| 45 | | - | WHEREAS, the Child Welfare Services Branch of the Department of Human Services has a responsibility to protect the well-being of the children of Hawaii, including children who are wards of the State and children who have allegedly been neglected or abused; and WHEREAS, in November 2021, two individuals who were resource givers with the Child Welfare Services Branch, as well as adoptive parents, were arrested and charged with child abuse and the murder of their six-year-old adopted daughter in Waimanalo, Oahu; and WHEREAS, the Child Welfare Services Branch failed to pass the United States Department of Health and Human Services' Administration for Children and Families' periodic Child and Family Services Review to assess state performance in meeting certain safety, permanency, and well-being outcomes for children involved in the child welfare system during the last three reviews conducted, which were in 2003, 2009, and 2017; and WHEREAS, the Child Welfare Services Branch experiences difficulty in recruiting and retaining staff, and at the start of 2022 had eighty-seven vacant positions (a twenty-two-percent vacancy rate), forty-four of which were for social workers; and WHEREAS, the Office of the Auditor may be able to assist the Child Welfare Services Branch in evaluating improvements made since the 2017 federal review and in improving the recruitment and retention of staff; now, therefore, BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Thirty-first Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2022, the House of Representatives concurring, that the Office of the Auditor is requested to conduct a performance audit of the Child Welfare Services Branch of the Department of Human Services; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the performance audit is requested to include: (1) The policies, procedures, and processes of the Child Welfare Services Branch to protect the safety and well-being of children in their own homes and in out-of-home placements, including foster care, guardianship, and adoption; and (2) The recruitment and retention of social workers and other staff at the Child Welfare Services Branch; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Office of the Auditor is requested to submit its performance audit, including any findings, recommendations, and proposed legislation, to the Legislature no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2023; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Auditor, Director of Human Services, and Administrator of the Child Welfare Services Branch of the Department of Human Services. Report Title: Department of Human Services; Child Welfare Services Branch; Auditor; Performance Audit |
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| 43 | + | WHEREAS, the Child Welfare Services Branch of the Department of Human Services has a responsibility to protect the well-being of the children of Hawaii, including children who are wards of the State and children who have allegedly been neglected or abused; and WHEREAS, in November 2021, two individuals who were resource givers with the Child Welfare Services Branch, as well as adoptive parents, were arrested and charged with child abuse and the murder of their six-year-old adopted daughter in Waimanalo, Oahu; and WHEREAS, the Child Welfare Services Branch improved its outcomes after failing to pass the United States Department of Health and Human Services' Administration for Children and Families' periodic Child and Family Services Review to assess state performance in meeting certain safety, permanency, and well-being outcomes for children involved in the child welfare system during the last three reviews conducted, which were in 2003, 2009, and 2017; and WHEREAS, the Child Welfare Services Branch is experiencing difficulty in recruiting and retaining staff, and at the start of 2022 had eighty-seven vacant positions (a twenty-two-percent vacancy rate), forty-four of which were for social workers; and WHEREAS, House Concurrent Resolution No. 165, Regular Session of Hawaii 2010, sought to request from the Auditor a program audit on the efficiency and effectiveness of the Child Welfare Services Branch in processing and investigating complaints but the Auditor by letter dated May 6, 2013, failed to conduct such audit as being problematic and duplicative of federal review by the National Resource Center for Child Protective Services, which conducts on-site visits; and WHEREAS, the Auditor's letter failed to be updated after the 2010 federal requirement for the Child Welfare Services Branch to implement a second Program Improvement Plan to avert a penalty; nor did it conduct an assessment on the triage procedure required by the federal Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act that was reauthorized by the Keeping Children and Families Safe Act of 2003; and WHEREAS, the Office of the Auditor may be able to assist the Child Welfare Services Branch in evaluating improvements made since the 2017 federal review and in improving the recruitment and retention of staff; now, therefore, BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Thirty-first Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2022, the House of Representatives concurring, that the Office of the Auditor is requested to update its Child Welfare Services Branch assessment standard pursuant to House Concurrent Resolution No. 165, Regular Session of Hawaii 2010, to include the second Program Improvement Plan required by the United States Department of Health and Human Services in 2010; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the performance audit is requested to include the triage procedure required by the federal Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act that was reauthorized by the Keeping Children and Families Safe Act of 2003; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Office of the Auditor is requested to submit its performance audit, including any findings, recommendations, and proposed legislation, to the Legislature no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2023; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Auditor, Director of Human Services, and Administrator of the Child Welfare Services Branch of the Department of Human Services. Report Title: Department of Human Services Child Welfare Services Branch; Auditor; Performance Audit |
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