Yes. It's true. Fifteen new caseworkers have been hired and are starting in September. Ask the Director where most of them are coming from. They're case-aide technicians - state employees already working at DCYF who transport children to and from visits for the families and for the caseworkers. Talk about spreading the caseworker thin now!

If the state stopped paying rental assistance for families multiple times, stopped paying for in-home services multiple times when the parents are not capable of handling their children in a home capacity and stopped paying for other ancillary services then the budget would not be in this shape.

I worked at DCYF for six years (left in January 2007) and I've observerd DCYF being ordered by the court to pay electric bills, gas bills, phone bills, rent, etc., etc. not only one time for a family - but multiple times. DCYF should help a family in crisis - not support it. If DCYF finds that it is supporting a family by remitting payment for their daily living needs beyond normal capacities, then it needs to re-evaluate its purpose.

Right now DCYF is running on prayers. The system is shot. It's spent. Like Ms. Alston so fittingly said, "It's demolished." How can that type of a structure protect children?

I laugh when I read reports that the average caseload is 18!!! Most of my colleagues had cases in the upper 20's. In February 2006 I had 30 cases! Were Region 4's (Pawtucket) averages factored into the equation?

The Licensing Unit at DCYF is horribly organized. Potential foster parents whom already have an application completed and submitted by a licensing agency have to wait for months before it is even entered into the system and processed. This creates frustration and causes most families to call the Licensing Unit to complain. Thus, in the process, most families have to repeat their BCI and DCYF clearances. When someone who sits at a desk all day finally picks up the application the clearances need to be completed again because they've expired.

The system is in absolute disarray. One top administrator has announced his resignation come next month because he cannot watch the system falter these children any longer. What does this say??

Interview caseworkers and see what they have to say. Let them fill in the missing pieces for the public!

Thank God we have DCYF workers like Mr. Campopiano who speak up. While agencies are trying to process families DCYF Licensing Unit is delaying the process. Private agencies are afraid to speak up due to retaliation. Where does DCYF get their pwer. Why not share the burden and let the private agencies help out. In the meantime hire another Fire Inspector. There are homes going without due to an overload on the one inspector.

The reason that DCYF has so many cases is that pulling children out of their homes has become a racket.

Once a kid has been removed from his home he becomes a money-making machine, ka-ching! He is put on Rite-Aid and gets sent repeatedly to every doctor, dentist and shrink under the sun so that they can get a piece of the action. Group homes get thousands of dollars per bed that they fill. Sure, they bill the Feds for a lot of it, but it still costs RI taxpayers a boatload, and let's not forget that Federal dollars don't just fall from the sky; they come from our taxes, too.

Here's hoping that with all of the forthcoming layoffs in the state, more people will come forward with reality tales of this wretched rug-rat racket.

DCYF takes infants from mothers at birth an charges them with false charges, plus gives them the run around. Call this person, oh you have to talk to this person etc....an they stop a mother from feeding there infant breastmilk with no care to the infant nor the mother.