Foster-Care Ordinance Rankles Advocates
None by KCPW
(KCPW News) Advocates for foster families are planning to rally tonight at the South Jordan City Council meeting when officials consider a proposal that would charge foster families for emergency calls after a three-call limit. Utah Foster Care Foundation spokesperson Deborah Lindner responds:"We would hope at some point the city would take into consideration what these families are doing for the community," says Utah Foster Care Foundation spokesperson Deborah Lindner. "These children are probably from South Jordan - they're the city's kids. There has to be a way to work it out with the individual families without passing a blanket ordinance."
The proposal comes from the South Jordan Police Chief, who says multiple calls from foster care families are creating unreasonable expense and workload for police and fire staff. Lindner says foster families licensed through the state or other agency generally have a plan in place to access resources besides simply making calls to 9-1-1 in an emergency. The ordinance would require foster families to register each year with the police and pay 100 dollars per emergency call after exceeding the 3-per-year allotment.
Email to a friendPosted in KCPW Newsroom. Copyright 2008 KCPW
1. TFCOCS said:
This is wrong on so many levels. On the face of it, it flies in direct opposition to the tenets laid out at the federal level via the Adoption and Safe Families Act. If this is enacted, it would have a disproportionate effect on the poor, and be a strong disincentive for families to provide foster care.
3. Rebecca Hansgen said:
My feeling is that the police is being paid to do a job and they should do it instead of complaining about it. If they don't have enough personnel to take care of the problem, then hire them. Foster parents do the best they can to take care of the children in your jurisdiction. Don't fight them....work with them!
2. Ollie Smith said:
What do you expect? It's Utah.