Latest Weather Blog
Inside DCFS: Staff shortages, burnout, and management failures put Louisiana's children at risk
Related Story
BATON ROUGE - Several employees from the Department of Children and Family Services spoke with WBRZ's Brittany Weiss, saying child welfare cases are outnumbering trained staff, and children in potentially dangerous situations are being left behind.
The workers, who requested anonymity, had been explicitly told by higher-ups at DCFS not to speak with the media about what is going on inside the agency, which is headed by Secretary Rebecca Harris.
Excerpt of an email sent May 14 by a manager to DCFS employees
Of the four employees WBRZ interviewed in person, three have recently left the department due to what they say is "poor management," leaving employees overworked, burned out, and in some cases, physically ill from stress.
An employee said the issues stem from a lack of experience in leadership roles.
Last year, Harris made a series of personnel changes, moving consultants from the main office to front-line investigators. One employee told us they were given only two days' notice of their new job assignment, and many had no experience in their new role.
"These consultants never worked investigations a day in their life," the employee said. "The agency is currently in a crisis."
Employees say the lack of training and relevant experience leaves investigators without the tools to protect children.
The workers say pulling people who normally work desk jobs into the field led to unrealistic deadlines from managers and cases piling up for employees who are already stretched thin.
An employee with 100 cases to close said they're left awake at night due to the stress.
"Thinking about the children that I have yet to see, because I'm one person. I'm not a machine, and I can't get to them," they said.
A former employee said they were overloaded with the mountain of work that came with the restructuring.
"When I decided to leave, I had over 150 cases," they said. "Open cases."
The former workers say that they're pressured to close a case within 30 days to prevent them from going into backlog.
"We don't have the manpower to complete those investigations timely," an employee said. "It's crazy. It's very chaotic."
The employees believe they're being set up for failure by Harris, who does not have a specific background or experience in child protective services.
"Your workload is not manageable. What they're asking of us is unrealistic," another former employee said.
In an email to DCFS, the agency acknowledges the recent staffing changes, including both resignations and separations. The department says its commitment to the safety and well-being of Louisiana's children has not changed.
WBRZ has requested an interview with Harris twice. We have not heard back.
News
