Clark County, Nevada "Safe Futures" Child Welfare Reform Plan

The "Safe Futures" plan was released on September 20, 2006, to address concerns of a lawsuit filed August 30, 2006, against the Department of Family Services (DFS) by the California-based National Center for Youth Law. The class action lawsuit charges the defendants-Nevada Governor Kenneth C. Guinn, state Health and Human Services director Michael Wilden, and Clark County officials-with causing harm to children in the child welfare system and calls for system-wide reform. The Clark County DFS is responsible for the welfare of more than 3,600 children in the county of 1.8 million people. Officials confirm that between 2001 and 2004, eleven children died while in county custody; in 2006, one more died at Child Haven, the county-run facility for abused or neglected children. Key aspects of the "Safe Futures" phase I plan's 109 strategies include:

• Triple the number of foster care families and other placements for children in DFS custody by recruiting 450 more foster families and 50 respite foster families
   
• Place children under the age of six with foster families or kinship caregivers
   
• Reduce case loads to 22 per case worker
  Institute a tiered response plan for the Child Abuse Hotline report investigation and follow-up
   
• Purchase community substance abuse and mental health services to ensure assessments take place within ten days of initial contact
   
• Provide legal representation for low-income parents at protective custody hearings
   
• Reduce crowding at Child Haven
   
• Reduce police removal of children from their homes. Currently two out of five children place in Child Haven were removed from their homes by police