CM01 Child Protective Services Caseworkers PS - Nctcog

PROBLEM
CHILD PROTECTIVE SERVICES CASEWORKERS
What is the problem for Dallas County?
Child Protective Services (CPS) is the government agency in Texas assigned to provide
protective services to children. CPS receives referrals from the community regarding
allegations of abuse and neglect; investigates these reports; and makes a recommendation
regarding whether follow-up services are needed. CPS also removes children and places them
in foster care, if deemed necessary for their protection. CPS is responsible for ongoing services
to both intact families and families from which children have been removed. In order to provide
child welfare services that meet federal goals addressing safety and permanency for children, it
is necessary to have a stable, skilled workforce. There are an inadequate number of CPS
caseworkers in Dallas County to handle the workload.
Why is this a problem for Dallas County?
According to a report released by the U.S. General Accounting Office (GAO) in March 2003,
“child welfare agencies face a number of challenges in recruiting and retaining workers and
supervisors. Low salaries hinder agencies’ ability to attract potential child welfare workers and
to retain those already in the profession.” 1 Caseworkers interviewed by the GAO’s office cited
high caseloads, administrative obligations, lack of training, and inadequate supervision as
directly impacting their decision to stay in child welfare. As caseworkers leave and caseloads
increase, greater demand is placed on the remaining staff, which can result in increased
turnover. “Worker turnover has a negative effect on children’s safety and permanency by
delaying the timeliness of investigations and limiting the frequency and length of worker visits
with children. Worker turnover also disrupts the continuity of services, and transferring cases to
remaining staff often means a delay in permanency decisions.” 1
What needs to be done to alleviate this problem?
Additional CPS staff would reduce the average number of cases worked monthly and help
alleviate the problems identified above. The addition of six (6) investigations caseworkers, six
(6) family-based caseworkers and six (6) legal caseworkers would greater serve the victims of
child abuse and neglect in Dallas County.
Impact on Dallas County
Increasing the number of CPS caseworker staff would reduce the number of cases per worker
and lower the demands placed on individual workers. This in turn would help reduce turnover
and result in a more experienced staff capable of investigating cases and delivering ongoing
services in a timely manner in order to better provide for children’s safety and permanency.
SUPPORTING STATISTICS
In fiscal year 2000, the number of reports investigated in Dallas County was 12,595. (See Table
A) For fiscal year 2002, that number increased to 15,564, which represents a 23.6% increase in
workload. In fiscal year 2000, Dallas County Child Protective Services placed 3,205 children in
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substitute care (see Table B). By fiscal year 2002, that number had increased to 3,760, which
represents a 17.3% increase in children in substitute care. Conversely, the number of CPS
caseworkers has decreased by 3% between FY2002 and FY2003. (See Table C)
DATA CHARTS
A. Number of Assigned Investigations
FY2000 FY2001 FY2002 To-date thru
March 2003
# Reports Investigated 12,595 14,021 15,564 9,070
2 Child Protective Services Database Warehouse (2000, 2001, 2002, & 2003)
B. Number of children placed in substitute care
# Children in Substitute
Care
FY2000 FY2001 FY2002 FY2003
3,205 3,527 3,760 No data
available
3 Protective & Regulatory Services Internet Data Book, (2000, 2001, & 2002)
C. Number of caseworkers in Dallas County
FY 2000 FY2001 FY2002 FY2003
# Caseworkers No data No data 350 338
4 CPS Human Resources Department
CURRENT SERVICE PROVIDERS
The Texas Department of Protective & Regulatory Services (TDPRS) Child Protective Services
Division, in conjunction with local law enforcement, is the only agency authorized by law to
investigate child abuse cases and provide protective services to children. In Dallas County, the
headquarters offices are located at 2355 N. Stemmons Expressway; Dallas, TX. There are
outreach offices located in the cities of Garland and Irving, and at the Dallas Children’s
Advocacy Center on Swiss Avenue in Dallas, Texas.
GAPS IN SERVICE DELIVERY
Since the TDPRS is the only agency authorized by law to provide protective services to
children, there are no gaps in service delivery. The gaps that exist in service delivery are the
challenges outlined above that hinder the agency’s ability to respond effectively to its clients.
GOALS AND OBJECTIVES
The addition of three new units to handle investigations, in-home cases, and substitute care
cases are necessary to better serve the victims of child abuse and neglect in Dallas County.
This would include 6 investigations caseworkers, six family-based caseworkers, six legal
caseworkers, three supervisors, and four support staff (two secretaries and two case aides).
The beginning salary range for a CPS caseworker position is: $28,917 to $30,883. The starting
salary for a new supervisor is $36,504. Secretarial staff starts at $20,652 and case aides start
at $15,576. The estimated annual cost is $720,168.
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EVALUATION AND OUTCOME MEASURES
Additional CPS staff would reduce the average number of cases worked monthly and help
alleviate the workload.
Outcome #1
Objective: Hire additional staff to reduce workload.
Measurement: Monitor yearly staff increases.
REFERENCES
1. U.S. General Accounting Office’s Report to Congressional Requestors on Child Welfare
dated March 2003; http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d03357.pdf
2. Child Protective Services Database Warehouse (2000, 2001, 2002, & 2003)
3. Protective & Regulatory Services Internet Data Book, (2000, 2001, & 2002);
http://www.tdprs.state.tx.us/About_PRS/PRS_Data_Books_and_Annual_Reports/2002d
ata/147_152FY02.pdf
4. CPS Human Resources Department
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