Residents of Wood County attend a child welfare community listening session at the Wood County Resilience Center in Parkersburg on May 15, 2025. The meeting was facilitated by the West Virginia Department of Human Services.
WV foster care listening tour report: ‘More focus on blame than solving problems’
The $348K report follows eight meetings around the state where foster parents, case workers, attorneys and more could share their experiences in the foster care system.
The state released the results of its foster care “listening tour,†and the findings reiterated many problems already well-known in West Virginia’s troubled system — like the need for expanded access to child mental health care and improved communication with families and caregivers.
“Nearly everyone described a culture more focused on blame than solving problems,†the report said.
The West Virginia Department of Human Services paid $348,000 for Chicago-based Guidehouse advisory firm to facilitate the meetings and produce the report, which was released Wednesday. Gov. Patrick Morrisey, who says he wants to fix the foster care system, signed off on an emergency spending request for the project.
Residents of Wood County attend a child welfare community listening session at the Wood County Resilience Center in Parkersburg on May 15, 2025. The meeting was facilitated by the West Virginia Department of Human Services.
AMELIA FERRELL KNISELY | West Virginia Watch
The report follows eight in-person sessions and 11 virtual meetings where DoHS and the consulting firm brought together foster parents, biological parents, social workers, legal professionals and more to share concerns and solutions for West Virginia foster care.
“Foster parents and kinship caregivers said they feared losing placements for raising concerns,†the report said. “Biological parents echoed this — sharing experiences of how questioning decisions have triggered delays or stricter oversight. This fear silences feedback, hinders transparency, and deepens power imbalances.â€
DoHS Bureau for Social Services Commissioner Lorie Bragg said in a news release that the report reflects challenges as well as opportunities for change.
“We are taking the stories, concerns and solutions we heard and using them to guide next steps in policy, practice and training. We remain committed to ensuring this process stays collaborative and transparent,†she said.
There are more than 6,000 children in the state’s foster care system, and West Virginia far outpaces other states in the number of children coming into care.
Hundreds of West Virginians shared their experiences and ideas to improve the state’s foster care system during the listening tour, DoHS said.
According to the report, families and youth in West Virginia foster care “experience a revolving door of caseworkers and [guardian ad litems] — some reporting four or more in a single case.â€
“Turnover, burnout and vacancies create chaos, forcing parents, youth, judges and caregivers to re-explain, re-engage and rebuild trust with each other from scratch,†the report said.
The state’s courts system, overwhelmed by child abuse and neglect cases, is struggling to keep up with the case load. During foster care listening sessions, parents and caregivers shared that their hearings had been delayed for months or even years.
There’s also a need to create consistency across the state in how child welfare cases are handled by courts and Child Protective Services workers.
“A striking theme was the uneven experience between different counties and workers. Many participants perceived that the ‘same case’ could play out differently depending on the judge, the worker, or the region — with uneven application of timelines, visitation, reunification standards and basic case procedures,†the report said.
Department of Human Services Secretary Alex Mayer speaks to the Senate Judiciary Committee on March 10, 2025.
WILL PRICE | WV Legislative Photography
DoHS Secretary Alex Mayer has already said improving consistency and implementing processes was one of his major focuses for child welfare.
The report also noted that the state needs to expand access to mental health and wraparound services as the state is woefully short on providers who can help children dealing with trauma-induced behavioral issues. The shortage of child mental health providers and in-state treatment beds has led the state to send foster children to out-of-state facilities.
A news release from DoHS outlined next steps, saying the department will convene a stakeholder advisory committee. They plan to use the report’s findings “to shape workforce initiatives, strengthen prevention efforts and enhance support for children and families.â€
“Releasing this report is more than just documenting what we heard, it is a commitment to act,†Mayer said. “The voices of families, caregivers and caseworkers will help shape policy and practice changes that move us toward a stronger, more supportive child welfare system.â€
The report suggested that the state could end its reliance on out-of-state placements by expanding in-state therapeutic options and recruiting more specialized homes.
Last week, Mayer told lawmakers at the state Capitol that there were around 600 foster children living in out-of-state group homes. Eighteen children were living in a hotel as of Monday.
“These children are not staying in hotels because we don’t have enough beds, because we don’t have enough foster parents. It’s a lot to do with the complexities and the challenges that these children are facing,†he said. “And you know, we’ve been working and continue to work with our providers to better understand the needs of these children, and how we can help them boost their capacity and their ability to support these youth.â€
Last year, the state spent nearly $70 million paying to house foster children in out-of-state facilities. DoHS is considering the possibility of how they could build in-state facilities to serve these children who often need specialized behavioral care.
West Virginia Watch is part of States Newsroom, the nation’s largest state-focused nonprofit news organization.
