Department of Public Social Services Child Protective Services

The ongoing reorganization reassigns management and social workers into program units for which some are not trained.

Reorganization contributes to a condition where supervision is unfamiliar with the performance capabilities of their staff. This condition prevents timely preparation, review and submittal of annual performance evaluations.

The continued CPS staff shortage throughout the county includes bilingual social workers.

The lack of cultural/sociological knowledge prevents understanding between the social worker and the client.

The continuous growth of the county creates a demand for more sub-regional CPS office locations.

The current salary structure for CPS social workers does not attract or retain qualified personnel, particularly those with computer skills.

It has been three years since a drug and alcohol abuse awareness program was presented to management/supervision.

In a highly stressful environment, many social workers elect not to use accrued compensatory or vacation time because of genuine concerns for the children in their charge.

In keeping with the CPS Mission Statement, social workers are committed to child protection. When leaving the office, most social workers do not have essential equipment, county vehicle, laptop computer, cellphone, and camera to efficiently use their time. In spite of the risks involved, they opt to use their own personal vehicle as a matter of convenience.

Some parking lots adjacent to DPSS/CPS office buildings do not provide adequate lighting.

Implementation of the CWS/CMS system for case management causes a hardship on the social workers, such as: a. Many of the social workers spend 50-70 percent of their time performing administrative duties, including travel, preventing them from giving attention to the needs of the children in their care. This condition is a major contributor to the need for overtime hours. b. Many hours of overtime are not reported because they had not been pre-approved. c. A lack of computer skills, compounded by the complexity of the CWS/CMS system adds additional demands for overtime. d. Social workers are often required to navigate through multiple pages within the caseload management system exceeding 800 computer screens. e. The inflexibility of the CWS/CMS system software programs creates a condition whereby social workers frequently input inaccurate data in order to satisfy program requirements. f. The lack of timely CWS/CMS technical problem response from Boulder, Colorado, often interferes with meeting the time constraints demanded by the system for data collection and mandatory reporting. g. Many social workers do not feel confident with completely paperless files.

Develop and implement a training program that includes a competency evaluation of management/supervision with the objective of improving leadership in the use of CWS/CMS.

Develop and implement a program that will cultivate CWS/CMS trained floor assistants and clerical support at all CPS regional offices in sufficient numbers to provide on-site technical training and program support.

Ensure that management/supervision begins a program which will reduce employee dependence on paper files and increase their confidence in the CWS/CMS system.