In 2005, DCS was established as a standalone agency with the responsibility of administering Indiana’s child protection and support systems. Since its creation, the DCS has implemented a number of strategies and programs that are designed to achieve child welfare best practices and ensure that the agency is successful in furthering its mission of protecting children from abuse and neglect.
2010 | DCS establishes the Indiana Child Abuse and Neglect HotLine to ensure consistent and improved reports of child abuse and neglect. | Annual training opportunities for Family Case Managers are instituted to promote employee growth and development. |
2011 | Began centering efforts on keeping children in their own homes or with family members, a concept called “Safely Home-Family First.” | DCS establishes the Indiana Child Abuse and Neglect HotLine to ensure consistent and improved reports of child abuse and neglect. |
2012 | The Collaborative Care program is initiated to extend opportunities and placements for older youth. | Annual training for all DCS employees is instituted to help strengthen staff skills to serve families. | Children’s Mental Health Initiative is established to promote services for families who are not in the child welfare system. |
2013 | Governor Mike Pence appoints Judge Mary Beth Bonaventura, Director. DCS first major change in leadership since its creation. | The Critical Incident Response Team holds its first meeting to help support employees in the field. |
2014 | Indiana’s Child Support Bureau is ranked 9th by the U.S. Office of Child Support Enforcement. |
2015 | Workload analysis announced to assess the time demands of all Family Case Manager (FCM) duties | Based on the results of the analysis, Governor Mike Pence authorized the hiring of 111additional FCMs to meet 12/17 case load required by statute. | Due to a severe spike in cases, in August Governor Mike Pence approved the hiring of 113 additional FCMs to meet demand and further meet the 12/17 caseload. |
The Future of DCS DCS recognizes that to ensure Indiana is achieving the best outcomes for children and families, we can never stop evaluating, and improving our practices. DCS has developed a plan to continue to enhance child welfare and child support practices. The Department is focusing on five priorities to improve our support of our staff and Indiana families:
1) Improve the financial well-being of Hoosier children by building an enhanced child support automated system
2) Ensure the safety of Hoosier children through informed decision-making beginning from initial assessment
3) Promote safe, timely, and stable permanency options for children and families
4) Ensure the well-being of Indiana children by integrating trauma-informed care approach to child welfare
5) Promote a culture of staff development and continuous quality improvement whereby staff at all levels of the Department consider ways to improve practice, programs, and policy
