Creating WV Child First Advisory Committee
SB 944 creates the West Virginia Child First Advisory Committee within the Department of Human Services to study and improve the state’s child welfare system. The committee is made up of executive branch officials, the Foster Care Ombudsman, gubernatorial appointees with child welfare expertise, legislative members serving in ex officio nonvoting roles, and a representative of the Supreme Court’s administrative office. Its core duties are to evaluate child welfare outcomes, review the administration of abuse and neglect laws, examine the performance of key system actors, and identify priority problems in the child welfare and abuse-and-neglect court systems.
The bill requires the committee to meet at least quarterly and submit annual findings and recommendations to the Governor and the Joint Committee on the Judiciary beginning January 2026. Those reports must address ways to improve foster care, adoption, reunification, transparency, accountability, efficiency, and cross-agency coordination, including analysis of workflow, data systems, and service delivery. The bill also authorizes subcommittees and working groups to support the committee’s work.
SB 944 adds a new section to West Virginia law establishing a permanent advisory structure focused on child welfare policy and system performance. It places administrative responsibility with the Department of Human Services, requires the department to cover necessary expenses, and directs the department to promulgate rules for the new Child First Fund. The fund may receive legislative appropriations, federal money, and private donations, and its balances do not revert to general revenue at year-end. The bill therefore creates both an oversight body and a dedicated funding mechanism for child welfare improvements, affecting the Department of Human Services, courts, child welfare professionals, and public and private donors.
The available voting history shows strong support for the bill in the Senate, where it passed 32-0. The bill’s structure suggests a broadly reform-oriented and collaborative approach, with participation from executive, legislative, and judicial stakeholders. No committee transcript is available, but the unanimous vote indicates little visible opposition at the chamber level.
The bill’s main points of potential contention are not reflected in recorded debate, but the text suggests likely areas of scrutiny: the scope of the committee’s review of judges, guardians ad litem, attorneys, Child Protective Services workers, and DHS administrators; the extent to which the committee could influence existing child welfare operations; and the creation of a fund that can accept private donations and retain unspent balances. Questions could also arise about whether the committee’s recommendations will lead to meaningful reforms or simply add another layer of oversight. Even so, the unanimous Senate vote suggests these concerns did not produce significant opposition at that stage.