INDIANAPOLIS – The Indiana Department of Child Services will reallocate $37.8 million to various services aiding abused and neglected children, officials announced Wednesday.
Last year the agency reverted more than $100 million to the state general fund to build the state surplus.
But this year they are keeping more money for services and are reverting only $16 million.
“We still have funds available to promote and implement programs,” said John Ryan, chief of staff for the agency. “We’re spending more wisely.”
The $37.8 million will be spent on five programs over the next three years:
- Community Partners will receive an additional $5.3 million each year to provide services ensuring a safe and stable environment at home for children.
- Healthy Families will receive an additional $2 million a year to provide preventative services to high-risk families with children up to three years old.
- Relative Care will receive an additional $2 million each year to cover additional services for relatives caring for children who have been removed from their homes.
- Concrete Support Services will receive an additional $1.3 million a year to provide food, shelter for families.
- A new program – After-Care services – will receive $2 million a year to provide services to families for six months after its DCS case is closed.
The newly-identified spending is a reallocation of money within its existing budget as the agency spends less on foster and institutional care.
For more on this story, see Thursday’s print edition of The Journal Gazette or return to www.journalgazette.net after 3 a.m. Thursday.
