Latest news with #DoHS
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Morrisey approves $738K in emergency spending on out-of-state vendors to fix WV foster care
The West Virginia Department of Human Resources, located at One Davis Square in Charleston, (Lexi Browning | West Virginia Watch) Under Gov. Patrick Morrisey, the state has spent more than $700,000 in emergency purchases in an effort to fix glaring issues in West Virginia's foster care crisis. The money was spent on out-of-state vendors to help with urgent needs that included licensing new foster families and delays in placing children in homes. The state— which is the fastest in the nation to remove children from homes — doesn't have enough traditional foster homes, leading to some children being sent to out-of-state facilities or sleeping in hotels. About half of the money was spent on a foster care 'listening tour,' where Chicago-based Guidehouse advisory firm facilitated meetings around the state that brought together foster families, Child Protective Services workers, biological parents and more to air grievances and offer solutions for a laundry list of issues in the child welfare system. 'Without immediate intervention, West Virginia risks further deterioration of its child welfare system, placing countless children at greater risk of harm. The crisis demands urgent attention from agencies and community stakeholders to ensure that every child in the state receives the protection and care they deserve,' the state Department of Human Services wrote in an emergency purchasing request earlier this year requesting $348,000 for the listening session facilitator. Emergency purchases permit state agencies to bypass the usual bidding process required in state government. DoHS said in its request that the traditional procurement process 'would take too long and not align with the urgency required to address the crisis.' 'The CPS crisis has escalated to a level that demands swift intervention,' the request continued. The listening tour wrapped up last month, and Guidehouse will produce a report this summer with its findings. Morrisey, through an executive order, is requiring his office to review any purchasing requests over $100,000 as he looks to reduce government spending and root out waste. Along with approving the funds for the listening tour, Morrisey also approved a $390,000 emergency purchase request in March from DoHS for a vendor 'to provide solutions-driven approach' to improve the state's foster care licensing and placement issue. 'Governor Morrisey is committed to reforming the Child Welfare System and supports creative solutions to the many longstanding, inherited challenges,' Morrisey's spokesperson told West Virginia Watch. The one-year contract was awarded to Change & Innovation Agency, according to DoHS. The agency is a Missouri-based consulting firm that specializes in child welfare, child care and more. The agency will be tasked with helping DoHS improve its process for licensing foster families as the state has a backlog of families who have applied to foster. They'll also work on ensuring the state is in compliance with state and federal foster care guidelines. 'DoHS looks forward to partnering with Change & Innovation Agency to address the time required to license new foster families, placement delays and administrative burdens while developing a sustainable framework for long-term system improvements,' said Angel Hightower, communications director for DoHS. During the recent legislative session, Sen. Mike Stuart, R-Kanawha, called for an outside agency to audit the state's foster care system, which is serving more than 6,100 kids with an ongoing shortage of CPS workers, in-state homes and mental health services for children. The state spent nearly $70 million last fiscal year to house foster children in out-of-state facilities because the state doesn't have the capacity to keep children close to home. Stuart also wanted a group to make recommendations for how DoHS could improve its foster care system. DoHS Secretary Alex Mayer pushed back on Stuart's legislation, saying that he wanted to assess the problems himself after taking on the role at the beginning of the year. He also vowed changes to the troubled system. Mayer attended the listening tour sessions, saying that it was imperative he hear from people around the state about their experiences with the child welfare system. Stuart paused his bill mandating the outside audit, and DoHS requested the outside group to help with placements in March before the legislative session adjourned. 'The emergency procurement differs significantly in scope and intent,' Hightower said. 'While Sen. Stuart's bill proposed an external audit and study of the child welfare system, the department's request focused on streamlining and improving foster care licensing and placement.' On Monday, Stuart said bringing in an outside group to help with licensing foster families showed a serious approach under Morrisey in addressing the issues. 'I hope that my efforts have played a role in trying to fix a broken system. I applaud the governor's office's willingness to invest in our kids,' Stuart said. 'I don't care what form it comes in or who gets the credit, but I want to make sure and my focus is the child welfare system — making sure it works for our kids and our families.' He added, 'I think there are a lot of people to blame here — administration after administration that didn't pay proper attention to this issue.' Stuart added that he expected more funding requests to address foster care problems. Lawmakers recently allocated more than $300 million in the upcoming budget for child welfare services; Morrisey cut 75% of lawmakers' allocated funding to West Virginia's Court Appointed Special Advocates, or CASA, a program that helps foster children in the court system, before signing the budget bill. Morrisey recently announced sweeping reforms to the state's child welfare system that he said would end 'years of bureaucratic stonewalling' from within the agency and begin a 'new era of transparency.' The Republican governor attributed some of the changes to the recently-concluded DoHS listening tour. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Morrisey announces foster care reforms, promises transparency as struggling system moves forward
