House budget makes end-run around its own madate to privatize DSHS Child Welfare Services, violating provisions of the bill and governor's executive order

CHILD WELFARE SERVICES 

The House budget also makes an outrageous end-run around its own mandate to privatize DSHS Child Welfare Services in a two-region pilot project that was to be reviewed at a later date. The House budget would move to statewide privatization, violating the provisions in the “HB 2106” process but also the governor’s October 2010 executive order on performance-based contracts, said Jeanine Livingston, the Federation’s contract compliance manager.

The House budget calls for contracting with “private lead agencies” – which is the code for statewide privatization of Child Welfare Services.

It’s an idea that’s failed in Nebraska and, curiously, is modeled after schemes in Wisconsin, home of the DSHS secretary and deputy director for the Children’s Administration.

It’s another idea from Wisconsin we should have not part of and that’s why the Federation “vehemently opposes” the idea, Livingston testified.

It’s likely the cut of 244 Children’s Administration positions is tied to the privatization scheme, she said.