Cuyahoga County Division of Children and Family Services workers, including social workers and childcare providers, rallied Wednesday outside the agency's headquarters in Cleveland, seeking increased safety measures amid what they say are daily incidents of violence they face at the hands of the children in their care.
R. Sean Grayson, president of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Council 8, which represents the workers, told Ideastream Public Media that time is of the essence.
“Any day another employee could be injured, any day another child could be injured and that just has to stop,” he said.
Children who are unable to find foster families are now housed at the county building in the Midtown neighborhood of Cleveland and Grayson said there have been 60 incidences of violence involving those children since January 2022.
According to a petition by American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees union Local 1746, "employees are dealing with daily instances of violence that have only increased in severity, creating a dangerous workplace for DCFS employees and the children who are looking for a safe and healthy place to recover and regroup from already difficult situations. ... The county administration needs to develop and implement real safety solutions that protect its employees and the children they care for. It is the responsibility of the employer to take reasonable measures to minimize the likelihood of workplace violence."
Grayson and AFCME Local 1746 employees spoke at the rally and then delivered the petition to DCFS leadership. The petition, which had 643 signatures as of 2 p.m. Wednesday, recommended that any comprehensive safety plan include the following measures, which it calls "important building blocks to address the safety crisis at Cuyahoga County Department of Children and Family Services."
• Management commitment and employee involvement
• Worksite analysis and hazard identification
• Hazard prevention and control
• Health and safety training; and
• Record keeping and program evaluation
Cuyahoga County Children and Family Services Director Jacqueline Fletcher told Ideastream she agrees with these concerns and is working to make changes to address the problem.
“Staff are frustrated that this placement and treatment crisis, that is just continuing for all of us across the state and across much of the country, they want real answers and solutions," she said. "We're working very diligently to try and recreate resources that unfortunately have gone away over the past ten, 15, 20 years. So I understand their frustration."
The agency is developing a facility to properly house and professionally care for youth who have had difficulties finding foster families. The request for proposal for this plan, which would include mental health care services and other preventative measures to head off potential violence, just closed Wednesday. She said the agency will start to review the proposals immediately.
