Streamlining services for Delaware families

Delaware Governor John Carney signed his fifth executive order on Tuesday, reestablishing the Family Services Cabinet Council to help coordinate available services for families in need.

The council will help bridge crucial, often fragmented, public and private services that help Delaware families struggling with things like the high cost of child care or navigating through an economy in transition. Council members will also be charged with proposing changes to current programs to make the delivery of state services more effective.

Additionally, the council will be tasked with implementing strategies addressing a series of specific issues, including: breaking the school-to-prison pipeline; improving access to early childhood education; increasing the availability of affordable housing; improving access to substance abuse treatment; reducing recidivism in Delaware’s correctional system; expanding job training opportunities; and reducing violence in Delaware’s neighborhoods.

The governor will serve as chair of the council.

The Family Service Cabinet Council was first established under Gov. Tom Carper. Its reestablishment was something Carney’s transition team called for in their action plan. The council will work closely with the newly-created Government Efficiency and Accountability Review Board (GEAR), which the governor created this month to seek out cost savings and efficiencies in state government.

“Our challenge is to determine whether the programs and services we offer are effective in moving families out of poverty, improving our system of education and creating opportunities for all Delaware families to succeed,” said Carney, D-Delaware. “That requires all of us – government agencies, nonprofits and private business – to work together. That also requires that we measure our progress. The reestablishment of the Family Services Cabinet Council will help us do just that, and make a meaningful difference in the lives of Delaware families.”

The council will include eight members of Governor Carney’s Cabinet from the Dept. of Services for Children, Youth, and Their Families; the Dept. of Health and Social Services; the Dept. of Education; the Dept. of Labor; the Dept. of Safety and Homeland Security; the director of the Delaware State Housing Authority; the director of the Office of Management and Budget; and the commissioner of the Department of Correction.

“The reestablishment of this Council will break down silos in state government and allow for a more collaborative and coordinated approach to address some of the most critical issues we face, so that every Delawarean has a fair shot,” Lieutenant Governor Bethany Hall-Long said.