State Child Services busts budget

INDIANAPOLIS – The Department of Child Services has already spent $284 million more than was budgeted for this fiscal year in its attempts to keep up with an exploding child welfare system.

Lawmakers gave the agency $125 million more for fiscal year 2018 than its previous budget. And the Indiana Office of Management and Budget had identified $324 million in excess dollars that could be shifted to DCS if needed.

The State Budget Committee heard Tuesday that DCS has already gone through all of its appropriation and most of the excess with two months left in the fiscal year.

State Budget Director Jason Dudich said the excess dollars have mainly come from the Family and Social Services Administration and Medicaid reserves.

The agency is struggling with high numbers of abused and neglected children and not enough family case managers. It is also in the middle of an outside review brought on by the abrupt departure of its former director who criticized Gov. Eric Holcomb's administration for pushing policy changes that would ultimately hurt children.

Read more: http://www.journalgazette.net/news/local/indiana/20180425/state-child-services-busts-budget