Downloadable PDF Version: Revitalizing Child Welfare Services in Louisiana: an Open Letter Thursday, September 10, 2026 Revitalizing Child Welfare Services in Louisiana: An Open Letter Dear Honorable Members of the Senate Select Committee on Women and Children, Members of the Louisiana Legislature, Secretary of the Department of Children and Family Services, and Governor of Louisiana, In 20 years, Louisiana’s Executive…
Posts published by “Rick Wheat”
Director, Center for Child Well-being, and Chief Advocacy Officer, Methodist Children's Home
Political Attention and Political Support are not the same thing. We believe the chart below is evidence of the difference. Louisiana’s legislature gives steady attention to the Department of Children and Family Services (“DCFS”). Senators and Representatives, individually and in committees, have focused intently on DCFS because they desire the best for Louisiana’s children. Reports of children dying during the…
Because we cannot yet look back in hindsight, it is impossible to know whether abolishing or reinvigorating the Department of Children and Family Services (“DCFS”) is the Louisiana Legislature’s better choice. With only a two-year renewal of its sunset bill, the matter is still on the legislature’s radar. Their concern is safety, especially regarding the deaths of children when DCFS…
In the Senate Health and Welfare Committee’s April 15, 2026 discussion of Senate Bill 265 regarding the proposed abolishment of DCFS, we heard that Louisiana is “only one of seven states that has a standalone department of children and family services.” Having followed child welfare matters across the country for several decades, that statement did not sound like an accurate…
8/5/2026: 82,064 Louisiana children lose food benefits due to LDH procedures. Louisiana’s SNAP numbers drop, but not due to work requirements or citizenship: State data overwhelmingly point to ‘procedural reasons’ for decline in food aid recipients, Wesley Muller, Louisiana Illuminator “A substantial portion of those who’ve lost SNAP benefits in Louisiana are children. State data from July 2025 through June…
This is the first in a series of posts we will share on Louisiana’s history of chemical agent use against children who are detained or incarcerated. In this series, we take and support three positions: 1) the definition of “chemical agent” in the Louisiana OJJ licensing standards for juvenile detention centers is so broad that it creates real dangers for…
Downloadable PDF Version: Open Letter: On SB 462 – Troubled Arkansas State Police Child Abuse Hotline is Not a Model for Louisiana Thursday, April 16, 2026 Members of the Senate Committee on Health and Welfare Louisiana Senate P.O. Box 94183 Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70804 RE: Open Letter on SB 462 – Troubled Arkansas State Police Child Abuse Hotline Is Not…
In the 46 years since 1980, the Louisiana Department of Children and Family Services has been led by 15 Secretaries. On average, that’s an executive leadership change every 3 years. Roughly every three years, a new Secretary is appointed to implement the State’s plans and strategies for DCFS. Every three years, upper management and sometimes middle management at DCFS are…