Senate Resolution 8

(As Adopted by Senate)

A RESOLUTION COMMENDING MISSISSIPPI DEPARTMENT OF CHILD PROTECTION SERVICES COMMISSIONER DAVID A. CHANDLER UPON HIS RECEIPT OF THE NATIONAL COUNCIL FOR ADOPTION BABINEAUX AWARD FOR EXCEPTIONAL LEADERSHIP ON BEHALF OF CHILDREN IN MISSISSIPPI'S FOSTER CARE SYSTEM.

WHEREAS, Mississippi Department of Child Protection Services Commissioner David A. Chandler was honored on May 8, 2017, by the National Council for Adoption for his exceptional leadership on behalf of children in Mississippi's foster care system; and

WHEREAS, the Warren and Mary Alice Babineaux Award was presented to Commissioner Chandler by Chuck Johnson, President and CEO of the National Council for Adoption, who praised Mississippi's progress in transforming the state's troubled child welfare system into a strong safety net for at-risk children and their families. The Babineaux Award honors individuals and organizations that have demonstrated the most selfless commitment to providing resources, education and leadership to address the many challenges facing the foster care system, including parent recruitment, training and support services necessary to give children safe, stable and loving adoptive families. The award is named for Adoption Hall of Fame recipients Warren and Mary Alice Babineaux, who cared for more than 100 children in foster care during their decades-long tenure as foster and adoptive parents in Louisiana; and

WHEREAS, under Chandler's leadership, the state has eliminated a backlog of 478 homes awaiting emergency licensure as foster homes for neglected and abused children. Children who come into the foster care system now are placed in licensed foster care, either with relatives, which is referred to as emergency placement, or with licensed foster families, therapeutic foster homes, group homes or residential treatment facilities. Through the work of the Mississippi Department of Child Protection Services (MDCPS), the state has made enough progress that it no longer has to report to a federal court-appointed monitor; and

WHEREAS, "Mississippi's decades-long struggle to provide adequate care for all children in its foster care system, and ongoing struggle to increase adoptions of waiting children, has drawn public attention and legal concerns," CEO Johnson said. "We wanted to pay tribute to Dr. Chandler for the outstanding sacrifice he has made to take on this challenge and for Mississippi's commitment and innovative approach to improving the state's troubled child welfare system and the progress it has made since Commissioner Chandler assumed his leadership responsibility. Few leave a high position they love to take on something that is as difficult and challenging as this"; and

WHEREAS, Chandler, who serves as Commissioner of the Mississippi Department of Child Protection Services created by the 2016 Legislature as a new state agency, accepted the award on behalf of MDCPS and "for the State of Mississippi and all of the elected officials who decided to make the safety and protection of our state's most vulnerable and at-risk children their top priority." Commissioner Chandler specifically credited the Mississippi Legislature and Governor Phil Bryant for creating MDCPS as a stand-alone agency and providing increased funding necessary to make critical improvements and expand staffing. Since MDCPS was created on July 1, 2016, there have been 254 permanent adoptions of foster children finalized in Mississippi. There are another 554 children currently cleared for adoption. Of those, 388 are in the process of being adopted and 166 children are awaiting an adoptive family. As of May 5, 2016, MDCPS had 6,116 foster children in state custody. MDCPS currently employs 1,566 staff members with about 1,200 of those working directly with at-risk children and families on the county and regional levels across Mississippi. The agency staffs its 84 county offices with social workers, supervisors, special investigators and professional adoption, licensure and field operations support personnel; and

WHEREAS, we join the National Council for Adoption in recognizing this extraordinary leadership that has resulted in measurable progress toward addressing the crisis our nation faces, with more than 100,000 U.S. children in foster care who need permanent families:

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI, That we do hereby commend Mississippi Department of Child Protection Services Commissioner David A. Chandler upon his exceptional leadership on behalf of children in Mississippi's foster care system, and extend best wishes on this auspicious occasion.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That this resolution be presented to Commissioner Chandler, forwarded to the Governor, and made available to the Capitol Press Corps.