During its Fall meeting this week, our Board of Directors reviewed and updated the organization’s By-Laws. The Board established an intentional focus on Louisiana child advocacy. To section 1.4 of the By-Laws, “Objectives and Purposes,” the Board added item (g) “Maintain an organized program of public advocacy to benefit Louisiana’s children, families, and communities.” I believe doing this and doing…
Posts published in “Advocacy”
Louisiana Lives in the Past The Louisiana Legislature is once again considering an increase to Louisiana’s Foster Care Board Rate. At a few dimes over $15 per day, the allowance for daily living costs has not increased in more than a decade. Each year, Louisiana’s Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) is required by state law to ask the…
Louisiana’s Foster Care Board Rate Too Low for Decades April 19, 2021 – Louisiana – Fourteen years ago in 2007, a joint report by Children’s Rights, The National Foster Parent Association, and the University of Maryland School of Social Work stated, “Louisiana’s current foster care rates must be increased by up to 45% in order to cover the real costs…
Louisiana Center for Child Well-Being For 117 years, Louisiana United Methodist Children and Family Services has advocated for Louisiana’s children and families. As Louisiana’s leading child welfare organization, we interact with children and families across our state. This close contact provides insight and perspective on what we believe is the primary factor influencing the quality of Louisiana’s future: that is…
This morning I have considered the unfairly low board rate paid to Louisiana’s foster parents. Lousiana’s foster parents deserve a board rate that covers the full cost of caring for children. According to Louisiana Form 427, for a child up to 2 years of age, Louisiana will pay a foster parent a regular board rate of $15.58 per day. That…
Dec 19, 2017 – Ruston – I woke up curious. This morning I called the two kennels in my town and I asked what they are paid to board dogs. One kennel charges $24 per night and the other charges $28 per night. The average kennel in my town is paid $26.00 per night. On average, Louisiana’s foster parents are…
I got side-tracked on the Louisiana Board of Ethics website recently. The site is at: http://ethics.la.gov Each year I visit the Board of Ethics website and take an online course in Ethics. This time, though, I explored the site a bit and became intrigued by its robust campaign finance section. With just a few quick searches using the Board of…
Open Letter to Louisiana Legislature Regarding DCFS Funding Thank You Letter to Louisiana Legislature Regarding DCFS Funding Dear Honorable Senators and Representatives of Louisiana, This morning you will begin your fourth day of the 2017 First Extraordinary Session called by Governor John Bel Edwards. You are working diligently to address the necessary adjustments to appropriations. If I follow correctly, the…
Until the proper care of Louisiana’s children in foster care becomes a priority in Baton Rouge, children in our state’s foster care system will continue to be among the most under-supported in the nation. If you consider how children in foster care are indirectly used by politicians in state budget arguments, you will see they do indeed have political value.…