System divides cases according to their peril

The state Department of Human Services initiated a new system of assessing child abuse and neglect reports in 2005 that has received national attention, said John Walters, program administrator.

"We're really proud of what we've accomplished," he said. "Really, for the first time, there is optimism and hope that things could be better."

"The department developed a "differential response system" after finding that a large number of cases being investigated involved "risk" rather than "safety concerns," he said.

About two-thirds of children placed in foster care were returning home in a short time, indicating they could remain safely at home with services, he said.

Caseworkers also had such high caseloads, averaging 24 families each, that they could not provide other services to families, he said.

Under the new system, child maltreatment reports fall into four categories ranging from no response to a Child Welfare Services investigation.

Family-strengthening services are provided for up to six months to cases assessed as low risk, and voluntary case management is provided for up to a year for those considered moderate risk. Those with high risk and safety concerns are investigated.

Walters said the system has been well received by families, children and service agencies. DHS caseworkers were concerned at first about the safety of children, but they have embraced the change, he said. "They saw that we had a chance to make things better and to forge strong partnerships with the community in the process."

"He said 38 percent of cases now receive family strengthening services and voluntary case management. The number of reports assigned for investigation dropped from 6,383 in fiscal 2004 to 2,327 in 2006.

Children in out-of-home care have decreased by 20 percent, and caseloads for workers dropped to an average of 18 from 24, Walters said.

Recurrence of child abuse and neglect decreased to 2.2 percent last year from 5.7 percent in 2004.

Walters said he was asked to give a presentation on the response system last December at the annual conference of the Administration for Children and Families in Washington.

Some people think "there is inherent danger" in not taking every abused or neglected child from the home, Walters said. "But, in fact, if you do the right thing, it works. We've got an incredible service community here. People from the mainland can't believe how tight and close we are as a community working on this."

CORRECTION Thursday, April 10, 2008 The last name of John Walters, program administrator for the state Department of Human Services, was misspelled originally in this story.