A mother complained to the Ombudsman because the Office of Children’s Services was requiring her to abide by a safety plan that had expired months ago. The mother said her calls to the OCS caseworker were not answered and messages were not returned. The Ombudsman contacted the OCS supervisor and caseworker, who stated that they had erred in not extending the safety plan after it had expired. Staff shortages and heavy caseloads prevented the caseworker from traveling to the mother’s village to discuss extending the safety plan. The caseworker agreed to meet with the mother within the next five to ten business days. The caseworker stated she tried many times to contact the mother or return her calls, but the mother did not answer or return messages left by the worker. The Ombudsman later reviewed OCS’s electronic case records and confirmed that the caseworker went to the village, met with the mother, extended the safety plan, and informed the mother the case would close after 60 days if she demonstrated the ability to safety care for her children. (A2015-1265)