Bill Text: HI SCR112 | 2018 | Regular Session | Introduced

Hawaii Senate Concurrent Resolution 112 (Prior Session Legislation)

Introduced

Bill Title: Requesting The Auditor To Conduct A Comprehensive Performance And Management Audit Of The Child Welfare Services Branch Of The Department Of Human Services.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 14-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2018-03-15 - Referred to HMS. [SCR112 Detail]

Download: Hawaii-2018-SCR112-Introduced.html

THE SENATE	S.C.R. NO.	112
TWENTY-NINTH LEGISLATURE, 2018
STATE OF HAWAII

SENATE CONCURRENT

RESOLUTION

requesting the auditor to conduct a comprehensive performance and management audit of the child welfare services branch of the department of human services.

WHEREAS, the purpose of the Child Welfare Services Branch (CWSB) of the Department of Human Services is to:

(1) Ensure the safety, stability, and well-being of children in the State; and

(2) Respond to allegations of child abuse and neglect while providing supportive services to children and their families; and

WHEREAS, the public and news media have raised many questions about the agency's operations, including policies, procedures, and management; and

WHEREAS, a recent review conducted by the United States Administration for Children and Families concluded that CWSB made no improvements from the previous evaluation conducted in 2009; and

WHEREAS, CWSB was not in "substantial conformity" with any of the seven outcome categories of the evaluation, including the outcome that "[c]hildren are first and foremost protected from abuse and neglect"; and

WHEREAS, CWSB only met five of the seven systematic factor categories, an identical result to the 2009 evaluation; and

WHEREAS, attracting and retaining qualified employees has been a significant, long-standing concern for CWSB; and

WHEREAS, at the end of 2017, about a quarter of the agency's one hundred eighty positions for social workers and human-service professionals were vacant; and

WHEREAS, other concerns include insufficient quality and frequency of caseworker visits, children remaining in foster care beyond fifteen months with no viable goal, and maltreatment allegations in pending cases not formally being investigated; and

WHEREAS, CWSB is still recovering from the State's fiscal crises in 2009 and 2010, when the Department of Human Services cut dozens of positions, implemented budget cuts, and eliminated or reduced certain services, including services that assist families; and

WHEREAS, this body recognizes child abuse and neglect as serious problems and that there is an urgent need to determine whether CWSB has the personnel and resources necessary to effectively investigate allegations of abuse and neglect, and otherwise perform the agency's duties; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Twenty-ninth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2018, the House of Representatives concurring, that the Auditor is requested to conduct a comprehensive performance and management audit of the Child Welfare Services Branch of the Department of Human Services; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Auditor is requested to examine, as part of the audit, the effectiveness of and compliance with the CWSB's policies and procedures, including:

(1) Investigating and substantiating reports of child abuse and neglect;

(2) Providing services for substantiated cases of child abuse and neglect, including risk assessment methods to assess whether the child is in danger of abuse or neglect;

(3) Establishing, maintaining, and enforcing policies that safeguard the rights of the child and their non-abuser family members;

(4) Sharing information and coordinating investigative duties with county police departments;

(5) Sharing information and coordinating duties with the Department of the Attorney General Family Law Division's policies and procedures;

(6) Inputting and maintaining the records in the Child Abuse and Neglect Registry database; and

(7) Providing effective oversight and supervision of all child welfare offices in the State; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Auditor examine and provide recommendations for additional personnel and other resources needed for the CWSB to effectively investigate allegations of abuse, and neglect, and otherwise perform the agency's duties; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Auditor is requested to submit a report of the Auditor's findings and recommendations, including any proposed legislation, to the Legislature no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2019; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Auditor, Director of Human Services, and Administrator of the Child Welfare Services Branch of the Department of Human Services.