Bill > HCR86

This Concurrent Resolution formally requests the Office of the Auditor to conduct a performance audit of the Child Welfare Services Branch within the Department of Human Services, a state agency responsible for protecting children who are wards of the state or have allegedly experienced neglect or abuse. The audit is prompted by serious concerns, including a tragic child abuse and murder case involving adoptive parents who were also resource givers, the branch's repeated failure to meet federal performance standards in child safety, permanency, and well-being assessments conducted by the Administration for Children and Families (part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services) in 2003, 2009, and 2017, and significant staffing shortages with a high vacancy rate, particularly for social workers. The audit aims to evaluate improvements made since the last federal review and assess strategies for better staff recruitment and retention, with the findings and recommendations to be submitted to the Legislature before the 2023 session.