Multi-Million Dollar Investment Fund Aims To Improve In-State Services For Children In Foster Care

As part of broader improvements to West Virginia’s foster care system, Gov. Patrick Morrisey announced Tuesday the creation of a $6 million revolving investment fund.

“Those dollars are going to be used to renovate, repair existing state properties by providing high acuity psychiatric, neural, developmental and trauma services for kids in West Virginia,” Morrisey said. “We’re also going to be furthering treatment programs that match the clinical profiles of our kids.”

The renovations to existing state-owned facilities are meant to improve in-state services in an attempt to address out-of-state placements of children in foster care.

Lorie Bragg, commissioner of the Bureau of Social Services, told lawmakers in an interim meeting of the Joint Standing Committee on the Judiciary earlier this month that roughly 350 children are placed across 20 states to receive treatment not available in West Virginia.

“There are times that we have children that come into the custody of the state that have special needs,” Bragg said. “What we’re seeing mostly is kids that are really aggressive, that have moderate to severe self harm, autism, developmental delays. Those children, we do not have programs to serve them in West Virginia. So when that child needs treatment, we do have to look outside.”

Tuesday Morrisey said there were closer to 380 out-of-state placements at an average cost of $156,000 per child.

“We think we can actually save money as a result, and then we can reinvest it back into the program with the goal of eventually eliminating out-of-state placements,” he said.

Lawmakers have already proposed more than a dozen pieces of legislation to improve the state’s child protective services ahead of the regular session next month. 

Morrisey said the $6 million in up-front funds for the revolving investment fund will be accompanied by “many more items” in his proposed budget, set to be released ahead of his Jan. 14 State of the State address.