Our State is Broke

I don't where you readers are from and I operate under the assumption that foster care sucks pretty much EVERYWHERE but I was pondering the recent communication we got from our DCFS head guy (appointed by our new governor and recruited from Florida where he did amazing things or so I'm told). The letter went something like this:

Dear Foster Peeps,

Good news I was able to get the state government to approve your payments, even though we aren't paying anyone else money we owe, aren't I amazing?

Or something to that effect....

And then I got angry. Because my tax dollars are paying for so much nonsense in foster care. 10 months the goal has been pending TPR. The kids have had an adoptive home and a signed intent to adopt form for 18 months. So during all those months we've been paying the therapists to work with the kids to manage their emotions while they wait. We've prolonged the needed therapy an additional 10 months, really just trying to manage their anxiety over not being in a permanent home. 10 months times 4 kids times 4 weeks a month is 160 sessions billed because the termination didn't happen. 

Because a group of people in a courtroom that have never met the children allowed delay after delay after delay. Then you add in the day care and transportation/supervision service for additional visits (for 2 parents) and then think about all the other cases that are hanging out there in limbo. If the state could get this permanency thing to happen quicker I think I could help fix the budget and not put all the foster parent's board rates at risk. Let's not even get me started about the money going towards trying to keep the baby sibling safe.