Latest news with #caseworkers
Yahoo
24-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
$1.2bn pledge marks state's sad milestone
This NSW budget will include $1.2bn to help children in need find shelter, with the government saying it will end the cycle of kids 'sleeping in motels with barely adequate supervision.' During his budget speech, NSW treasurer Daniel Mookhey announced the major funding boost to help the 17,000 children left in the system. 'Today I announce the biggest investment in child protection in New South Wales history,' he said. '$797.6 million of additional funding will fix what was a chronically and tragically underfunded system.' Mr Mookhey said for the first time in decades, children were no longer left sleeping in motels. 'In March 2023, more than 100 children cared for by the state of New South Wales were sleeping in motels,' he said. 'Unaccredited emergency accommodation, no proper support, barely adequate supervision.' Mr Mookhey said two years of reforms had enabled the government to fix a 'broken system', meaning the state could 'invest more in kids'. He said there would also be a pay bump included in the budget to help boost the workforce needed to help supervise children. '$191 million is set aside to give 2125 caseworkers a pay rise, helping us fill the 200 caseworker positions. '(It also lets) us create 100 new leading case worker roles, paid for by mutual gains bargaining.' Mr Mookhey said the extra funding was created by no longer needing to pay labour hire firms to care for kids in motels. The government will also announce the first significant increase in the foster care allowance in 20 years. It will rise by 20 per cent from January 1, 2026. This means a foster carer of a five-year-old would receive $3411.20 extra a year – or an increase from $656 to $787.20 each fortnight – with the boost for the carer of a 14-year-old to hit $4576 each year.
News.com.au
24-06-2025
- Business
- News.com.au
NSW government to put $1.2bn in funding for child protection sector
This NSW budget will include $1.2bn to help children in need find shelter, with the government saying it will end the cycle of kids 'sleeping in motels with barely adequate supervision.' During his budget speech, NSW treasurer Daniel Mookhey announced the major funding boost to help the 17,000 children left in the system. 'Today I announce the biggest investment in child protection in New South Wales history,' he said. '$797.6 million of additional funding will fix what was a chronically and tragically underfunded system.' Mr Mookhey said for the first time in decades, children were no longer left sleeping in motels. 'In March 2023, more than 100 children cared for by the state of New South Wales were sleeping in motels,' he said. 'Unaccredited emergency accommodation, no proper support, barely adequate supervision.' Mr Mookhey said two years of reforms had enabled the government to fix a 'broken system', meaning the state could 'invest more in kids'. He said there would also be a pay bump included in the budget to help boost the workforce needed to help supervise children. '$191 million is set aside to give 2125 caseworkers a pay rise, helping us fill the 200 caseworker positions. '(It also lets) us create 100 new leading case worker roles, paid for by mutual gains bargaining.' Mr Mookhey said the extra funding was created by no longer needing to pay labour hire firms to care for kids in motels. The government will also announce the first significant increase in the foster care allowance in 20 years. It will rise by 20 per cent from January 1, 2026. This means a foster carer of a five-year-old would receive $3411.20 extra a year – or an increase from $656 to $787.20 each fortnight – with the boost for the carer of a 14-year-old to hit $4576 each year.
