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Quarterly performance briefing highlights 8,257 hotline reports, staffing gaps and declines in timeliness metrics
Summary
Division staff told the committee the hotline received 8,257 maltreatment reports in the quarter, the state had about 210 DCFS vacancies, monthly in-home visits fell to about 63%, and the foster-care population stood at 4,661; the Arkansas State Police CACD also reported an increase in calls in its annual review.
State child-welfare staff presented a quarterly performance update that showed rising hotline volume, ongoing workforce shortages and mixed outcomes across investigation and permanency metrics.
Kristen Harper, assistant director of the Division of Children and Family Services, said the hotline received 8,257 reports during the quarter; 19% of those were assigned to the Arkansas State Police Crimes Against Children Division (CACD) and 81% to DCFS. Of DCFS assignments, 82% were routed to investigative pathways and 18% to differential response. Harper said the division saw a year-over-year drop in the percentage of investigations found true for the quarter but offered no…
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