DFCS Director puts boots on the ground for child abuse prevention
Bobby Cagle faces his department’s challenges with heart and soul - and money
The people who have known and worked with Bobby Cagle over his years spent in state government, particularly in early childhood education, gave his appointment as director of Georgia’ Family and Children’s Services Division nine months ago a big thumbs up.
Pam Tatum, president the nonprofit Quality Care for Children worked with Cagle when he was director of the Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning ( DECAL). In a radio interview with WAPE, she said, “If what they need is strong leadership, then he is the right person. I hope that they give him the resources to go along with it.”
“I’m not sure to what extent there is a resource
issue. My guess would be that in Georgia there’s always a resource issue,” Tatum added.
Cagle is charged with fixing the division that is responsible for carrying out one of the state’s most important mandates -- the protection of children; unfortunately DFCS has reportedly been one of the most broken departments in the state bureaucracy, and yes, while lack of resources is not the only problem, it is very close to the top of the list.
Cagle was appointed by Gov. Deal when Deal took DFCS out of the Human Services Department and made it a direct report to the governor’s office. Since his appointment, Cagle has not balked at the challenges thrown at him and, indeed, has been aggressive in his responses.
We asked Cagle to talk with us about his experience at the Division so far, particularly with relation to the resources coming online:
SJ: I understand you were raised or at least spent part of your childhood in a foster home. Can you talk about that a little bit?
Director Cagle: That is correct.
On the day I was born I was put up for adoption and spent my first 10 months of life in what we used to refer to as the “orphanage” system in North Carolina. I was lucky though; I was adopted at the age of one by loving parents.
I like to believe I am an example of what is possible when the community, families and government come together to do the right thing for a child.
SJ: Where do we start to improve the lives of these children? On the back end with better casework and a better process for getting them through the system? Or do we start on the front end with treatment for drug-addicted parents and education for parents in how to care for children?
Director Cagle: In actuality, if we wait until children are born into families with significant issues, like substance abuse, in my estimation, as a society, we have already failed to give the child his or her best chance in life.
That is why providing a full array of communitybased behavioral health, substance abuse treatment and family support services is so important.
We must start by first ensuring we can skillfully and comprehensively assess whether a child is safe in his or her current situation. We do this by having a strong practice model that guides our work. Currently Georgia does not have a practice model that incorporates solution-based thinking with guiding principles and safety framework. Adoption of a practice model has become one of the top priorities in what we are referring to as our Blueprint for Change.
SJ: What is the number one problem with DFCS as it relates to child abuse and neglect right now? I know you have talked a lot about the untenable ratio of 1 caseworker to as many as 50 children. You have also said that if we want to stem the high turnover at DFCS, we need to pay better salaries. Could you give us a breakdown of exactly what is in the budget for child abuse prevention?
Director Cagle: The FY16 (Fiscal Year 2016) budget was just passed by the General Assembly.
Thankfully we were able to hire an additional 103 staff this year, which was above and beyond the initial 175 we were able to hire at the beginning of FY15, for a total of 278 additional positions for 2015.
Gov. Deal has committed to adding additional staff over the next two years in order to bring caseloads in line with the 1:15 ratio recommended by the Child Welfare Reform Council. We are currently at around a 1:21 ratio and will be hiring 175 more case managers as of July 1 (the beginning of FY16).
To keep children safe, DFCS needs to retain experienced case managers. Currently, caseworker turnover is near 35 percent. The starting salary for a child abuse investigator is $28,000. Gov. Deal has proposed a $5 million add in FY16 to improve compensation and career path enhancements for child welfare staff.
The governor’s budget also addresses the need for safety training for child welfare workers ($620,000) and provides another $220,000 to pilot a mentoring program that will pair young supervisors, who often have little more than a year experience in the field, with child welfare experts.
Georgia’s foster care rolls have consistently grown in the last two years. Approximately 9,500 children in Georgia are currently in the state’s custody.
Gov. Deal has proposed $9.8 million in additional state funds for FY15 to help DFCS cover the costs of providing room board and oversight to these children.
There is a dire need for foster homes in every community. When foster homes aren’t available locally, children who have been removed from their homes may have the added trauma of losing connections in their schools and their communities. Gov. Deal has recommended adding $5.8 million in state funds for the recruitment and training of foster parents in FY16.
Between additional state funds and the federal funds they help draw down, the total new investment for SFY16 will be approximately $31 million.
SJ: Are you aware that the state budget for child welfare services is down by more than 15 percent since 2009? Are state revenues coming up enough to start increasing that budget?
Director Cagle: Yes. Between 2006-2010, funding for child welfare dropped by 39 percent - the largest reduction of any state. Gov. Deal and the General Assembly have increased the amount of state funds invested in child welfare over the last two years. However, additional investments will be required in FY17 and beyond to reach Governor Deal’s goal of reasonable caseloads (1 worker: 15 cases), to raise salaries to the market rate and reduce the 35+ percent annualized turnover.
SJ: The signing of the Georgia- Alabama Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children Border Agreement on April 2 seems like such a great common sense solution for kids who have relatives in bordering states.
Director Cagle: The border agreement between Alabama and Georgia is something I’m very proud of. It demonstrates every individual county in both states along the border coming together to collaborate for what’s in the best interest of the child. We are working on creating similar agreements with our other bordering states, including one with North Carolina.
SJ: How often are child abuse and neglect reports erroneous or fueled by a personal grievance? That must be tough to sort out but I guess it has to be taken into consideration.
Director Cagle: We receive thousands of reports of abuse and neglect each week. We accept between 40 and 50 percent of those referrals as a report. While we do, of course, receive reports that aren’t valid, the vast majority are made from citizens who are sincerely concerned for the safety or well being of a child.
SJ: On a scale of 1 to 10, 10 being the highest, at what level of importance does child protection rank in the state budget?? At what level would you place it if you were magically given the power to do so?
Director Cagle: While I can’t give a scale rating, I believe the recent legislation passed with SB138 [Child Welfare Reform Bill] as well as the additional funding of $31 million included in the FY16 budget give clear indication that the safety of Georgia’s children is a top priority.