Committee reviews major child welfare staffing, funding requests aimed at reducing costly congregate care

The Joint Finance and Appropriations Committee on Feb. 20 heard Department of Health and Welfare Director Alex Adams and Legislative Services analyst Alex Williamson outline a package of staff increases and funding requests intended to shift children from high-cost congregate settings into prevention and foster care.

The proposal centers on hiring prevention specialists and clinical and licensing staff, raising foster maintenance rates, and seeking a $14.1 million supplemental for foster care population forecast adjustments to address rising congregate-care costs driven by higher behavioral health and substance-use needs among youth.

Alex Williamson, budget and policy analyst with Legislative Services, told the committee the division formerly called Child Welfare (now retitled Youth Safety and Permanency) is authorized 434.8 FTP and, as of Feb. 10, had 45.8 vacancies; about 25 vacancies were in interview and nine were posted. She reported fiscal year 2024 expenditures for the division totaled $117.8 million, with foster care and assistance payments making up about 60% of that total and personnel (clinicians and caseworkers) about 40%.

Williamson said recent ongoing enhancements included a boost to the monthly maintenance rate for foster families and addition of 24 in‑home caseworkers; those actions together added roughly $8.9 million ongoing in prior years. She also described nondiscretionary population forecast adjustments and said the 2026 request includes a…