Eau Claire County Human Services reports reduced child long‑term support waitlist, flags rising placement costs

Director Angie Weideman presented the Department of Human Services' 2024 annual report to the Eau Claire County Board of Supervisors, saying the department had eliminated the Children's Long‑Term Support (CLTS) waiting list and improved several placement metrics while confronting sharply rising placement costs.

Weideman told the board the department reduced the CLTS waiting list by 86 percent after the board approved 12 positions, and “we did completely eliminate that list, and took it down to 0,” allowing more children to remain with families rather than enter costly out‑of‑home placements. She described investments in data dashboards, a first department strategic plan, and ongoing work with UW‑Extension to set program objectives and metrics. “Our mission is we care, we act, and we empower,” Weideman said as she opened the overview.

Why it matters: board members pressed staff on sharply higher per‑day placement rates that drove up overall placement spending even as the number of placements fell. Weideman said that average daily rates at residential care facilities (RCCs), group homes and Institutes for Mental Disease (IMDs) have increased substantially since 2020 — for example, IMD average daily rates rose from about $6.01 in 2020 to $11.24 in 2024 — and total IMD expenses increased from about $1.77 million in 2020 to roughly $2.3 million in 2024.

Supervisors used the presentation to quiz staff on caseloads, outpatient capacity, and the effects of recent hospital closures. Supervisor Folstead asked about caseload benchmarks for CLTS workers; Weideman said the department monitors caseloads monthly and that the target the department set internally is 33 cases per worker, compared with the range of 25–65 cited by a state presenter, with a healthy caseload “closer to 30.”

Board members also pressed Weideman on the closure of local HSHS beds and the effect on youth placements. Weideman said youth placements were most affected: children are being placed further away (often at Winnebago), increasing transportation costs and family disruption. Supervisor Dunning asked whether state capital investments could reduce out‑of‑county placements; Weideman said county staff and regional directors have lobbied state officials but she was not confident a local IMD would be built soon.

On outpatient capacity, Weideman said a number of local outpatient clinics (for example, NorthLakes Clinic) hired therapists formerly at Prevea and are accepting outpatient clients, but psychiatry capacity remains limited. That gap, she said, contributes to some IMD placements because patients need medication management that is not available in the community.

Other program highlights: Weideman highlighted the System of Care partnerships with Eau Claire and Altoona school districts that place social workers in schools to intervene earlier in truancy and behavioral issues; a recognition for department staff (Hannah Nash) from Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin; and the department’s new “friend of human services” award (Feed My People Food Bank was this year’s honoree).

What the board asked staff to do: supervisors requested follow‑up memos on specific procurement and expenditure questions raised during the meeting (see clarifying details). Several supervisors asked for more frequent, easily scannable scorecards on performance metrics and enforcement of mandated service funding.

Ending: Weideman and the board agreed to continue monitoring caseloads, placement costs, and local capacity for psychiatry and IMD alternatives. The department said it will provide requested budget and procurement clarifications to the board in writing.