National State Auditors Association S O U T H C A R O L I N A G E N E R A L A S S E M B L Y Legislative Audit Council Independence, Reliability, Integrity LAC A Review of Child Welfare Services at the Department of Social Services October 2014 National State Auditors Association June 2016

Child Welfare Services Provided by SCDSS Assessment of Abuse and Neglect Reports Family Preservation Services Foster Care and Alternative Care Adoption Community-Based Services June 2016 S.C. Legislative Audit Council

Abuse and Neglect Investigations by Number of Children and Age June 2016 S.C. Legislative Audit Council

Primary Audit Findings Inadequate caseworker qualifications, training, and pay. Excessive caseloads. Inadequate screenings, investigations, and out-of-home placements. Unreliable child fatality data. Non-competitive contracts. June 2016 S.C. Legislative Audit Council

Inadequate Minimum Caseworker Qualifications No requirement of a degree in social work or a behavioral science. June 2016 S.C. Legislative Audit Council

Lack of Structure in the Training and Certification Process Unclear policies on who was required to be trained and certified. No central training records on who was required to be trained and certified. June 2016 S.C. Legislative Audit Council

Low Caseworker Salaries Caseworker salaries were less than salaries paid by other employers, making it difficult to recruit and retain staff. June 2016 S.C. Legislative Audit Council

Entry-Level Salaries for Caseworkers In Other Organizations June 2016 S.C. Legislative Audit Council

S.C. Legislative Audit Council Excessive Caseloads For 27% of caseworkers, caseloads exceeded CWLA maximum standards by 50% or more. For 9% of caseworkers, caseloads exceeded CWLA maximum standards by 100% or more. June 2016 S.C. Legislative Audit Council

Inequitable Caseloads In 8 counties, no caseworkers had caseloads that exceeded CWLA maximum standards. In 5 counties, more than 80% of the caseworkers had caseloads that exceeded CWLA maximum standards. June 2016 S.C. Legislative Audit Council

Lengthy Hiring Process On average it took SCDSS 4 ½ months to hire a new caseworker and an additional 4 ½ months for certification. These delays increase the caseloads of the remaining overworked staff and can contribute to further resignations. June 2016 S.C. Legislative Audit Council

Delayed SCDSS Response to Reports of Abuse and Neglect Nearly one in four children were not seen by a caseworker within 24 hours of a report, as required by agency policy. By county, the percentage of children not seen within 24 hours ranged from 3% to 39%. June 2016 S.C. Legislative Audit Council

Community-Based Prevention Services (CBPS) Beginning in FY 11-12, any parent reported to have abused or neglected a child could be offered community-based services instead of an investigation if there was no substantial risk of harm to the child. This program, however, has placed children at greater risk. June 2016 S.C. Legislative Audit Council

CBPS Has Resulted in Fewer Investigations of Abuse and Neglect June 2016 S.C. Legislative Audit Council

S.C. Legislative Audit Council Increase in Number of Children Who Became Victims of Abuse or Neglect After Being Screened Out or Referred to CBPS in the Previous 12 Months June 2016 S.C. Legislative Audit Council

Alternative Care Instead of Foster Care State law authorizes the removal of a child from her home when there is probable cause to believe that she is in imminent and substantial danger. The child is placed in foster care or in alternative care with a relative or another person known to the family. June 2016 S.C. Legislative Audit Council

Less Oversight When a Child is Placed in Alternative Care Foster home placement is followed by a probable cause hearing, a court-ordered placement plan, a guardian ad litem, and central SCDSS tracking. Alternative care placement includes none of these protections. June 2016 S.C. Legislative Audit Council

National Data on Maltreatment Fatalities Understated In 2011, the GAO reported federal child fatality data is likely understated. No standardized definition of maltreatment. Child deaths due to neglect are often difficult to detect. June 2016 S.C. Legislative Audit Council

S.C. Legislative Audit Council South Carolina Data on Maltreatment Fatalities Inconsistent and Understated Inconsistent state child fatality data. 104 fatalities were not reported by county coroners to state law enforcement. 48 fatalities were reported but not transcribed. Fatalities resulting from DUI by parents were not reported as maltreatment deaths. June 2016 S.C. Legislative Audit Council

Non-Competitive Contracts With State Universities SCDSS entered into non-competitive contracts totaling $71 million with two state universities for training, technical assistance, and quality assurance. Procurements between state agencies are exempt from South Carolina’s procurement code. June 2016 S.C. Legislative Audit Council

Lack of Root Cause Analysis by SCDSS When Addressing Underperformance SCDSS focused more on measuring underperformance than on identifying the root causes of underperformance. June 2016 S.C. Legislative Audit Council

S.C. Legislative Audit Council Media Coverage The following articles show extensive media coverage of the shortcomings in South Carolina’s child welfare services program. To read the complete stories, see news outlet websites. June 2016 S.C. Legislative Audit Council

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