3. The state of child-welfare in AR
• Agencies like ours (mostly non-profit) are the
state’s delivery mechanism
• Limited or capped reimbursement
• Reactive system – not enough emphasis on
prevention and follow-up
• DCFS overload – not enough caseworkers
• Critical shortage of traditional foster homes
4. AR child-welfare crisis snapshot
(FY15)
• 33,683 abuse/neglect reports last year
• 9,543 valid cases of abuse/neglect
– Neglect – 67%
– Physical abuse – 22%
– Sexual abuse – 20%
• 4,418 children in foster care in FY15 (up 312)
– Children taken care in FY15 – 3,798
– Children discharged from care FY15 – 3,459
• 5,187 kids in foster care as of now (30% increase)
• Kids in foster care 1 year or longer – 45%
• DCFS average caseload – 26.7/caseworker
• Foster home net gain – 18 homes
• Ratio of foster beds/child – .67
• DCFS budget increase – 22%
5.
6. NWA child-welfare crisis snapshot
(FY15)
• 4,980 abuse/neglect reports last year
• 930 valid cases of abuse/neglect
• 917 children in foster care in FY15
• 519 kids in foster care right now
• Kids in foster care 1 year or longer – 33%
• DCFS average caseload – 34.2/caseworker (51:1 in
Benton County as of June 30)
• Foster home closures – 120
• 219 open foster homes in NWA right now
• School-aged kids on lunch assistance (federal poverty
guidelines) – 40,000+
7.
8.
9. We are the life-support system
• Our agencies are the state’s means of dealing
with problems that have already occurred
• Each handles a piece of the child-welfare pie
• State reimbursement falls far short of our
actual costs
• We all rely heavily on fund-raising/community
support/grants
10. Concerns about child-welfare
• Talk of budget cuts/tax cuts
• State budget surplus – when private agencies
that provide DHS/DCFS services are so
financially challenged
• Vulnerability of child-welfare funding
