Senate Children and Youth Committee and House Aging, Children and Youth

We don't have much on the junior province reports and isp in a few things to discuss we don't have too much and I don't think there's anything. Are much controversial but the chair sees a core. And the first thing on the agenda is consideration to approve the june not meeting. And the june twenty fourth meeting minutes okay we have emotioned we have second time okay i'm sorry I have to do these wanted time so the first thing is I need a motion to consider the approved the june not meaning on twenty twenty twenty three the emotion have emotion we have a second they have second all those in favor say are in your post motion carried the next motion is consideration to prove that july twenty four twenty twenty three meeting minutes do I have emotion emotion we have second we have a second all those in favor say in your post so now motion carried. Next is the appointments to the child male treatment investigations over sock committee remind members that is closed committee I know sometimes when I was on this committee before I was one about that but it is a close committee and so represented barker who could not be here today is made her appointments to that idory made senator alan clark is a point to march year position so I will need to approve representatives shortly in fat as one of the two members of the general assembly who are members of the house committee on aging children and youth legislative military fares aware of the senate interim committee on children and youth to the metchill maltreatment investigate over south committee so this is just to prove representative as a member a per request of representative barker motion we have second we have a second all those any discussion are those in favor say I in your post I know. This. Motion carry. Next is out of the adoption of the ice people representing maybe an act to create the universal new born home visitation program so a representative may bury your. Recognized to speak on the you can just do it rather. The. Hello there again thank you mister chair members this was a a bill that I had last session and I presented it to the public health we never took a vote on it I took it down because I was going to make the impact even smaller. I would appreciate the opportunity to just continue the discussion on newborn home visiting program and allow other members outside of public health to hear some of it I have some folks who are willing to travel from north carolina from family connects who are willing to come here and share more information on this fabulous program to help new marms and new babies. Thank you represent me bury do we have any questions from the members or any questions from the audience. Okay we need a motion for adoption we have emotion they have a second all those in favor say in your post I know. Motion carried in members if you have anything that wants to be discussed I mean I represent bark i'm not speaking for her but if you have any thing that if you feel that needs to come up for an important issue just contact one of the will try to be a meaningful to let that happen especially in the interim here I think it's very important that we have a lot of discussion if you even have an ideas so you can get hold of blake here that staff person for our committee. Next is discussion of the child will per program in VA home in northwest arkansas. Near the. General pin and mister. Thank you gentlemen for the record could you please state your name and we will turn it up to you a good morning miss chairman name is kindle pen on the secretary for the architect department of veterans affairs. Good morning i'm stephen v c and i'm the system director for veteran services. Okay jim when you're recognized. Good morning so i'm gonna come in and just give a real quick overview of the architect apartment of veterans' affairs our major mission sets and then i'll go into some specifics about the northwest arkansas a home as well as the uh better and child weapons service program so the arkansas department of veterans affairs has three large primary statutory requirements for missions within the state of arkansas we provide a better homes for preventions we have currently operate two one here at north line rock one up and fed though that we operate two veteran cemeteries one here and it's on rock and one up in berdie which is a a small unit or a small community south of jones borrow we also provide better and services for batteries who are signing up for their. Federal VA benefit specifically there uh. No. Pet a comp pitch patient in compensation and then we run the veteran child welfare service. So just real quickly on each one of them so the veteran homes we each home houses about ninety five dollars they are. The veterans homes are designed by our by design operate a independent. They operate without a state general revenue so they basically operate based off of their compensation and remittance from the federal government and the cemeteries are are for veterans and their families and a. They are again they are they generate most of their revenue based off of federal reimbursement and then the better out services division operates offer general revenue and so we have a seven bedroom service officer scattered around the state on a regional basis they don't do the the retail work for a better and services that generally occurs at the county level every county judge has a veteran service offer that does that for the county but our veteran service are regional veteran service officers provide training for those county between service officers to certified them to use the federal va information management systems. And they also provide a backstop when the county veteran service officer is absolute or is there as a vacancy in the office the veteran child will per service program provides a small grant spore disabled veterans with children who have some some form of financial need. In terms of the the battering home in northwest arkansas so I imagine we have two homes so if you look at the the homes from a super basically stamp went the home here in north little rock. If you were to ever look for a facility to find yourself then when you reach that age where it's time to be in our and assisted living facility the home and little rock is exactly what it says it's a home if you go out there and I would invite you if you've never been out there to go out there and take a tour. It's a built on a cottage design of the residents inside of each college come up with the uh the menu for the day for the week they come up with at the entertainment schedule excited and the staff there enables them to live as independently as as possible based upon another individual levels of ability or disability. The home up in fact bill is a different matter so we stood that home up back in two thousand one and to stand that facility up we basically rented a wing up of the old washington medical regional center regional medical center there in fat though next to the ba hospital and when you go when they're there and walk around the first word that comes to mind is an institution and so uh. The the rooms are set up on a hospital room basis you