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AJC.com > Legislature > Georgia Beat > Archives > 2005 > January > 11 > Entry
Perdue proposes adding 500 DFCS workers
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Gov. Sonny Perdue said Tuesday he plans to hire 500 more child welfare caseworkers to add muscle to an agency plagued by employee turnover, crushing caseloads and low morale.
The Republican governor said he will earmark $5.4 million in his proposed budget, which is expected to be made public Wednesday. The budget must receive approval from the Legislature. The state funding would draw a federal match of $6.8 million, he said.
“Protecting children is a top priority for my administration. We cannot stand by while another child suffers abuse or neglect while under the state’s supervision,” Perdue told about 2,400 people at Georgia Chamber of Commerce Eggs and Issues Breakfast at the Georgia World Congress Center.
The governor called it a “moral obligation” to reduce the caseloads for the social workers.
Adding 500 new caseworkers would mark a 25 percent increase to the existing 2,000 caseworkers. Perdue said he hopes to reduce many workers’ high caseloads, which officials say have overwhelmed staff and contributed to a state of crisis in the agency. He also hopes to stabilize a workforce that has seen an exodus of staff.
“Reducing the load on our caseworkers will allow them to better protect Georgia’s greatest resource - our children,” Perdue said.
Perdue also plans more money for state crime labs. He proposed $4.4 million to reduce backlog at labs for the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, including $1.4 million for 20 new lab analysts and $3 million to outsource work to private labs.
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