LAS VEGAS -- The Department of Family Services may be the next victim of budget cuts, and those cuts could affect children across the Las Vegas Valley.

The department is meeting to discuss how it can cut costs without cutting more support staff. If it has to, that could have a tremendous trickle down effect on Valley children.

On Wednesday, Tom Morton, director of the county's Department of Family Services, told commissioners his department is facing $6.5 million in state and county cuts.

Now, it's trying to make the necessary reductions without reducing staff.

Just three years ago, the department was cited for slow response in its investigations and not seeing children in its care regularly. Since then, there have been major changes.

“Now more than 95 percent of our CPS reports we investigate result in an on-time response, and more than 95 percent of kids are seen at least every 30 days, if not more often. To the extent that you'd have to go backwards in staffing, we'd run the risk of going backwards in the safety provisions for children,” Morton said.

The department will report back to commissioners in about a month with more possible cuts. It's hoping to find something very creative to avoid laying off employees.

The department has identified a source of federal funds it can apply for, but those funds won't be available until next year.