Legislation would ease caseloads
Thousands of children across our state need help getting away from abuse and neglect every day.
But many of the child protective services workers who are tasked with helping these children are faced with heavy caseloads, understaffing and insufficient time to truly help these at-risk children.
This is a potentially dangerous situation and these children deserve better.
That is why CSEA members are urging Gov. Andrew Cuomo to sign legislation that would limit child protective services worker caseloads to 15 active cases per month, a move activists say would allow workers to devote more time to cases with children most at risk. The bill (A.10506/Lupardo/S.2691/Golden) is expected to be sent to the governor in early September.
While average caseloads vary by county, CPS caseworkers meeting with CSEA staff in recent months have consistently said that having more time to spend on each case would allow them to better protect children and families.
Urgent need for children, workers
CSEA members who work in child protective services say the need for caseload limits is urgent. Many of the CPS workers who spoke to The Work Force about their experiences did not want their names to be used because of a fear of retaliation and unfair blame.
Despite their dedication to helping children and families, many workers find themselves faced with heavy caseloads and chronic understaffing, spurred by high turnover rates and lack of necessary funding.
As a result, too many child protective services workers are unable to spend enough time on their cases, a situation that potentially places children at risk for further harm.
While the job is always stressful, many of the workers’ decisions can also literally mean life or death for the children in their care. Every day, child protective services workers live with concern for the children in their care — and fear for the worst for many of them.
“We have seen some horrible cases of abuse,” a Long Island Region caseworker said. “It really takes a toll on people emotionally. Some of our workers have had to get psychological help because the job is so overwhelming mentally, emotionally and physically.”
Should a child be harmed, management is also quick to unfairly shift the blame to the workers, who are trapped between bureaucracy and a child’s life. “Caseworkers are constantly worried about their cases because they know if something goes wrong, they won’t have management’s support,” a case supervisor and CSEA member said.
The case supervisor said he has overseen up to 150 cases during busy periods. “There is no way that anyone can know even half of the details of the active cases when you have that many,” he said.
The Long Island Region caseworker said that between the number of homes they must visit and the required paperwork, they are often rushed. “You can’t properly service these people under those circumstances.”
Despite these demands, CSEA members stay current on research related to their field and see the argument for lower caseloads.
“What we’re seeing in the evidence-based research is that lower caseloads equal better results,” said CSEA member Kim Leonard, a Dutchess County CPS worker. “With more time, we could spend more time with families and do fuller assessments.”
Unique cases
What many people don’t realize, workers said, is that response to cases are not one size fits all. The dynamics can vary.
Some children in the same family live in different or multiple homes with different family members, meaning more stops for caseworkers.
“We’re all over the place,” a Long Island Region caseworker said. “Sometimes, we have to go to three different locations for the same case. In the midst of that, we’ll get a call where we’re being given another case. That’s exactly how cases get neglected and why there’s a lot of turnover.”
And if workers have to remove a child from their home, that ties up several days. Not only does a home removal take time, it can place workers in potentially dangerous situations.
“We have situations where people become violent towards the caseworker when they’re visiting a home,” the case supervisor said. “Cases of assault and threats are so common that our caseworkers have stopped reporting them.”
The ongoing heroin epidemic is also a major factor affecting caseloads. “We haven’t gotten through a week without a home removal due to heroin abuse,” a Southern Region CPS worker said.
Stopping the cycle
“We urge the Governor to sign this bill into law,” CSEA President Danny Donohue said. “This legislation is a crucial step toward giving our dedicated workers what they need to really focus on the kids relying on them for help.”
This bill is vital to building a more effective support system to handle the ever-growing need for effective case management in the CPS system.
CSEA members employed as CPS caseworkers are sending the governor handwritten letters to urge him to sign the legislation.
“Anything that helps us is so, so welcome,” said Dutchess County Local President Liz Piraino, who works in her county’s Department of Community and Family Services alongside many CPS caseworkers.
“We have high turnover here for CPS workers. It’s a difficult job to do, and as the turnover rate increases, it puts a greater burden on the more experienced workers. If the caseload size is reduced, it will benefit the entire community.”
CSEA Western Region activist Agnes Mabin, an Erie County child protective services team leader, said that the legislation will help struggling families and children.“Everyone who cares about the well-being of vulnerable populations should be asking Governor Cuomo to sign this bill into law,” she said.
— Jessica Ladlee, Wendi Bowie and Ove Overmyer
