Indiana Supreme Court Cannot Force Department Of Child Services To Comply With Caseload Limits

On August 28, 2017, the Indiana Supreme Court ruled that it could not force the Indiana Department of Child Services (DCS) to comply with caseload limits established by the state. Indiana law requires family case managers to handle no more than 17 ongoing cases or 12 initial assessments. The court’s opinion noted that the state law “requires only a particular outcome - caseloads cannot exceed seventeen children per case manager - and does not require the Department to take specified steps to achieve that outcome.” The court said it could not compel DCS to comply with its own terms.

The ruling . . .