Vermont DCF outlines services and search for secure youth facility, cites staffing and budget details

Commissioner Chris Winters, commissioner of the Department for Children and Families (DCF), told the Senate Health & Welfare Committee that DCF employs more than 1,000 people and oversees six divisions that administer child welfare, child development, economic and disability services across the state.

The department's mission, Winters said, is to "foster the healthy development, safety, well-being, and self-sufficiency of Vermonters," and its vision is for Vermont to be "a place where people prosper, where children and families are safe and have strong, loving connections." Winters made the remarks while introducing staff and walking the committee through slides on DCF structure and programs.

Why it matters: DCF manages high-volume front-line interventions that carry legal, fiscal and community impacts. The committee heard data that frames policy choices about staffing, facilities and budget priorities.

Winters said the Family Services Division, DCF's largest, has more than 400 staff, 12 district offices and was allocated about $148,000,000 in state fiscal year 2024. He said DCF's centralized intake and emergency services received roughly 20,000 reports in 2023 and the department conducted more than 4,000 child-protection investigations that year. "We seek court involvement when it's required to keep children and communities safe," Winters said.

The commissioner described DCF's work to restore the high-end system of care for youth with the most complex needs, including those with justice involvement. Winters told the committee the state has been without a secure facility since the closure of Woodside and has pursued multiple sites; he said DCF is currently "pursuing a project in 'Bergens' for a 14‑bed facility" and is in conversation with that community and local permitting authorities. He also said past proposals drew community opposition and legal challenges that reached the state's Supreme Court; Winters described those past efforts as having "many starts and stops."

Winters said restoring secure placements would reduce downstream system strain by ensuring that youth who need secure care are not placed in other settings that displace services for other children.

Commissioner Winters reviewed each DCF division in turn: Child Development Division (CDD), Office of Child Support, Economic Services Division (ESD), Office of Economic Opportunity (OEO), Disability Determination Services (DDS) and Family Services. Highlights he offered to the committee included:

- CDD: Deputy Commissioner Janet McLaughlin leads a unit Winters described as near 70 staff with an SFY25 budget around $240,000,000; CDD runs children's integrated services, child care licensing and financial assistance programs.

- Office of Child Support: Lisa Rivers, director, was named by Winters; the office is about 66% federally funded, Winters said, and typically collects approximately $40,000,000 per year to benefit more than 14,000 families.

- Economic Services Division: Winters said ESD has about 350 staff across district offices and administers programs including 3Squares (SNAP), Reach Up (TANF), LIHEAP and General Assistance (GA). He noted GA includes a Vermont Rental Assistance Program that provides short-term rent subsidy and that housing needs have dominated recent GA discussions.

- Office of Economic Opportunity: Winters said the small OEO team (he described it as seven staff) administers more than $75,000,000 from about 15 federal and other sources, funding 60+ community partners and programs such as homeless assistance, coordinated entry and weatherization.

- Disability Determination Services (DDS): Jack McCormack, director, runs the state's DDS unit, which Winters described as a national leader in timeliness and accuracy. Winters told the committee DDS completed 6,817 Social Security disability determinations and 217 medical disability claims in fiscal year 2024, with an average processing time of 85.8 days and an initial decisional accuracy of 98.5%.

The commissioner also identified workforce as an ongoing challenge across divisions and programs, saying recruiting and retaining staff has been difficult since the COVID pandemic and affects the department's ability to expand or restore services quickly.

Winters closed by giving the committee his contact information and offering to return with more detail at the committee's request. "You should please feel free to reach out to me at any time," he said, listing his email on the final slide.

Ending: Committee members asked follow-up questions about age ranges for justice-involved youth, the interplay between courts and child-protection work, and specifics about GA housing programs; Winters and his staff said they would bring back additional statistics and clarifications on request.