Gov. Patrick Morrisey on Wednesday, May 28, 2025, announced a series of reforms that he said will end 'years of bureaucratic stonewalling' from within the state's troubled foster care agency and begin a 'new era of transparency.' (West Virginia Office of Gov. Patrick Morrisey video screenshot) Following years of issues within the state's foster care system, Gov. Patrick Morrisey on Wednesday announced a series of reforms that he said will end 'years of bureaucratic stonewalling' from within the agency and begin a 'new era of transparency.' The proposed changes are partially the result of a statewide listening tour, where Morrisey and other officials — including the new Department of Human Services Secretary Alex Mayer — heard from residents on challenges they've faced from the state agency in charge of child welfare. At those listening sessions, West Virginians shared stories lamenting lack of communication from the state's Child protective Services workers and other issues that have occurred due to the system being inconsistent, short on staff and offering limited support for many traumatized children. The reforms announced by Morrisey on Wednesday include: Having DoHS fully comply with the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act and follow federal guidelines requiring the public disclosure of key information in child abuse or neglect cases resulting in fatalities or near fatalities Overhauling the state's Child Welfare Dashboard to make it easier to interpret and more user friendly Requiring supervisors to conduct monthly reviews with their child welfare cases and work with the governor's office to identify opportunities for improvement. The state will also launch a department-wide 'Leadership Education and Development' (LEAD) initiative to train DoHS supervisors. Creating a Critical Incident Review Team that will conduct a 'deeper dive' into any critical incident that occurs Introducing a Comprehensive Practice Model to provide a framework that can be standardized across the state Allowing caseworkers to gather more comprehensive information on cases rather than relying solely on the referral process There are currently more than 6,100 children in West Virginia's foster care system. That number has skyrocketed during the state's drug crisis. The state's high poverty rate has contributed to the number, as well. The new reforms as well as the recent statewide listening sessions were initiated after several high-profile incidents of child abuse and mistreatment occured in West Virginia in recent years. Reporters investigating the incidents were often stonewalled by the state government, unable to get information about the events or the circumstances that led up to them. 'In previous years, the state stonewalled about the status of children in its care — and that changes now,' Morrisey said on Wednesday. 'We are rolling up our sleeves and getting to work. West Virginians deserve a child welfare system that is transparent, accountable and always puts the safety of children first.' Morrisey appointed Mayer to oversee DoHS in January. The 37-year-old came to the Mountain State from South Dakota, where he worked for the state government on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and the child welfare system. Before getting involved in state government, Mayer was adopted. He spent time in the military before working at a residential facility serving people with severe mental illnesses. In an interview with West Virginia Watch earlier this month, Mayer said he was focusing his first few months on learning where and how the state could increase specialized care for children who need additional services, increase consistency in the state agency's processes and recruiting foster families to help care for children already in the system. This legislative session, lawmakers — who have struggled in recent years to get a handle on DoHS spending — allocated more than $300 million to foster care. The 2026 budget bill mandated that the agency spend some money on designated line items to prevent it from shifting money around to pay bills. But Morrisey vetoed that idea, saying it was too restrictive for DoHS. Morrisey — who made reigning in state spending a key tenet of his first legislative session as governor — also vetoed line item funding for programs that support foster children as well as babies born with Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome. Mayer said he doesn't believe that more funding will solve the issues clearly present in West Virginia's child welfare system. Instead, he said, the state will likely rely on partnerships with the faith-based community, businesses and others that provide services to help children and families. On Wednesday, Mayer said he realized that change is long overdue for both the state's children and the adults who attempt to care for them. 'For far too long, we've asked families and frontline professionals to navigate a system that has not kept pace with the complexities our families and children face today. That must change,' Mayer said. 'We are listening — intentionally — and using that feedback to shape a more responsive, accountable and transparent system built on trust.' SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
New Human Services secretary inherited a broken WV foster care system. He promises improvements.
