GARY | The Indiana Department of Child Services is changing the way it's doing business, the director told those gathered Friday for the 17th annual Child Abuse and Neglect Forum.

Judge James Payne said his department is in the middle of a statewide reform to train all its workers in the new practice.

In the past, case managers only brought together and worked with the mother and father, Payne said. The new model creates a support network around the child by getting the parents, friends and relatives involved.

"By December the program will be in every region in every county (throughout the state)," Payne said. "We know that children thrive in safe communities."

One goal of the support network is to identify a safe placement within the child's community so the child can stay in the same school, around the same friends, if placement is necessary, Payne said.

"We want to intervene at the least intrusive level as much as we can, as soon as we can," he said.

Jane Bisbee, regional manager of the Lake County office of the Department of Child Services reported the results of the review of the county's prevention services.

The review identified gaps in services that could help families before courts get involved. Bisbee said the Lake County Regional Services Council is accepting proposals for services that address the gaps.

Payne said legislators are working on funding to add at least 200 case managers throughout the state. Gov. Mitch Daniels is asking for funding for 400, Payne said.

"The goal is for workers to have no more than 12 active cases and 17 ongoing cases each," Payne said.