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Rural child-welfare plan seeks prevention services, transportation staff; DCFS proposes opioid settlement backing
Summary
DCFS rural child‑welfare leaders told the joint subcommittee they plan to use federal Families First Prevention Services Act opportunities to expand prevention services in rural Nevada and requested transportation and case‑management positions to support implementation.
DCFS rural child-welfare leadership told the joint subcommittee the agency seeks to use federal Families First Prevention Services Act (FFPSA) opportunities to shift resources toward prevention for families in rural Nevada and requested positions and contracts to roll out those services.
Betsy Crumrine, deputy administrator overseeing rural child welfare, said FFPSA permits reimbursement for evidence‑based prevention programs and argued the rural region’s high travel demands justify hiring transportation technicians to reduce mileage for caseworkers and let them focus on casework.
“Driver technicians are not a requirement of that program, but pretty necessary when you're looking at the layout of rural Nevada and the distance between services and where people reside,” Crumrine told the committee, explaining DCFS provided data showing substantial travel by caseworkers in the rural region.
DCFS described two evidence‑based programs the rural region intends to offer under FFPSA: motivational interviewing (to increase caregiver motivation for behavior change) and Family Check‑Up (a parent‑and‑child program with a long research record the division said is associated with reduced substance use and improved behavioral outcomes over time).
Kyra Morgan, medical epidemiologist, said substance misuse is a dominant removal factor in rural Nevada and argued that prevention services for families exposed to parental substance use are an appropriate use of Fund for Resilient Nevada (opioid settlement) money under NRS 433.738. “In rural Nevada, 80 percent of children removed have substance misuse as a removal factor,” Morgan said.
The governor’s recommended rural decision units include the extended young-adult support services program plus a request to add seven transportation technicians, five caseworker management specialists, and related costs for FFPSA implementation. DCFS said the investments are designed to prevent foster‑care entries and to offer early intervention for children who have already experienced adverse childhood experiences.
County and committee members asked for clearer reporting and eligibility rules tied to opioid settlement funds: if settlement dollars are used for services now, what reporting will be required and how will counties manage future baseline funding if the settlement money declines? DCFS and GFO said they would continue technical follow‑up.
Why it matters: rural counties report a higher share of removals linked to parental substance misuse. The committee will need to weigh one‑time opioid settlement dollars against the recurring nature of prevention programs and position requests.
