The Senate Finance work group appointed to make recommendations to address issues within Texas’ Child Protective Services department has submitted their recommendations to Chair of Senate Finance, Sen. Jane Nelson. Recommendations include salary increases up to $12,000 per year for all CPS caseworkers, 20% salary increases for supervisors, 50 additional investigative caseworkers and 50 special investigators as well as a 20% salary increase for special investigators. The cost of all recommendations would be approximaltey $75.3 million in all funds through the remainder of fiscal year 2017.
In order to receive the additional funding required to implement these recommendations, the Department of Family and Protective Services must provide weekly reports to the Senate Finance Committee, monthly reports to the committee regarding staff retention while at the same time conducting exit surveys of staff who leave the agency. By June 2017 the agency must complete new supervisor training for all supervisors and must achieve a 95% completion rate for contacts with children in priority 1 cases within 24 hours.
See attached for the subcommittee’s letter to Sen. Nelson.
Finance Committee Task Force on Child Protective Services Provides Recommendations
