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As of June 30, 2024, there are 5,991 children in state custody, marking the first time since March 2017 that number has dropped below 6,000, according to state officials and the state’s Child Welfare Dashboard.
The Department of Human Services (DoHS), Bureau for Social Services (BSS) and Gov. Jim Justice announced improvements to the state’s foster care system on Thursday. The number of children in state custody peaked in April 2020 at 7,433 children.
Gov. Jim Justice discussed the announcement during his regular briefing on Thursday, acknowledging that there is still work to be done to improve outcomes for children in state care.
“Now we got tons more to do, we all know that, and we have tragedies happen from time to time, and we need to try to prevent them in every single way,” Justice said. “But from a foster care standpoint, I’m happy to announce that the number of children in this state that are in state custody right now, is at the lowest that has been in the last seven years.”
According to the Child Welfare Dashboard and a DoHS press release, the vacancy rate for Child Protective Services (CPS) positions has fallen by 12 percent since Jan. 2023. There are 14 vacancies in Youth Services (YS) workers, a vacancy rate of 11 percent.
“Our focused efforts to recruit and retain qualified staff are showing significant progress,” said Jeff Pack, DoHS Bureau for Social Services commissioner. “Reducing our vacancy rates means we can better serve the children and families of West Virginia and ensure they receive the protection and support they need.”
As directed by Senate Bill 273, passed in March 2023, in 2024 BSS implemented a new classification and compensation system, aiming to help border counties and panhandle bureaus compete with salaries out of state and attract more workers. Five new CPS positions were added to the Berkeley and Jefferson counties district.
BSS said it increased its workforce to meet the needs of an increasing number of child welfare abuse and/or neglect referrals.
The Centralized Intake for Abuse and Neglect received 39,100 intakes with 24,085 accepted for referral in 2023. As of June 30, 2024, Centralized Intake received 20,179 intakes with 12,363 accepted for referral.
Appalachia Health News is a project of West Virginia Public Broadcasting with support from Marshall Health.
