Hillsdale County health department outlines child-welfare caseloads and warns food assistance could pause amid federal shutdown

Renee, a Hillsdale County Department of Health and Human Services presenter, told the Board of Commissioners on Oct. 14 that the department is managing a range of child-welfare cases and several assistance programs while staffing remains limited. "We have 20 staff members, first-line workers, and five supervisors" for child-welfare programs, she said, and described the agency's use of case categories to triage investigations.

Renee detailed the department’s September caseload: 121 complaints received for county families; 51 investigations opened; 10 confirmed findings of abuse or neglect involving 18 victims; and 38 cases remaining open. She explained the county’s case categories, from Category 5 (investigations completed with no finding, often when families cannot be located) up to Category 1 (cases for which the department files petitions with the court). "A category 1 case could also be that there's…