Morrisey announces foster care reforms, promises transparency as struggling system moves forward

Yahoo

5 days ago

Gov. Patrick Morrisey on Wednesday, May 28, 2025, announced a series of reforms that he said will end 'years of bureaucratic stonewalling' from within the state's troubled foster care agency and begin a 'new era of transparency.' (West Virginia Office of Gov. Patrick Morrisey video screenshot)
Following years of issues within the state's foster care system, Gov. Patrick Morrisey on Wednesday announced a series of reforms that he said will end 'years of bureaucratic stonewalling' from within the agency and begin a 'new era of transparency.'
The proposed changes are partially the result of a statewide listening tour, where Morrisey and other officials — including the new Department of Human Services Secretary Alex Mayer — heard from residents on challenges they've faced from the state agency in charge of child welfare.
At those listening sessions, West Virginians shared stories lamenting lack of communication from the state's Child protective Services workers and other issues that have occurred due to the system being inconsistent, short on staff and offering limited support for many traumatized children.
The reforms announced by Morrisey on Wednesday include:
Having DoHS fully comply with the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act and follow federal guidelines requiring the public disclosure of key information in child abuse or neglect cases resulting in fatalities or near fatalities
Overhauling the state's Child Welfare Dashboard to make it easier to interpret and more user friendly
Requiring supervisors to conduct monthly reviews with their child welfare cases and work with the governor's office to identify opportunities for improvement. The state will also launch a department-wide 'Leadership Education and Development' (LEAD) initiative to train DoHS supervisors.
Creating a Critical Incident Review Team that will conduct a 'deeper dive' into any critical incident that occurs
Introducing a Comprehensive Practice Model to provide a framework that can be standardized across the state
Allowing caseworkers to gather more comprehensive information on cases rather than relying solely on the referral process
There are currently more than 6,100 children in West Virginia's foster care system. That number has skyrocketed during the state's drug crisis. The state's high poverty rate has contributed to the number, as well.
The new reforms as well as the recent statewide listening sessions were initiated after several high-profile incidents of child abuse and mistreatment occured in West Virginia in recent years. Reporters investigating the incidents were often stonewalled by the state government, unable to get information about the events or the circumstances that led up to them.
'In previous years, the state stonewalled about the status of children in its care — and that changes now,' Morrisey said on Wednesday. 'We are rolling up our sleeves and getting to work. West Virginians deserve a child welfare system that is transparent, accountable and always puts the safety of children first.'
Morrisey appointed Mayer to oversee DoHS in January. The 37-year-old came to the Mountain State from South Dakota, where he worked for the state government on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and the child welfare system.
Before getting involved in state government, Mayer was adopted. He spent time in the military before working at a residential facility serving people with severe mental illnesses.
In an interview with West Virginia Watch earlier this month, Mayer said he was focusing his first few months on learning where and how the state could increase specialized care for children who need additional services, increase consistency in the state agency's processes and recruiting foster families to help care for children already in the system.
This legislative session, lawmakers — who have struggled in recent years to get a handle on DoHS spending — allocated more than $300 million to foster care. The 2026 budget bill mandated that the agency spend some money on designated line items to prevent it from shifting money around to pay bills.
But Morrisey vetoed that idea, saying it was too restrictive for DoHS.
Morrisey — who made reigning in state spending a key tenet of his first legislative session as governor — also vetoed line item funding for programs that support foster children as well as babies born with Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome.
Mayer said he doesn't believe that more funding will solve the issues clearly present in West Virginia's child welfare system. Instead, he said, the state will likely rely on partnerships with the faith-based community, businesses and others that provide services to help children and families.
On Wednesday, Mayer said he realized that change is long overdue for both the state's children and the adults who attempt to care for them.
'For far too long, we've asked families and frontline professionals to navigate a system that has not kept pace with the complexities our families and children face today. That must change,' Mayer said. 'We are listening — intentionally — and using that feedback to shape a more responsive, accountable and transparent system built on trust.'
SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE