February 1, 2012

The Honorable Wayne Krieger The Honorable Jeff Barker Co-Chairs, House Judiciary Committee State Capitol Salem, Oregon 97301 Re: House Bill 4023 Community Guardianship Dear Representative Krieger and Representative Barker: I am the executive director of Catholic Community Services of the Mid-Willamette Valley and Central Coast. Catholic Community Services is a State-licensed and nationally accredited social services organization that provides several types of social service to nearly 4,000 children, youth, and adults each year. We provide foster care for more than 100 children and youth on any given day. This total represents approximately ten percent of the Marion, Polk, and Yamhill County foster children, but it is the ten percent with the most serious behavioral and emotional problems. In 2010, Governor Ted Kulongoski and Chief Justice of the Oregon Supreme Court Paul De Muniz signed a memo of understanding, jointly declaring the safe and equitable reduction of the number of children in Oregons foster care system to be among the top priorities in this state. Community Guardianship is designed to help the State achieve this important goal in a manner that improves foster care outcomes and reduces costs for Oregon taxpayers. We are most appreciative of the support for this measure demonstrated by Chief Justice Paul De Muniz, an extraordinary advocate for Oregons children. I would like to thank each of you, as co-chairs, as well, for introducing House Bill 4023.

3737 Portland Rd. NE, Salem

P.O. Box 20400, Salem, OR 97307

503.390.2600

www.ccswv.org A 501[c]3 Nonprofit Organization

www.FosteringHopeInitiative.org Lead Agency

Nationally accredited by the Council on Accreditation for Children & Family Services, Behavioral Health Services, and Group Living Services

A Member Agency Catholic Charities of Oregon Catholic Charities USA

House Bill 4023 Community Guardianship James T. Seymour, Salem, Oregon Catholic Community Services February 1, 2012 Page 2

Background The Adoption and Safe Families Act and Oregon Administrative Rules (OAR 413-070-0500 to 413-070-0517) require the Department of Human Services (DHS) to develop, document, and implement a permanency plan for every child placed in the departments legal custody for substitute care placement. There are five permanency designations: Reunification, Adoption, Guardianship, Permanent Placement with a fit and willing relative, and Another Planned Permanent Living Arrangement (APPLA), which usually means long-term foster care. APPLA is seldom seen as the best permanency plan for foster children. While in long-term foster care, many children experience multiple disrupted placements, lose contact with caring relatives, move far away from the neighborhoods and schools where people knew and cared about them, and often develop severe behavioral and emotional problems. Community Guardianship Designation Community Guardianship is designed to provide these children and youth with what they need most: safe, stable, nurturing relationships. Community Guardianship would be awarded to a licensed and accredited non-profit, non-governmental organization (NGO) following a court approved petition. The NGO, then, would recruit, vet, and support a fit and willing individual or couple to be the youths volunteer Community Advocate. The volunteer Community Advocate would establish a long-term, safe, and nurturing relationship with the youth that is intended to last until the youth has successfully emancipated as a financially self-sufficient adult. The vast majority of the feedback we have received about Community Guardianship has been positive, but there have been some concerns expressed. These concerns, as I understand them, are threefold. First, that youth will lose public benefits if they leave foster care. Second, that youth are better protected by a public agency because it is more open and transparent than a private non-profit agency. Third, that privatized foster care systems have not worked well in other states. Id like to address each of these concerns, starting with the last one first. Community Guardianship is not an effort to privatize foster care. Its aim is to safely and equitably reduce the number of children in foster care, improve foster care outcomes, and reduce costs to taxpayers. While reasonable people may disagree, I would argue that the State is in a better position to protect children who are not in its own care. There is an inherent conflict of interest when DHS has the dual responsibility of providing both protective services and foster care.

House Bill 4023 Community Guardianship James T. Seymour, Salem, Oregon Catholic Community Services February 1, 2012 Page 3

While it is true that youth may lose certain public benefits when they leave the foster care system, they will gain community benefits that may end up being far more valuable to them. I am reminded of a story that a Native American man I know tells. He says when he was growing up on the reservation, there were fathers who left their households so their children could receive public benefits. Unfortunately, he says, we learned far too late that the children needed their fathers more than they needed the benefits. This Community Guardianship Initiative is part of a larger effort to decrease child maltreatment rates in a significant manner and it involves over 30 community partner organizations in true collaborative spirit. The Department of Human Services is a key partner in all of this. They have indicated to me that they would support this bill with the amendment specifying 16 years or older for foster care youth to be considered for Community Guardianship. We agree with them in this regard. Thank you kindly for your concern for Oregons children and for your time to consider Community Guardianship. I urge you to support this measure and would be happy to respond to any questions you might have of me. Sincerely,

James T. Seymour Executive Director Catholic Community Services 503-856-7001 jseymour@ccswv.org

cc: Members of the House Judiciary Committee Chief Justice Paul De Muniz, Oregon Supreme Court Dave Fiskum, CFM Catholic Community Services Board of Directors Catholic Community Services Foundation Board of Directors