The Missouri Child Welfare Task Force was established August 25th, 2026, by Governor Mike Kehoe under an executive order to unify safety standards, strengthen system coordination, and improve accountability across the state’s child protection network. The task force is to further strengthen coordination across Missouri’s child welfare system by developing recommendations for a set of unified standards for child welfare safety.
Composing the task force are 18 appointed members, including representatives from the DSS Children’s Division, courts and juvenile offices, law enforcement, lawmakers from the General Assembly, private providers, attorneys, advocates, and child welfare experts. Task force members first met on September 23rd.
The task force will submit recommendations, including definitions and protocols, to the Governor, the President Pro Tem of the Senate, the Speaker of the House, and the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Missouri by November 15th, in advance of the 2027 General Assembly. The task force will dissolve on December 31st.
Purpose and goals of the task force include: Unified Standards: Create a shared, objective framework to evaluate child safety threats, child vulnerability, and parental protective capacity. Consistent Decisions: Ensure standard safety decisions regardless of a child’s specific location, county, or court circuit. System Coordination: Build cooperation across the Department of Social Services Children’s Division, courts, law enforcement, and private providers. Frontline Support: Recommend better cross-disciplinary training and quality control measures for workers.
The task force will develop criteria for determining when a child is considered safe or unsafe and review state laws, regulations, Children’s Division policies, and court rules for possible gaps or inconsistencies. Members will also recommend statewide protocols, training, and quality-control measures for case workers, judges, attorneys, juvenile officers and law enforcement.
Governor Kehoe noted, “Protecting Missouri’s most vulnerable children is one of our highest responsibilities, and the people doing this work deserve clear, consistent standards across every agency, courtroom, and community. Director Bax and Director Smith are leading difficult, necessary work to strengthen the Children’s Division. This order builds on their progress by bringing the entire child welfare system together around one shared definition of safety and one expectation of accountability.”
Building on the transformative policy work already developed by DSS-CD, the order directs the task force to establish a common framework grounded in objective assessments of safety threats, child vulnerability, and parental or caretaker protective capacity. A shared understanding of child safety will strengthen coordination and promote more consistent decision-making across jurisdictions.
“The decisions made throughout the child welfare system are life-altering, and the standard guiding them should not depend on a child’s county, circuit, or provider,” said Jess Bax, DSS Director. “Director Smith and her team are doing the hard work of strengthening practices and improving consistency despite longstanding workforce challenges. This task force gives Missouri a path to turn that work into a sustainable, systemwide standard so every partner works from the same understanding of safety.”
“Every child in Missouri deserves the opportunity to grow up safe, supported, and surrounded by people who are committed to their success,” Governor Kehoe said. “This task force brings together the right voices to take an honest look at the challenges facing our child welfare system and, with those in mind, develop meaningful solutions. Our goal is simple: better protect Missouri children, strengthen families, and give those on the front lines the tools they need to do their jobs well.”