Judge R. Steven Redding gave lawmakers a glimpse into the foster care crisis. Judge Redding is based in Berkeley County where he says the foster care crisis and the shortage of Child Protective Services workers has created a major backlog. As of September there’s a backlog of 400 referrals. Redding was critical of DHHR’s ability to complete important aspects of casework in a timely fashion considering it rare to get a court report required by law every 60 days. The DHHR experienced a 33% vacancy rate in the Child Protective Services workforce across the state as of 2022, but with recent pay and retention incentives that vacancy gap is starting to close as it sits around 27% now. Efforts continue to recruit case workers.