DHHR Hires 29 New CPS Workers

According to the Child Welfare Dashboard, West Virginia has 6,262 children in its foster care system. 

That number has increased by 111 since January, but the DHHR hired 29 new CPS workers in the same period through targeted recruitment, job fairs and hiring incentives.

Gov. Jim Justice acknowledged the gap during his administrative briefing Wednesday but called the hiring initiative a significant improvement.

“We welcome the new hires and we’d tell you just this, if you want a life of great honor, and great feelings of accomplishment, and a feeling of really doing something wonderful and getting paid, you know at a good wage and everything, please contact the folks at DHHR,” Justice said.

According to the dashboard, the department is now 71 percent staffed.

“The complex nature of Child Protective and Youth Services cases have made these positions challenging to fill,” said Cammie Chapman, DHHR’s Deputy Secretary of Children and Adult Services. “The progress in recruitment and hiring is a direct result of the support that has been provided by Governor Justice, the West Virginia Legislature, and Interim DHHR Cabinet Secretary Jeff Coben.”