Yahoo
18-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Search NorthJersey.com's interactive database of NJ group home violations and penalties
New Jersey rarely penalizes companies that run group homes for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. What's more, if the state does penalize a provider, there is no online resource for residents and their families or guardians to look up whether the company is under a sanction — the sort of online tool that other states have. Unless someone at the group home or a support coordinator — essentially a caseworker — alerts them, residents and families may have no idea the company isn't allowed to accept new residents or is under increased state oversight. So built a database showing group home violations and penalties so families have more information to work with, filled with documents obtained through public records requests. The database includes provisional licenses doled out between 2018 and 2024, gathered by through public records requests. A provisional license means the company didn't meet licensing requirements and these problems 'directly endanger the health, safety or wellbeing' of individuals who live in the home, or there is 'substantial noncompliance' with licensing rules. Users can read the licensing reports that detail the concerns inspectors found. For example, if you search: Arc of Atlantic County: Staff found a Hamilton apartment (SA265) filled with so much trash in November of 2020 that they couldn't initially get in. The floors and countertops were covered in trash and feces, bugs flew throughout the rooms, and the odor was 'too much to withstand.' Devereux: The toilet in the first floor bathroom in a Glassboro house was leaking, so 'the shower is presently being used until repairs are completed,' the manager said in September 2023. Heart to Heart: In February 2019, a thick black substance came out of a bathroom sink in a West Deptford apartment. Shower heads in four different units were completely covered in a black substance. There was no proof that nine staff members were trained in diabetes and administering insulin. There are also instances where inspectors returned and found the same problems unaddressed, from poor medical care to decrepit conditions in the house — usually after the company promised in a 'plan of correction' that the problems would be fixed. In these cases, companies would receive a 'repeat provisional license.' The database also shows if the state imposed a harsher penalty on a provider between 2014 and 2024, such as a halt on admissions, or a non-renewal of a home's license. Since 2014, New Jersey: Revoked all licenses for one provider: Bellwether Behavioral Health, after years of reported failings, is the only company the department assigned an independent monitor to oversee, and the only provider it revoked all licenses for — turning over care of its 460 residents to other companies. Suspended admissions for four providers: Friends of Cyrus and PennReach were each barred twice from accepting new residents. Delta Community Supports faced a suspension between 2022 and 2023, as did Bellwether between 2018 and 2019. Did not renew licenses at six providers: The state shut down supervised apartments run by PennReach after finding an 'extensive breadth of repeat deficiencies." A Partnerships for People supervised apartment program in Clifton wasn't renewed after earning three provisional licenses and not correcting issues it said it had corrected, such as following up on medical appointments. The state did not renew an additional nine licenses held by Lutheran Social Ministries of New Jersey, Living in Freedom Inc., Advancing Opportunities and Kelsch Associates. The database includes letters to companies that were placed under a 'Quality Management Team,' or QMT — the highest level of state supervision. A QMT is a panel of high-level state employees that closely oversees a company and routinely meets with group home executives to discuss longstanding problems and how to fix them. QMTs are rare and have been imposed on only six companies: Community Options, Bellwether, REM New Jersey, Delta Community Supports, PennReach and Friends of Cyrus. The state has warned two providers — the Arc of Cape May and EIHAB Human Services — that QMTs could be assigned if 'critical' issues weren't resolved, such as a lack of food for residents. If a company is not in the database, it does not mean inspectors or state employees have not found concerns in the home. This database only includes information when a licensing punishment was given, and not all annual reports created by licensing inspectors. The database also does not include reports of abuse or neglect. Those documents — called unusual incident reports or investigation reports — are not publicly available. sent multiple public records requests to the state for these documents and was denied. This article originally appeared on Search database of NJ group home violations
Yahoo
18-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Search NorthJersey.com's interactive database of NJ group home violations and penalties
New Jersey rarely penalizes companies that run group homes for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. What's more, if the state does penalize a provider, there is no online resource for residents and their families or guardians to look up whether the company is under a sanction — the sort of online tool that other states have. Unless someone at the group home or a support coordinator — essentially a caseworker — alerts them, residents and families may have no idea the company isn't allowed to accept new residents or is under increased state oversight. So built a database showing group home violations and penalties so families have more information to work with, filled with documents obtained through public records requests. The database includes provisional licenses doled out between 2018 and 2024, gathered by through public records requests. A provisional license means the company didn't meet licensing requirements and these problems 'directly endanger the health, safety