This week I believe in things, movements, ideas, having their proper time, more than I believed it just a couple of weeks ago.

There has been an amazing confluence of events that say “It’s time,” for movement on both Child Protective Services (CPS) reform and the creation of a State Ombudsman in Vermont.  Not surprisingly, the two are connected. The first thing the universe presented me with last week was a call from a state senator’s aide, looking for input on how to effect external oversight for CPS.  My response, of course, is to create a State Ombudsman office.  With a little reminding, the senator remembered that our paths had crossed before, when I testified before the Senate Government Operations Committee against removing a level of appeal in the Office of Professional Regulation (OPR). (If you want to read the background on that piece, click here.)

I sent what I’ve worked up so far regarding same, and the good senator will be in touch when he’s had a chance to review the material.  I also heard from a fellow who had a similar OPR experience, which prompted me to contact yet another I know, and they are willing to be public to varying degrees to help the cause of gaining transparency and accountability for state agencies.

In the meantime, I’ve also heard from a couple of people in Michigan about their own horror stories with CPS there.  One of the correspondents said that the Michigan Ombuds office had looked into her case and documented many failures and errors by CPS.  However, the Michigan Ombuds office doesn’t have any authority to make CPS fall into line.  In the second Michigan case, CPS has refused to return a child to his mother even though a court has ordered it to do so.  That’s all too reminiscent of the situation I was part of in Vermont 21 years ago, when CPS started filing motions alleging new problems immediately after a court ordered it to return three children to their mother.

With all these calls and stories coming to me in such short order, I do indeed believe  it’s time to do as much as possible to manifest greater transparency and accountability in the the burueaucracies that have so much power over so many people.

Peace.

Deborah Alicen