On the DFPS Crisis and the Necessity for HB600
High turnover rates, the rate at which employees leave and are replaced, is a major problem the Department of Family and Protective Services faces. Some jobs are just hard to deal with. They are put in dangerous situations, without a weapon to protect themselves, and are asked to work long hours. It’s no wonder there are high turnover rates. Still, having competent, consistent workers can be the difference between life and death. As we have recently seen, the state has failed to protect thousands of children by neglecting their cases. The root of this problem lies within the employees themselves, who are underpaid and overworked. One solution would be to implement a loan repayment program, because student loan debt motivates underpaid workers to look for better alternatives. A loan repayment program would reduce turnover and increase the quality of DFPS services.
A bill legislators should look at is the 2015 Texas House Bill 600. It amends Chapter 61 of the Education Code by adding Subchapter N, which provides student loan repayment assistance to Child Protective Services (CPS) family-based safety services (FBSS) caseworkers, CPS investigators, child-case licensing investigators or inspectors (CCL), and residential child-case licensing investigators or inspectors (RCCL). These are the people with the hardest jobs, the ones who go out in the field and have to deal with vulnerable children, upset parents, and dangerous situations. The bill requires employees to have been employed for at least a year and be a current full-time employee for DFPS. The amount of assistance under the bill is determined by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board and cannot exceed $2,500 a year. A worker is only eligible to receive assistance for up to four years.
Data from the Council on Social Work Education’s annual survey suggests a loan repayment program would go a far way to help lower turnover rates in Texas. It shows that the median amount of loans a student with a Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) or Master of Social Work (MSW) had after graduating in Texas, in 2015 was $31,816 and $36,010 respectively.
Large loan debts have been a national issue in recent years, with Texan graduates having an average loan debt of $27,324 in 2015. A loan repayment program would help out not only those specifically dedicated to Social Work degrees, but also every other college-educated person with an interest in working with the DFPS. The reason these large debts are such a problem specifically for DFPS employees is because they are very underpaid. The DFPS website says that CPS FBSS caseworkers and CPS investigators, on the higher end because they have more experience, make $3,994.66 and both RCCL and CCL investigators and inspectors make $3,401.33.
According to an assessment by The Stephen Group, in 2014, starting salaries for entry level CPS workers with a BSW was $2,785.68 a month and MSW holders were paid $2,877.28 a month. The data represents salaries for all CPS workers including non-caseworkers and investigators. From level I to V, the increase in salary doesn’t change substantially.
Keep in mind that people get to level V after a lot of training and a minimum of 2.75 years of working there. Getting past the training requires going through over 10 different training programs. When a person is asked to do all the things caseworkers do for $33–34k in their starting year, which is about the amount of debt they graduated with, and after years of hard work they could only hope to make around $40–46k, they would reasonably be expected to feel pressure to find a better paying job. Thus, a program that provides loan relief could increase their incentive to stay in the field.
Finding a way to retain employees is crucial for the DFPS. In 2016, the Human Resources Management Plan from the DFPS reported turnover rates since 2011. Their report shows that caseworkers have high turnover rates. In 2013, for example, FBSS caseworker turnover rate was 25.5%, CPS investigator turnover was 32.3%, CCL worker turnover was 19.8%, and RCCL worker turnover was 11.6%.
When we look at The Stephen Group assessment, we see that turnover rates can often be higher for different regions. For example, using 4th quarter of 2013 data, FBSS caseworker turnover in region 8, which covers part of central and south Texas, was 53.7%. CPS Investigator turnover rate for this region was 42.3%. 7 out of the 11 regions had FBSS caseworker turnover at above 25.5% and 7 out of 11 regions had CPS investigator turnover at above 32.3%.
This high turnover rate means that investigators are being given more cases than they can handle. They aren’t able to put in the time and care for any one case and this means thousands of children have had their cases neglected.
There are a lot of measurements Texas can take in order to decrease the turnover crisis it is facing. Offering loan assistance of a maximum of $10,000 in 4 years could provide motivation for those who want to pursue a degree in this field and relief for those who are already working there. It could also provide motivation for people who are in the field and have student loan debt to stick around for 4 years. With more qualified people staying, and the loan repayment program increasing the attractiveness of working for the DFPS, there would be less workloads for each person. If a worker has less cases and less debt, they would have less stress, more job satisfaction, and less reason to leave. Legislators who want to protect these children ought to look at a loan repayment program. Having a caseworker that can dedicate the necessary time and attention to a child’s case is a sign of a well-functioning DFPS that can provide important services to Texas families.
It’s important to keep in mind that HB 600 is just one part of the solution that Texas needs to implement. We can’t stop there. Across the board salary increases and higher standards for employee qualifications are one of the many measures that Texas must take in order to solve this crisis. Still, a loan repayment program would go a long way in decreasing turnover and improving the quality of the DFPS.
Works Cited
House Bill 600, 84th Texas Legislature Regular Session.
Council on Social Work Education. Annual Survey of Social Work Programs. 2007 and 2015 Benchmark Report.
The Institute for College Access and Success. “Project on Student Debt.”
Texas Department of Family and Protective Services. “What is a CPS Family Based Safety Services (FBSS) Specialist?”
Texas Department of Family and Protective Services. “What is a CPS Investigator Specialist?”
Texas Department of Family and Protective Services. “Types of Jobs in Child Care Licensing.”
The Stephen Group. “DFPS CPS Operational Review Phase 1: Assessment/Findings” 12 June 2014.
Texas Department of Family and Protective Services. “House Bill 1, Rider 9, 84th Legislature, Regular Session Human Resources Management Plan 2016–2017” 1 June 2016.
McShwane, J. “CPS Crisis Continues, With More Endangered Children Going Unseen Across Texas.” Dallas News. 4 October 2016.
