Social workers call for top to bottom review of DCYF

Call comes after $11 million allocated in funding
Hector Molina,

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WLNE)- Social workers and state lawmakers are calling for a top to bottom review of DCYF.

The state’s House of Representatives Oversight hearings recently exposed many problems that require an increase in staffing and funding.

The call comes after the House Finance Committee agreed to provide DCYF with an additional $11 million in funding.

Two of the top needs in the department include a needed update in their vehicle fleet and a need for more qualified workers.

ABC6 spoke with Rebecca Medina, an East Providence resident who’s part of a DCYF safety team.

She said the department has done a poor job keeping in contact with her for quite sometime.

She told ABC6 the changes she would like to see the department make.

“More investigations, more follow through..if you’re going to put a safety plan in place follow through with the plan don’t just put it on paper there needs to be follow through. It may look good on paper but these are people who actually exist…these are children,” Medina said.

Matthew Gunnip, a DCYF case worker president of Service Employees International Union Local 580, said child protective investigators are normally assigned to 8 cases a month.

Due to low staffing investigators are now taking on one case per day.

“I’ll give you an analogy of trying to drink out of a fire hose, now try to drink out of six of them, and do your at the same time,” Gunnip said.
He adds that he agrees with Medina, but thinks the funding from the state will help.
“I think she’s correct. This money will help hire a lot more child protective investigators to do that type of work.”
With the funding, the department should now have the ability to add up to 91 new positions.
DCYF is also receiving authorization to pay its next director up to $200,000 in an effort to help with recruitment for that position.
A huge help to a department that has dealt with understaffing, negligence and many other issues over the years.
Rep. Michael Chappendale is one of several lawmakers who plan to keep a close eye on how this funding is spent.
“There’s been a storm cloud over DCF for quite sometime. This funding will help keep those clouds away. These clouds won’t be away forever as storms always come back. Over the next few months and years we will see things start to happen but at least now we have the funding to facilitate the necessary changes.”
While it has yet to be released as to how that $11 million will be spent, Gunnip and other workers believe a full review should conducted before that money is allocated.
There is no official word yet as to when or if this review will take place.
Categories: News, Providence, Rhode Island

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