© 2025. The Trustees of Indiana University
Copyright Complaints
1229 East Seventh Street, Bloomington, Indiana 47405
News, Arts and Culture from WFIU Public Radio and WTIU Public Television
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
Federal funding for public media has been eliminated — we need your help to continue serving south central Indiana
Some web content from Indiana Public Media is unavailable during our transition to a new web publishing platform. We apologize for the inconvenience.

Indiana Department of Child Services undergoes 'transformational' reorganization

The Indiana Department of Child Services' Project Awaken is meant to devote more resources to frontline services.
Abigail Ruhman
/
IPB News
The Indiana Department of Child Services' Project Awaken is meant to devote more resources to frontline services.

The Indiana Department of Child Services is undergoing what it calls a "transformational" reorganization of its agency.

Up to 40 middle and upper management positions could be eliminated as the agency said it aims to devote more resources to frontline services.

DCS previously had 18 regions, each with a bureaucratic structure. Project Awaken, as the agency has dubbed its redesign, will condense those down to five regions.

Multiple layers of middle and upper management will also be eliminated. The agency said that will allow regional directors and child welfare attorneys to have more direct access to both executive leadership and frontline family case managers.

Join the conversation and sign up for the Indiana Two-Way. Text "Indiana" to 765-275-1120. Your comments and questions in response to our weekly text help us find the answers you need on statewide issues.

At least some management staff being eliminated are being offered reassignment to lower-level positions.

DCS said the reorganization will redirect $4 million to 8 million dollars to frontline services.

Brandon is our Statehouse bureau chief. Contact him at bsmith@ipbs.org or follow him on Twitter at @brandonjsmith5.

Copyright 2025 IPB News

Tags
Brandon graduated from the University of Missouri-Columbia with a Bachelor of Journalism in 2010, with minors in political science and history. He was born and raised in Chicago.
Related Content