Angry and desperate parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles have contacted Carolina Public Press for years hoping to share their stories and possibly get help in investigating what went wrong with their families experiences with child protective services in North Carolina counties. I truly hope in this process that this confidentiality requirement isnt being used to hide the mistakes, Hise said. 404 Social Services jobs available in Buncombe County, NC on Indeed.com. Years before she died, she worked with departments of social services in multiple counties to arrange for Reeves mother to care for the older son. Almost every one of those studies says essentially the same thing; the recommendations are pretty much the same, Blevins told the committee. The case made international headlines over the following months, focusing a world spotlight on the total failure of the child protection system in her case. According to Scott, the department has worked hard over the last few years to regain its trust from other internal departments and the general public after former County Manager Wanda Greene was indicted on embezzlement charges and went to federal prison. A county with an annual removal rate exactly the same as the statewide rate would have a 100% comparison rating, a county that removed children on average at twice the statewide rate would have a 200% comparison rating, and a county that removed children on average at half the statewide rate would have a 50% comparison rating. These are my Children that attend school. There appeared to be no attempt by the police or DSS to follow up with the Sheriffs Office. Secure websites use HTTPS certificates. Thank you for serving our children. Swanson is currently the Social Work Program Administrator for Buncombe County Health and Human Services where she provides . Carolina Public Press provides in-depth, investigative reporting on issues affecting Western North Carolina in a nonprofit, nonpartisan setting. These records are tied into funding. Police later claimed that they emailed information about the case to the Transylvania County Sheriffs Office. Im so disgusted with the system. State law also allows DSS offices to disclose records to prosecutors without court orders, said Sara DePasquale, an associate professor specializing in child welfare law at the UNC School of Government, two years ago. Customer Service Center:1-800-662-7030 Report and History Lesson by Robert A. Williams . I ended the phone call.. Adoptions in North Carolina cannot be reversed. The law gave DHHS authority to enforce performance standards at each county, and for DHHS to take over DSS offices that chronically underperform an authority DHHS used a few months later when it took over Cherokee Countys child welfare division. Catherine Noyes is a grandmother who expresses frustration over the Cabarrus County Department of Social Services and courts handling of her familys case. Noyes said she continues to work with her daughter to regain custody of the children but has become disappointed by the process. New Jersey officials ruled the case a suicide, but a Carolina Public Press investigation identifiedproblems with this explanationthat have never been resolved. Records from Reeves communications during the final weeks of her life show that she was repeatedly at odds with DSS agents over her son, though what she knew about his location was not clear. You guys are highly under-appreciated!! But the Sheriffs Office had no record of it. The boys deathspurred lawmakers to action, and the General Assembly approved a package of major reforms with strong bipartisan support. Many of the counties with very high removal rates have elevated poverty rates, but no direct correlation exists between poverty levels and child removal rates. Some abuse is so heinous that workers are required to investigate immediately. Polk County Department of Social Services. Carolina Public Press contributing reporter Christian Green also assisted with interviews for this article. Categories. Officers said they found drugs and needles on or near all of the adults, including uncapped hypodermic needles, marijuana and methamphetamine. The fact that they have lasted so long-to retirement age-is a tragedy and sheds a very bad light on all of Cleveland Countys so-called leadership. No appointment is needed. Kate Martin is lead investigative reporter for Carolina Public Press. Blevins said he cant talk about specific child welfare cases because of confidentiality laws. "What I have really appreciated lately is the internal support function," he said. This is your chance to support credible, community-based, public-service journalism. Each of North Carolina's 100 counties has a local social services agency. And I think you could understand how we would see that it could have the department or its failures.. Noyes questions, among other things, why the children were placed with him rather than her and why his substance abuse issues were not adequately investigated by DSS. Click a goal. And some economically advantaged counties may also cluster with high or low removal rates. With new equality rules coming down the pipe, many of us will most likely meet the Director. Carolina Public Press provides in-depth, investigative reporting on issues affecting Western North Carolina in a nonprofit, nonpartisan setting. DIRECTOR of SOCIAL SERVICES - CLOSES FEBRUARY 16, 2023 BEAUFORT COUNTY - SW IV REPOST - CLOSES FEBRUARY 10, 2023 BEAUFORT COUNTY - SW IV CWS /IAT - CLOSES FEBRUARY 10, 2023 CHATHAM COUNTY - IM CASEWORKER II - OPEN UNTIL FILLED Buncombe County DSS Mr. Stoney Blevins, Director 828-250-5588. Pitt County is approximately 90 miles east of Raleigh NC with a population of 180,742. Frank Taylor / Carolina Public Press. Related:A timeline of