[Oregon] Obesity, poverty, preschool raises worries for local kids

from The Gazette Times

By REBECCA BARRETT
Gazette-Times reporter

Children in Benton County are statistically less likely than others around the state to be the victims of abuse or neglect, according to a child welfare report released Tuesday by the advocacy group Children First for Oregon.

Statistics rating child health, family finances and stability, and child safety are compiled for each county and statewide each year by Children First.

Other key findings in the report for Benton County included that nearly one in four eighth-graders are obese, or at risk of becoming obese; that only about half of children eligible for free Head Start preschool are enrolled; and that the number of children living in extreme poverty is increasing rapidly.

The study offers a comparative snapshot of several indicators of the well-being of children and families.

But while many of the factors give favorable ratings to Benton County, such as cases of abuse and neglect, among the lowest in the state at 4.3 per 1,000 children, the report highlights that there many children who need help.

Last year, Benton County had the lowest reported rate of abuse in the state. Yet a 3-year-old child died of head trauma in June after, police said, her mother’s boyfriend beat her to death.

Shawn Wesley Field has been charged with the murder of Karly Sheehan and is awaiting trial.

At the time of Sheehan’s death, local child welfare officials said the case showed gaps in the system that is supposed to protect children. The Department of Human Services had done welfare checks on the little girl. After her death, agency officials said there is little they can do to prevent abuse.

Kathleen Paris, director of CASA Voices for Children, Benton County’s court-appointed special advocate program, said child safety statistics are misleading.

The Department of Human Services has “narrowed the portal” for the type of incidents it will respond to or investigate.

“That’s their term,” Paris said.

The department has a screening process to prioritize which cases are investigated.

“It does decrease the number of investigations that get opened,” Paris said.

The problem isn’t with the people working for the agency, she said.

“There isn’t a single caseworker who doesn’t really care or want to do more for the kids on their caseload,” Paris said.

One possible solution would be to give the department greater latitude to broaden the definition of what’s abuse or neglect.

“Much of it’s subjective, reframing the way we look at prioritizing the safety of children,” Paris said.

Conflicts often arise because the Department of Human Services has a goal of reuniting and preserving families.

“At times that’s the best thing. At times it’s not,” Paris said. “The system for when it’s not is not set up.”

State Rep. Sara Gelser agrees that the child protective system remains overburdened and understaffed. As the newly appointed local legislator, Gelser met recently with Department of Human Services representatives for Benton, Linn and Lincoln counties. She said caseworkers reported they have been able to investigate only about half the 46,524 reported incidents of abuse last year in Oregon.

“I am very worried about our staffing levels,” Gelser said.

From a budget standpoint, there’s not much that can be done to shift funding within the agency, which is troubled with a $172 million budget shortfall, Gelser said.

On a positive note, Gelser, who serves on the Legislative Child Welfare Task Force, said community health clinics, such as the ones operating at the Benton County Health Department, Lincoln Elementary School and Monroe Grade School, show promise in serving a growing number of families living in poverty or without access to medical or dental care.

According to the Children First data book, the number of children living in extreme poverty has increased by nearly a third in the past year to 12.3 percent. In the Corvallis School District alone, 1,700 children qualify for the free lunch program, based on their family’s income, Gelser noted.

Meanwhile, 14 percent of Benton County children have no health insurance. Nearly half of eighth-graders did not see a doctor in the previous year, and 21 percent did not receive a dental exam, according to the county data book.

Education, child welfare and health issues in general and as a system have not been a high enough funding priority in Oregon, Gelser said.

“I really do think it takes additional revenue. But voters have been clear that this solution is not acceptable,” Gelser said. “I would say this is not acceptable for kids.”

Benton data on children

Here are some of the key findings for Benton County from the 2005 data compiled by Children First for Oregon:

Child health

22.4 percent of eighth-graders are overweight or at-risk of becoming overweight

14 percent of children have no health insurance

48 percent of eighth-graders did not have a medical or physical exam in the previous year

21 percent of eighth-graders did not have a dental exam in the previous year

The infant mortality rate is 2.7 per 1,000 live births, 51 percent better than statewide

Family finances and stability

12.3 percent of children live in extreme poverty, which is 32 percent worse than the previous year

The average income of the top 1 percent is 17.7 times greater than the average income of middle-income households

2.6 per 1,000 people filed for bankruptcy, a 55 percent increase since 2000.

54 percent of children eligible for Head Start/Oregon pre-kindergarten are enrolled.

Child safety

74 cases of child abuse or neglect have been substantiated in the previous year

The rate of child abuse/neglect is 4.3 per 1,000 children, significantly lower than the overall rate for the state.

103 children have been in foster care at least once during the year.

ON THE NET: To view the complete 2005 Children First for Oregon county data book, see www.childrenfirstfororegon.org