An outside company did the review after the death of teenagers Natalie Finn of West Des Moines and Sabrina Ray in Perry. Both girls were starving and died in the home of her adoptive parents.
The review pointed out social workers need lighter caseloads, employees need to be better trained,
and the number of child abuse calls is high.
Lawmakers met today with the director of DHS to talk about the findings.
Senator Rob Hogg said, “I read the report, It’s got some pretty bad things in there. Iowa’s caseloads far exceed those nationally.”
DHS Director Jerry Foxhoven said, “It isn’t something you can change overnight…. we’re going to make all the changes that need to be made. “
The review of DHS isn’t over. While the department tries to make the recommended changes, the review team plans to come back and investigate whether more improvements need to be made.