sometimes end up with remates the the uh while the care is too standard it is not anything that would make me personally want to live there it wouldn't when my time to go into a home finally reaches me and so as we came on board we started trying to identify where we stood with the va in terms of getting a grant to replace that facility. We learned that we currently have fifteen million dollars in the state satisfied four state match four ba grant we think right now that we are going to be number two on the list that va produces next year for grants a week we have a high expectation that we will receive the va grant beginning and disclosure twenty four which starts up some time after rocked that will be a about a thirty five million dollar grant we currently have a sixty acres that the water and family foundation has donated in. Right on the boundary between rogers and better though to build the facility and we are currently in uh have opened negotiations with a miss alice water and the utilized her design staff that produced a crystal bridges to do the uh architectural and engineering work for the home so we expect when that home is complete which would be some time probably about apply twenty six when that are home is complete it will be a state of the art facility that we you know we can all be proud of the end I be glad that it is available for batteries to learn. Ah. Mr chairman I will turn it over to you for questions. Okay thank you very much and something like an hours talk to is about come you know haven't regional meeting so if we come up to northwest arkansas you're like to partner with you and do something to show us your vision a little bit more and mean common on your test and it's great but sometimes we could see it I think it's good for our members to know and so you're how much of general revenue do you get as far as the department. Mister chair we we currently operate on a total budget of about twenty seven million dollars which only three point seven million dollars in general is general room okay aren't thank you we are going to recognize questions this one first and choose okay represent a painter you're recognized thank you mr chair it's good to see you secretary of penn couple of questions here how long is the advert website been down sir we took the website down I believe in it was a march and we currently are under negotiations with a firm to stand uh the website back up when we were a first got on board and started looking out the website the the information had had not been updated since. It was constructed in two thousand sixteen it was so out of date that it was almost misinformation as opposed to uh you know anything that the public mark bad useful so we're currently in you know have plans in a. The negotiation for a contract to stand at what's up and follow mister chair if have you guys let the county c v so's know that in the reason why I say that is i've had a influx of calls from veterans trying to that use that website and that are confused on the whites it's you know they get to turn to the regard arkansas gold website they're looking for information and a lot of them were called up guard and don't know why so we we have put that information out but you know it's just like every large organization diversion organization it's sometimes hard to get it down to the last person in the last row so we will we will circle back around and and I would encourage that because the cbsos are on the front line of accessing with those veterans in in the counties inside a definite encourage I thank you mister chairman. The. The center love you recognized that you miss share general pan good to see my first question is he started with the the home and north little rock is there a weightless or white list for for their home and if so can you can you talk to us a little bit about it yes of the home and little rock is effectively full but we do we do still take applications and so one of the things that we that we found upon assuming the office so there currently are no promoted rules for actually for the homes for the cemeteries or for the veteran child welfare service program so we we currently draft it up rules we are staffing those three the governor's office and the attorney general's office and we expect to have those rules in pronounce the legislature here and november for promulgation and publishing. Okay and so so there is a weight list for the home in north of rock indian and cook going down to the home in in fairview because I was thinking that it is going to be time for us to do something about their said their date general revenue set aside as fifty million dollars and then you're expecting thirty five approximate thirty five million dollars from the federal government yet yes about thirty million okay so that'll be a roughly fifty million dollar facility I guess I guess my question to you is in constructing the fifty million dollar facility because I can remember when we did the the one in in northern rock I mean state general revenue we gave twenty one million dollars I can remember that operationally what is it going to look like I guess to run a fifty million dollar facility on that in. Is it going to be any any more additional revenue that you have a mate cause I just. In i'm just. Thinking about anticipating you know running a one run in the facility yesterday so like living let me kind of give you some inside into the call structure for the homes it and so I again these homes operate off of reimbursement not off of general revenue okay so uh. It cost about roughly four hundred dollars a day at each of the homes to care for a battery and depending upon the source of reimbursement depends upon how much money that that veteran generates for the home and so if the veteran is seventy percent va disabled the va will reimburse the home roughly four hundred and sixty dollars a day for care so that veteran would generate sixty dollars a day in profit that goes to operate the home above and beyond the the basic requirements if the the veteran is a medicaid recipient instead of medicaid only reimburses at three hundred and forty one dollars today and so. That would in obviously that then creates a a loss and so the one of the things that we found it a fat bill after we came on board was that we had gotten upside down with the number of va reimbursed batteries at the end though and so the home was operating at loss in in over the last three years and our office had come has come back to the legislature and the governor's office to ask for additional money and to keep that home up and running so what we did this year to you know help. Put a stop to the the loss we capped in take at what we currently have on board and we will keep it at what we have in allowed the current veteran population that we have and I and pet bill to a trip down until we get a new home on and then we will transfer all the veterans that we have left into the new facility and we use the new facility it's it will be an attractive feature or an attractive option for those seventy percent va disabled veterans that allow us to operate at a adding profit which is what those which is what both homes are designed to do their their design to operate