‘Living in denial’

Dorenberg claims she was ‘squeezed out’ after complaints to CAS

Another former foster parent has come forward accusing the Children’s Aid Society of Prince Edward County of failing to provide sufficient “oversight, resources and funds” needed to appropriately care for the kids in its care.

Patty Dorenberg worked for the local CAS in the early ‘90s as a social work assistant. When she had her own children she decided to provide a home for foster children as a means to supplement her income.

“I loved it,” said Dorenberg. “Right from the beginning I thought this is what I was meant to do.”

While she continued to enjoy caring for the children assigned to her home, she says she became increasingly disillusioned about the local agency—particularly its inability to respond to the issues and concerns foster parents were raising.

“There is no leadership at the agency,” said Dorenberg. “It comes down to dollars and cents—all the time. Workers and foster parents aren’t receiving the training we are required to have. When you ask a question it takes forever to get an answer—if you ever get an answer.”

NOT SATISFIED
Faced with inaction, Dorenberg became an advocate for foster families and children in their care. She joined the executive of the Foster Families Association.

“People brought their problems and issues to me. I heard too many stories that just weren’t right. I tried to work with the administrators. They would listen, but nothing ever changed.”

She and others on the association executive decided to go around the director and bring their issues to the board. That was in June 2011.

“They really did not want to hear our complaints,” said Dorenberg. “They ridiculed us. “They didn’t care about items on the list. One board member said we were making it sound like the wheels were falling off the wagon. I said, ‘yes—the wheels are off the wagon.’”

Philip contradicts Dorenberg saying that when the board received the letter from the Foster Families Association, they instructed the executive director to investigate all the concerns outlined.

“As part of this investigation,” writes Philip, “PECAS staff contacted a number of the signatories, at which point it became clear that many were unaware of the letter’s contents and felt misrepresented by the Association. In response, the Executive Committee of the Board met with the FFA executive in May.”

‘NOT UNVERSALLY HELD’
Philip says the board told Dorenberg that it would not act upon the issues outlined because the views were “not universally held” by the association’s members.

Dorenberg says the board’s executive members accused her of acting on her own, not on behalf of foster families.

“We talked to our association and got as many signatures as we could. We couldn’t get everybody. But the CAS board executive accused us of not sharing all our concerns with our membership before they had signed it. We were accused of misleading our members.”

Phillip denies that anyone was ridiculed in the meeting and repeated her contention that Dorenberg’s concerns could not be taken seriously as they merely a “series of complaints that were not universally held” by the association.

INTERVIEWS
Dorenberg says the board executive called in four foster families who had signed the list of concerns to meet with a board executive committee. She contends they did this as a means of intimidation.

“They put them on the hotseat,” said Dorenberg. “Of the foster parents they chose to interview—one was an employee, another was working toward an adoption. A third was planning to adopt. None wanted to make waves. I one hundred per cent believe they were trying to intimidate them.”

Philip says no board executive committee was formed. She acknowledges that three in-person interviews were conducted with the letter’s signatories. She says some of these in-person interviews were conducted at the request of the foster families “out of concern they had been misrepresented by the FFA.”

Philip says “the voluntary interviews would have no bearing on the administrative approval process for any of these officials.”

DORENBERG QUITS
Soon after that, Dorenberg quit fostering children. She says she was already being “squeezed out,” by the agency. While she typically had three of four foster kids in her care, by the summer of 2011, just one was assigned to her home.

Philip says her agency deeply values the work done by dedicated foster families, and treats them with the utmost respect.

“We completely reject the suggestion that attempts have been made to force foster parents out of foster care,” responded Philip.

STEPPING FORWARD
Dorenberg says she is coming forward now because the local CAS, in her view, is living in denial. “The CAS doesn’t seem to be learning from its mistakes. The system seems to be falling apart in Prince Edward County. No one seems to be acknowledging there is a problem here.”