by Steve York

Put it in writing. That's what MCI, the long distance service, tells its competitors to do when they're selling long distance service. There's another MCI that really does put "it" in writing and what they put in writing is far more important than an incredible offer for great long distance rates. The MCI referred to here is the Michigan Children's Institute, and what MCI Superintendent Bill Johnson puts in writing is his consent for adoption for all state wards.

Johnson became the MCI Superintendent in February of 1996 and since that time has signed his consent for adoption of thousands of Michigan children. At the current rate of 175-200 consents per month, the pace doesn't seem to letting up. And that's good. The past 16 months have given him insight in to what is working well, what needs improvement, and has also reinforced some beliefs he held prior to assuming the position of MCI Superintendent.

What is Johnson's underlying philosophy when making decisions whether or not to consent to an adoption? "What seems to be one of the most important and primary elements to consider is the child's emotional attachment to the people he or she is living with," he explained. All other things being equal (i.e. basic physical, safety, educational needs being met), he believes that it is the emotional attachments of the child that are crucial. "The adoption worker's assessment of those attachments is extremely valuable."

Ask Bill Johnson what he feels is important in good case work for foster care and adoption workers and one of the first answers he'll likely give is the necessity of complete, thorough information about siblings. Too often, in his view, siblings are split in foster and adoptive placements unnecessarily and children may begin to lose the tenuous connection they have with their birth family history. Johnson feels that it is incumbent upon workers throughout the child welfare system - from protective services to foster care to adoption, to keep sibling groups intact whenever possible. He recognizes that it is not always possible to keep siblings together and that sometimes there are legitimate reasons that siblings are in separate placements. When that happens, Johnson feels it is vital for adoption workers to identify where the other siblings are, why they are in separate homes, and what kind of contact they have had in the past. "It may be for no other reason than to share the information with the adoptive parents" he said, "and it's especially important when there isn't going to be ongoing contact among the siblings." He feels that if the adoptive parents have information about other siblings, it may be useful for the child some day if that child wants to initiate a search for their siblings as an adult.

Generally speaking, Johnson feels that child evaluations have been inconsistent in terms of stressing sibling connections. Some, he says, are very good and have thorough information about other siblings, while others appear to have "glossed over" the issue of other siblings. Johnson understands that often the child's placement history has been detrimental to keeping siblings together. "By the time the adoption worker gets the case, they might not be able to reunite siblings, but good information on siblings can only help placement planning and maybe, in some cases, siblings could be reunited in adoption." Johnson stresses that it is not FIA's position to place siblings together at all costs. And it is precisely because siblings will not always be placed together that he simply wants to continue stressing the fact that thorough information about siblings is crucial to good case management on the part of the adoption worker.

Related to thorough sibling information is the importance of considering relatives for adoptive placements and to have gathered information about all known relatives. Johnson feels it is very important to take a serious look at all relatives. While placement with a relative may not always be appropriate, it is still vital to have a record of all known relatives. "It's very important for the sake of the child to know who his or her relatives are," said Johnson. "Again, at the very least, it's information that can be provided to the child's adoptive family (if the child is not placed with relatives) and could assist the child some day if he or she decides as an adult to initiate a search for birth relatives."

Another area of improvement that Johnson hopes to see has to do with child evaluations, specifically the portion of the evaluation that asks for the description and assessment of the child's current level of physical, emotional, and educational functioning. Speaking in very general terms he said that some child evaluations do an excellent job of providing this information, while others do not. Scant information sometimes causes him to wonder if a worker has even met the child. "There is sometimes more information that describes the topic area than describes the child," he said. "It just comes back to doing good, thorough casework," he explained. "If the worker doesn't know the various aspects of a child's life, they need to gather information from those who would know: foster parents, teachers, physicians, therapists, and others who interact with the child.

Johnson has also sensed a trend toward more complicated cases in the adoption system. "I recognize more and more the difficult decisions adoption workers face," he admitted. "More and more cases have complicating issues such as competing families or sibling considerations. These are monumental questions and workers are being asked to make monumental decisions." Johnson strongly encourages workers to communicate and cooperate with the MCI office as early as possible in these difficult cases. Just as any adoption worker does not like to deal with the aftermath of previous questionable casework, so too the MCI Superintendent does not like to have a difficult case "dumped" on him when it's too late. Often times a proactive approach may lead to an earlier decision by his office, or at least will help Johnson and his staff understand the worker's recommendation. "There are more and more cases going to court under Section 45 and it's just an unpleasant experience for everybody. I would encourage workers to get our office involved earlier so that whatever the ultimate decision is, it's one that I support."

Like anyone who has been involved with the child welfare system, Johnson sees places where the system is failing. "The system breaks down when we don't pursue adoption with current caregivers and also when we don't list kids on MARE when the foster parents or relatives refuse or are unable to adopt." The number of "Expired Holds" on MARE Tracking Lists is a concern to him, since these are children who supposedly have a family who intends to adopt. "There may be some legitimate reasons for the delay in adoption," he said, "however, if the family is dragging their feet and won't commit to adoption, then it is our duty to list these kids on MARE and get them in permanent homes."

Another area of concern he sees is in the need for more post adoption services. "More and more kids who are difficult to care for are coming through the system, and while the state does provide financial support in the form of subsidies, we don't offer much in the way of emotional support to these families."