without. And a general revenue okay but I guess I guess not current I mean general then these may say so for the the veterans that are not being I guess receiving that that seventy percent. Disabled pay or the home is not receiving a death for them out we're not going to be leaving the mountain code are I mean i. Sure there is not a matter of leaving them out in the cold the the number of beds that are available in arkansas any citizen is sufficient for the general the population of foxted that need beds. But the homes again or designed to run without general revenue so to take in any one other than. Seventy percent disabled veterans what you there there is a threshold at which if you take in more than a certain number we would have to come back to this body and ask for general revenue dollars and right now that is in up to this point that is not been the business model that either of those homes operate on. Okay I do understand the business model it kind of concerns me I will tell you II want to go record that that that kind of concerns because how would they want to know the percentage of veterans that don't meet that threshold in the in what services if any are we provided for them I mean I mean I know that there's additional services are like maybe they are stouchers or whatever I mean but i've just been would be I would be concerned and I you know and I understand you as a general win you know I understand the business smaller that you try to ring to make the homes so sufficient but at the same time. Sir I would I would point out this is the business model I have to run so I mean again the homes are designed by statute to run. You know on their own on their own based on reimbursement so I mean I understand I understand you're concerned completely I would just say that right now i'm operating the homes the way i'm required to operate okay alright thank you thank you miss share. Make senate love. Representative springer you're in recognized good morning thank you mister chair i'm going to change the subject thank you general for being here I would just like to hear more about you talked about the full areas under your supervision but I would like to hear more about them the third one that you stated that veteran services and you give me more detail about what takes place there how many employees you are out there into what specifically that that particular department yes ma'am so so the the better and services office is a composed one division director and seven regional veteran service also scattered around the state. And so those better and service also is provide. Technical backup in support for the county better and service officers they also handle the appeals for a batteries whose ba claim has been turned down or otherwise have reduced. And and then they provide training for the county better and service officers so. That in terms of their work load it's it's in the hundreds per week and in there all of those functions just be. So so you are saying these seven individuals at the it's your left the level will view hundreds of cases and then what about the ones that the county level the yes ma'am so the county the every county judge has at least one some counties choose to resource that program more robustly and have more than. Pardon me more than one but mad by regional vso's then provide back up to them provide a technical sport provided by and when when there is a vacancy in that county office model regional dso's will step in and do that county level work until such time as I knew county the sos is hard. Mr cheer final question would respect two. Does a veteran were first services could you expound a little bit more about specific what the particular department does yes ma'am and so that that program is a has a pardon me as a. A budget of about a hundred and fifty thousand dollars a year of which forty seven thousand dollars is a is brant and there were two man power uh allocations assigned to that program up until up until march that program for the past how I would say ten or fifteen years has operated in concert with the american legion over at the american legion headquarters. Which are we noticed some issues with program execution we have brought that program back into the department of veterans affairs and we've been running at a there ever since mr beasey here to my right is director and I can let him talk some specific. So around mid july II receive funds for this this program and since july of her twenty four grants issued and you know amount about half my budget right now at the end of this month and. I want to tell you it's just such a gratifying feeling i've got the case after case I brought letters from each one of these people that we've helped one is a single mom veteran uh with five kids trying to get her by ready for school and just didn't have enough money in we're able to give them a grant of five hundred dollars up to five hundred dollars but once a year to help with water bills or electric bills or if they're fixing it thrown out of their apartment you know to help with the lease and things like that up to one time a year for the help I need a copy of their dd to fourteen and and then I need a copy of a birth certificate of the child this eighteen or younger and the home in what I have those states are also require a copy of the bill that we're going to be spend this money on the because every single penny act considered to be mine and and we we keep an account of that but i've got. Oh you know twenty something letters from everyone that we've helped and and and I know it does sell like five hundred a light but in some cases it keeps some from getting thrown out of their apartment or whatever and so you know it's to me it's a very gratifying program that there is a great need out there for veterans that are struggling right now and this is just one tool that we can help with the answer that you meant grants there are they across the state or the combined in any particular area out there across the statement. Thank you. Okay thank you yeah represent maybe you're recognized. Thank you mister chair would you mind explaining to everybody just kind of what you're discovery was of this program before you came on board and how this distribution was going and what you've done to correct some of the. Incidences I guess I should say. Yes ma'am so as I mentioned earlier that their program has a a grant of about forty seven thousand dollars per year in general revenue. As we were getting ready for legislative audit here back in the the early spring we noticed that. We we we basically wouldn't call excuse for the last since two thousand and ten for that program all the way up until about two thousand seventeen the grand had been paying out about between the low thirties that were forty thousand dollars a year in terms of the. At the grants that we were issuing out in about two thousand seventeen the number the amount of money that we were raining drop precipitously all the way up and told last year when there was no money granted out at all that's a that was one of the importance to go back and pulled the program back into the department and aside more oversight to it and so since then we've you know and mister beases granted