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Walker fails children and families, study shows
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Few are more vulnerable than children who by no fault of their own are placed in the child welfare system. Our state and state’s counties have a moral, if not sensible, obligation to ensure the safety and health of these children. But with Scott Walker at the helms in Milwaukee County, a new study shows the good people that care for these children are “overworked, under-trained and insufficiently supported.”

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported a laundry list of alarming insights into the foster care system in Milwaukee County gathered from the study, which among other things showed:

* “The  number of children per caseworker was 21.1.”

* “The time caseworkers can spend with clients is diluted by tasks such as paperwork, transportation and court appearances.”

* “Caseworkers feel ill-prepared to make medical judgments about children and want more training in how to recognize when children have been mistreated.”

* “As of Dec. 31, there were 671 children in licensed, non-relative foster care. Another 186 children were with relatives in licensed foster care. Some 800 children were in non-licensed, court-ordered kinship care.”


The study also found that "Many commented that there is no foster care 'system' in Milwaukee."

And on this last point, I have to wonder if Scott Walker is actually proud of where he’s steered Milwaukee. On the one hand, he has succeeded in overseeing a good public program take a turn towards non-existence--or at least to the point where no one recognizes its existence. But on the other hand, thousands of vulnerable children and their caretakers are suffering the consequences of his conservative, anti-public goods agenda in Milwaukee County.


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Walker created, does not run, BMCW
By capper Jun 1st 2009 at 3:56 pm EDT (Updated Jun 1st 2009 at 3:56 pm EDT)
While I have no love for Walker, and it is true that he helped create the monstrosity of the BMCW, he has nothing to do with it now. It is a state run agency.
Re: Walker created, does not run, BMCW
By cody Jun 2nd 2009 at 12:57 pm EDT (Updated Jun 2nd 2009 at 12:57 pm EDT)
Good call and thanks for the clarification capper. I guess I wasn't suggesting that Walker is in some way in charge of the agency, but he is the Milwaukee County Executive, and my criticism is directed towards his lack of leadership due to fundamental conservative ideas of less government. I would argue that more or better funded programs--Milwaukee County, state, or otherwise--should be in place to help less fortunate families.
  
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