Southwest Arkansas Radio Radio Stations KMTB, KNAS and KBHC in Nashville, Arkansas
The number of Arkansas children in foster care has fallen by more than 700 since reaching an all-time high in 2016. A recent report by the Department of Human Services Division of Children and Family Services outlines progress made and areas for improvement. According to data, the number of children in foster care declined by more than ten percent in 2018, a decrease of 507 children.
The number of children in care at the end of year 2018 in Area 3 totaled 881, with 5 in Howard County and 25 in Pike County. The total was a decrease of 231 from the prior year.
Additional funding for DHS approved by the legislature in recent years has helped to increase the number of caseworkers and decrease the average worker caseload. As a result, they are seeing children placed in permanent homes sooner and fewer children re-entering the foster care system.
When it comes to areas for improvement, the report notes that the agency struggled to place children close to the homes from which they were removed. A total of 69% resided in either their home county or a neighboring county at the end of 2018, similar to previous years.
