Louisiana DCFS Reports Major Improvements in Call Response Times

Agency head says backlog of cases has been reduced and response times have dropped by over 90%

Published on Mar. 6, 2026

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The head of Louisiana's Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) told state lawmakers that the agency has made significant progress in reducing backlogs and wait times for people calling the child abuse hotline. DCFS Secretary Rebecca Harris said the average wait time has been cut from 19 minutes down to just over 1 minute, and the rate of abandoned calls has dropped from over 10% to around 5%. Harris also reported that the agency has reduced its backlog of open investigations from 3,652 cases to 2,218.

Why it matters

The DCFS call center plays a critical role in initiating investigations into potential child abuse and neglect cases. Reducing wait times and abandoned calls ensures more timely response to reports of concerning situations involving vulnerable children. These improvements come after high-profile child deaths in the state that raised questions about DCFS's ability to effectively handle its caseload.

The details

When Harris took over as DCFS Secretary in August, she found the average wait time at the Child Safety Response Center hotline was around 19 minutes, with over 10% of callers hanging up before getting through. Through training, process changes, and new technology, the agency has cut the wait time by over 90% to just over 1 minute, and the call abandonment rate is now around 5%. DCFS has also reduced the average time for investigators to respond to reports, down from 8.5 hours to 3.5 hours. The agency has made progress in tackling a backlog of 3,652 open investigations, bringing that down to 2,218 cases.

  • When Harris started as DCFS Secretary in August, the average hotline wait time was 19 minutes.
  • The wait time has now been reduced by over 90% to just over 1 minute.
  • The call abandonment rate has dropped from over 10% to around 5%.

The players

Rebecca Harris

The Secretary of the Louisiana Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS).

Regina Barrow

A Democratic state senator from Baton Rouge who has pre-filed a bill to abolish DCFS and move its responsibilities to other state offices.

Mitchell Robinson III

A 2-year-old boy in Baton Rouge who died from fentanyl ingestion in 2022, after prior incidents that had been reported to DCFS.

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What they’re saying

“This is the front door to everything that Child Welfare does.”

— Rebecca Harris, DCFS Secretary (unfilteredwithkiran.com)

What’s next

The judge in the case will decide on Tuesday whether or not to allow Walker Reed Quinn out on bail.

The takeaway

These improvements at DCFS are critical to ensuring more timely response to reports of potential child abuse and neglect, after high-profile failures highlighted the need for the agency to better manage its caseload and hotline operations. However, the proposed bill to abolish DCFS suggests there is still work to be done to fully address the agency's challenges.