Tagged: missouri department of social services

Missouri Auditor Tom Schweich is questioning millions of dollars of welfare payments made to low-income residents.

A joint newspaper investigation shows the Missouri Department of Social Services' practice of releasing information after the deaths or near deaths of children has come to an abrupt, unexplained halt.

After high-profile tragedies a decade ago, the state system charged with protecting children began releasing records previously closed to the public.

But the Springfield News-Leader and The Kansas City Star reported that the openness ended in June after a 10-year-old girl was freed from a Kansas City closet weighing 32 pounds.

Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon has appointed a veteran executive of health care systems as director of the Department of Social Services. Alan Freeman is president and CEO of Grace Hill Health Centers, which operates five health care centers and a community health program in St. Louis.

A Missouri Senate committee has approved a budget plan that cuts funding for social services but not education.

Community leaders hosted a statewide video conference Saturday to discuss the impact of the ongoing cuts and consolidations to Missouri’s social services.