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GUEST OPINION Guest Opinion: Our children are sleeping in state offices By Oregon juvenile court judges MailTribune.com By Oregon juvenile court judges Posted Aug. 28, 2016 @ 12:01 am By Oregon juvenile court judges Posted Aug. 28, 2016 @ 12:01 am » Social News p bs:newslist StartDate="20121121" EndDate="p bs:datecalc Months="3"" DateSort="1" UseObjects="1" ObjectClass="81" Taxonomywords="2325,665" ExactTaxonomyMatch="1" Image="1" Count="4" --> Tonight, children in Oregon’s foster care system will sleep on cots in state offices. Others will sleep in motels, supervised by caseworkers. For some, this has been the situation for weeks. The lack of foster homes and therapeutic placements for traumatized children has reached a crisis level and Oregon’s most vulnerable children are paying an exorbitant price. No parent would support this arrangement for his or her own children and we, as juvenile court judges, are calling on state and local governments to immediately address this crisis and for more Oregonians to become foster parents. In the last year, Oregon’s child welfare system lost approximately 400 foster home beds and 100 residential placements. As a result, some children with significant mental health needs who need structured, skilled psychiatric care are being warehoused for days or weeks in state offices and motel rooms. When an acute mental health crisis occurs, the child is taken for emergency psychiatric care but returned when stabilized to the only bed available — in an office or motel room. This is a failure of cross-system service, not the fault of any one particular agency. Judges rarely enter the public arena to sound an alarm. In this situation, however, we are compelled to speak out for the children whom we are responsible to protect. Immediate action is needed by our state, county and local authorities to ensure that every child has a bed in a setting appropriate to meet the child’s urgent needs, rather than in offices and motels. We call on our public officials to immediately step up. On August 8, 2016, juvenile court judges throughout Oregon signed a resolution calling for immediate emergency action to provide the funding needed for these beds. Oregon has many excellent foster parents and dedicated caseworkers but we need more Oregonians to open their homes to foster children. And we need better planning across the dependency, delinquency and mental health systems in order to ensure a safety net of appropriate care for these traumatized children in state care. As Oregonians, all of us must do better. Our children deserve no less. This opinion was created by several Oregon juvenile court judges, including Jackson County Circuit Judges Lisa Greif and Kelly Ravassipour. During their annual conference this month, 39 juvenile court judges signed a resolution calling on state legislators to increase funding for foster care and urging more Oregonians to become foster parents. For more information on becoming a foster parent in Jackson County, contact Penny Esser of the Department of Human Services Child Welfare Division at 541-732-4037. By Oregon juvenile court judges MailTribune.com By Oregon juvenile court judges Posted Aug. 28, 2016 @ 12:01 am » Comment or view comments Terms of Service /* $( document ).ready(function() { // Jquery mobile is trying to style the button and leaving a blank gry button on top of a white button $("#viafouracoms .vf-comment-controls li.vf-right").html(' Submit '); });*/ » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. calendar Connect with MailTribune.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services Home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Announcements Obituaries Story ideas Since you asked Alerts Email Alerts RSS Feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Propel Marketing Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Mobile Site Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. 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