Study: S.C. foster care in need of overhaul

COLUMBIA - The state Department of Social Services has failed six of seven measures in a federal study on the foster care system, including workers underestimating risks to abused and neglected children and leaving young victims in foster homes too long.

The federal study, which blames the state agency as well as judges, schools and mental health providers for the failures, looked at whether children in the system were kept healthy and safe.

In one case, a child was inappropriately placed with a grandparent who had a criminal record and health troubles, the report said.

In another, workers' assessment failed to identify a family's domestic violence history.

Federal review teams studied 50 sample cases in three S.C. counties involving foster children or families under investigation for child maltreatment. In a quarter of the cases, social workers failed to see children frequently enough to ensure their safety - sometimes visiting less than once a month. Workers also failed to accurately address the risk of harm to children in 24 percent of the cases.

But DSS said the study's scope was too narrow. The agency investigates about 18,000 abuse or neglect complaints a year.

Human Services Director Mary Williams said the review of 50 cases in Greenville, Lexington and Marion counties does not give regulators a picture of the entire system.

Federal officials, however, said they looked at statewide statistics, too, and choosing a small number of cases allowed them to examine each in-depth.

Deep budget cuts have already limited services South Carolina provides, the federal report said.

The DSS budget, which also includes food stamps and welfare, has dropped more than 25 percent since the fiscal year that began in 2000 - to $88 million from $120 million.

None of the 39 states reviewed by the study has met every federal measure, and South Carolina, like other states, must improve or face losing federal funding for programs.

Federal regulators this spring will check to see if the state made adequate improvement. South Carolina could lose $726,000 if it fails to meet progress goals.

The state's proposal calls for better staff training, monitoring of casework and collaboration with other state agencies and courts, Williams said.

Agency officials don't know how much the improvement plan will cost overall, but they're asking legislators to increase adoption funding by $575,000 this year.

"We just know this is something that will help us improve our practices and what's good for kids," Williams said.

South Carolina performed well on some tasks. In the sample case reviews, the agency responded promptly to reports of abuse and neglect.

DSS did well helping foster children make the transition to independent living as adults.

The agency did worst in adoption, failing to move children quickly enough from foster homes to adoptive families. Statewide, DSS completed adoption within two years in just 14 percent of cases.

Federal standards require that at least 32 percent of children settle into adoptive homes within two years.

High staff turnover and the loss of DSS attorneys because of budget cuts have contributed to delays, the report said.