out more money I guess in the last six months then we've granted out in the last. Follow up so that was money that was awarded by the legislature forty seven thousand dollars a year that could have been helping veterans all along and it's not like you get to carry that forward that money is gone and you weren't able to help veterans especially during cobid and all that time period that money just never got out of my understanding that correctly yes ma'am that's that's correct the money that we do not issue out in only given this clear goes back in the state okay and so if we have their trans who need help how how do they make use of this how do they get in touch with you how do they qualify can you give us some of the specifics so we had that information to take back when we get those phone calls from people saying I need help yes in in other approached every determined service organization out there that I can i'm out on the road I go to the coalition meetings to merc and lead your meetings to the v and let them know that if they've got a veteran out there that they can contact our office in in all I need is an email or in some cases i've actually got my vehicle in current and application to a veteran who doesn't have a vehicle in and make sure that they get this application filled out and then you know the copy of those two documents to make sure we meet the law in the we can help from there but i'm trying to spread the word right now and i'm amazed at the people i'm here in the either didn't know about it over gave up on it because they couldn't you know couldn't get it and and back to represent a pinterest earlier comment so that this will be part of the website the new and improve the website was without it up and running so how do they get in touch with the years there a phone number they can call and email that they can can go to and and again the specifics for instance II had a a person who they had a child but it was an adult child with the disability. That they have guardian ship over what they qualify if you don't mind going just a little bit more specific and how. How do we contact you so on our application form in those that i'm sending out you contact ever don't child welfare or consolidate give us the website. Or you can call fibre one six eight three two three eight two for any other information and how to submit your app completed application. And then the qualifications and qualifications once again or that you have to be a deceased or medically. The. Inappropriative thirty percent of greater to be eligible and we can assist with the basic living expenses up to a maximum of five hundred dollars a year. But you must have a child and again can that be so an adult child with a disability or just a child under eighteen or foster children do they qualify. So a child in your home that's eighteen or under a needs help is is how the. Okay thank you thank you for your work I appreciate it. Thank you one quick question up maybe the scott itself when you're budged at general revenue money if you don't spend that amount then it then you return that back to the treasury yes sir for this particular program and specific yes in I believe that's true for the rest of our. That as well do you know the the figure of the last few years three five years that you've turned back to the treasury has been two hundred fifty thousand one point two me in a if you can't just get the figure I think that support I mean since I was asking question about money in you know sometimes when things when agencies do a good job and they turn the money back in the head next thing you know it gets spin on something else you're like they are maybe we should have just made it work if you not spend that money it builds up an account or something sir I have data here are specific to this program about how we under excuse don't have in terms of the apartment that apartment budget overall my my strong suspicion is we've spent everything that the department has been a lot of government got even here so there's probably not a whole lot of money in in your budget that you're turning back after you sir okay are thank you number eighty two senator chesterfield year recognize. Thank you mister chair down and thank you so merchant general p and thank you especially you've been very responsive when I have cold on you and I truly appreciate it there and wanted to say that publicly in a perfect world. How much should we allocate for this particular fine or them I i've not sit down and spoken with the governor's office yet so i'd be hesitant to put a number out in front of this body but it's now forty seven thousand but out I would say that the need is greater than the and the budget ok if if you would and even though i'm not a member of this committee i've always had a great deal of respect for the work of the committee it would be helpful to I think the general assembly to know what do you need in terms of helping our veterans because we know we have those who are homeless. We know that we have those who have children who were under eighteen with greater neat and five hundred dollars the five hundred dollars established by law or by caveat no man we we said that figure in an order to have the greatest spread of benefit of the state that we could come so we had greater funds you might be able to because. Most red is more more than five hundred dollars a month. But it can keep somebody from being put out sometimes if if it's there but. I'd hate to think that we have to scrimp. On a veterans. And if we could get more it would certainly help them cause if you got a family of five and five hundred dollars a hundred dollars a peace and it's just not enough it's helpful but it's not enough so I think will be helpful if you were to give us going forward what it is you actually need getting that to the executive branch so that they could bring it to the legislature so that we can better meet the knees about veterans and again thank you so very much for all you do is certainly appreciate it and I appreciate the responsiveness every time i've called it truly appreciated mr chair thank you so much for allowing me to ask a question. But everyone should else singer chest bill was representative chest field in former chair of this committee and asserted under that committee so. I don't know how many times did you discipline me during that time she just laughed so there's some good there's something guild in there I just despite to get with your office and kevin anderson and windy and maybe try to look at the turnback dollars that you've been doing and I know that can be flexible because the projects come in and stuff but there may be certainly try and look at his transit set back a fun if you're given a hundred thousand or two hundred thousand or whatever back that we can sit back sometimes you know that can be a seed money to get better and do some if you don't care will will have them coordinate a report back to committee if if no one has an objection or has the interest in the money part will try and find out what what you guys have been doing what passed in see what we can find trying to help this or thank you. Representative wolveridge you're recognized and then represent it fart