Money alone does not solve social problems

 

http://www.valleynewsonline.com/viewnews.php?newsid=86306&id=2

by Vincent R. Caravan

It’s no fun being a county legislator, especially if you’re lucky enough to be assigned to the Health and Human Services Committee. That is anything but fun.

The Health and Human Services Committee oversees the Department of Social Services—the department that endured relentless criticism for its handling of the horrible living conditions of a Palermo family’s home and the subsequent death of an 11-year-old child living there.

The child—Erin Maxwell—was undernourished, underweight, unclean and, obviously, fated to live in a filthy environment with cats and cat feces.

Her living conditions apparently were not responsible for her death, however. Her older step-brother has been charged with murder and is awaiting trial.

The deplorable conditions at the Maxwell home in Palermo had been reported to the Department of Social Services numerous times, but no drastic action was taken. Yet, school teachers and unrelated community residents helped Erin with temporary hygiene and nourishment aid.

After her death, the DSS came under attack as being negligent for not removing the girl from her home. The sheriff’s department, State Police, county legislature, and the State of New York conducted separate investigations, as did a special committee from Cornell University. None of the findings laid full blame on the DSS. Yet, many critics demanded the resignation of the DSS commissioner.

Following a recommendation of the Cornell study, the state sent $500,000 to the county legislature to add 16 positions to the DSS staff. The funding will last about two years. After that, the additional staff becomes the expense of the county.

Throwing money at a problem (which New York does quite well) does not always fix a problem. It won’t this time, either. The commissioner must use her best instincts in hiring the most potentially career-minded individuals and oversee them through their probationary period.

We definitely do not want to see another Erin Maxwell case. So, the onus is on the DSS to recognize abuse before it becomes an unmanageable problem. Five hundred thousand dollars will not prevent problems from escalating beyond control; only well-trained, dedicated caseworkers with constant vigilance will.

 

 

- Valley News