Judge R. Mark Browning agrees with this assessment: The public gets a skewed view of Hawaii’s Child Protective Services system.
Because cases by law are handled confidentially, the only time people get a glimpse of the inner workings of the system is when something goes terribly awry. When a child dies or suffers horrific injuries while under CPS jurisdiction, the case often generates headlines because of a criminal prosecution, civil lawsuit or concerns raised by grieving family members.
Sometimes the case can expose a dysfunctional or flawed part of the system or a bureaucratic breakdown.
"What people don’t see, though, are the hundreds-plus cases — and that’s like 99.99 percent — in which the outcome is what it’s supposed to be," said Browning, who oversees the Oahu court where CPS cases are handled.
A Family Court judge for nearly two decades, Browning said he believes the system has improved substantially over that period. He was particularly complimentary of Department of Human Services Director Pat McManaman and her agency’s workers, who oversee the CPS system.
"This particular director and her staff have been very proactive in their efforts to improve and continually strive to do better," Browning said in an interview with the Honolulu Star-Advertiser at his Kapolei office. "I would say also that I think — this is something really important that I would like to express — that the social workers who do these cases are amazing as individuals.
"I have a tremendous amount of respect for their heart, their dedication, their commitment to helping kids and families. They work extremely hard under tremendous stress and pressure. I think they’re unsung heroes."
Data compiled by the federal government or nonprofits present a mixed picture, good and bad, of Hawaii’s system, while the few major independent reviews over roughly the past decade have flagged numerous shortcomings.
People generally have a sense that Hawaii’s Family Court is a place where tragedy, acrimony and conflict dominate the cases, according to Browning.
"If it was just that, I don’t know if any of us (at court) could get up in the morning," he added. "What it also is is a place of miracles. It’s a place where miracles happen every single day."
If parents are able to get their lives back together with the help of CPS, service providers and the court, "that’s a miracle to be celebrated, to be held onto, to remember. You see these people at their worst, and they transform and become amazing. That is simply what it’s about. That’s why you do the job."
Browning acknowledged that parts of the system don’t work as they should but blames that mostly on a lack of funding, not on DHS. "I don’t think everything is a panacea of wonder and delight," he said.
Recalling what the system was like when he joined the Family Court bench 19 years ago, Browning said, "We’ve come a long ways. I’ve seen tremendous improvements."
