Eagle Forum, DCFS hail child-welfare reform

As one lawmaker put it Tuesday morning, there was a "warm and fuzzy feeling" after the conservative Utah Eagle Forum and representatives of embattled state child welfare division both wound up supporting and even praising the same piece of legislation.

HB268, which would add restrictions to the state office that legally represents children taken into state foster care, was pared down by sponsor by Rep. Mike Thompson, R-Provo. Thompson then agreed to turn over his trimming efforts to the Office of the Guardian Ad Litem.

"This is such a huge thing," Thompson said. "But there are other things we can do to improve how the system works."

With Thompson agreeing to scale back his measure, the hearing took on an unusual conciliatory tone for a session that has pitted the DCFS and parental rights advocates against each other. Both Eagle Forum head Gayle Ruzicka and state officials all testified that Thompson's bill would make necessary positive changes.

"With this warm and fuzzy feeling in my heart, I make a motion to pass this out favorably," said Rep. David Litvak, D-Salt Lake. "Too often in my short history up here I have seen a lot of reactive legislation. My concern has always been that we get the fine balance between protecting children and parental rights. I think this is what we have before us."

Specifically, the measure calls for DCFS to accommodate the "religious, moral and cultural" belief of the children and families it serves, including considerations made in potential adoptions and foster care placement.

Thompson's measure, like legislation approved Monday night, focuses scrutiny on the interaction of state agencies dealing with child abuse, neglect and dependency cases and balance those cases against the needs of families.

It is an awareness that DCFS Director Richard Anderson said the agency is already trying to incorporate in its daily dealings with families.

Many lawmakers believe the state child welfare services are out of balance and anti-parent. They are calling for a stricter accounting of the role the Guardian Ad Litem plays in the system.

While a bill by Rep. LaVar Christensen, R-Draper, calls for a probe by the Legislative Auditor General of the Guardian Ad Litem's function in the system, the measure by Thompson would require the office to write an annual report to the Legislature's Child Welfare Legislative Oversight panel detailing its policies, management of the statewide program and the training of its employees.