County child welfare staff warn staffing and service gaps are driving removals, present local trends

Marquette County child welfare staff told the Human Services committee that staffing shortages and limited local services are increasing pressure on families and contributing to removals, even as state policy has tightened standards for taking children into care.

At the April meeting Jesse, a child welfare services worker, reviewed the county's three-year child protection data and said the most common referral source is mandated reporters — especially teachers and law enforcement — and that the majority of screened-in reports are classified as neglect. "Majority of them are basic neglect cases. I would say 80% of our reports," Jesse said.

Jesse explained the local practice: child protection focuses on immediate safety, while child welfare offers services to support family well-being. He cited the Family First Initiative (2018) as a turning point nationally and in Wisconsin, shifting the system toward keeping children with families when possible and prioritizing family voice and community-based services.

The presentation included removal reason breakdowns for Marquette County, showing neglect and parental substance abuse as the leading categories; behavioral-health needs were also highlighted as a persistent driver of out-of-home placements. "Sometimes when we don't have those resources available, kids end up in care and then that vicious cycle," Jesse said.

Committee members pressed staff on reporting and workload. Jesse said the county averages about 190 reports a year and that proposals to require CPS to report every case to law enforcement would be inefficient and increase law-enforcement workload. "While it sounds like a really good thing, it's really inefficient and it's really a time suck," he said, describing his office and the county's professional human services association as opposed to such a statutory change.

Staff urged more local services and workforce support to reduce placements. Jesse and other human services staff said targeted safety funding can keep some children at home when appropriate; at the time of the meeting two youth were being served in-home through that program. The county will continue recruitment for open child welfare positions and said it is pursuing options to expand local services and supports.

The committee did not take formal action on policy changes at the meeting; staff said they will continue to monitor referrals, staffing, and outcomes and return to the board with additional data as available.