and then represent it thank you mister chair generally good morning thank you for being here I wanted to circle back to the conversation we were having about the housing projects I know you said you have one in central arkansas m one in northwest arkansas and asking both of those are full. So they are the home here in what in. Not a rock is for i've got home up in fat bill we have a currently about sixty folks living there out of a bed space of about ninety I believe it's not a and so we but we have capped that intake simply because. Quite frankly II think the the atmosphere there are so poor probably not doing the right thing by bringing veterans in s is what i'm sure is to maybe not conduce it to the environment you're looking for question I guess is what other options exist around the state for better and housing. Was her this is in this specific too long term care so you know better in housing as a separate issue is is something up i'm not prepared to speak on this morning over this it's normally outside of my wheel house in terms of the the areas that I manage I can do some research and provide bright and probably rejected one of my colleagues on the on the cabinet first and then come back around to you okay I follow it missed here I want to I think better explained my question to you I understand this is this is a long term care that you're talking about and there's got to be that seventy percent threshold to qualify my concern is what are we doing for those who don't qualify but still have a need for housing is that something your office takes a lead on or they just found it on their own no sir no sir it's not it's not our office in quite frankly i'm not sure I can want you to which agency was in the state government does that okay I guess i'm trying to figure out like for instance john's borough has a veterans village but you guys are not referring folks that need housing to those different areas around the state no so we don't we don't have any interaction with that okay thank sir. Thank you representative fat you are recognized. Thank you mr chair good morning thank you for being here and for this information when we as legislators get a call from someone needing help. With the veteran. In the area of their transwith this good starting place for speed of contact our county service off the surrounded the county judge. Memo I would give you my phone number and you can give me a call and i'll get it routed to where it needs to go my phone number is five zero one. Seven three two. Six zero pop up well in in my area i've had very good results with reaching out to our county service officers and i'm not sure everyone on this committee is is familiar with that area we have a lot of new members so I wanted to mention that your small thank you. Thank you representative painter you are recognized thank you chair secretary would you be opened to a. Keeping this committee up to date on on the progress of that website so that way we we have we can answer questions to our veterans that give us a call yes or absolutely okay and the second question or follow us mistreat what is the demographics of the folks taken advantage of that welfare program is in our younger veterans with the last couple of wars or is it just a wide variety. Sirs of wide variety of head older gentlemen or ladies for our you know brand new veterans have just getting into the system and trying to find their way so not really one specific group just a wide range okay and in less question mister chair. There there's a I would encourage you guys if you can if you know there's men's veterans home in mountain home that has it's a perfect facility I think the last secretary was there when he was here I would encourage you to come up to mountain home and tour that facility they have bed space I think fifteen twenty beds and they're empty and they're open to any better crosses state assert loved come up and so out I would encourage that if we're having folks veterans that can't find homes or fine places to stay at the beat on the you know back on track I would encourage you guys to look at the facility yes or thank you mister can you get with the mr gillen here and can I update I saw on everything and we can talk about it each report each meeting if we need to so absolutely thank you. Okay general I don't think we have any more questions from the committee we thank you and in hopefully some members express mattress to maybe doing a tour either of northwest arkansas maybe the facility down here with the committee at some point in the future yesterday we love the house or thank you sir thank you. Next is item. F mr mrs abbey randall. Is she here. Okay. The. The. Thank you miss rondo you now recognized for your presentation. Here we go um let me start by introducing myself my name is aburandell and I am the program director of fostering change in fort smith. I wanted to thank you offer inviting me and allowing me to share with you my passion for use in foster care I have been asked to speak in front of many different crowds about our program and most of the time I just say a prayer and speak from a heart however as I prepared for this meeting I felt it was vital to write down all of my sites because I didn't I don't believe that being in a room with such influential people happened by accident my hope is that I can expand your knowledge of a community reigration program for providers perspective and share the joys and triumphs as well as shed light on the areas we can improve on as a state. Five string changes currently the only community reigration program in the state of arkansas and has been since are opening the mission statement of our program is to help in power at a lessons offer guidance and and still self worse resilients independence and the ability to transition to the least restrictive environment as well as be productive members of society and a valued member of their community. To date we have served a total of a hundred and thirteen use from the ages of thirteen to seventeen from all over the state we began our program in april of two thousand and eighteen. This program fills the gap of needed care for children and stake care as a transition out of a cute or long term psychiatric placements in attempt to reintegrate into the community and a home setting. This program provides twenty four hour per day intensive there are put it care in a small group home setting. While in the program children are under the care of a physician in a minimum whole therapist children stay in the program for an average of eight to twelve months once completing the treatment the use of transitioned into a lower level of care we operate with three shifts and currently we have twenty seven employees. If I string changes similar to a home we pride ourselves in assisting the used for transitioning to the community they are ten public school they are taking into the community for age appropriate activities such as skating bowling going out to eat they are encouraged to join extra curricular activities through their school and have the opportunity to earn the privilege of electronics and having a job in this generation most teenagers have a cell phone in a part time job. We believe that once they