For Immediate Release: September 5, 2012

Media Contact Bill Law: (260) 602-3717

Tom Keen: Department of Child Services is Broken

The primary focus of the Department of Child Services should be what is in the best interest of the child, said Tom Keen, candidate for Indianas 16 Senate District. Instead, last year over $100 million was returned to the state general fund after deep cuts were made to the agency. Keen made these remarks highlighting recent testimony provided at a summer study committee that began at the statehouse last week. Over the past 16 months, news stories have revealed an alarming disconnect between children in need of services and the state personnel tasked to serve them. The statewide hotline circumvents child welfare workers from making critical decisions at the local level. Hotline intake workers have also screened out calls that have resulted in child deaths statewide. Republicans are always talking about the importance of local control, and yet in this instance, they have implemented a process that relies on a central system, that does not take into account local county office knowledge and experience. said Keen. The State Senate candidate has discussed this topic with a variety of people throughout the district, including local DCS staff, who are the front line workers of the child welfare system. Keen feels major decisions are kept out of the hands of child welfare professionals. People in the community beg our local child welfare professionals to do something, but these concerned citizens are automatically referred to a state hotline. Someone at the hotline is making decisions on whether or not to get involved in a situation or possibly remove a child from the home, and not someone on the ground in the community. Keen will continue to follow the work of the study committee closely. He feels we must do better by our children, and our communities. At the end of the day, our local communities must live with these decisions. Professionals interacting with families and children should control this process, from beginning to end. Its just common sense, Tom Keen is a resident of Fort Wayne and is running against longtime incumbent David Long in Senate District 16. Tom and his wife Laura have been married for 22 years and have two college aged children. Tom is active in several veteran service organizations; he is a life member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) and Disabled American Veterans (DAV). He is also a member of the Military Officers Association of America, United States Naval Institute, and the Fort Wayne Base Community Council. Tom currently serves on the Board of Directors of Fort Waynes Science Central. ###