Have you checked out The Hot Seat? It's our opinion-page blog that brings in your elected leaders and people in the news, and lets you ask the questions during a live online chat.

On The Hot Seat last week was Lillian Koller, director of the state Department of Human Services.

This is an excerpt from that Hot Seat session. To see the full conversation, go to The Hot Seat blog at www.honoluluadvertiser.com/opinion and click on "On the Hot Seat: State Human Services Department Director Lillian Koller."

(Names of questioners are screen names given during our online chat.)

Kekona: Regarding foster care, I would like to know how the state prepares these kids to face the real world after they leave the system?

Lillian Koller: DHS (Department of Human Services) works very closely with the Family Court, the court-appointed guardian ad litem, foster families and foster youth themselves to prepare our foster youth for leaving the system at the age of 18.

DHS also contracts these services for foster youth: independent living counseling and support, funding for post-high school education and health insurance coverage. In addition, we have facilitated youth circles that bring together people who help foster youth successfully transition to independence and adulthood.

Steven: What is the average stay for a child in a foster home? Is it till they turn 18? What percentage of the kids placed in the foster care program actually return to their families?

Koller: While I do not have the answer to your first question readily available, please keep in mind that children do not stay in foster care any longer than is necessary. Ultimately, the Family Court judge decides to return the child to the biological parent(s) or terminates parental rights. In the last few years, DHS has decreased the number of foster youth who age out of our system at 18 years old, from 200 annually down to about 150.

Joe M.: What is the real story on Peter Boy? Why hasn't anyone been charged or confronted?

Koller: I completely agree with your frustration. Unfortunately, anyone familiar with this case can only reach one conclusion: Peter Boy is dead, not missing. Ten years have passed since his disappearance and still we have no justice and no closure in this tragic case. That is why I released more than 2,000 pages of previously confidential documents about this high-profile murder case. That is also why I solicited updated eyewitness accounts from Peter Boy's siblings and recently posted these documents on our DHS Web site. I don't want this case to quietly fade away. I want the person or persons responsible for Peter Boy's death to face justice in a court of law. Let's hope this latest round of media attention helps law enforcement officials arrest and convict anyone who is responsible for the death of this young boy.

Ronald A. Young: I strongly believe that leaving keiki to live on the beach with their parents is child abuse and neglect by the state. Why, in the name of reason, would you return foster keiki to their parents who live on the beach.

Koller: DHS is mandated to follow the state's Child Protective Act, Hawai'i Revised Statutes, Chapter 587. This law provides safe family home guidelines that would not permit us to remove a child simply based on the fact that the child is living with homeless parents. If there is a report of child abuse or neglect, DHS conducts an intake assessment to determine the appropriate response. We have many new and expanded services to strengthen families and support the safety of our children.

Lisa: I realize what a daunting task DHS must have, but is there anything being done to continue to monitor the children who have been abused or neglected? It's a real travesty when children are returned to unsafe homes.

Koller: I share your concern. Rarely does a single confirmation of child neglect lead to a severe penalty, such as termination of parental rights, especially when the parents are wiling to admit their wrongdoing and complete rehabilitation services.

This is why it's so important for people to report every time they suspect child abuse and neglect. Reporting of repeated abuse or neglect establishes a stronger record that escalates the risk of harm and causes stronger response from law enforcement, DHS and the courts.

Every year, DHS receives about 5,000 reports of suspected child abuse or neglect from the public. We rely heavily on family members and the public to let us know when there are suspected cases of child abuse or neglect and we work in collaboration with local law enforcement and the Family Court.

Our network of prevention and response is dependent on cooperation from everyone — mandated reporters that include police, school officials, doctors and Family Court as well as the public — for the system to work. I also believe that amending the state law to include the child's family as mandatory reporters is a good idea.

Corrina Tancrede: What is being done now to make sure homes are safe for children to return to? I am a foster mother and have a lot of safety concerns about reunification. The department just says we have to let the parents try, but why does it have to be at the child's expense?

Koller: First of all, thank you for being a foster parent caring for our abused or neglected children. As you know, you are part of a child welfare system that includes the Family Court, a court-appointed guardian ad litem to represent the child's best interest, and an array of services that our administration has greatly expanded to address the safety, stability and well-being of our keiki.

This administration also succeeded in expanding the voice of foster parents in Family Court with a bill DHS introduced and won approval for this year. Foster parents can now participate in all Family Court child-protective proceedings. I encourage you to actively participate in this vital process. Ultimately, as you know, the Family Court judge will make the child placement decision.

Kelly: I still don't believe you have answered the question regarding reunification. ... Why in the world do you rip apart the only stable relationships most of these kids have ever known or may ever know with their current foster families to reunify with other relatives? I know for a fact that you actively recruit and waste the state's money trying to get these other relatives to step up and take the kids. Why reunification at all costs? What about the kids?

Koller: Thank you for clarifying the question. Both national and Hawai'i specific research findings show that kinship care provides comparable safety and more stability, including fewer placement changes for children in their care.

For example, a study by the National Abandoned Infants Assistance Resource Center in 2005 found that kinship care promotes quality relationships and bonding with relative foster parents. Children in kinship care have been found to have greater family connectedness, for example, visitation with parents, sibling and other relatives, as well as maintaining community ties.

The priority for kinship placement is encouraged by federal law and it has been a priority in Hawai'i's child welfare system since 1998, along with nearly all states in the nation.

Todd B: What programs are you in charge of? How much money do these programs spend? How many people do you serve? Is there a limit to how long people can receive welfare and other entitlement programs?

Koller: DHS has the second biggest departmental operating budget with nearly $2 billion appropriated for state fiscal year 2008. The committed staff of DHS strive, day in and day out, to provide timely, efficient and effective programs, services and benefits, for the purpose of empowering those who are the most vulnerable in our state to expand their capacity for self-sufficiency, self-determination, independence, healthy choices, qualify of life and personal dignity.

We provide health insurance for needy men, women and children, child and abuse protective services, welfare-to-work services, food stamps, child care licensing and subsidies, and vocational rehabilitation for the disabled.

Specifically, you asked about the time limit on welfare benefits — it is five years. The other programs, like food stamps and Medicaid, are not time-limited but they are limited by income and/or asset eligibility.