reach a certain place in their treatment we need to teach them how to be responsible with things such as this. Often times in group home settings. Personal electronics are frowned upon and I can tell you why they're a headache the major headache but if it's not us then who who teaches them the importance of internet safety and how to sit healthy boundaries with family they haven't been allowed to speak to you in years someone has to step in knowing it's going to be a lot of work and take several opportunities. But we are willing to be those people we feel this way about all age appropriate things that come with being a teenager. We know they will require more on our part but that is truly how we re integrate them back into our community like a typical home we do not have any quiet rooms. And we do not use any physical or chemical restricts. Our consequence system is a form of grounding taking away privileges and providing natural consequences we do not use a point system or a level system and you will often hear me say there are no level systems in life if we teach these used to behave based on a level or color system how do we expect them to be successful in a typical hum. Our goal is for years to be successful when they leave us whether that be with a biological family adopted family or independently living as adults once completing their treatment fastering change user able to transition to our dcfs funded program robbins house. Robin towers provides twenty four seven care just at a lower level they still receive mental health services it is just not as intensive robin's house is a three bedroom home that provides a used access to things that they did not previously have access to in a higher level of care. The kitchen is not locked they can walk into the kitchen and open the refrigerator or get themselves to snack. To many this may seem silly to bring up however if you think about the amount of time these use have spent in a hospital setting they have not had access to things like this. Then they are well in a hospital setting they're not even allowed to do their own laundry then we place them in an adoptive home or back with biological parents and we wonder why it fails the transition is the key to helping our use be successful. When I used turn eighteen they can transition to our supervisor independent living program the landing is also funded by dcfs the landing is for young adults who choose to stay in extended foster care from the ages of eighteen to twenty one who live independently in their own apartment while in the landing these young adults receive case management services and guidance into adopt. While having all three programs we can serve our clients from the ages of thirteen to twenty one without them having to leave our care between authority per programs we currently have twenty two beds. Fistering changes are very special place treating us that most people would consider a loss cause. We have had a child who has had over ninety placements yes you heard me correctly ninety. That's ninety different beds ninety different therapist ninety different school systems. We've served a young man who witnessed his to your old sister be murdered at the hands of his step for. We have treated young ladies who have been victims of sect trafficking and the west goes on if you're like me after hearing this information I was heartbroken. I then ask what can we do about this and how can we prevent this from happening. As I began to work with these youth it was a parent that their behaviors were difficult they were violent at times and they would become a great. I excuse me and is respectful. But can you blind them they were only children when they were exposed to this type of trauma this is when I began my research and I began to educate myself on how to help our clients with severe male adapted behaviors. I knew that we had the mental health piece down however if we were unable to treat their behaviors they would not ever be able to stay anywhere long and to work through their trauma and that is what was happening with these use. Through my research I landed on applied behavior analysis and enrolled in my master's program after completing my degree in aba I began to implement these practices within our program using a multi disciplinary team treating their behaviors as well as their mental health needs and we have seen great success through this progress. Currently aba services are not a billable service for children who do not have an artism diagnosis however we are helpful that there are successes that fastering change that this will not always be the case in arkansas. The success of our use is an ongoing passion of ours at fostering change. And we want to aid the used in having the least number of placements as possible. Because with each unexpected placement move the uses exposed to more and more trauma. We often treat use her coming out of filled adoptions meaning they're adopted by parents who commit to loving them for a lifetime and then their return to the system. For a multitude of reasons. This is a major problem in our state and it is only causing more damage to our children and something has got to change I believe we need to slow down the adoption process as well as increase the amount of training that parents receive prior to the adoption. But it doesn't stop there we need to provide rap around services to the families prior to the situation escalating to the point of returning a child I believe that our team at dcfs does the best they can with the current crisis however I believe the answer to this problem is beyond their control and they need support. There are just not enough providers in our states to help this fragile population we need more providers who are interested in doing this work however the work is hard and the reimbursement is minimal and the overhead is significant. I had the privilege of being reported the work groups that formulated the eleven recommendations for governor sanders foster care executive order strategic plan i'm very excited about the direction our state is going in a new focus being placed on foster care. I often say that this is the best in the worst job i've ever had. We see heartbreak and disappointment however we also see healing reunification adoption and live for ever changed for the better I want to thank you all again for inviting me today and thank you for your service and dedication to our great state of arkansas. Thank you much for your work in your presentation first off we have representative maybe you recognized thank you mr chair so just to help me understand that children that you're seeing you were saying thirteen to seventeen year old year's year is old in the fort and fostering change right because the other ones are for the the landing is older correct delaying is for yout and extended foster care ages eighteen to twenty one who choose to stay in in would you say that the children that you are seeing might have rad reatachment reactive reactive attachment disorder we do see that and I think that is part of why we see a lot of use that are brought back into the system I would say we probably we have six use right now out of our twelve and fistering change you have been