Chronic Disinvestment in Human Services=Unmet Needs

Report Shows Several Local Departments of Social Services Dramatically Understaffed: Nearly 1100 Family Investment Staff Needed to Manage Workload


Another Symptom of an All Cuts Approach to Maryland’s Budget
A 2011 study by the University of Baltimore (UB) Schaefer Center for Public Policy confirms that Family Investment Program (FIP) staff at Local Departments of Social Services (LDSS) experienced a 45 percent increase in workload from 2002 to 2010. All jurisdictions, except Garrett County show a staffing shortage that ranges from 6.5 percent in Somerset County to 54.2 percent in Frederick County. Without an adequate number of well-trained specialists and a technology overhaul to address customers’ needs, case backlogs, increased error rates, delays and missing paperwork will continue to occur.

• Read the complete report here (web version)
• Download the pdf version here