Alex Mayer, speaking to the West Virginia Senate Judiciary on March 10, 2025, was appointed by Gov. Patrick Morrisey to serve as secretary of the West Virginia Department of Human Services. (Will Price | West Virginia Legislative Photography) On a Thursday evening in Parkersburg, a group of local residents gathered to discuss West Virginia foster care — a system that is struggling from top to bottom with thousands of kids in care. A moderator asked foster and biological parents, child welfare workers, judges and others to describe their experience with the system. Their responses: 'Challenging.' 'Overwhelming.' 'Traumatizing.' 'Broken.' 'Nobody would listen. Nobody would talk to me,' said Lisa Easter, who had more than 50 foster children in her home in 25 years. Julie Jones stopped fostering after Child Protective Services went months without checking on a newborn baby in her care. She was mailed a blank birth certificate and worried if the state was aware of the child's whereabouts. 'I couldn't do it any longer,' she said. In the corner of the room, new Department of Human Services Secretary Alex Mayer listened as people described a frustrating system riddled with inconsistencies, staffing shortages, an overwhelmed judicial system, limited support and children who have been victims of it all. Mayer, who came from South Dakota, believes it can be fixed. It's going to take time, he says, but work is underway. He is focused on accountability, transparency and putting in processes that aren't in place for consistency. He wants more in-state programs that can help kids with behavioral health struggles. 'It's going to be incremental over time,' Mayer said. 'I think it's going to be a long road until we have everything addressed confidently … You'll be seeing here shortly some really positive steps.' A federal judge recently said West Virginia's foster care system has suffered from 'shocking neglect' and 'bureaucratic indifference.' There's a shortage of social workers, support services and safe homes for children in a state that is fastest to remove children from homes and terminate parental rights. Too many children have ended up living in hotel rooms, and the state spent $70 million last year sending foster kids to out-of-state group homes. 'The thing that was shocking to me was the number of kids in care,' Mayer said. There are more than 6,100 children in West Virginia foster care, and the number has skyrocketed during the state's drug crisis. The state's high poverty rate has contributed to the number, too. Gov. Patrick Morrisey appointed 37–year-old Mayer to oversee DoHS. Mayer will have to grapple with pervasive foster care problems as the Trump administration proposes cuts to programs that serve families in poverty and help vulnerable kids. The state could see a decline in federal funding, impacting programs like Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program that are intertwined with child welfare. DoHS also oversees Medicaid, SNAP and more. 'Child welfare is a very intricate, complex system, and there's a lot of different players, which … obviously increases the level of complexity,' Mayer said. 'I've been really intentional and just trying to get out to learn the system.' Residents of Wood County attend a child welfare community listening session at the Wood County Resilience Center in Parkersburg, on May 15, 2025. The meeting was facilitated by the West Virginia Department of Human Services. (Amelia Ferrell Knisely | West Virginia Watch) Mayer, who was adopted, spent time in the military before working at a residential facility that served people with severe mental illnesses He later worked in South Dakota's state government, dealing with SNAP and child welfare. 'Different steps in my life have led me down this path,' he said. 'Over time, I think I've just developed this passion for solving problems, which I think has inherently then created this desire to support families and kids … I just have a passion for helping.' He has spent the last few months traveling the state meeting with his staff, touring residential facilities and trying to understand how the system works. The federal government is continuing its oversight of West Virginia's foster care system after it was flagged for sending too many children with disabilities to group homes. The state still sends children with disabilities to group homes and treatment centers at a rate three times the national average. Two-hundred and seventy children are in out-of-state facilities around the county — some miles away from their biological families — because the state doesn't have enough in-state beds that can serve children's complex needs. The state's CPS workers are required to visit kids once a month. Mayer said he's examining where the state could increase specialized care, like being able to serve children with aggressive or sexualized behaviors who aren't able to be served in a traditional foster home. 