DCF tells Senate Judiciary workforce improving but still not ready to serve 19‑year‑olds

Commissioner Chris Winters, Department for Children and Families, told the Senate Judiciary Committee that recent investments in placements and staffing have reduced emergency staffings and turnover but that the state is “still not prepared to serve 19 year olds.”

The department presented data and program updates to explain why it supports a phased timeline for H 2 (the “raise the age” bill) and to show progress on recruitment, retention and the high‑end system of care. "At this time, we have a 10.6 in time vacancy rate, and our goal is to reach an 8% annual rate," said Alma Rauter, workforce development director for the Family Services Division.

The testimony focused on three linked problems: high vacancy and turnover among family service workers, a shortage of secure and specialized placements for youth in acute crisis, and the operational strain of repeatedly asking front‑line workers to staff alternative settings. The department said several recent steps have begun to ease that strain.

Tyler Allen, director of the high‑end system of care, described new placements and teams that have come online since late 2023 and early 2024. Red Clover Treatment Center in Middlesex opened in October and provides four secure units; a youth‑specific crisis intervention bed (referred to in testimony as a VCIN bed) went live in January in Brookfield; a CATS (child and adolescent transition/support) team of trained volunteers began operating in December; and the department expanded contracts with nurse staffing vendor TLC. Allen said those changes have helped reduce the number of alternative‑setting staffings observed in 2024 compared with 2023. "After a years long effort to expand our high end system of care, we finally have seen that there's an easing of pressure on the workforce," he said.

Officials gave specific workforce metrics: at the start of fiscal 2025 there were about 28 district family service worker vacancies, and the current point‑in‑time count was reported as 17–18 vacancies. The department’s last completed annual turnover rate was 16%; HR data for the current fiscal year showed a point‑in‑time turnover of roughly 6% for existing family service workers (excluding turnover caused by recent reclassifications). The department said its best‑practice target is about 12 families per ongoing worker; if all positions were filled the average would be 10 families per worker, but vacancies and probationary limits currently push the adjusted average to about 13.

Recruitment and retention actions described in testimony include reclassifying seven positions to create new resource‑coordinator and senior family service worker roles; a pilot mentoring program launched in February; expanded outreach to educational institutions and updated job advertising; and reclassification of the family service worker pay grade to address compensation. The department noted time‑to‑fill challenges: an HR metric for continuous recruitment averaged 127 days for district family service worker requisitions.

Officials also summarized planned or in‑progress facility projects intended to expand capacity: a two‑bed Windham County crisis stabilization program scheduled for renovation completion in June with an open RFP for a provider; a 15‑bed psychiatric residential treatment facility (PRTF) planned at the Brattleboro Retreat with an expected fall timeline; and a longer‑term Green Mountain Youth Campus project. Leaders said not all of those projects are on the same timeline and some remain contingent on contracting, construction, or approval steps; several speakers acknowledged delays that had contributed to staff frustration in 2023 and 2024.

Committee members and department leaders framed the work as ongoing: officials urged continued monitoring and said the department still needs more facility capacity and stable staffing before it can fully implement changes to the age of juvenile jurisdiction. The department pointed the committee to its bimonthly raise‑the‑age progress reports for more detailed, updated data.

Questions during the session sought clearer timelines and noted that workforce sentiment may lag behind recent operational improvements. Deputy Commissioner Erica Radke and Lisa Trimboli, the high‑end system of care coordinator, were present to answer operational and frontline questions. Officials emphasized that while the recent programs have reduced emergency staffings and standby callouts, some workers still experience residual distrust after multi‑year staffing pressures.

The department did not ask for a formal committee action during the presentation; the discussion was framed as an update on implementation progress and outstanding gaps.