Earlier this month, I wrote a story about how Los Angeles County was considering using ridesharing services like Uber to improve “family visitation.”
The problem in L.A. and across the country is that it is hard to transport children and their parents to court-ordered visits.
My back-of-the-envelope math suggested that if every L.A. foster child were to be afforded one hour of visits a week – way less than court guidelines – that would equal 105 years of visits every year. Yes, a century of visits every year.
Despite the enormous logistical challenge, these visits are critical for maintaining family bonds while the child protection system decides whether or not it is safe for a child to return home.
Shortly after my story was published, I received an email from Teri Kook. Kook ran the child welfare division of the San Francisco-based Stuart Foundation for years.
“Saw your article on Uber and visitation in Los Angeles,” she wrote. “We have actually done a small pilot on that here in Spokane with good results on getting parents to make it to their visits.”
To continue reading this article by Dan Heimpel, go to: https://chronicleofsocialchang...ng-foster-care/21670
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