I don't know if it's that DCF lacks the ability to recognize the sage/ill advice of experts or that it lacks institutional flexibility when a situation arises that does not fit neatly into preconceived schemas of operation. Combine either of those with an atmosphere of micromanagement set by Commissioner Katz and you end up with a predictable set of consequences: a result-oriented department with an interest in punishing failures, little support at the case worker level, an institutional need to fit people to the program rather than tailoring a program to the people and a desire at all levels to hide mistakes by burying their collective heads in the sand.
For too long now has DCF used the courts and the children they are tasked to support as shields to hide mismanagement and systemic failure. By hiding those failures, they have hidden their path to long-term success. By not addressing their mistakes, past and present, the chance for growth as professionals and as an institution has been stunted. And by focusing on their federal overseers and satisfying the consequences of Juan F, they will continue to fail scores of the individuals and families that they purport to help.
None of the stories I've seen, heard about and experienced over the last few years have shocked me. They are stories that are on repeat from child protection agencies around the world. I'd hope that Commissioner Katz could find a way to address these systemic problems. But with pressure from the governor's office and the legislature to satisfy a judge and hit that public success, we'll most likely have a doubling down on current practices, continued failures and a new commissioner come 2016.
