Delaware's State Auditor shares findings from its examination into the Department of Services for Children, Youth, and their Families.
The report confirms that DSCYF– commonly referred to as the Kids Department– uses state office buildings as emergency placement sites for children. This can be for multiple nights, and the offices don’t have showers.
Auditor Lydia York’s report didn’t include an exact number of times this has happened but described occurrence as, “multiple children and events.”
“I would take the position that should this happen to any child, it’s an issue,” York said.
York's report said interviews with staff depict a potentially unsafe environment for the youth and employees supervising them. In the past, police responded to altercations between youths and employees during an in-office emergency stay.
The report also noted lack of formalized placement protocols in emergency circumstances. The biggest barrier is a lack of temporary shelters or homes where youth can stay.
York noted the department is working to expand its placement capacity with renovation of a Georgetown facility.
This investigation spanned 2023-to-2025. And during that time, York's office also looked into out-of-state placement for youth in the state’s care.
It says during that time, spending on out of state placement increased. The report added that's despite the number of youths in custody remaining the same over that time. But lengths of stay did vary and costs of its contracts went up.
Out-of-state placements cost the state’s Department of Services for Children, Youth, and their Families $3.6 million in fiscal year 2025. York acknowledged that as she was investigating the issue, the Kids Department was actively looking for solutions.
"I think that the real problem here was just absolute capacity," she said. "Prediction is an issue, which is why measurement becomes paramount. But I think that the issue here is that we just did not have capacity where the child was."
The report said DSCYF lacks a formalized policy for youth in out-of-state care.
Out of state placement is used as an option for kids when in-state resources aren’t available, or if a child has complex needs requiring specialized placement.
