The Massachusetts Department of Children and Families is in line for an almost $27 million funding increase during the next fiscal year under the budget proposed by Governor Charlie Baker.

Pittsfield State Representative Tricia Farley-Bouvier said she’s happy the governor is looking to spend more money on social workers to help reduce caseloads. Moving forward, she would like to see more spending on children who are under DCF supervision, but remain at home instead of in foster care.

“If we can keep our kids safe at home, then we are going to not only save a lot of money, but we’re going to have much, much better outcomes for these kids,” Farley-Bouvier said. “Now that we’ve kind of stopped the hemorrhaging there, we need to really look at how we spend money at that department.”

During his State of the Commonwealth address, Baker touted recent hires, and reforms to DCF during his term.

A few years ago, the agency faced heavy criticism after several high profile incidents involving children in the agency’s care.