Staffing levels for family case managers meet 99 percent of the need statewide, according to the annual staffing and caseload report from the Department of Child Services (DCS), but some areas of the state face a greater need than others.
“Some of the most integral among the agency’s staff members are family case managers (FCMs). FCMs are the state’s front line against child abuse and neglect. Maintaining management caseloads for staff members is critical to ensuring the agency provides the best service possible to those in need,” DCS Director Eric Miller said in a report recently submitted to the Indiana State Budget Committee.
The agency compiles an annual report documenting its staffing needs following a series of scandals triggered by the resignation of Miller’s predecessor, Mary Bonaventura. In a scathing letter, Bonaventura claimed children would die following state funding cuts and subsequent, independent reviews found that DCS had a staffing crisis.
Legislative reform dictated that the agency “shall” meet certain goals when it came to FCMs, requiring more manageable caseloads and reducing the number of children overseen by individual staff.