New Department of Children, Youth and Families outlines program transfers, budget and licensing timeline

The House Human Service Finance and Policy Committee heard an overview March 5 from Commissioner Tiki Brown and Chief Financial Officer Ashley Reisenauer of the newly created Department of Children, Youth and Families about program transfers, the department—s budget and the planned transfer of Office of Inspector General functions in June 2025.

Commissioner Tiki Brown, the head of the Department of Children, Youth and Families, told the committee the agency was launched July 1, 2024, to centralize state services for children and families and to "break[] down these silos" so families can more easily access benefits and services. Brown said the agency will use a whole-family systems framework and that programs transferred from four agencies will ultimately be organized into four administrations: Child Safety and Permanency, Early Childhood, Economic Opportunity and Youth Services, and Family Well-Being.

The department will assume programs and staff from multiple agencies, Brown said, including children and family services and Office of Inspector General functions from the Department of Human Services (DHS); early learning from the Department of Education; youth justice programs from the Department of Public Safety; and the Help Me Connect program from the Department of Health. Brown said the Office of Inspector General (OIG) functions scheduled to transfer in June 2025 will include family child care licensing, child care center licensing…