Privatization Promotes Potential Reforms.

• Position: Brief Article

While substantiated cases of child abuse have declined, the number of children in foster care continues to rise, according to a report from Reason Public Policy Institute (RPPI), Los Angeles, Calif. Data from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services reveal that approximately 25,000 more youngsters were in foster care in 1999 than in 1996. The percentage of children in the system for five years or more increased from 10 to 18% over the same period.

"While child abuse has declined, the number of children stuck in foster care has grown, creating a sort of child welfare paradox," indicates Lisa Snell, director of education and child welfare for RPPI and author of Child-Welfare Reform and the Role of Privatization. "One major factor seems to be the increasing pressure child welfare agencies face from lawmakers and the public for tougher laws"

The report notes that child welfare policy is like a pendulum, swinging from one tragedy to another. These events, such as a child murdered by a parent, typically result in aggressive enforcement, as well as new, tougher laws. This, in turn, often leads to highly publicized cases of unwarranted removal of youngsters from their homes and violations of parental rights. As public concern builds about overzealous enforcement, the system tends to swing back toward a more "family friendly" policy that often leaves children in dangerous homes.

The report examines how privatization of services like foster care, adoption, and family...