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Vernon County Family and Children’s services reports caseloads, highlights high-cost youth placements
Summary
Family and Children’s staff reported March child-welfare screening numbers, current placements, youth-justice referrals and continued reliance on out-of-county residential placements; staff flagged high-cost placements as an ongoing budget and service concern.
Family and Children’s staff told the Vernon County Human Services Committee that child welfare referral and placement activity in March included 19 screened-in reports and 29 children in foster care and 29 in kinship placements.
Crystal, who presented the family and children’s update, said the unit screened in 8 reports and screened out 11, for 19 total referrals in March. Staff reported 14 alleged victims among screened-in cases and 18 alleged victims in screened-out cases. Youth-justice referrals and truancy matters also were discussed; staff said delinquency referrals represent alleged criminal acts, while truancy referrals relate to school attendance concerns and may be addressed with schools or, if appropriate, with district attorney petitions.
Why it matters: Committee members flagged the county’s continued use of out-of-county residential care and group-home placements for youth with intensive needs. Staff reported two high-cost placements; one was described in the meeting as costing $881 per day. The transcript includes other per-diem figures that appear garbled in the recording and packet; the committee discussion emphasized that some residential placements remain more costly than community-based alternatives and that placement decisions are guided by the least-restrictive setting appropriate for the youth.
Committee members and staff discussed the limited feasibility of county-run residential centers in a rural jurisdiction, noting smaller counties often lack sufficient local demand or multi-county partnerships to sustain a locally based, licensed residential facility. The committee heard that crisis stabilization centers exist in some counties and that secure detention beds are typically operated by larger counties or regional facilities; Vernon County now calls around to identify available beds when secure detention is necessary.
Staff said the unit continues efforts to step youth down from higher-cost placements where clinically appropriate, and reported ongoing use of coordinated services teams and targeted safety supports for children in the county.
Ending: The committee asked staff to continue monitoring placements, costs and alternatives; staff said they will coordinate with the district attorney and other partners when referrals require court petitions or multi-agency responses.
