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Below is the HillCo client report from the June 24 and 25 Sunset Advisory Commission recommendation review of the Department of Family and protective Services (DFPS).

Opening remarks from Sunset Staff

  • This is the first step for the HHSC agency review
  • Started October 1, 2013
  • Recommendations are designed to be about the functions of these agencies
  • There is a lot of misinformation going around about these agencies – encourages everyone to look back at the Sunset report closely
  • “Sunset staff are not the experts”
  • They don’t think that all the SSLCs should be closed – they have been receiving a lot of calls saying that
  • What is in the report are recommendations to do what is best for the state – the decisions are the Commission’s job
  • The recommendations include some emotional issues, but they are what is best for the taxpayer

 
DFPS Sunset Staff Presentation

  • CPS Turnover
    • Internal management issues
    • Need to shape workplace culture to eliminate turnover
    • Lack of on the job training
  • Crisis culture
    • Need to reevaluate the most basic aspects of operations
  • Foster care redesign
    • Very little data exists
  • Need stronger enforcement
  • Need to capture a broader spectrum of data
  • Need better evaluation of program outcomes
  • Nelson – very first thing we need to address is caseworker turnover
    • We keep hearing that we need to pump more money into the system, but the recommendation is to reduce turnover which would save the state money
  • Nelson – with this recommendation you are predicting  an overall fiscal gain?
    • Costs the agency up to 72M/yr due to turnover alone
  • Nelson – we heavily invested dollars to increase the number of caseworkers and reduce caseloads last session, funding over 9,000 caseworkers – but if we can’t retain them what can we do?
    • Agency needs to focus on workplace culture and reduce punitive supervisor issues
  • Nelson – the fact that caseworkers are only spending 26% of their time with actual families is crazy
  • Raymond – please talk more about the work environment
    • Management environment needs improvement
    • Job stress
    • Need to improve overall environment
      • Internal survey staff did reflects this
    • Supervisors go automatically into corrective action rather than coaching
  • Schwertner – I have a hard time understanding the autocratic way this agency is run
  • Hinojosa – I get the sense that the quality of training is uneven and there are contradictions in the system
    • Lack of leadership and competent management
    • The entire agency needs to be overhauled
  • The supervisors need leadership training
  • 7,000 workers responded to the staff’s survey
  • Buckingham – what is the idea structure of the operational unit?
    • Cannot speak to that
  • The Steven’s Group did an outside evaluation of DFPS and their recommendations line up with those of the Sunset staff except for the Sunset recommendation for a mentor program
    • The mentor program existed up until 2010 when there were large budget cuts
  • Uresti – what surveys are you using for data?
    • The state auditor’s exit surveys
    • How many people filled out these surveys? What percentage? I don’t think we are getting a clear picture here
      • The exit survey responses align with the responses received from the staff survey
  • Nelson – we need to use the data effectively
  • Simmons – there are some recommendations to move certain programs to DFPS – do we really want to do this before we make other changes to help solve some of the current problems?
  • Burkett – do the mentors carry full caseloads?
    • Yes
  • Burkett – do we have specific performance measurements that the mentor gives their caseworkers?
    • This is something the agency would have to determine
  • Schwertner – CPS receives 85% of the funding – is APS different?
    • Different clients completely
    • Wonder if APS should be located somewhere else

 
The Steven’s Group

  • Did an extensive review of DFPS operations
  • Very close to the recommendations from the Sunset staff
  • Retained by HHSC for the review of the CPS program by both Janek and Specia
  • Went to every region, did ride alongs
  • The commission was very transparent
  • The agency has many talented people, but the consistent change prevents them from doing their job
  • Their survey revealed that turnover was due to supervision, workload and salary
  • Only 26% of time working with families
  • What they found as unusual is the high turnover at the investigator level
  • Need a clear vision for CPS for the future
  • CPS needs to focus on a small number of key goals
  • This is about culture and people
  • Nelson – So CPS needs a timeout
    • Would like to see a mentorship/apprenticeship program for 6 months out in the field
    • Need to look at recruitment policies – usually takes 120 days for hiring
  • Need to give regions the flexibility to use workforce the way they need it
  • Nelson – where does the impact system fall into this? It is archaic
    • Need a modernized system, but it will cost a chunk of change
    • Steven’s prioritizes it very high but doesn’t think it will fix all the problems the front line workers have
    • The old system contributes to the frustration of the workers
    • Found that a dual supervisor role resulted in less turnover in a particular unit
    • Units need flexibility with their budget

