photo by: W.Va. Legislative Photography

Department of Human Services Secretary Alex Mayer outlines reform efforts for Child Protective Services and child welfare to lawmakers Tuesday following a federal audit released in November.

CHARLESTON — The leader of West Virginia’s Department of Human Services outlined eight pillars of reform Tuesday in response to a recent federal audit of Child Protective Services, including plans to improve technology, practice, placements, and fiscal responsibility.

Department of Human Services Secretary Alex Mayer testified Tuesday before the Legislative Oversight Commission on Health and Human Resources Accountability on the final day of December interim meetings at the Capitol.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General released a report in November focused on the state’s compliance with child abuse and neglect requirements under the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act.

The audit — focused on a period between Oct. 1, 2023, and Sept. 30, 2024, before Gov. Patrick Morrisey took office — found that the state’s Bureau for Social Services and Child Protective Services failed to comply with intake, screening, assessment and investigation procedures in an estimated 91% of 100 screened-in family reports. Specific deficiencies included failing to send notification letters, to complete initial assessments and interviews in a timely manner, and to ensure safety plans and risk assessments were performed correctly.

“I want to begin with this: We take the OIG’s findings seriously,” Mayer said. “The report did not tell us anything we didn’t know already. These are children’s lives, families’ futures, and the credibility of state government. What the audit did do was validate the steps we were already taking, the issues we identified, and the approaches to address what was outlined in the report.”

Mayer, who replaced Cynthia Persily when Morrisey took office in January, outlined an eight-pillar reform agenda for CPS and the Bureau for Social Services.

Pillar one focuses on foster care and kinship care supports, by redesigning the electronic referral/placement process, investing in kinship caregivers, and providing them with specialized training to manage high-needs children and reduce reliance on residential care.

Pillar two would reshape the approach to residential care by expanding in-state treatment options, reducing out-of-state placements of foster children, and developing alternatives to using hotels for youth in crisis. The department is actively canvassing state-owned properties to repurpose as facilities to lower the barrier to entry for out-of-state providers willing to open programs in West Virginia.

Pillar three involves implementing a new statewide practice model to ensure CPS decisions are trauma-informed, structured and consistent. The goal is to create a streamlined system that allows staff to spend more time with families.

Pillar four would create and expand partnerships with churches and community organizations to recruit foster families and provide wraparound support for families in crisis.

Pillar five focuses on prevention and early intervention, working with schools, behavioral health providers, and community organizations to identify and support at-risk families sooner.

Pillar six focuses on technology, improving the troubled and expensive PATH (West Virginia People’s Access To Help) system, making use of AI and predictive modeling to identify risk patterns, and enhancing public-facing data dashboards for greater transparency.

Pillar seven involves strengthening collaboration with the judicial system and legal partners to improve consistency, accountability, and problem-solving approaches, with a specific focus on truancy diversion.

Pillar eight focuses on fiscal responsibility, strengthening internal controls, enhancing monitoring of provider payments, and ensuring programmatic and fiscal teams are aligned.