Department of Social Services

Line Item	Description	FY01	FY02	FY03	FY04	FY05*	H1 for FY06
4800-0038	Srvcs.toChldrn. & Families	0	0	235,886,714	249,145,585	261,576,384	270,467,488

*     FY05 numbers are current through January 28, 2005.

The mission of the Department of Social Services (DSS) is to protect children who have been abused or neglected, and to insure that each child has a safe, nurturing, permanent home. DSS provides family support services, foster care, group care, and domestic violence services. Three-fourths of the families visited by DSS social workers remain intact, and three-fourths of the children removed from their homes are returned within one year.

Any child suffering from abuse or neglect in Massachusetts is entitled by statute to DSS services. Unlike many other agencies, therefore, waiting lists are not an option-DSS must accept all intakes. As the agency responsible for children in crisis, it is also often the initial point of contact for children who become involved with other state agencies, such as the Department of Mental Health (DMH), the Department of Youth Services (DYS), and MassHealth. DSS is located within the Executive Office of Health and Human Services (EOHHS).

FY05 OVERVIEW

In FY05, total DSS funding was 4% above the FY04 level, with most lines receiving 2-3% increases. Funding restorations have generally gone to replacing staff, annualizing program costs, and an increased numbers of intakes. Massachusetts Children and Youth Budget advocates generally state that current funding will allow for maintenance of services, but stress that it is a bare maintenance level-not enough to truly address the needs of these highly vulnerable children and families. DSS has been chronically under-funded going back to the 1990s.

The following systemic problems-stemming from insufficient resources-are key areas for DSS reform: caseloads are persistently high; there are insufficient resources for young people aging out of state custody; staff retention and vacancies are major issues throughout the system; and providers are struggling to meet service needs.

Overburdened Systems Shift Children to Other Overburdened Systems

 

A resounding theme among advocates is that children who need but cannot access services at other agencies, particularly DMH, are being picked up by DSS, putting additional pressure on the agency's resources. The shifting also occurs from DSS to DYS-and increasingly, youths involved with DYS are also in need of mental health services.

 

With its own service system straining, DSS is not able to provide sufficient services to address the needs of many of these youth, so many are ultimately picked up by the courts and sent to DYS. As of January 2004, nearly 55% of DYS committed youth-and 75% of the girls-had received DSS services prior to DYS commitment. These young people's legal infractions would not generally bring them to DYS; they would be better served by DSS. As a consequence, the DYS system becomes overburdened and youth are put at risk for problems resulting from inappropriate detention. Addressing these problems is a significant advocacy concern of Citizens for Juvenile Justice.

 

H1 FOR FY06 OVERVIEW

The small increase that H1 proposes for Foster Care is welcome. However, far more is needed to sufficiently address the needs of families in the DSS system, particularly those for mental health and substance abuse services.

Line Item Analysis

Account:      Services for Children and Families

Line Item:   4800-0038

The Services for Children and Families account funds-through contracted service providers, other agencies, or directly by DSS-a wide range of services to provide the supports and resources necessary for biological, foster, and adoptive families to care for their children. Services for Children and Families include Foster Care Services, the Permanency Program, Adoption Services, and the Child Protective Services Program; and Family Stabilization, Unification, and Reunification.

Within these programs are two issues pertinent to disabilities concerns. First, children entering the foster system often have unaddressed medical and mental health needs. Second, substance abuse services for parents are provided as part of the Family Stabilization program.

Line Item	Description	FY01	FY02	FY03	FY04	FY05*	H1 for FY06
4800-0038	Srvcs.toChldrn. & Families	0	0	235,886,714	249,145,585	261,576,384	270,467,488

*     FY05 numbers are current through January 28, 2005.

FY01-FY05 Impact

Overall, programs are straining under level funding. Foster families take in very needy kids but, as Massachusetts Alliance for Families points out, they often need to wait for months for essential support services like therapy or psychiatric care.

FY06 Needs

Services for foster parents need to be increased. Foster families need services modeled after Family Stabilization Teams, a support model for biological families that provides home visits by interdisciplinary teams.

H1 for FY06 Recommendations

H1 recommends $270,467,488-a $8,891,104 (3.4%) increase over the FY05 funding level. As stated in H1 line item language, the increased funding is to support the projected caseload. According to the Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center, in "real" money-i.e., adjusted for inflation-the proposed allocation amounts only to a 1.2% increase.