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Youth services seeks more staff as child abuse caseloads climb above 1,000
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Summary
Division of Youth Services (DYS) officials asked the Senate for four additional FTEs — a grant writer plus frontline staff — citing more than 1,000 active children served and rising child abuse and neglect reports.
The Division of Youth Services told the Senate budget panel it needs four additional full‑time positions to handle growing juvenile and child welfare caseloads and to expand prevention and after‑school programs.
DYS said it manages child protective services (CPS), juvenile probation and multiple community youth centers, operates a 24/7 shelter and oversees prevention programs. The division reported 509 CPS cases in FY2024 and said the unduplicated count of primary and secondary child victims was 1,429 last fiscal year; the division said it has exceeded 1,700 children served so far in the current fiscal year and that Saipan alone has nine CPS caseworkers attempting to manage the caseload.
“First of all we need those additional FTE. We're running the centers in the community,” the division told senators, asking for a grant writer to pursue new funding sources plus frontline staff for CPS, juvenile probation and community centers.
Why it matters: DYS officials described staff burnout and capacity constraints while managing prevention, shelter operations and multiple outreach sites. Lawmakers said caseload numbers and staffing shortfalls make DYS funding a priority as budget deliberations proceed.
Details and next steps
DYS proposed four FTEs: a grant writer, a CPS position, a juvenile‑probation position and a community‑program specialist. The division told senators it needs grant capacity to pursue competitive funds and to expand prevention work; members requested written follow‑up showing where each FTE would be assigned and the cost.
Speakers named in this article are listed in the speakers section.
