On Thursday, June 3, 100 South Los Angeles relative caregivers, including grandmothers, aunts and uncles, will protest Los Angeles County’s Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) and Department of Mental Health (DMH). They will demand that these departments increase mental health resources in out-of-home placements.
“With all the recent attention on the deaths and failures in the foster care system, DCFS should be throwing relative caregivers a parade right now,” Marqueece Harris-Dawson, president and CEO of Community Coalition, said. “DCFS has been relying on these [relative caregivers] to reduce its foster care roles, and to provide safe and stable alternatives to placing children in the care of strangers.”
Los Angeles County is trying to reduce the number of children in foster care. In the past 10 years, the number of children in out-of-home placement in Los Angeles County has dropped dramatically. What started out as 50,000 cases has dropped to less than 20,000 today.
Some research shows that children are less likely to end up homeless or in jail, and more likely to finish school, when they are cared for by relatives.
“Many people don’t realize the challenges that relative caregivers face,” Deanne D’Antignac, a relative caregiver, said. “Fifteen years ago, I gave up my 401K, my benefits and my career as a physician assistant to care for my three nieces, and to keep them from being moved from home to home. The children arrived in my care and needed mental health services, yet the level of support I received from the county was appalling.”
Relative caregivers brought these issues to the attention of DCFS and DMH in the past, Harris-Dawson said.
“We’ve held [meetings] with DCFS…participated in DMH community forums, yet no relief has arrived for relative caregivers and their families,” Harris-Dawson said. “It is time for these departments to step up and provide the mental health support necessary to create healthy minds and families.”
The rally and program will begin at 4:30 p.m. in front of DCFS headquarters, which is located at 425 Shatto Place, Los Angeles, 90020.
