Item:
Title
Request to Approve Six Positions Mid-Year for the Department of Social Services Child Welfare Division
Body
Date of BOCC Meeting: February 12, 2018
Request for Board Action:
Agenda Text
The Board is requested to review and approve six new positions for the Department of Social Services Child Welfare Division. This request is seeking authorization to establish five new Child Welfare Social Worker Positions and a Child Welfare Social Worker Supervisor to deliver Child Protective Services for the County of Durham.
This request is being generated due to a staffing shortage within Child Protective Services that prevents the Department from meeting the required caseload standard of 1 worker per 10 cases. In addition, new state legislation is driving performance standards for County Social Services that will require certain benchmarks be met within the program or the County could face potential corrective actions and/or state assumption of the program. Ensuring adequate staffing capacity is one of the critical steps in meeting new state requirements under HB 630.
This request will not require any additional funding from the County for FY2018. The positions will be funded from lapsed salaries identified from currently vacant positions within DSS. Starting July 1, 2018, to maintain these new positions and all other current positions within Child Welfare, DSS will request an additional $593,333 in the FY2019 budget request.
Alignment with Strategic Plan: This request aligns with Strategic Goal 2, Health and Well-Being for All as it provides the staffing capacity to help ensure healthy children and youth through Protective Services. In addition, this request supports Strategic Goal 3, Safe Community, by providing the capacity for the Department to ensure safety for children from abuse and neglect and reduce the risks of harm or death to children due to abuse/neglect.
Resource Persons: Ben Rose, Director; Jovetta Whitfield, Assistant Director;...
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