Letters and Papers

Summary:  In 20 years, Louisiana’s State Budget has increased by 231% in nominal dollars, but during the same period, Louisiana’s budget for Child Welfare Services has decreased by 3% and is $11 million less than it was in 2006. If one considers the impact of inflation, in FY 2026, Louisiana’s Child Welfare Services are funded at only 60% of their value in FY 2006-2007. The requirements of Child Welfare Services have not changed, but Louisiana’s dramatic reduction in Child Welfare funding helps explain why the quality of our state’s Child Welfare Services suffers. The Center for Child Well-being believes insufficient funding for Child Welfare Services largely explains why a string of DFCS Secretaries combined with the Legislature’s increased oversight have not been able to right the ship. This letter provides the receipts and asks Louisiana’s governors and legislatures to ensure that our state’s Child Welfare Services are properly funded.

Summary:  On March 30, 2026, Louisiana’s House of Representatives passed HB 584 as amended (100 to 0), granting the “privilege” of a suitcase and simultaneously abrogating both the federally granted rights of children in foster care and the small collection of additional rights that Louisiana’s Legislature granted to children in foster care in 2021. After passage, 43 Representatives signed on as co-authors of HB 584. This letter to the bill’s author and the Senate Health & Welfare Committee pointed out the importance of the federal and state rights of children in foster care. The letter asked the Senate to honor the original intent and language of Representative Boyd’s HB 584 and ensure that all children in foster care receive luggage for their belongings, while protecting the title and text of Louisiana’s Foster Youth’s Bill of Rights to ensure Louisiana’s children in foster care retain their rights.

Summary:  This letter documented to the members of the Louisiana Senate Health & Welfare Committee that the Arkansas State Police-managed Child Abuse Hotline is not a model Louisiana should copy, based on the last several years of negative news reports, the Arkansas legislature’s recent activity to correct the Child Abuse Hotline problems, and the published results of a recent performance audit of Arkansas’ troubled Child Abuse Hotline.

Summary:  If passed as written, Senate Bill 265 of the 2026 Regular Session (SB265) threatened to return Louisiana’s child welfare services to the pre-Gary W. era which was characterized by Louisiana’s neglectful harm to children and ended with federal judicial intervention and tremendous cost. While Louisiana’s child welfare services today may be insufficient for the tasks of effective child welfare work (due to chronic underfunding), SB265’s proposed abolishment of DCFS was not a reasonable solution to the legislature’s frustration. The letter shares Louisiana’s child welfare history and proposes allowing time for House Bill 617 of Louisiana’s 2025 Legislative Session, which reorganized DCFS to refocus the department on the needs of abused and neglected children, to take effect. HB 617 intentionally narrowed DCFS’s mission to child-centric services, allowing DCFS to focus on the classic four responsibilities of child welfare: Prevention, Preservation, Protection, and Permanency.