The District of Columbia’s Child and Family Services Agency (CFSA) is facing renewed scrutiny following a rise in incomplete investigations into reports of abuse and neglect and a simultaneous increase in foster care placements in fiscal year 2024, two trends observers worry are the result of a lack of staffing at the agency.
CFSA reported 1,442 incomplete investigations in FY 2024, which ended Sept. 30, 2024, nearly tripling the 525 investigations left incomplete at the end of FY 2023. Cases are marked as incomplete when there are “barriers to being able to complete every aspect of the investigation,” such as not being able to get records or contact families, according to the agency. According to data from CFSA’s dashboard, these incomplete cases accounted for 38% of the total investigations in FY 2024, up from just 15% the year prior. In the first quarter of FY 2025, 579 investigations, or 60%, were marked as incomplete.
Total referrals have increased for the second year in a row, from 16,899 in FY22 to 20,246 in FY2023, and then to 20,978 in 2024.
“We need transparency to gauge the seriousness of the situation, especially regarding whether the incomplete investigations signify systemic failures to address child safety vulnerabilities or merely reflect backlogs in documentation,” a former CFSA social worker who asked to remain anonymous for fear of hindering future job prospects said.
Adding to the concern, FY 2024 marked the first time in more than a decade the number of children entering foster care in the District increased. According to CFSA data, 510 children entered foster care in FY 2024, compared with 454 in FY 2023 and 425 in FY 2022. Until FY 2024, the number had steadily declined each year since FY 2010, when 803 children entered care.
The rise in foster care placements, incomplete investigations, and total referrals together may suggest mounting pressure on the agency’s capacity to provide timely and thorough services, according to Marie Cohen, who runs watchdog blog Child Welfare Monitor.
“Prominent child welfare scholars have concluded that referrals are the best available indicator of actual maltreatment due to the strong correlation between referrals and future reports…thus, the increase in referrals may well be a sign of increasing maltreatment,” Cohen wrote.
CFSA has not issued a public statement addressing the surge in incomplete cases or the increase in foster care placements, or responded to multiple requests for comment.
However, one contributor to trouble at the agency may be the staffing shortage at CFSA, a trend found in the child welfare profession across the United States. In oversight responses submitted in February, the agency wrote it continues to have a social worker staffing shortage and, as a result, has asked all social workers in the agency to help with abuse and neglect investigations, in addition to their other duties. According to the responses, there were 51 vacancies in the Child Protective Services division, which handles investigations.
Generally, national standards recommend no more than 12 to 15 active cases per child protection worker. But the oversight responses indicate that many D.C. social workers are now managing upwards of 30 to 40 cases, more than double the recommended caseload.
“[CFSA] basically say, hey, it’s not our fault. There’s a social worker shortage in the whole United States. Every agency has this problem,” said Marla Spindel, executive director of DC KinCare Alliance, which often works with CFSA. “But maybe there are some jurisdictions that are doing better with that, and if so, why? Like, is it because they’re giving them more incentives? Is it a better place to work?”
The effects of these increased workloads go beyond paperwork. Overstretched caseworkers are more likely to miss signs of ongoing abuse, misjudge risk levels, and leave vulnerable children without support. Increased workloads may also be to blame for quick turnover in the field.
“Social workers are overloaded with cases, and it is impossible to properly service children in these circumstances,” the former CFSA social worker said. “When you’re that overwhelmed, corners get cut. Not because we don’t care, but because we physically cannot be everywhere we need to be.”
D.C.’s problems are far from unique. Across the United States, child welfare agencies are grappling with staff shortages, backlogged investigations, and an increase in complex cases.
In West Virginia, there are consistent investigations into the foster care system, as children are at times being housed in shelters, hotels, and even cars due to a lack of placements and personnel. A 2024 hearing by the West Virginia House Health Committee revealed the state had over 7,000 children in care, but not nearly enough foster homes for them, leading to, at times, the most vulnerable of children in precarious situations.
In Connecticut, the Department of Children and Families came under fire after a state audit revealed multiple failures to follow investigative protocols, raising concerns about the adequacy of child safety assessments. These lapses were linked to child neglect and child fatalities in the state in recent years.
Nationally, a November 2023 report from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Inspector General noted that more than half of state child welfare agencies lack sufficient data to monitor maltreatment in residential facilities. The report urged stronger federal oversight and better data collection on child safety outcomes.
Until 2022, D.C.’s child welfare system was under federal court oversight as part of the LaShawn A. v. Bowser settlement, a decades-long class action lawsuit originally filed in 1989 to force improvements in child safety and permanency outcomes. The latest court monitoring report under the settlement found CFSA missed multiple performance benchmarks in FY 2023, including timelines for completing investigations and placing children in permanent homes.
“Ensuring children’s safety and well-being is a shared responsibility,” said Spindel. “But the government must lead with urgency, accountability, and resources.
