Family & Children Services requests $45,000; director reports increased investigations and more family preservation work, fewer foster entries

Madison County's Family & Children Services presented data showing increased child-protective intakes and a shift toward family-preservation services, and requested $45,000 in county support for FY2026.

The County Director (presenting) summarized caseload changes: Child Protective Services (CPS) intakes rose from 162 in 2023 to 218 in 2024, and family-preservation active totals nearly doubled (from 18 to 32). Foster-care entries declined from 38 in 2023 to 17 in 2024, which the director linked to greater use of family-preservation and voluntary kinship placements (formal placements with relatives that keep the child out of foster care). "Foster care did see a spike in August... but overall entries decreased," the director said, noting the department used voluntary kinship placements more often (3 in 2023, 8 in 2024) and reported 3 currently approved foster parents in Madison County.

The department detailed how county funds are used: emergency assistance, pack-and-play purchases, community event costs for foster-parent recruitment, incidental expenses (haircuts, extracurricular fees) and incentives such as paying a foster child's school trip. The director said roughly $14,223 remained in the current local allocation and explained that previous reserves helped the department operate without county funds in some years; the FY2026 request supplements that base to provide general assistance and to stand up a state-funded technician position.

The board discussed how those requests fit into overall county budgeting and asked clarifying questions about remaining balances, intended uses of additional funds and coordination with District 9 (Action, Incorporated) for energy and rental assistance programs. The board did not immediately approve the full request and will consider it during budget deliberations.