'We don't have placements for these kids. Well, that's not an option anymore,' he said. 'And, if those placements aren't here … then we have to find a way to make that happen, because we want to keep kids as close as possible to their support network for a variety of reasons.' There's a shortage of foster families, and Mayer hopes to bolster recruitment and support services. He noted that a glaring shortage of after school and summer programs for teens, which could be useful in helping working parents take in teenagers in foster care. Teens ages 13 to 17 are the most common age group in state foster care. There's also a need for creating agency processes that will breed consistently in decision making across the state, Mayer said. Child welfare cases involve a number of stakeholders — judges, attorneys, CPS workers and others — who all have an opinion and sometimes decision making about a child's future. 'I think our practice model is one of those pieces that needs some real work,' he said. Earlier this year, Mayer pushed back on a Republican-sponsored bill, which ultimately failed, that would have mandated an outside audit of the foster care system. Mayer vowed changes to lawmakers without a study. West Virginia's foster care system relies on federal and state funding, and there's some unpredictability in spending due to kids fluctuating in and out of care and the rising price of out-of-state facilities. Lawmakers, who have struggled in recent years to get a handle on the agency's spending, allocated more than $300 million to foster care in their recently-passed budget. Their 2026 budget bill mandated that DoHS spend some money on designated line items to prevent the agency from shifting money around to pay bills. But Morrisey vetoed that idea, saying it was too restrictive for DoHS. The Republican governor, who wants to reign in state spending, also vetoed line item funding for programs that support babies born with Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome and foster children. Mayer said that right now, he doesn't think the department needs additional funding to tackle the crisis. It will likely rely on partnerships with the faith-based community, businesses and others that provide services to help children and families, he said. 'I think we just need to get more attention on what is it going to take?' he said. 'I don't know what that funding would be, or if it needs to be anything.' The state's federal funding could change since Republicans in Washington have proposed cuts to SNAP and Medicaid — a program that provides health insurance to West Virginia foster children and half of all children in the state. 'We've been watching that really intently,' Mayer said regarding the potential federal changes. This month, he has traveled around the state for additional foster care listening sessions in towns including Beckley, Burlington and Wheeling to hear from families, CPS workers and others. It's important, he said. The outside firm leading the sessions will compile a report detailing problems and potential solutions. 'I'm kind of excited to see, you know, what we're able to accomplish here,' he said. A Better Childhood, a group representing children suing the state over its troubled foster care system, wants the lawsuit revived after a judge tossed the case in February. In an email, a DoHS spokesperson said, 'We recognize that the only way to facilitate and bring about real change is to bring all of the key players together to openly and honestly discuss problems and develop real solutions. 'The first steps we are taking, through listening tours and meaningful conversations, are designed to build bridges among the necessary parties who must work together to find sustainable, long-term solutions for the children in our care.' SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Lifesaving naloxone target of proposed Trump budget cuts
