SB 197

Abstract

This bill adopts a key recommendation of the Child Protection Accountability Commission Caseloads and Workloads final report approved on November 20, 2019 that child protection treatment caseload standards be reduced from 18 to 12 families per worker. This report concluded that child protection treatment worker caseload standards within the Division of Family Services present significant safety risks to children and families. Due to the volume of work generated by a caseload of 18 families, workers are significantly restricted in the time workers can spend on critical case activities, such as family engagement, assessment of safety, and face-to-face contact with children and families. Section 2 states that funding will be phased in over two fiscal years beginning in FY23.