returned and from a from posted option II have had several parents tell me that the problem is is that you know their child might get some very intense help for a short period of time and then they're expected who have children with rad and then they're expected to come back into the home and so so what you're offering is that transition to help them get acclimated to coming back into their home with that be correct correct correct so that is what our program is designed for however I do see that there is a need once the children are placed back into the house they're developed by that family has those support systems because you often see what the child is adopted then the state no longer has kind of jurisdiction over if the child continues therapy if the child continues medication and that becomes an issue because they pull the user but child off of the medication they they don't take the child that there be any more and so again right now we don't have anything in place that says if you adopt a child you you need to continue their mental health services. And then the child fails in that placement. And and your the only place doing that type of service right now we are currently the only community reintegration program I know a few weather places in this day I know methodist has applied for it but they'd just struggle with the staffing crisis that we have so but currently we're the only one operate there is a great need so thank you for what you're doing and i'm going to share this with some families who have called me but that are concerned so thank you. Center selling you recognized thank you mister chair doing a great job and it had really talk you know I think our poster care system gets a lot of under criticism. Far trying to tackle a problem that they didn't create drug abuse child abandonment I guess criminalization that oversexualization of children all these things are the root cars of why children are in foster care would that be right three hundred percent would drug abuse among the top reasons that children replaced in foster care. Nat necessary detail but among the time I would I would say sell because with substance abuse comes other issues so it comes you know not being able to hold a job not being able to provide it a safe and clean living environment so and also the centralization of children child abuse whether it's physical sexual is a high major reason children are replaced in foster care. I absolutely I have spoken and another organization this weekend every young lady that we've had that was a sex trafficking victim none of them were ever kidnapped by stranger and through in the back of a white and they were either sold by a parent into the sex trafficking or they were runaways and found their self met by someone on the street that then yeah would you agree that these problems are getting worse not better in the six years we'd been open yes a hundred percent so you're being asked to solve a problem you didn't create. That is geometrically increasing and then people are upset that we the government are you your agency can't keep up with the problem that you didn't create. Nor do you have the solution form because of the personal responsibility of some of the people that are in bar that whose children are being placed in foster care you have to warn thank you for the work that you do and hope that will our state is trying and the government is trying to focus on some of these issues that are the root cars of children going to foster care you guys are not the problem you're the solution and to a problem this increasing at a greater rate then you can address and I appreciate what you do and thank you for your testimony today thank you thank you very much and I don't see any other questions from the member of the committee and you can also access the staff people if you want any additional information to the members to be sent out allow you to do that thank you very much for your testimony. The. Okay next I want to first take a minute since this is the children committee are blake here in his wife welcomed claire rose gill and born july seventeenth twenty twenty three and she weighed eight pounds and one ounces so can we give you a right next year's item g the review that are console state police crimes against children's division. Major drew you. Budgeter you're recognizer. But major drew crowns gets true in the vision are sustained police warning chair of members will go over the quarterly report for april through jill. On. Page two you see that the heartline received sixteen thousand nine hundred and sixty five calls nine hundred fourteen of those would or accept it one thousand six hundred and seventeen little referrals. Included have eleven hundred party one allegations for investigation by c doing it her time period DC fsa at five thousand nine hundred and forty seven and one thousand five hundred and fifty were different or responses op's three. Reflects allegation type cd investigator monthly and see what is three eighty april three ninety one in may and three twenty nine in june if i'm moving to a fair street free to start me sometimes I get on the tracking and get going. Alright and on page four it was sure you listed the mandated reporters have premium. That they report it reports that came in from them on page five is the monthly breakdown of case is open and clothes said a three month time period would say see the open one thousand five hundred and seventy four closed one thousand six hundred and fifty five hundred and thirty of those was true with a thirty two percent substantiation rate. Her we've told you present twenty times who had active investors two thousand nine hundred and nineteen with three hundred and twenty five of those over the forty five day time period on pages six and seven you'll see the county breakdown. Our page is nine and ten or reflect the allegation tapes and excuse me and the victim age groups. Pages eleven through twenty or flag we show the relationship between the offenders and the alleged victim and age groups are those alleged offenders. Some pages twenty two through twenty nine you see the breakdown of judicial districts prosecutors and search and the case is that we submit it when the time period. It was six hundred and twenty nine with two hundred and forty seven of those. I have in charges filed hundred and fifty five of those were declined and without two hundred and twenty seven. Pending waiting to find out which direction they'll go about any questions. Thank you major we will have center to sell in your sullivan you're recognized. I'm sorry thank you there are but thank you for being here today i've never kind of follow up with the line of questioning her comments I just had are are the incidents getting are we having more prevalence or less. Of these the issues that you're looking at or do you know that the answer to that question or so it would issue where you were seeing incidents of child abusing to collect. So that's with this report is so is that going up are going down or staying level. Over of course of time. It's pretty level of of course of time i've been because you see with. Of course population in education people learn and more will receive more reports. Right