FAIRMONT — While the West Virginia Department of Human Services reported a major decrease in drug overdose deaths statewide, the Trump administration may take one life saving tool away. 'One of our core tenants or strategies, is just trying to saturate our county and neighborhoods with naloxone,' Joseph Klass, chief of operations for the Threat Preparedness Program at the Monongalia County Health Department, said. 'So when we do community type events, we always try to have naloxone there. We're trying to get naloxone into the hands of people who are potentially active in substance use and also those who may be around it or encounter someone who's overdosing.' A leaked draft budget from April 10 verified by the New York Times and Washington Post shows the Trump administration is looking at eliminating three substance abuse treatment programs — 'Improving Access to Overdose Treatment,' 'Overdose Prevention (naloxone)' and 'First Responder Training (naloxone).' From January to October 2024, W. Va. DoHS reported a 40% decrease in overdose deaths compared to the same period in 2024. Year over year, overdose deaths statewide decreased by 37.7% for the 12 months ending in November 2024. West Virginia outpaced the nationwide rate of average decline, which is 26.5%. The 2024 decline means 468 state residents are here who otherwise might not have been, DoHS said. Klass said while it's difficult to pinpoint an exact reason for the decline, because there are a lot of variables at play, he said he was confident the saturation of naloxone into the community was part of cause. 'Naloxone reverses the fatal effects of an opiate overdose, which is someone not breathing,' Klass said. 'The strategy there is basically a person cannot potentially get into recovery if they're dead. So the thought process is, we know naloxone works very well at keeping people alive after they've suffered an opioid overdose. Our goal is to keep as many people alive as possible so they can hopefully get to recovery.' Wes Thomas, an alcohol and drug health educator at West Virginia University, said the naloxone training programs provided by his program is funded by a grant from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Behavioral Science Business reports the Trump administration suggests defunding one billion dollars from SAMHSA, on top of absorbing it into a new entity dubbed the Administration for a Healthy America. The budget recommends SAMHSA retain $5.7 billion for research and activities. 'The document specifically demonizes how funding was used by the agency under the previous administration, criticizing that it's grants 'were used to fund dangerous activities billed as harm reduction,' which included funding 'safe smoking kits and supplies' and 'syringes' for drug users,' Behavioral Science Business wrote. Klass said there is science that shows addiction is a chronic disease, like diabetes or hypertension. While there is an argument that the first time someone did a substance, yes that was a choice, once the process of addiction starts it's a disease. He said from a public health standpoint, addiction has to be treated like a disease. Tiesha Prim, a peer recovery support specialist at West Virginia Sober Living Solutions, said educating the public on that aspect is important. Prim is also part of a quick response team, which partners with the Mon County Health Department. 'Harm reduction, it's not enabling. If people are using clean needles and not transferring HIV and Hep C, stuff like that, because the treatment for Hep C is super expensive, so really they're saving money in the long run not having to treat people for those,' she said. Prim added with naloxone, responders can't really stop people from using, but at least they can provide some Naloxone to stop someone from dying. Prim has first hand experience with addiction. She's been clean for a little over six years. 'Some people, it takes a lot to, you know, sometimes experiencing that overdose, like dying and coming back, being brought back to life, can be the spark that some people need,' she said. 'We can't help people or connect them to all the other resources that are available if they're dead.' Thomas said if recovery organizations lose access to naloxone, there may be a sharp increase in overdoses again. Narcan nasal sprays, like the ones provided to his organization through a SAMHSA grant, are expensive. Retail price ranges anywhere from $20 to $60. 'We are still in the middle of what's considered to be an opioid crisis where many people are dying needlessly,' Thomas said. 'That could be prevented through the availability of narcan and various forms of naloxone.' Prim emphasized the human dimension of overdose deaths. 'We don't want people to die, because everyone has or is a mother or father, brother, sister, etc.,' she said. 'And losing people isn't what it's about. In our fight in the opioid epidemic, less people dead is the goal. And I think the amount of narcan that we get out in the community has played a huge effect on our overall death rate in West Virginia. So I think it would definitely be detrimental if that was taken away.'