 
DFPS
Commissioner John Specia

  • Agrees with the Steven’s group recommendations
  • They are doing supervisor training – they need a lot more good supervisors
  • Wants to start with the mentoring program and experiment a bit
    • Extend training for over a year’s time
  • Can restructure support for the regions
  • Can get data on regional offices and hold regional directors accountable
  • Pool of workers is impacted by the economy – Midland price of living just increased 300%
  • Need to make workers understand how difficult the job will be
  • Has hired a retention specialist to find out why workers quit
  • Janek – employees need to know that they are valued and empowered
    • What we do first is what they currently have the latitude to do
    • Let workers know that they have heard their concerns
    • Caseworkers have to work 240 hours before they are considered for overtime
      • Want to get the money into the worker’s hands quicker
  • Nelson – concerned about CPS closing cases when they shouldn’t be – what can we do?
    • Quality decision making based on training
    • Policy states you must do everything you can, but there are special circumstances
  • Nelson – are there cases that have to be referred to law enforcement?
    • All of them, but it is up to the law enforcement to decide what to do with each case
  • Nelson – how do we coordinate better?
    • Working closely with child advocacy centers that focus on the criminal aspects
  • Janek – turnover is dramatically lower when CPS co-locates with advocacy centers
  • Schwertner – would it be fair to judge the agency based on lowering the turnover rate in 2 years?
    • Wants to do it in one year
    • Making the computer system more user friendly will take up to a year
    • Need to measure quality, not quantity with the number one focus on retention
  • Hinojosa – if you try and do too much you will lose your effectiveness
  • Janek – we don’t have the luxury of time – we can fix problems independently
  • Raymond – the children’s advocacy center in Laredo is excellent – CPS, PD etc. all come to the center frequently

 
Public Testimony
Mike Foster, Child Placing Agency Specialist

  • Trauma Informed Care should not be delayed in implementation – children should be cared for to avoid abuse and trauma for themselves and future generations
  • DFPS should be changed from the ground up with highly trained caregivers

 
Buddy Lipinski, Child Abuse Victim

  • Rural DFPS locations in Texas provide limited services for battered children
  • DFPS should streamline the adoption process

 
Dixie Harston, University of Houston Graduate School of Social Work

  • DFPS caregivers should have stricter eligibility requirements and more extensive service training before entering the field of childcare
  • All DFPS employees should complete human trafficking awareness training

 
Nancy Holman, Texas Alliance for Child Protective Services

  • Current child services system has failed to equally distribute its services across all regions

 
Angel Cook and Family, Child Abuse Case

  • CPS should be accountable for the children in their care at the same level parents are responsible for their children
  • Children were taken away from Angel Cook after a series of administration misjudgments
    • Birdwell asked if there was a review process by a third-party contractor created to review the quality of social workers. He also questioned whether there was a financial recovery plan set-up for families who have spent money fighting the system.
      • Commissioner Specia stated there is not a system set-up to pay back families who have had to fight the system for their children.
        • He made a promise to review this process and speak with the Cook family immediately
      • Birdwell  noted an individual should be compensated for wrongdoings by the state involving children
        • Raymond will carry the bill on the House side.
    • Dutton has not heard of a worse story of government abuse in his time in the state legislature

 
Deborah and Aurora Dove, Child Abuse Case

  • Experienced a traumatic family situation based on neglect by child protective services
  • Independent workers need to perform investigations of abuse cases

 
Dwayne Lambert, Founder, Lighthouse Family Network

  • Foster care should be formatted around successful programs throughout the country, specifically Nebraska’s foster care system

 
Diana Martinez, Director of Public Policy and Education, TexProtects

  • CPS recruitment should be more competitive based on increased pay and benefits
    • Teachers average pay is $41,000/year versus $32,000/year for CPS worker
  • CPS workers should receive pay-for-performance and merit bonuses based on retention – timeliness and currency should not be the basis of work well done
  • Social workers should be involved in the training process

 
National Association of Social Workers

  • Social workers living standards are too low for the work they provide for the state
  • There should not be a constant turn-over in the social work profession
    • Hinojosa asked why there were no standardized tests for social workers to complete in order to be eligible in the profession  (similar to nurses and doctors)
    • Dutton questioned why social worker complaints were not being sent to an independent agency for review. Who is protecting children from Child Protective Services?
      • Sunset Committee staffers noted CPS’ complaint process was looked at but not specifically analyzed

 
Director of Child Placing Agency

  • DFPS cannot adequately monitor private agency practices– only licensing agencies can do so

 
Ashley Harris, Texans Care for Children

  • DFPS lack a uniform system for prevention services based on a lack of prioritization

Beneficial to keep PPI at DFPS
 
Dr. Katherine Barillas, Child Welfare Policy, OneVoice Texas

  • CPS redesign should not move forward until a future plan has been implemented to address current problems with DFPS

 
Audra Simpson, CASA worker

  • Caseworkers are overworked and put out fires instead of becoming proactive

 
David Scott, Texas Department of Criminal Justice Volunteer

  • Mentorship program for child abuse victims and their families should be created to handle trauma and prevent future outbreaks – TDCJ model is a good example

