Missouri’s child welfare brass has told lawmakers it is not planning to add frontline workers in fiscal 2027, even as burnout, vacancies and overloaded caseloads continue to dog the Children’s Division. Advocates and legislators warn that revamped training and a handful of better paid investigator jobs will not, on their own, steady a system built on intensive, time consuming casework.
According to the Missouri Independent, the Department of Social Services requested, and Gov. Mike Kehoe recommended, keeping the same number of full time equivalent field positions for the Children’s Division in fiscal year 2027 that it has now. A department spokesperson told the outlet the focus is on “maximizing the resources we have” instead of asking the legislature to fund more boots on the ground.
Kehoe’s office has proposed cutting more than $600 million from core general revenue spending as part of a broader budget plan that aims to rebalance state finances, a move that limits lawmakers’ room to create new positions, according to the Office of Governor Mike Kehoe. The administration says the reductions are meant to protect mandatory programs while addressing a projected future budget gap.
On the ground, turnover in the Children’s Division remains punishing. The agency reported a 40% frontline turnover rate at the end of fiscal 2025, down from 55% in September 2022, and listed 79 vacancies as of the end of November. Entry level pay still trails similar jobs in neighboring states, and lawmakers say that mix helps explain why so many workers cycle out. Republican Rep. Ann Kelley has filed a bill that would cap active cases at 20 per worker and has sponsored other proposals focused on tightening standards and training, according to the Missouri Independent.
Quarterly Reports Flag Missed Basics In Family Visits And Exams
The Children’s Division’s statutorily required HB1414 quarterly reports highlight how those staffing strains show up in day to day work. The October 2025 filing reports that between April and June 2025, no more than 6% of counties met the target of at least one visit per month between parents and their children. The January 2026 report documents continued shortfalls in worker parent visits and timely medical exams in many counties. Both reports, published by the Children’s Division, include county level dashboards and the underlying data used to build statewide performance measures. Missouri Department of Social Services Missouri Department of Social Services.
What Advocates And Lawmakers Say
Advocates and several lawmakers argue that policy tweaks will only go so far without more staff and higher pay to back them up. Groups such as the Missouri Network Against Child Abuse have repeatedly pushed to pair stricter accountability with investments in retention and training, and local reporting has tracked both a sharp reduction in the case backlog and persistent pressure on regional offices. KCUR
For now, department leaders say they will keep pouring resources into restructured training and a relatively small number of higher paid, specialized investigator roles that they argue ease the load on frontline staff. Lawmakers are gearing up for hearings and filing bills in the coming weeks that could set up a broader fight over whether Missouri will match new statutory expectations with the money needed to actually meet them.
