Editorial: Child welfare a priority

Friday, Dec. 22, 2006 | 7:11 a.m.

The number of children coming under the guardianship of Clark County has increased dramatically over the past several years, with 2005 and this year being especially noteworthy for this unfortunate statistic.

Many of the children become wards of the county because their parents are afflicted with drug addictions and cannot responsibly attend to their parental responsibilities.

Because of this crisis, which only seems to be continuing, the county's Family Services Department is overwhelmed, which affects the care it can provide. A report earlier this year by a nationally known child welfare expert criticized Clark County's justice and social services systems for failing to properly protect children. It specifically cited the department's Child Protective Services division for shortcomings, including in its follow-up care to children who are under county supervision.

As a result, the county has rightly made child welfare the top priority on its list of requests to the 2007 Nevada Legislature. It is seeking $22.4 million in additional state funding for Family Services.

The money would be used to hire 160 new employees for the department, including many who would serve to improve foster care. A large part of the department's problem is that its staffing levels have not kept up with its increasing growth-related caseloads.

We believe this request should be among the Legislature's top priorities, too. The county must not be in a position where it is almost guaranteed to come up short in its responsibilities for infants, small children and teenagers. For many of these children, their whole futures depend on the county having enough resources to provide them with the care they deserve.