 
Dustin Dunn, Angel Reach and Foster Care Child

  • Children should be less medicated
  • Practitioners who administer less medications to children should receive higher wages instead of the current system which does the opposite

 
Tyrone Obaseki, Co-Founder, BRAVE

  • CPS should engage the faith-based community for stronger male role models
    • Gonzalez encouraged members of the Legislature to conduct visitations of several facilities to engage with those serving and in-service

 
Texans Care for Children

  • Recommendations have little mention of mental health recognition
  • Prevention and early intervention will reduce incidences immensely
    • Healthy child and youth development programs should be implemented across all youth-related agencies (i.e. Brain Injury, CPS, etc.)

 
Debbie Valdez, Parent

  • Children with disabilities in the guardianship system need more protections

 
Andrea Brower, Texas Care for Children

  • Support 4.1-4.4, 7.1-7.3
  • Daytime caregiver staff ratio to children should be increased – less children to each professional- to provide appropriate care
  • The ratio of 12-15 children per daycare provider ranks Texas 49th of all states in childcare engagement

 
Jessica Trudeau, Executive Director, Family Compass

  • DFPS does not have the capacity to monitor progress of  teenage pregnancy programs (MCVI)

 
Children’s Advocacy Center

  • Criminal and civil justice cases should have greater coordination to enhance efficiencies
    • Schwertner asked where county appointed advocates fit in with CACs?
      • A majority of CAC victims do not go into foster care. Those who do are involved in CASA programs

 
Jim Funk, CPS Caseworker

  • Caseworkers should spend more time with the children receiving care than working on extensive paperwork created by new policies
  • There should be greater attention on the financial need and benefits of caseworkers
    • Price questions whether the Sunset Commission’s survey results reflected his interests? Yes

 
Russell Fish, Open Records Project

  • Open Records Project’s DADS investigation identified multiple APS workers as abusers of the Texas elderly – fighting for guardianship and stealing estate money
    • Price asked how to differentiate between guardianship and report elder looting
      • APS is the gatekeeper for informants and only began to question corruption after being tipped off by inside sources
    • Hinojosa asked if anyone has reported the corruption
      • Yes, the information is readily available but the probate court is  part of the problem

 
Linda Fraze, GRADE

  • Mother was taken away by APS system without any form of consent and lost life, estate money and all living rights
    • Burkett asked what attempts she had made in reporting this case to APS
      • She had not filed a complaint

 
Texas Network of Youth Services

  • Small organizations will not be able to continue to serve children under Sunset redesign based on the potential increased financial need – agency encouraged Sunset Commission to study the costs of implementation before voting

 
TexProtects

  • Opposition to transfer home visiting program from HSSC to DFPS
  • HHSC can deliver more comprehensive home visiting programs based on its positive reputation
  •  MCVI is set for reauthorization and can be placed at risk for cut funds if not under HHSC

 
Ellis County Volunteer, CASA

  • Children phase out of foster care without learning the basic hands-on skills for survival and success – they should not be transferred to up to 30 houses across the state

 
Pastor of Kingdom of God Ministries

  • More investigations of home studies and foster parents should be conducted
  • Money-focused foster parents should be weeded out of the system

 
Erica Carter, Nurse Family Partnership

  • Against 6.2 and 6.3 recommendations

 
Bruce Kendrick, Embrace Texas

  • Only low quality caseworkers continue to be employed by DFPS
  • Training academy for both caseworkers and foster parents are inefficient and ineffective
  • Bonus-by-performance, loan repayment forgiveness programs should be implemented to incentivize caseworkers to perform to the best of their ability

 
Kerry Wilcox, Night Investigator and CPS attorney

  • DFPS culture is the root of the corruption and complexities of the system

 
Scott McCown, Director, Children’s Rights Clinic

  • Salary highly impacts the level of quality children receive from caseworkers
  • Community college graduates should have the ability to assist in policy management – suggested for Texas to create a pilot program to test out this method
    • Dutton asked where a model like this has worked and whether it will impact the culture of the organization
      • The army places less-educated, young adults in the workforce
      • Lower case loads and pressure will create a more progressive and stabilized workforce culture
    • Where do people go once they leave CPS? Is there a proven study?
      • They become teachers based on a CPS salary study established December 2012
    • Hinojosa recognized there is a difference between intelligence and an education – he is interested in the idea of enlisting community college graduates to the program
      • We sometimes devalue a degree – paraprofessionals are the future
      • Mid-management should be highly motivated and small in size
    • Raymond supported RN and LVN program at community colleges
      • However, paying people less with less education is not the best language

 
Stacy Ford, Parent

  • CPS reports parents to divert attention away from the school system – specifically special education educators