DIVISION OF CHILDREN AND FAMILY SERVICES

There is an organization in Arkansas state government that is staffed by people who care about children and families. That organization is part of the Department of Human Services and is called the Division of Children and Family Services.

Today, pressures are mounting against traditional family structure and values. It's comforting to know that the Division of Children and Family Services has trained professionals to help children and families with their problems. Our staff is here:

for youth who are in trouble with the law
for families who temporarily can't care for their own children
to help stop child abuse and neglect and help solve the family and community problems which contribute to it
to protect the interests of children who depend on public child care

DCFS directs its energy toward keeping the family whole, rather than separating it, except as a last resort. We work to give families the help they need to solve their problems.

Child Protective Services

No one likes to think that children in Arkansas are being harmed in any way. That's why Child Protective Services tries to keep children from being abused or neglected. It also helps parents learn how to care for their children better and helps make families stronger. The hotline number for Child Protective Services is 1-800 482-5964.

Foster Care

Sometimes parents can't adequately care for their children. If the parents agree, the Division may place the children in foster care. In some cases the court may order placement in foster care.

DCFS helps families work out problems so the children can come back home. If that isn't possible, DCFS places the children in permanent homes.

DCFS recruits, trains, and supports foster families who care for these children.

Juvenile Services

Life isn't easy for young people, and sometimes they get in trouble. When it's serious, a youth may be declared a delinquent by a court and committed to a DCFS Youth Services Center. The youthful offender is then taken to the Alexander Youth Services Center. There he is assigned to either the Alexander YSC or the Pine Bluff YSC depending on factors such as age, sex, and the type of offense.

The Youth Services Centers offer remedial and vocational education, a standard high school curriculum, special education, and counseling.

DCFS oversees a network of youth services in local communities across the state for delinquent youth. There are also services for youth who are truant from school, who will not obey their parents, or who are runaways. Other programs are available for youth who are at risk of entering the judicial system if they don't get help.

Intensive Family Services

This DCFS program helps families that have a high risk of having their children removed from their home. Teams of caseworkers, family counselors, and others focus on each family's problems so the children can stay at home.

Adoption

Today, older, handicapped, minority, and abused or neglected children need loving persons to adopt them. DCFS helps by providing a full range of adoption services, from finding families to adopt to keeping a voluntary adoption registry. Services are also available to biological parents who chose to place their newborns for adoption.

Child Care

Child care today is a necessity for many families. But not all families can afford adequate child care. Families who need child care so the parents can look for jobs, or go to job training, or to school, but can't afford it, may be eligible for free or reduced-cost child care.

Residential and Child Care Licensing

About eight out of 10 mothers with preschool children now have jobs outside their homes. Half of all new mothers will be back at work before their child is a year old.

DCFS and the Childcare Facility Review Board make sure that children in child care outside of the ho me are safe and well-cared for. The Board has minimum standards for child care in Arkansas for day care, day care family homes, residential and psychological care, foster care, and adoption.

If you need help finding licensed child care near you, call the child care referral line at 1-800-455-3316 between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m., Monday through Friday.

Whether working to make children's lives safe and secure, protecting them from an unstable home life or finding them a permanent home, the Division of Children and Family Services is working for better lives for Arkansas' children and their families. We hope that this brochure will help you know how to find the services you, or someone you know, may need.

If you want to know more about any DCFS service, please call your local Department of Human Services County Office. If you live in Pulaski County call 376-0472.

Department of Human Services
Division of Children and Family Services
P. O. Box 1437
Little Rock, AR 72203-1437

For more information about Children and Family Services in Pulaski County call 376-0472.