the Buncombe County corruption investigation, Recent Reporting:Wanda Greene dark money lawsuit mediator orders her to hand over answers before Christmas. But Reeves death was only part of the case. A parents attorney could get a hold of these records and make an argument to have the kids returned home.. 1,900+ former CCS Students 19-22 years old-Set for Failure-Right Now!!! She died in 2010, and her stepmother was eventually charged in her murder. But this left the question for the officers of how to help the girl, they said. I can promise you, I would be better served to speak to you about the things youre asking me, Blevins said. If you cant answer because you dont know or you can answer because you refuse to under some other authority, Edwards said. I think it is critical for this committee to thoroughly understand why anyone thought it would be OK to leave a 9-year-old girl in a hotel room with a stranger that contained needles and drugs, Edwards said. But the Sheriffs Office had no record of it. Explore departmental dashboards. Volunteer for the HCCBG Advisory Committee! Stoney Blevins, director of the Buncombe County Department of Social Services, testified before a state legislative committee last week, saying he couldn't tell legislators much about a specific child welfare case due to confidentiality laws. She told the police she wanted to go home. Officers traveled to the hotel room and talked with Stanley, the report says. Some of them are likely true. Those removing children at two-thirds the state rate are considered low, and those removing at less than half the state rate are considered very low. Family members had warned social workers multiple times she was in danger and had received no response from DSS, according to the Smoky Mountain News. If you like what you are reading and believe in independent, nonprofit, nonpartisan journalism like oursjournalism the way it should beplease contributeto keep us going. Thank you! I can understand why a lot of people give up and stop fighting because, one, youre fighting a hard system, and two, you cant afford it, she said. Copyright 2023 Citizens For Good Government. No subpoena is necessary.. Our staff is committed to providing Buncombe's diverse population with effective services in a timely and respectful manner. Henderson County residentFelicia Reevesdisappeared in August 2015. "There are a lot of people in this organization that work directly with the public and with the community, and they are doing great work, and I feel very privileged to be in a role that supports those other people.". Report and copy of Lawsuit provided by Robert A. Williams, Cleveland County Republicans in Civil War!! This is part 2 of the four-part investigative series Patchwork Protection produced by Kate Martinfor the USC Annenberg Center for Health Journalisms 2020 Data Fellowship. He is earning a salary of $102,755.32, according to a public records request. In 2020, police in Black Mountain pulled over a swerving car and arrested all three adults. We would never support leaving a child in a hotel room with a stranger and 300 used needles, as a blanket statement, Blevins said last year. Protection of the Abused, Neglected or Exploited Disabled Adult Act is located under Statute 108A Article 6. Addison was placed in foster care in Transylvania County. DHHS Childrens Program representative Brian Vogl stated concerns for falsifying the foster care monthly contact records these are identical, and they are falsifying these records, the memo stated. Contact him at ftaylor@carolinapublicpress.org. I had this conversation with (Sen. Chuck Edwards) the very first day we spoke in April, Blevins said. State Government websites value user privacy. Tracy Jones, who was DSS director in Transylvania County in 2016 but not during the time of the foster care abuse allegation, told CPP that the agencys procedure during an adoption is always to notify the next of kin first. The questions asked are important to assure that all appropriate services are made available to the adult. Prosecutors filed additional charges, including incest, aiding and abetting incest, child prostitution and other felony sex offenses involving multiple close relatives. Once social workers take in a child, every interaction is supposed to be closely monitored. He helped implement Workday, the county's primary financial accounting system, in 2017, then formally joined the Finance Department in 2019 as a financial planning and analysis manager. We would never support leaving a child in a hotel room with a stranger and 300 used needles, as a blanket statement, Blevins said Tuesday. Theyve ripped (the grandchildrens) family apart, Noyes said. The DSS worker called back and asked him to help complete the intake report. 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. To make an adult or child protective services report any time, day or night, call the numbers below: Early Childhood Education & Development Fund, Environmental & Energy Stewardship Subcommittee, Parks, Greenways and Recreation Advisory Board. One relative was convicted last year and is serving a 12-year prison sentence, another is serving a suspended sentence of five years, and a third is serving a two-year prison sentence. Stay up to date with the most current information. The officer wrote in his report, "I told her I did not have time to do that, I had to find a safe place for the child. Some families accused DSS staff of generally playing God with peoples lives and acting in a conspiratorial manner. Families from many parts of North Carolina who contacted CPP made repeated claims of social workers and social services lawyers insulting families for being poor, uneducated, Black, Cherokee, Lumbee, from out of state, the wrong religion or simply for not being knowledgeable