In the amorphous, constantly scrubbed, fastidiously manicured lexicon of government, the statewide problem being addressed this morning on the curving green campus of Vista Del Mar Child and Family Care was blandly called “disparities in the foster care system.”
It is much more serious.
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At her reelection campaign kickoff on Monday, Assemblymember Holly Mitchell, third from left, was flanked by (from left) County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas, U.S. Rep. Karen Bass, state Sen. Rod Wright, L.A. City Controller Wendy Greuel, Assemblyman Steve Bradford. Photo by Shon Smith/ D'Angelo's Photos.
In the real-people world, that means state Assemblymember Holly Mitchell (D-Culver City) and Assemblyman Jim Beall (D-San Jose), chair of the Assembly Committee on Foster Care, were holding a public hearing, interviewing witnesses to determine why black children in the system are treated worse than others.
“In racial discrimination,” Ms. Mitchell said, “it is not subtle at all. The numbers are staggering, and it is not a new issue.
“Today we will be talking about the caseloads for social workers, poverty, issues around cultural competency and sensitivity, and circumstances under which one child may be removed from the home and the other one may not.
“It is complex,” said Ms. Mitchell, “just as all racial issues are. This is not a new issue. When I worked for the state Legislature 20-plus years ago and we had a real sudden increase in foster care numbers, particularly across L.A. County, this issue was of concern then.
Time for Testimony
“We will hear from service providers, from foster care kids, from the state director of the Dept. of Social Services. We want to really dig down and pull back the onion layers and talk about why.”
In the midst of the Assembly committee’s series of hearings up and down the state, how close are they to cornering a pragmatic solution?
“By the end of today,” said Ms. Mitchell, “I hope we will be closer. It is a matter of resources, how we educate people, how we develop important programs that support families and allow them to receive the support they need to safely keep their children home.”
Childcare has been the flagship of all political causes for Ms. Mitchell as it was and is for her predecessor U.S. Rep. Karen Bass (D-Culver City), among today’s witnesses.
Ms. Mitchell said that concerned persons may participate by maintaining a vigil at her website (http://asmdc.org/members/a47/) or at Ms. Bass’s (http://karenbass.house.gov/).
Mr. Beall, a former Santa Clara County Supervisor, has introduced legislation, Assembly Bill 1611, that seeks to correct “the racial and ethnic disproportionality in child welfare/foster care,” Ms. Mitchell said, who is a fost-adopt parent.
Her passionate interest in the subject dates back to the days of the Clinton administration. She explained: “There was a national concern about children of color aging out of the system. The federal government gave states various financial incentives to transition more children more quickly into permanent placement.
“It is common knowledge that if a child went into the foster care system as an infant and stayed beyond the age of 3, he or she was perceived as no longer adoptable. The real push was to get as many children as possible through the court process, the relinquishment process, quicker so they could move into permanent placement.”
This story has a beautiful ending.
Ms. Mitchell went through this process in 200 and adopted her then-infant son, Bryan.
Today he is 11 years old and a very promising orator. Monday afternoon at the Post and Beam restaurant in Crenshaw, Bryan stood on a sturdy bench and introduced his mother with handwritten words that he crafted himself.
He was fully as impressive as his mom.
