CHARLESTON — His first week as West Virginia’s cabinet secretary for the Department of Human Services, Alex Mayer was being summoned to Ritchie County by a circuit judge to man a shift as a Child Protective Services worker. But now, Mayer is citing decreases in child welfare vacancies.

In a press release Thursday morning, the Department of Human Services cited decreases in the number of Child Protective Services vacancies, from a rate of 12.1% at the beginning of January to 8.5% as of Sept. 1. That is also down from 27.3% in 2023 when CPS vacancies were at peak levels.

Mayer said CPS turnover rates have also improved under Gov. Patrick Morrisey, with the 2025 turnover rate sitting at 15%, down from 22.7% in 2024 and more than 34% in 2021.

“Our workforce is the foundation of child welfar

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