STAND. COM. REP. NO.401

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2003

RE: S.B. No. 699

S.D. 1

 

 

Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2003

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committees on Human Services and Labor, to which was referred S.B. No. 699 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO CHILD WELFARE SERVICES,"

beg leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to appropriate funds to reprice, or reclassify upward, all child welfare service social workers; upgrade all exempt Case Support Aide positions to permanent Social Service Assistant IV positions; convert one clerk-typist position from half-time to full-time; and lower the caseload of assessment social workers and case managers to not more than twenty children.

Testimony in support of this measure was submitted by the National Association of Social Workers; the Hawaii Government Employees' Association; and a private citizen. The Department of Human Services testified in support of the intent of this measure. Testimony in opposition to this measure was submitted by the Department of Human Resources Development.

Your Committees find that societal problems are more challenging and complicated, as evidenced by the increasing violence and drug use in our communities. The front line of defense for children who may be abused or neglected are the child welfare services social workers and support staff. Your Committees heard testimony that the child welfare services social workers are entrusted with a unique responsibility to make critical decisions that often may have significant impact, affecting the lives of, not only the children, but also the families involved.

Your Committees further find that, although generally a social worker must have a Master's Degree in Social Work, the State allows individuals with relevant professional experience to qualify as social workers. Therefore, your Committees believe imposing an on-going training requirement on all child welfare services social workers would help ensure that these front-line personnel possess a common base of knowledge and competency in social work.

Accordingly, your Committees have amended this measure by adding an on-going training requirement for child welfare services social workers.

Finally, your Committees find that, the Department of Human Resources Development has undertaken an occupational study of social workers, including child welfare social workers, that would include a study of pricing considerations and possible re-classification of social workers. However, there is at present no scheduled completion date or timeline for implementation of recommendations of the occupational study. Your Committees believe that child welfare service social workers and support staff should not have to wait, possibly for years, before the State recognizes the value and importance of the difficult work they do. Therefore, your Committees are passing this measure out to allow continued discussion of this issue.

As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Human Services and Labor that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 699, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 699, S.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Human Services and Labor,

____________________________

BRIAN KANNO, Chair

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SUZANNE CHUN OAKLAND, Chair