When people call the state hotline to report suspected child abuse or neglect, about 80 percent are assigned to the Division of Children and Family Services. The other 20 percent are considered more serious, and are assigned to the State Police, which has a Division of Crimes Against Children. The Division has 428 family services workers. Their average caseload in March was 23.3, which is down from 25.5 last October. The state’s goal is to bring it below 20.
Weekly UpdatesStatement of Senator Jason Rapert regarding Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade
Weekly UpdatesThe Arkansas School Safety Commission has been set up again to update measures to protect students while they are in school. The governor issued an executive order to reinstate the commission in the wake of the mass murder of 19 children and two adults at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, on May 24.
Weekly UpdatesThe state Forestry Division is known for managing woodlands, helping control fires and supporting rural fire departments. Not so well known is its work in cities and towns. In mid-May, the division hosted forestry professionals from across the Southeast for a training event designed to improve the skills of Urban Strike Force Teams.
Weekly UpdatesThe economic impact of the Covid-19 pandemic was especially hard for child care centers, so the Arkansas Department of Human Services is administering about $286 million to help them cover expenses and remain in business. So far, about $110 million of the relief funding has been sent to child care providers, according to the department’s Division of Child Care and Early Childhood Education.
Weekly UpdatesStatement by Senator Jason Rapert regarding ruling by Judge Kristine Baker,
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