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…
Posts published in “Louisiana Child Welfare”
TLDR: As AI becomes more sophisticated, child welfare professionals will increasingly need to champion the importance of human connection, empathy, and compassion in caring for children and families. Those that do will carve out a distinctive and essential role that uniquely emphasizes the human elements in child welfare, especially as AI capabilities grow and state agencies use AI to increase…
Data makes it clear that the number of Louisiana children in foster care is increasing. Louisiana does not have enough foster homes available to handle what lies ahead. Each month, the Louisiana Department of Children and Family Services updates a statistical block on its website titled “DCFS By the Numbers.” At any point, the numbers indicate only the latest reporting…
Recently, Andrea Gallo, writing for The Advocate, asked a most important question about Louisiana’s Child Welfare System: Louisiana is flush with cash. Why is child welfare still ‘woefully underfunded’? This is a question that must be answered by the Governor and Legislature. We understand that how an individual spends money speaks loudly about their character. The same is true for…