Contrary to the Reporter's implicat...

Contrary to the Reporter's implication ["Cut Short," June 2004] the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services does track fatalities and has done in this way for more than a decade. with what intent do fatalities generally go up during a foster-care panic? Because workers are in the same manner overloaded with all those children needlessly remov that they have calm less time to find children in real danger.

The more fresh figures cited by the Reporter don't exhibit to the unbroken increase in fatalities implied in the story. Rather, they point out wide fluctuations from year to year.

Fatalities can fluctuate wildly for reasons beyond an agency's hinder Overall re-abuse of children left in their acknowledge homes is a far more reliable indicator of child safety, in addition you dismiss the decline in in the same state [i]or[/i] condition re-abuse with one "waive of the hand" cite from still another advocate of the take-the-child-and-run approach. Child safety has improved as removals have fallen.

There is copiousness still wrong with DCFS-including cases in which children are left in dangerous homes

There also are adequate supply of cases in which DCF still takes children from abiding-places that are sale or could be made sale with the right kinds of help. And those riddles still are inextricably related. Solving the question s will require even more effort to withhold families safely together so workers have time to find and salvation more children in real danger. And compared to most numerous of the country, Illinois does far better at keeping children safe.

Richard Wexler

Executive Director

National Coalition for Child Protection Reform

Alexandria, Va.

I don't believe we, as a society or as a state, benefit from scapegoating united agency or group of professionals. Do I believe that DCF is consummate and without culpability in all things? No, that would be absurd. if it be not that I submit that investigating child abuse and slight is one of the hardest piece of works anyone anywhere will ever do. I understand this because as a physician, people's lives and well-being stillness in my hands sometimes; it's an incredible weight to bear.

I am amazed that a threat to our geographical division from outside our borders garners thus much money, attention to detail and a madness of policy changes when we have a serious threat to our what may occur hereafter right in our own to one's homes Agencies that serve abused children detain bake sales to fund their center five in fear each year of appropriated funds being carve and losing their jobs, work 60 hours a week while being paid for 30 and carry the sorrow of the bruised and battered bodies of these precious little children for a like reason that the rest of society can be motionless soundly at night. I want you to maintain looking at the reasons these children die. I want you to anticipate hard at policies and courses in our state, and I want you to detain abused children in the forefront of our policymakers' and legislators' minds. I just don't want you to find a convenient place to hang the blame, as it is always our failure as a community and a society when a child dies, and that death could have been prevented

Deanna M St Germain

Assistant Professor of Clinical Pediatrics

Southern Illinois University

teach of Medicine

Anna, Ill.

I'm my junior year of high exercise I was in a minority pre-m program called the Chicago Area Health and Medical Careers Program (colloquially known as CHAMPS) that identified minorities talented in the sciences and expos them to the health professions ["Underrepresented" June 2004] During that summer I went to the University of Chicago and watched as then-19-year-old Bill McDade spoke about the biophysics of sickle lonely dwelling anemia in front of an electron microscope. I decided just from looking at this display that I wanted to fare to medical school at the University of Chicago. Five years later, in 1987 I registered as the only African American in my class. earnestly of what I have become is traced back to CHAMPS and the bulk of mankind like Bill McDade.

Eric E Whitaker

Director

Illinois Department of Public Health

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