So what does the future hold for the office of the Michigan Children's Institute? A change already completed is that the MCI office is now a part of the Adoption Services unit, which is guided by Rich Hoekstra. One of the benefits Johnson sees of this realignment is having regular, predictable contact with the adoption unit and having others with whom he can discuss ideas related to general policy or specific cases. And despite the downsizing throughout FIA, it is still possible that the MCI office could expand. A possible outcome of expansion could be having staff available to be more active in investigating the large numbers of children who aren't registered with MARE or who aren't coded for adoption.

Finally, Bill Johnson also hopes that the position of MCI Superintendent can become more visible to the general public, since the Superintendent is the legal guardian and has the final say for thousands of state wards. He feels people should know who and what the MCI office is about. Johnson would welcome the visibility and does not shy away from the accountability such visibility would bring. "FIA is the legal guardian of a lot of children, and society as a whole has all of these children who have been let down and failed by their parents. I think that they ought to have first claim to our resources. They need our help."

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Assistive Technolgoy Breaks Down Barriers

by Barb Manegold

Imagine an excited eight-year-old wide-eyed and breathless with anticipation as the line moves forward to see her favorite TV character at a special public appearance, when suddenly her face falls as there is a confrontation with an insurmountable barrier - a flight of stairs. You see, this child is in a wheelchair, and there's not a ramp or elevator in sight.

A teen wants to be as comfortable "logging on" and "cruising the information superhighway" as all the kids his age seem to be. But he's blind. Can internet access or E-mail work for him?

Parents of a child who is hard of hearing want to be sure that everything possible is being done to help their child understand teachers and classmates. Can you advise them as to what the best available technology is? Probably not. So who can?

 

TECH 2000/MATN

TECH 2000/Michigan's Assistive Technology Network (MATN) was created to break through barriers, open up communications, and cut through helplessness for people in Michigan who need the power of assistive technology to be fully functional in their daily lives. TECH 2000/MATN is funded through a grant from the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research, U.S. Department of Education and administered through Michigan Jobs Commission-Rehabilitation Services, the state agency responsible for Vocational Rehabilitation. It was established to identify, organize, and disseminate information about Assistive Technology (AT) of all kinds to consumers and service providers.

What exactly is AT? Assistive Technology refers to any device or service that improves a person's functional capabilities and helps him or her become more independent and productive at work, at home, at school, and in the community. There are nearly 20,000 items recognized as AT, ranging from low-tech pen holders, reachers, and walkers to high tech computer voice synthesizers, power wheelchairs and assistive listening devices. As you might imagine, assistive technology is a great enabler and in many cases can even be an equalizer. AT can allow individuals abilities that most people take for granted: mobility, communication and integration into society.

The mission of TECH 2000/MATN is to increase ready access to assistive technology devices, services, and funding by developing linkages that create statewide systems change and an advocacy network that is consumer-driven, community based, and permanent.

This article features two TECH 2000/MATN initiatives that might be useful to adoption professionals who provide services to families and children with special needs.

MATCH

Michigan Assistive Technology Clearinghouse (MATCH) is a state-wide electronic bulletin board system (BBS) that allows ALL interested individuals in Michigan (consumers, families, friends, employers, service providers, educators, and rehabilitation professionals) the ability to communicate with each other and share information on assistive technology, special education, and other disability related issues. With connections to the Internet, MATCH offers a wide variety of communications options, including:

• A personal electronic mailbox for each user.
• An Internet electronic mail address for each user so world-wide communication is possible.
• Forums, or public discussion groups to explore issues and share ideas about a variety of disability-related topics.
• A database of human resources for assistive technology throughout Michigan.

MATCH is an interactive system, meaning that people can send (upload) information or questions to MATCH which will then be posted for groups of people to read and respond to. Messages posted on one specific topic, such as funding of assistive technology devices and services are listed in "forums" which facilitate searching for information on topics of interest. Users can also download (receive) information and obtain free communication shareware. They can access databases containing information about manufacturers of AT and community resources related to AT devices, services, and funding.

Access to MATCH is FREE and easy. All you need is a computer, modem, and phone line to dial the toll-free phone number 1-800-445-9378 or you may use your local Michnet phone number. Once people connect to MATCH they can follow the on-screen directions. They do not have to be a computer wizard to use it! It is really "user friendly."

Legal Based Advocacy

TECH 2000/MATN has contracted with Michigan Protection & Advocacy Services (MPAS) to provide legal-based advocacy services to all qualified Michigan citizens. A full-time attorney and a full-time advocate were hired to work on AT related issues. MPAS is committed to representing twenty children in selected cases where AT devices or services are not being provided in schools; to represent ten children in selected cases where schools are not letting the children take AT devices home; and provide technical assistance to thirty families requesting AT evaluations, services, and devices from the schools.

MPAS has developed a consumer AT funding manual. It is conducting a number of training sessions involving consumer self-advocacy, and training lawyers in rural areas on assistive technology issues. MPAS also has a forum on MATCH devoted to legal/advocacy issues called, "Legal Questions and Answers." For information on MPAS service call: 800-288-5923

If you are working with a child or family that can benefit from AT and need assistance, log onto MATCH or contact MPAS for their services. For further information about TECH 2000/MATN call the project office at 517-334-6502.

In addition to being tracking coordinator at MARE, Barb Manegold, who is hard of hearing, is a member of the TECH 2000/MATN State Advisory Council. You are invited to direct questions or comments to her at in:manegold@match.org.

The MATCH home page at www.MATCH.com served as a source for this article.