Democratic leader calls for action by Brownback on DCF

The top Democrat in the Kansas House is calling for action from Gov. Sam Brownback after it was reported that the Kansas Department for Children and Families had a backlog in processing neglect reports this fall because of a staffing shortage.

An internal e-mail from DCF’s family preservation services manager sent Sept. 22 said the Kansas Protection Reporting Center was “currently experiencing a backlog in processing new reports of abuse or neglect, due to a severe staffing issue,” the Topeka Capital-Journal reported Friday.

Theresa Freed, DCF’s spokeswoman, said the e-mail had been sent by a DCF official but contained inaccurate information. She said the agency wants to reassure the public that there is no backlog at the reporting center.

“There was not a backlog then and there is not a backlog now,” Freed said.

Rep. Jim Ward, D-Wichita, the newly elected House minority leader, called on Brownback to take action in a Monday interview.

“I hope the governor after a year and a half of incredibly bad news about the conditions at the agency in charge of the most neglected children in our state, who have been physically and sexually abused, takes action,” Ward said. “I mean, you can’t read the series of things that have come out over the last year and not say, ‘Governor, this is on you.’ ”

Ward has been an outspoken critic of DCF Secretary Phyllis Gilmore and was one of several lawmakers to request an audit of the agency after a Wellington boy died in 2014 five days after DCF was alerted to the problems in his home.

State auditors reported in July that DCF failed to investigate five of 40 abuse and neglect cases surveyed in a timely manner. An additional report from state auditors is due to be released in January at the start of the legislative session.

“The governor’s got to do more than just say, ‘Everything’s fine and we’re working on the problem.’ He needs to send a signal to all of the agencies, providers, families and children … and make serious, meaningful change,” Ward said.

Brownback’s spokeswoman, Melika Willoughby, said in an e-mail that DCF “works everyday to ensure the safety and well-being of vulnerable Kansans.”

“The services provided by child welfare workers are mission-critical and supporting them is a high priority for Governor Brownback. He was pleased to support pay increases for DCF social workers last year, a measure Rep. Ward voted against,” she said, referring to a provision in the overall budget bill.

Ward said in a phone call that he voted against the budget because it was unbalanced.

Freed said the reporting center, which operates 24 hours a day, normally receives 100 calls a day. But during September the number of calls was about 500 a day. She attributed this to the start of the school year.

Teachers and other school staff members are mandatory reporters under Kansas law and must make a report if they suspect a student is being abused or neglected. Freed said the purpose of the e-mail was to lay out ways to streamline the handling of those calls.

In a follow-up e-mail, Freed said the agency continues to “to urge anyone who suspects abuse/neglect to call our hotline immediately at 1-800-922-5330.”

DCF operates reporting centers in Topeka and Wichita. Freed said that 10 of 47 intake positions are vacant, but the agency is offering overtime to current employees while it works to fill those positions. She said four of the reporting centers’ 26 social worker positions are vacant.

She noted the high turnover rate for social workers nationwide. “It’s difficult to get people into these positions and it’s difficult to get them to stay,” Freed said.

She called the reporting centers the “front door” to the agency and said, “There’s no lack of dedication to helping kids in need, but we can always use more workers.”

This story was originally published December 6, 2016 at 12:51 PM with the headline "Democratic leader calls for action by Brownback on DCF."