STAND. COM. REP. 2306

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2004

RE: S.B. No. 3036

S.D. 1

 

 

Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2004

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Human Services, to which was referred S.B. No. 3036 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO CHILD PROTECTIVE SERVICES,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to require the Department of Human Services to adopt child welfare social worker caseload standards and reclassify child welfare social workers to achieve a two salary range upgrade.

Testimony in support of the measure was submitted by the Hawaii Government Employees Association, National Association of Social Workers, and ten child welfare social workers. The Department of Human Services and Department of Human Resources Development testified in opposition.

Your Committee finds that one of the areas needing critical improvement in child welfare services is the social worker's contact with the family. Many disgruntled families have reported that they lack contact with their social worker and some have stated that they only saw their social worker just before going into court. Unfortunately, our child protective services social workers are over burdened with too many cases. With manageable caseloads, the social workers can attend to each family in a timely manner. Furthermore, increasing their salary range will encourage more applicants to fill vacant positions and lower the high employee turnover rates.

Your Committee has amended this measure by making a technical, nonsubstantive amendment, and delaying the effective date to July 1, 2005 to allow the Department of Human Services time to improve this situation.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Human Services that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 3036, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 3036, S.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Human Services,

____________________________

SUZANNE CHUN OAKLAND, Chair