ASK US
You Asked. We Answer.

Thanks for your Ask Us questions. After a backlog, we are back with a slightly new format. Some of the questions we receive can be grouped together with a single response.

We also encourage you to pose questions first to your supervisors, when possible. They have more understanding of specifics within your department.

Q: After the recent leadership announcement, do we actually have too many executives? Are we getting too top-heavy and businesslike? Are we forgetting our mission?

A: Thanks for sharing these concerns. First, please be assured that we have not and will never forget our mission. If anything, we are renewing our commitment to that mission by serving more children and families in South Dakota.

The fact is, our budget has risen by 42% in the past five years, which means we have more employees, more clients and more organizational needs. The work we do, especially when it comes to state and federal dollars, reimbursements, policies and risk management, is increasingly complex. As we pursue more national grant funding, we must also provide additional auditing and oversight, which means having additional staff.

In addition, the child welfare system is changing—which has been happening since our founding, 131 years ago. The greater emphasis on keeping families intact and stabilizing families means surrounding children and families with wraparound care is critical, and this requires additional staff as well. And during the next few years, our facility needs require a dedicated member of the leadership team to be physically present.

Finally—as we expand, we continue to compare our leadership team to those of similar organizations across the nation, in terms of number, composition and expertise, to ensure that we are growing responsibly.

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