Missouri Children’s Division Archives

Governor hopes to bring stability to Missouri Children’s Division

October 2, 2020 By Brian Hauswirth

Missouri’s governor says filling the Children’s Division director position is a top priority for him.

Missouri Governor Mike Parson briefs Capitol reporters on July 22, 2020 in Jefferson City (file photo courtesy of the governor’s Flickr page)

The Children’s Division is part of the state Department of Social Services (DSS), and is responsible for the administration of child welfare services. During his virtual media briefing on Wednesday, Governor Mike Parson reacted to the resignation of former State Rep. David Wood, R-Versailles, who held the Children’s Division director position for about three months.

“Because there’s one thing for sure as a parent (and) as a grandparent, we need to take care of the children of this state. And we’ll get somebody in that place as soon as we can, and we’re going to get the best qualified person to be in that position,” Parson says.

There have now been six Children’s Division directors in the past seven years, and the governor hopes to bring stability to the agency. The Children’s Division’s responsibilities also include foster care and adoption. The division works with families, communities and the courts toward ensuring the safety and well-bring of Missouri children.

The governor says the agency’s deputy director has been doing a great job. The “St. Louis Post-Dispatch” reported this week that Joanie Rogers is now serving as interim director.

Missouri agency responsible for child welfare services has now had six directors in seven years

September 30, 2020 By Brian Hauswirth

A former state lawmaker from mid-Missouri’s Morgan County has resigned as Missouri’s Children’s Division director, after about three months on the job.

Former State Rep. David Wood, R-Versailles, speaks on the Missouri House floor in Jefferson City on May 15, 2020 (file photo courtesy of Tim Bommel at House Communications)

Former State Rep. David Wood, R-Versailles, was named the Children’s Division director in June. He told Missourinet on Tuesday that he is no longer the Children’s Division Director, adding that he appreciates the “opportunity that the governor gave me, and I wish the Children’s Division the best as they are very good people doing a very difficult job.”

The Children’s Division is part of the state Department of Social Services (DSS), and is responsible for the administration of child welfare services. Its responsibilities also include foster care and adoption.

The division works with families, communities and the courts toward ensuring the safety and well-bring of Missouri children.

There have now been six Children’s Division directors in the past seven years.

Wood, who served almost eight years in the Missouri House, resigned his seat in June, after being named the new Children’s Division director. Wood could not seek re-election, because of term limits.

He told Missourinet Versailles affiliate KTKS in May that he planned to stay for at least four years and that the division needed stability. Wood, who served as the House Budget Committee’s vice chairman, also told KTKS that he hoped his experience would help in funding the Children’s Division.

“I know it’s going to be a tough budget cycle because the revenues aren’t coming in, we’re going to have to look at cuts,” Wood said in May. “And with my experience on the budget and knowing how to deal with that and how to defend certain pieces, I think I’m going to be a good advocate for the department.”

The “St. Louis Post-Dispatch” reports Joanie Rogers is now serving as interim director.

More figures on Missouri’s 50% decline in Child Abuse and Neglect Hotline calls

April 6, 2020 By Alisa Nelson

Since March 11, the state has had a 50% decline in the number of calls to the Child Abuse and Neglect Hotline – another mark left by the coronavirus. Sara Smith, Deputy Director of the Missouri Children’s Division, says the hotline had about 154,000 calls last fiscal year.

Missouri’s Social Security offices halt in-person services

“I mean average right now would be around 650 (daily calls) and we’re seeing about less than half of that,” she says.

Mandated reporters, at schools and some daycares and churches, are not seeing kids in person like they normally do.

“This is even lower than what we even see in the summer when school is out,” says Smith. “Probably because some daycares have also closed and after-school activities and churches, which are some of our other pretty important reporting parties.”

The Department of Social Services, Children’s Division is also very concerned that social isolation and the unprecedented pressures parents and families are experiencing are elevating the risk for child abuse or neglect.

“There are some stressors that would definitely be a concern during this period of unchartered time,” she says.

Children’s Division workers are still connecting with families, providing assistance, and helping to ensure that kids are safe. Smith is pleading to schools, churches and daycares to check in on their kids from time to time by telephone or online.