DALLAS — Democratic Texas lawmakers have filed bills seeking to restore a requirement that Child Protective Services caseworkers have at least a four-year college degree, including one that would add a stipulation that the degree be in a relevant field.
Faced with a shortage of caseworkers and a beleaguered child welfare system, the state’s Department of Family and Protective Services removed the bachelor’s degree requirement last May, making Texas one of few states without such a requirement. Instead, caseworkers need only have 60 college credit hours and two years of relevant work experience or 90 credit hours and one year of experience.
But with the recent granting of about $140 million in emergency funding to hire 800 new caseworkers and give pay increases to thousands of existing ones, child advocates say the educational standards should be restored and even strengthened by requiring a worker’s degree be in social work or some other human services-related field.
“If you are bringing to the table specific tools that were always meant for this area, you’re going to see better outcomes,” said Will Francis, government relations director for the Texas chapter of the National Association of Social Workers. He said research shows that such workers are more effective in developing permanency plans for those in foster care.
Experts say the skills learned from a higher education in the field are needed. They also add research shows those with degrees in social work and human services stay at their jobs longer.
“When you are talking about very complex issues like substance abuse and family violence, and what families are experiencing who generally have their kids removed, those are complicated. You can’t solve those overnight,” said Monica Faulkner, director of the Texas Institute for Child and Family Wellbeing at the School of Social Work at the University of Texas at Austin.
She said a social work background is also helpful in “giving a voice” to those placed in foster care.
