Andrade Backs Effort to Address Child Welfare Worker Shortage

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – Due to high turnover and low retention rates for child welfare services jobs, state Rep. Jaime Andrade, D-Chicago, recently supported a measure to investigate the causes and effects a worker shortage has on children in Illinois.

“Ensuring the safety of vulnerable children should be a high priority for our state,” Andrade said. “However, many child case-workers face heavy caseloads and low pay, making it difficult to recruit and retain competent and passionate individuals.”

The Andrade-supported Senate Bill 2628 creates a study group known as the Task Force on Strengthening the Child Welfare Workforce for Children and Families. The group will be tasked with evaluating the compensation and caseloads of child welfare workers, their impact on retention rates, and their impact on achieving safety and timely permanency for children under the care of relevant agencies. Once these reviews have been conducted, the task force will then develop and recommend policies to address the poor retention and turnover rates that currently exist. Senate Bill 2628 passed both chambers this past spring legislative session and will be sent to the governor for further action.

“When children are placed under our state’s care due to difficult family circumstances, it is crucial that we have qualified and experienced individuals working with them to address their needs,” Andrade said. “The creation of this task force is an important step toward investigating and addressing the problems that currently exist, and I urge the governor to sign this important legislation.”