After statewide calls for improvement in an overburdened and understaffed Child and Family Services Division, state officials have created a new regional department to help alleviate high case load numbers in Northwest Montana.

Former Kalispell Police Investigations Capt. Scott Warnell will serve as the new administrator for Region 6 of the Montana Child and Family Services Division.

“The main reason for doing that is the overwhelming case load that the workers were having,” Warnell said. “The hope is that by doing this redistribution it will greatly cut down on the high number of caseloads.”

The newly created region will handle caseloads previously under the supervision of authorities in Missoula or Great Falls. Within the new district’s jurisdiction is a seven-county area that includes offices in Thompson Falls, Libby, Kalispell, Cut Bank and Conrad.

The Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services sent organizational development specialist Lindsey Krywaruchka to Kalispell in October 2015 after the department received a letter of concern from the Best Beginnings Advisory Council about Child and Family Services in Kalispell.

Krywaruchka spent two weeks interviewing dozens of people involved in the system — law enforcement, judges, community members and the agency’s staff.

“We had community members feeling like ‘where is Child and Family Services?’” Krywaruchka said. “It wasn’t the case, we were just really overwhelmed.”

After spending time in Kalispell, Krywaruchka suggested the creation of the new region. Kalispell is one of the few major population centers under the supervision of an office in another region.

“We can’t just keep putting out fires,” Krywaruchka said of her analysis. “Let’s take a step back and look at how we can do a better job overall.”

The Department of Public Health and Human Services consulted with the governor’s office and at the start of May, Warnell took the helm of the freshly minted region.

Krywaruchka said Warnell came highly recommended.

“I think he brings communication and leadership and involvement,” Krywaruchka said. “Having been a part of that community for 20 years is something we are really glad he’s on board. He came highly recommended by many important community members. He’s excited to do this job. He has a willingness to step up to a challenging position.”

Warnell’s main objectives are to get a full staff on board and convince case workers to stay. Northwest Montana has been no exception to staffing problems that have plagued Child and Family Services across the state.

Child and Family Services Director Sarah Corbally testified before an interim legislative committee in January and said the division had some case worker spots that were left unfilled for over a year. Low pay and increasing number of cases had the division stretched thin, she testified.

Corbally resigned in April.

Over the past year workers have been diligently working to get help for families the services in the Kalispell area, Warnell said. At its worst, the Kalispell Child and Family Services department had only four or five caseworkers.

It is supposed to be staffed by 15 case workers and three supervisors. By the time Warnell landed in the new position, there were only a couple of openings left to fill.

Warnell wants the office to be at full staff by June.

“It’s a great new challenge,” Warnell said.

Warnell retired from the Kalispell Police Department on April 21. Police Chief Roger Nasset said that he would be missed after 22 years on staff.

“We are sad to see him go but it will great to have an ally in those services,” Nasset said at a Coffee with the Chief meeting.

The creation of a new region was not expected to cause budgetary problems, according to Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services Public Information Officer Jon Ebelt.

“Child and Family Services operates on a statewide budget, allocating resources to children and families based on need, not regional location,” Ebelt said. “There is no reduction in service level or funding to any region or location based on this realignment of regional boundaries because our budget is not managed at the regional level.”

According to Ebelt, the additional region was created to more equally distribute caseloads across the state. Region 5, based in Missoula, had 700 children under its care prior to the creation of the new region. Region 1 for the eastern half of the state was overseeing 320 children.

The organization is tasked with providing services for abuse and neglect investigations and facilitating foster care and adoption. It is a process where the ultimate goal is reunification of a family, Warnell said.

That process can include supervised visitation, drug testing and creation of long-term parenting plans. Cops, courts, social workers and other public services are involved in the system, and Warnell hopes to help those separate entities communicate and cooperate better.

“It’s just making sure that all the stakeholders, at the police or at Child and Family Services, that we’re all on the same page and that nobody is wondering what those other agencies are doing,” Warnell said. “It’s all for the benefit of the children and the family.”

Warnell said he believes the department’s work is very important.

“We’re dealing with the future generations,” Warnell said. “Anything that I or we as a division can do to make the children in this community grow up and be successful, it’s going to make things better down the road for everybody.”

Reporter Megan Strickland can be reached at 758-4459 or [email protected].