It appears that top managers, trying to grapple with the Family Services meltdown, have panicked middle managers, who are pushing too few caseworkers too hard, exceeding either their stamina or abilities. That has resulted in resignations and, because of rapid turnover, too many caseworkers who are rookies. This troubled division has become one of the most scrutinized and analyzed in state government, largely because of the number of children who have died while being monitored. Some tragedies might have been unpreventable. But at least six children died after caseworkers had declared them safe and closed their cases.
Child protection is, at best, a dicey enterprise.
The problem in Delaware has been exacerbated by poor recruitment and retention policies, beginning with accepting too many green prospects and not training them adequately. New policies put in place to increase accountability have had the unintended consequence of frightening front-line caseworkers into pulling back from making tough decisions for fear of making a mistake and losing their jobs. This has delayed critical decisions in difficult situations, with tragic results. The vast majority of children under Family Service's watch seem to receive adequate protection. It is the critically dangerous cases that reveal the agency's worst problems.