Yahoo
26-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
WV House passes bill to stop ‘unnecessary moves' of foster kids; child welfare experts critical
Del. Adam Burkhammer, R-Lewis, speaks in the House of Delegates chamber Wednesday, March 26, 2025 in Charleston, (Perry Bennett | West Virginia Legislative Photography) Grappling with a troubled foster care system, the House of Delegates passed a bill on Wednesday some lawmakers say will minimize children bouncing from home to home. As part of the measure, the state could more quickly terminate parental rights, allowing a child to hopefully find permanency in a suitable foster home. 'Outside of safety, those children deserve permanency. We are physically damaging their brains and slowing their development by traumatizing them time and time again unnecessarily,' said Del. Adam Burkhammer, R-Lewis, who is a foster parent. 'We're trying to shorten the unnecessary moves.' The bill would also change how the Department of Human Services handles reunifying foster children with their biological siblings. Reunification is still a priority, bill sponsors say, and the measure shortens the timeframe for DoHS to find siblings. It would loosen the requirement that children be reunited with siblings if it's against the child's best interest. The bill has received pushback from child welfare groups, who say its requirements could harm children. It conflicts with federal child welfare laws that prioritize biological family and sibling reunification, they say. 'West Virginia should be taking actions to keep brothers and sisters together — not make it easier to separate them,' said Jim McKay, state coordinator for Prevent Child Abuse West Virginia. 'Noncompliance with this federal legislation puts West Virginia at risk of losing essential [federal] funding that supports services for children and families statewide.' Bill sponsors maintain that the bill will still meet federal regulations. Del. Jonathan Pinson, R-Mason, said, 'We are pushing the envelope because we're serious about trying to improve our foster care system in West Virginia.' The bill passed the House on a vote of 97-2. The state's foster care system is overwhelmed and has the nation's highest rate of children coming into foster care. There are more than 5,800 children in foster care. A 2019 class-action lawsuit brought by West Virginia foster children said that the state left kids to linger in its system without any plans for permanency. A federal judge recently tossed the lawsuit, but said the problems in foster care persist and gave a scathing review of how state leaders had neglected the system. The measure, House Bill 2027, says that if a child has been in an appropriate and safe foster care arrangement, including a foster family, for 15 months or 50% of the child's life, then the department cannot terminate that placement unless it's in the best interest of a child. Current state law sets the window at 18 months. West Virginia terminates parental rights at twice the rate of any other state. Pinson said foster children regularly cycle from placement to placement, which could be foster homes or residential facilities. As a foster parent, he has experienced a foster child, who was a baby, being taken from his home only to return later. 'What you have in front of you today is one opportunity to address one specific problem of addressing children who are being bounced around from foster home to foster home oftentimes for no fault of their own and at no fault of the foster parent,' Pinson said. 'We have watching today foster parents who have had their hearts ripped out because a child was moved from their home who they've connected with … but moved from their home simply because it was more convenient for the other stakeholders in the case.' Del. Jim Butler, R-Mason, said, 'We need to allow the kids to move onto a better life.' Molly Arbogast, executive director of the National Association of Social Workers West Virginia chapter, said the change would allow termination of parental rights far earlier than the federal Adoption and Safe Families Act standard. 'ASFA sets a uniform timeline — 15 out of the last 22 months in care — before a termination petition is required, ensuring parents have a fair opportunity to work toward reunification,' she said. 'The bill's 50% rule would create a harsher, arbitrary standard that could result in unnecessary family separations, particularly for very young children, without federal authorization.' The bill also would also mandate that DoHS find a child's biological siblings and families of siblings within 90 days, and the department must inform foster or adoptive parents of eligible siblings for placement or adoption. 'Those decisions were being delayed out for quite some time,' Burkhammer said. Current state law says the department 'shall' prioritize sibling reunification; the bill would change 'shall' to 'may.' Burkhammer said that the measure still prioritizes sibling reunification, but there are instances — including cases where sibling abuse is happening — that aren't best for reunification. Children are also sometimes reunified with half-siblings and their family whom they've never met, he said. 'There was no flexibility with folks to truly determine the best interest of the child,' Burkhammer said. 'What we're doing too often is cookie-cuttering too many of these cases. It's a preference, and it should be considered, but we really want you to consider the best interest of the child first and foremost.' McKay hopes the bill will be amended in the Senate should they take it up for consideration. 'For many children, those [sibling] relationships are their only remaining connection to family — and a critical source of comfort and stability. Separating them adds to the trauma they've already endured,' he said, adding that federal law requires states to take actions to place siblings together. The American Bar Association has stressed the importance of prioritizing sibling connections. The House also passed House Bill 2880, which assigns an individual through the Court Improvement Program or Public Defender Services to assist parents through the requirements to be unified or reunified with their children. Del. Patrick Lucas, R-Putnam, told members that they've faced criticism this session about passing 'red meat bills.' 'It's about time we did something to improve the lives of foster children and foster parents,' he said. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