about the policies of that jurisdiction. What's new with Memorial Stadium? Katie Swanson was hired by the county at the end of May to take over from Karen Pritchard, who retired as DSS director at the end of 2018. Even though the server responded OK, it is possible the submission was not processed. If county officials decide to go beyond the scope of state guidelines, or in some cases beyond what state and federal laws allow, those choices are being made by individuals, some of whom already face criminal prosecution. Emergency Phone: 828-250-5500Website, Administrative Assistant: Christa Lance,828-250-5587, Business Officer/ Fiscal/Performance Manager: Lisa White,828-250-5802, Operation Manager: Leigh Anderson,828-250-5575, Economic Services Division Director: Phillip Hardin,828-250-5592, Social Work Services Division Director/Foster Care & Adoptions Program Administrator: Rebecca Smith,828-250-5764, Permanency Planning: Amber Cook, 828-250-5824, CPS Intake/Investigations: Sherrie Thomas, 828-250-5843 ; Trina Hill, 828-250-5249, Licensing & Adoptions: Lizzi Shimer, 828-250-5277, Adult Services: Jennifer Teague, 828-250-5198, Quality Assurance, Program Administrator: Kelli Buckner,828-250-5987, Quality Assurance, Social Work Performance Standards: Alison Mann,828-250-5788, Family & Adult Medicaid Program Administrator: Ian Allen,828-250-5628, FNS/Program Integrity/Community Resources: Patricia Wallin,828-250-5689, FNS/Technical Support/Training: Denise Lancaster,828-250-5639, Child Support Enforcement: Apply to Engagement Director, Director of Admissions, Human Resources Specialist and more! Monday - Friday Low counties are clustered in the rural northeastern counties, which typically have very low populations. Please join us! Customer Service Center: 1-800-662-7030 Visit RelayNC for information about TTY services. Provides receptionist duties at times to Central Clerical. #828-479-7911 Fax #828-479-7928 Courier Number: 08-40-02. Not long afterward, he died of an overdose. I thought we were waiting for them to copy the records.. Each member of a public agency or department must submit contact information for the Buncombe County personnel directory. Please contact the developer of this form processor to improve this message. Counties removing children at more than 150% of the state average rate were marked high, while those removing children at 200% or more are marked very high. If you like what you are reading and believe in independent, nonprofit, nonpartisan journalism like oursjournalism the way it should beplease contributeto keep us going. Noyes said at first she thought that if you worked through the system and presented your case honestly, the situation would work out, but she now has no confidence in DSS and the family courts, a view she said is shared by members of other families whom shes talked with during court appearances. In the bathroom there was a plastic container nearly full of used needles, the police report says. I ended the phone call.. But Zahra was never removed from the family. Legislators in the Joint Legislative Oversight Committee on Health and Human Services voted 15-8 along party lines Tuesday in favor of subpoenaing Buncombe Health and Human Services Director Stoney Blevins, with Republicans in favor and Democrats against. Some families accused DSS staff of generally playing God with peoples lives and acting in a conspiratorial manner. Each countys average annual removal rate, compared with the states annual removal rate, was calculated as a percentage of the states rate. Raleigh, NC 27699-2000. Work County. CPPs news team analyzed data on child removals across North Carolina during the decade from 2010-19. Reporting like this isnt free to produce and we cannot do this alone. State Government websites value user privacy. Job Contact. In a case of suspected abuse in a foster care setting, DSS is obligated to notify law enforcement. And yet, I do not see proof that weve implemented the plans that have been made.. Ideally, when social workers conduct their monthly home visits, they look for changes in the home. "The county is in a strong financial position, so I think it makes the work that we do easier.". Each of North Carolina's 100 counties has a local social services agency. When news organizations contact local departments of social services offices with questions about a specific case, the agencies are typically unable to discuss them. F. (828) 250-6235. City Public Health Programs. Catherine Noyesis a grandmother who expresses frustration over the Cabarrus County Department of Social Services and courts handling of her familys case. But the foster care residence was in unincorporated Transylvania County, not the city of Brevard. Forging contact records is not trivial. However, even with the subpoena, a county spokeswoman said Blevins would be limited in what he could reveal about the specific incident. Prosecutors filed additional charges, including incest, aiding and abetting incest, child prostitution and other felony sex offenses involving multiple close relatives. Required fields are marked *. If the purpose of the record request is to protect a juvenile, then no court order would be needed, DePasquale told CPP. I mean you cant get back the last couple years of these little children, you know.. Scott began his career in the Planning Department before moving to the county's IT Department as a business officer, a Buncombe County news release said. Once a referral is taken for Protective Services, a Social Worker will be assigned the case. Her trailer had no heat, according to statements to law enforcement. A horrific child sex abuse case in Cherokee County two years ago included apuzzling delayby DSS officials in cooperating with prosecutors.
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