Administration of Child Welfare Placement Services

Stock photo zoomed in on a young child holding an adult’s hand by grasping the adult’s pinky with their index finger.

Objective

The objective of our audit of the administration of child welfare placement services was specifically to evaluate the effectiveness of Denver Human Services’ kinship caregiver certification process and whether the agency’s controls over its imprest fund are consistent with city rules and leading practices.

Background

When a child is removed from their home because of reported abuse or neglect, child welfare agencies prioritize placing them with “kin” first — family members or close family friends who have a relationship with the child. Denver Human Services’ Child Welfare Division administers kinship placement in the City and County of Denver, and its staff certify the kinship caregivers, also called “providers,” who take in children removed from their homes.

Meanwhile, the Financial Services Division oversees an “imprest fund” that provides emergency financial support for families and caregivers served by Denver Human Services.

Why this matters

When Denver Human Services does not adequately manage how it certifies kinship caregivers, it places added stress on caseworkers and staff who are already prone to turnover. The caregivers themselves can also miss out on needed financial aid when they are not given thorough, accurate, and timely information about the certification process.

Meanwhile, weak policies and procedures for the imprest fund could result in inconsistent practices and potential misuse of money intended to help individuals with urgent needs.

Findings

FINDING 1 – The kinship caregiver certification process lacks formal training and guidance

Caseworkers and other staff in Denver Human Services’ Child Welfare Division do not have consistent training or clear procedures for certifying kinship caregivers. Because of this, child welfare managers cannot ensure these staff members have the knowledge and tools they need to best serve both the local children removed from their homes and their new caregivers.

Specifically, we found:

The agency has no written guidance outlining policy or requirements for training certification staff.
Training logs of three certification team members revealed inconsistencies in the types of training they took.
The agency’s procedures for certifying kinship caregivers are only in draft form.
Checklists and other tools certification staff use lack some details and are inconsistent.

FINDING 2 – The policies and procedures for Denver Human Services’ imprest fund are insufficient and outdated

Denver Human Services’ procedures for its imprest account are missing important components referenced in city fiscal rules. And because the fiscal rule for petty cash accounts no longer mentions imprest funds by name, staff within Denver Human Services are unsure what guidance still applies to the agency’s fund.

Additionally, limited documented guidance for how to maintain and secure the agency’s fund could impact how staff review and approve expenses, keep checks secure, and resolve recordkeeping issues.

Recommendations

1.1 Develop a formal training plan – Managers in the Child Welfare Division’s placement services group should develop and document a formal training plan specific to the certification, training, and recruitment team. This plan should include, at a minimum:

A list of the types of training required and how often each training should be taken after an employee is hired (for example, only one time versus once each year).
A description of how the division will track and document training.
How often the training plan should be reviewed and updated.
How the division will develop and use individual training plans to ensure a focused approach to staff training and development.

This training plan should also identify which staff — in addition to intake caseworkers and ongoing caseworkers — should be trained in the kinship caregiver certification process, as well as the types of training they should receive and how often.