now presently just from the reporting alone not to actually investigation so far we received about seven thousand work posted hotline reporting it. Telling their overwhelmed course of time seven hundred up until the end of august six thousand six hundred calls more than we received this time last year wow. There would seem like quite an increase. Yes sir we even it also falls we got new reporting system automated that helps allow those reports sometimes may be duplicates but it helps because the more people that report it now we have more people there that we get access to to investigate with them agreed and that's a good thing we can do all their but the incidents the number of incidents that are happening in our state are increasing course again you don't you're just reporting it is that's not your your fault you're. Collecting the data that says her large increase and what it appears a large increase in the number of incidents that are being reported seven thousand are so today true yes okay thank you thank you mister chair. Thank you representative duke you're recognized. Thank you mister chair can a following along the lines of his question just a month ago is there can can you share with us at some point it looks like some of these. Some of these reporting like the ten to nineteen year old age bracket is some of them are particularly high is it possible for us to see over the years if that particular age bracket has increased significantly or if it has stayed no kind of the same or how that has changed over maybe the last ten or fifteen years out of how long all this has been collected in this way into this breakdown but I think that might be beneficial to know. That especially in the nineteen year old age if that has varied a whole lot over the years thank you. Thank you representative will rich you are recognized. Thing was chair major thank you for being here this morning my question is about the number of calls versus the number of accepting calls can you walk to committee through counter that decision tree that cross as how does that work so you receive roughly seventeen thousand calls over this short period of time and in nine thousand so roughly half of them are accepted whose making that decision and how is that process fleshed out over the course of that phone call for us is when the call comes in it comes comes into the highlight we were the train on the mail treatment law to know what they can't accept what they can accept. For instance they say what stand out to me right now it is mill injury they can only be reported by a medical professional. So safer a relative calls and says it is certain. A mental damage to their child we can't accept it from there and also there are other things out. Sexual contact. We have to have a understanding of if gratification to the place will that just if you call in to because there's a difference in the example that comes with mine you know in sports and football we have a lot of situations who are coaches slap the kids on their bodies their payers buyer somebody may look at that is as a sexual contact because it is the buy but there was no gratification from it but if they can go and if it's imply or insinuate when it takes place of course their call would be accepted then follow up mr chair and will take it so my question though is that bank of people answering the phone call what training who is that how do they make is that an autonomy decision that each individual gets to make as their decision tree that they follow how does that work I mean because what I considered to be sexual abuse versus representative painter versus representative duke may be different so how do we ensure that all our arkansas children. Have the opportunity to at least have an investigation if something warranted someone to rise up and make a phone call as a mandated reporter I think that that is something that deserves I guess a little bit of attention in terms of just making sure that that that is kind of standardized across the board because if you have an action that rises to the level of warranting a phone call or a call I guess I want to better understand and of how that works or how that decision tree how that decision is being made. There's there's a decision it's not each each operators know the side if they're going to step their call in that they get certain checklist that they've got to go through to make sure that me means that their criteria before the calls accepted if there's if I understand you correctly can I decide on their own so they hadn't that they've been trained on each area right where they should accept them what they should accept that it is my question so they have a checklist and it's got to meet certain standards and then they accepted and passed that to the next level yes sir and I mean it's sometimes if their situation is where they may think it's somewhat over grey area they'll make contact with a supervisor the supervisor will make their decision ok mischair would it be okay to ask that some of those materials be provided to the committee just for some review and oversat to understand kind of what they're looking at and how those decisions are being made yes sir we give on here we'll get touch with you and we'll try to figure out what information thank you mister chair thank you major do you have any more followups if it if it would help I mean you more than working coming to the silly at any time so where you can see what's taken place that where you get first and it's that it just given papers in front of you yeah and major we'd like to do that i'm senator just filled in reps in chest field took us on several tourists who use facilities I think even went up in missouri to want that she set up and I think they're very important in the union so major if if without any objection from the committee we'd like you to get with the staff people and see what you need to let us get out of here and know in walk us to a process or anything you want to educate us we're certainly open to this in the end you know we've talked about in two thousand nine you know we passed the mandatory reporting bill on the and you know I don't know if the committee we may want to relook at that bill and and have some rediscussion on that bill I know there's a situation I know in my district at that came up I was down here in two thousand I think linda was here I don't know if anybody else was here in two thousand nine when that went through and we didn't really know kind of what we were getting into or where this was going we just need to have a direction so. We might just have you look at that will go to walk maybe walk through that process if the members are proven going back to the two thousand and billion discussions so thank you major for everything you do thank you so thank you. Okay members do we have any other business before the committee. Okay and center chest field do you want to make a remark that this was a brian keen chair committee that was pretty boring so. It's even here she's gone i'll know well make this a note this is a branking chair meeting that that pretty much was pretty calm so anyway thank you members if we don't have any other business before the committee will adjourn so.