or wellbeing' of individuals who live in the home, or there is 'substantial noncompliance' with licensing rules. Users can read the licensing reports that detail the concerns inspectors found. For example, if you search: Arc of Atlantic County: Staff found a Hamilton apartment (SA265) filled with so much trash in November of 2020 that they couldn't initially get in. The floors and countertops were covered in trash and feces, bugs flew throughout the rooms, and the odor was 'too much to withstand.' Devereux: The toilet in the first floor bathroom in a Glassboro house was leaking, so 'the shower is presently being used until repairs are completed,' the manager said in September 2023. Heart to Heart: In February 2019, a thick black substance came out of a bathroom sink in a West Deptford apartment. Shower heads in four different units were completely covered in a black substance. There was no proof that nine staff members were trained in diabetes and administering insulin. There are also instances where inspectors returned and found the same problems unaddressed, from poor medical care to decrepit conditions in the house — usually after the company promised in a 'plan of correction' that the problems would be fixed. In these cases, companies would receive a 'repeat provisional license.' The database also shows if the state imposed a harsher penalty on a provider between 2014 and 2024, such as a halt on admissions, or a non-renewal of a home's license. Since 2014, New Jersey: Revoked all licenses for one provider: Bellwether Behavioral Health, after years of reported failings, is the only company the department assigned an independent monitor to oversee, and the only provider it revoked all licenses for — turning over care of its 460 residents to other companies. Suspended admissions for four providers: Friends of Cyrus and PennReach were each barred twice from accepting new residents. Delta Community Supports faced a suspension between 2022 and 2023, as did Bellwether between 2018 and 2019. Did not renew licenses at six providers: The state shut down supervised apartments run by PennReach after finding an 'extensive breadth of repeat deficiencies." A Partnerships for People supervised apartment program in Clifton wasn't renewed after earning three provisional licenses and not correcting issues it said it had corrected, such as following up on medical appointments. The state did not renew an additional nine licenses held by Lutheran Social Ministries of New Jersey, Living in Freedom Inc., Advancing Opportunities and Kelsch Associates. The database includes letters to companies that were placed under a 'Quality Management Team,' or QMT — the highest level of state supervision. A QMT is a panel of high-level state employees that closely oversees a company and routinely meets with group home executives to discuss longstanding problems and how to fix them. QMTs are rare and have been imposed on only six companies: Community Options, Bellwether, REM New Jersey, Delta Community Supports, PennReach and Friends of Cyrus. The state has warned two providers — the Arc of Cape May and EIHAB Human Services — that QMTs could be assigned if 'critical' issues weren't resolved, such as a lack of food for residents. If a company is not in the database, it does not mean inspectors or state employees have not found concerns in the home. This database only includes information when a licensing punishment was given, and not all annual reports created by licensing inspectors. The database also does not include reports of abuse or neglect. Those documents — called unusual incident reports or investigation reports — are not publicly available. sent multiple public records requests to the state for these documents and was denied. This article originally appeared on Search database of NJ group home violations
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Yahoo
AI speeding up special educational needs reports
Artifical intelligence (AI) is being used by a council in a bid to cut lengthy waiting times for children's special needs reports. Stoke-on-Trent City Council produces hundreds of education, health and care plans (EHCPs) each year and has been struggling to issue them on time because of increased demand, but delays can leave families waiting for extra support. In 2023-24, 43% of the council's EHCPs were completed within 20 weeks, compared with a national target of 60%. Members of a scrutiny committee were told AI tools had been trained to extract information from documents such as psychological reports and write it into a plan - completing the task faster than a human. Delyth Mathieson, assistant director of education and family support, said each young person received a range of different reports and until now, individual case workers pulled elements together. She said: "What we're looking at is a process whereby we can upload those reports, securely obviously, so that the information is collated and dropped into the format automatically and intelligently." The process still involved a case worker who knows the children, she told the children and family services overview and scrutiny committee. That case worker went through each individual report to check for any misunderstandings by the AI, she added. Ms Mathieson said the approach also freed up case workers to "focus on the quality of that report, rather than a cut-and-paste exercise". Committee member Laura Carter, welcomed the move, adding: "If we have the option of bringing in technology, then why not use it?" The council said it had cleared its backlog and provisional figures for April showed 83% of EHCPs were issued within 20 weeks. The authority has also recruited more educational psychologists, changed how applications are processed, and increased early intervention to reduce demand. This news was gathered by the Local Democracy Reporting Service, which covers councils and other public service organisations. Follow BBC Stoke & Staffordshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram. Thousands of children waiting too long for school support, BBC finds Stoke-on-Trent City Council
