CHARLESTON – State Child Protective Services fails to investigate half of the child abuse and neglect reports it receives in a timely manner, according to an agency audit presented to legislators on Tuesday. Chronic understaffing is a chief contributor to that failure, with increased referral numbers also playing a role.
Post Audit Division Assistant Director Melissa Bishop presented the report.
Federal regulations require a face-to-face with the child within 14 days of an abuse or neglect report, Bishop said. The time frame is 72 hours in cases of imminent danger. CPS failed to meet those deadlines 49.9% of the time. While CPS has topped 50% some years, the problem has been chronic: 33% in 1996, 44% in 2017.
For the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to rate response time as an agency strength, Bishop said, CPS must meet the deadline 95% of the time.
The audit recommends that CPS develop procedures to meet the deadline and report back to the legislature in six months.
The audit delved at length into the staffing problem. Several factors contribute.
One is the lack of available people with social work degrees. Graduation rates have ranged form a low of 164 in 2009 to a high of 336 in 2017.
Another factor is low pay compared to its five adjoining neighbors. West Virginia ranks second-lowest for starting salary, at $31,164, just above Virginia at $29,930. Kentucky and Pennsylvania both pay more, but don’t require their CPS workers to be licensed, as West Virginia does.
CPS divides its territory into four regions. Regions I (including Monongalia and Marion counties) and II cover most of the western half of the state, with III (including Preston) and IV covering the eastern half.
Position vacancies among the regions range from 13% to 21%, averaging 18%. Turnover has improved, from an average of 40% in 2017 (Region I had the worst that year, at 56%) to 27% this year. Region I turnover this year is 24%, for Region III it’s 37% — the worst of the four.
While worker shortage remains a constant, referrals have grown, the audit says: from 20,988 in 2015 to 26,870 in 2018. During the same period, substance abuse referrals have soared: from 2,709 in 2015 to 4,840 in 2018, a 79% increase.
The audit notes that CPS has already taken steps to improve recruiting and retention, including developing a career ladder to allow for advancement. But the audit recommends that CPS explore more ways to improve retention and look for options to make starting salaries more competitive.
The audit also recommends that CPS make better use of its case management data to help develop solutions.
While CPS workers are supposed to be licensed social workers, the audit notes, CPS has nothing in place to ensure that all workers are licensed. Paper personnel files are kept at local offices while electronic records are at the state office. A review of 66 files showed that only nine contained proof of licensure.
Another shortfall: Federal regulations require all employees who work with children under 18 must have criminal background checks. DHHR is supposed to complete an initial background check plus a follow-up every five years, along with a Statement of Criminal Record every two years.
DHHR is doing the five-year checks for foster parents but not employees. DHHR is completing no Statements of Criminal Record.
The audit says, “By not repeating the criminal background check every five years, DHHR increases its risk of continuing to employ a person that is not appropriate to be working with children and youth, and therefore, not suitable for the position of CPS worker.
It continues, “Additionally, by not following its own policy of requiring the Statement of Criminal Record to be completed every two years, although not a guarantee of apprising DHHR of any criminal wrongdoing, sends a message that no one is being held accountable.”
The state Department of Health and Human Resources’ Bureau for Children and Families oversees CPS and prepared a written response. CPS attorney Cammie Chapman covered some of the high points for the legislators.
To better meet mandated time frames, BCF aims to complete a Program Improvement Plan by the end of this year. The program will be conducted during two years and evaluated as it goes.
Concerning retention, DHHR provide raises totaling 20% for Fiscal Years 2019 and 2020. DHHR is also aiming to add 87 new CPS positions, give CPS supervisors a 5% raise to address an issue that arose from creation of the retention plan, and implement on-call pay for CPS workers.
Regarding licensing and background checks, BCF said it’s developing a process for district managers to monitor social worker licenses. For background checks, it’s transitioning to a new process under WV CARES – West Virginia Clearance for Access: Registry & Employment Screening, overseen by the state Office of Inspector General.
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