reveal their protest through the criticism via electronic media like internet. From the words of one of the former directors prove this statement. “For Jess McDonald, director from 1990-1991 and 1994-2003, safety should be at the top of the DCFS agenda. Although Illinois probably does a better job than any other state, DCFS does not make the right decision every time when removing children from their homes, finding the right foster care, arranging adoptions or reunifying families- and the public expect it to” (“40 Years of Stewardship…Where Are We Headed?”, 2004, p. 7). The finances and funding of the DCFS policy: The financial backing to the DCFS policy is given by the government. Federal as well as State government provide financial aid to the DCFS. The financial aid to DCFS is included in the budget of the country as well as State. “DCFS announced that it will use funds from a federal program to help teen wards prepare for adulthood by providing financial assistance for school, employment and housing” (DCFS Uses Federal Funds to Support Teens Moving Toward Adulthood, 2001, para. 1). DCFS provide funds for various purposes like adoption and foster care. It provides funds to the people who adopt the children or become guardians of children in DCFS. This is done on the basis of agreements and costs that will be incurred. The funding include monthly payments equal to the foster care cost, Medicaid service to the family, reimbursement of costs like attorney fees and court cost incurred in association with the adoption of children. DCFS also provide financial assistance for making an independent living to those who enter the adulthood from foster care. Conclusion: The Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) thus has both positive and negative sides. The living conditions of several children have improved after the establishment of DCFS. The department was established with the aim of protecting children from neglect and abuse. The services of the department are made available to the deserved through various processes like adoption, foster care, day care etc. Various abuses and complaints have been seen against DCSF. Still the role of DCFS in the American economy is significant in its own. Reference List Adoption, (2009). Department of Children and Family Services. Retrieved Oct. 11, 2011, from http://www.state.il.us/dcfs/adoption/index.shtml Collins et al. (2007). The Racial Geography of State Child Protection. Institute for Policy Research: Northwestern University. Retrieved Oct. 11, 2011, from http://www.northwestern.edu/ipr/publications/papers/2007/wp0706.pdf DCFS Uses Federal Funds to Support Teens Moving Toward Adulthood, (2001). Fostering Illinois. Retrieved Oct. 10, 2011, from http://www.state.il.us/dcfs/docs/fiv32001.pdf Mission Statement, (2009). Department of Children and Family Services. Retrieved Oct. 11, 2011, from http://www.state.il.us/dcfs/about/ab_about.shtml “40 Years of Stewardship…Where Are We Headed?” (2004). Department of Children and Family Services. Retrieved Oct. 11, 2011, from http://www.state.il.us/dcfs/docs/40thSymposium.pdf Read More