Children’s services official resigns post

Tuesday, June 12, 2001 | 10:58 a.m.

CARSON CITY -- Stephen Shaw, administrator of the state Division of Child and Family Services, has announced his resignation after 27 years in children services.

In a letter to his employees, he complained that the state system has not had adequate money since its creation in the early 1990s. His resignation is effective Aug. 2, and his deputy, Bruce Alder, will become acting administrator.

The recent Legislature started the consolidation of some of the services such as adoptions and foster care in the state agency with Clark and Washoe counties.

Shaw said many of his front-line workers disagreed with his efforts to integrate the state's services with those of the two major counties. In a written statement, Shaw said:

"As I have testified, the best system is an adequately funded statewide system. In my humble opinion, the division has been inadequately resourced from the beginning.

"One has to look no farther than Clark and Washoe counties to see the support given to their child service agencies and contrasted with the Division of Child and Family Services in the areas of organization, infrastructure, employee compensation, caseloads, employee housing, equipment, operations budget and (in) virtually any other area the division operates in poverty.

"The only way to rapidly infuse resources into the system is to give it to counties where it will be supported."

Shaw has been administrator since 1995. He could not be reached for comment on his future plans.