At the close of the hearing, Sen. Edwards asked Blevins if the same DSS worker handled both calls from the Black Mountain Police Department. When reached by police, a relative said he couldnt drive at night to pick her up. Phone: 828-250-5500 For several months DSS did not produce confidential child welfare records for a criminal case after the DAs office sought them. She died in 2010, and her stepmother was eventually charged in her murder. The North Carolina General Assembly meets in the State Legislative Building in Raleigh, seen here in Feb. 2018. When CPP brought the case to the attention of deputies in 2016, they conducted an investigation. Kate Martin is lead investigative reporter for Carolina Public Press. A legislative study has shown that intake procedures differ widely among counties throughout North Carolina. BUNCOMBE COUNTY - IM CASEWORKER II VARIOUS PROGRAMS - OPEN UNTIL FILLED DURHAM COUNTY - ASST. Court records from the case show that the judge recognized the ultimate goal of reuniting the boy with his family when possible, and while the fathers rights had been terminated, Reeves rights were intact. Public Employee Directories list that contact information, such as names, phone numbers, and . Sen. Jim Perry pushed back at the notion of blanket confidentiality. Bakers stepmother was already the subject of previous abuse findings. Does the child feel safe? In September 2016, a CPP investigation learned that the boy had been adopted within weeks of his mothers death. A horrific child sex abuse case in Cherokee County two years ago included apuzzling delayby DSS officials in cooperating with prosecutors. 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. 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. CPP is not naming the adults because naming them could identify the young children. 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. Social workers are supposed to try to make these contacts regularly. 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. But others include the major Piedmont metro areas, which have some of the highest populations. Social Work Services We aim to prevent abuse, neglect and exploitation of vulnerable residents and promote self-reliance and self-sufficiency for individuals and families. The three main program areas are Economic Services Programs, Social Work Programs, and Family Support Services. Because of his time at various departments within the county, the news release said the county is confident his institutional knowledge will help him in his primarily inward-facing role. The Director is responsible for a budget of over $350 million dollars including Medicaid and Food Stamp benefits and slightly over 300 employees. Secure websites use HTTPS certificates. 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. People who lose their children or are unsuccessful in having children removed from the home of a troubled family member are not happy about these outcomes. Sources report that the Cleveland County Commissioners have selected Katie Swanson from the Buncombe County DSS as the Director of the Cleveland County DSS. DSS seized children during a drug raid that found no evidence and was conducted at the wrong house on warrants intended for a search elsewhere. Blevins will be subpoenaed to testify during an Oct. 13 committee hearing regarding a March 20 incident in which Black Mountain police officers asked Buncombe County's DSS for help with a 9-year-old girl after arresting her father. The DSS worker said we could leave the child in the room, but she hopes we would not do that, the report says. But the foster care residence was in unincorporated Transylvania County, not the city of Brevard. DSS seized children during a drug raid that found no evidence and was conducted at the wrong house on warrants intended for a search elsewhere. A grand jury first indicted the mother for neglect in 2015. But the grandmother said she could not care for Addison, Reeves younger child, at that time. Another Lawsuit Filed Against Cleveland Community College Board of Trustees!!! This is your chance to support credible, community-based, public-service journalism. Shooter is not expected to last very long. A tangible sign of those things are the yearly audit, which Scott said he hopes will show no findings. Burke County DSS . County Social Services Director - DSS Jobs NC County Social Services Director Work Type Directors and Program Managers Position Number 840201 Salary $98,812 - $156,171 Closing Date July 8, 2022 Posted June 9, 2022 Agency Name Social Services Work County Pitt Job Location 1717 West 5th Street Greenville North Carolina 27834 Job Description The DSS Director works with the Social Services Advisory Board and reports directly to the County Manager's Office acting on behalf of the Board of Commissioners. Sen. Ralph Hise similarly said he disagreed with Blevins assertion that he couldnt talk about the case and asserted that the General Assembly did not need permission from the judicial branch to do its job. It is important to screen cases correctly, or agencies risk violating parents constitutional rights to raise their children. Time and again, though, lawmakers tried to turn the conversation back toward the specific case. Buncombe County spokeswoman Lillian Govus said unless the subpoena is from a judge, Blevins couldnt testify about the particulars even if the meeting is behind closed doors. "What I have really appreciated lately is the internal support function," he said. So, they did. Some lawmakers were incensed. Asheville, NC 28802 12. During visitation with the family in 2014, they noticed marks on him, which led to a Department of Social Services investigation. She wasnt sure why that didnt happen in Addisons case, and privacy laws prevented her from discussing the details. Buncombe County DSS Mr. Stoney Blevins, Director 828-250-5588. "I'm still kind of young in my career. A week later, the mother of two was found dead in a New Jersey motel room. It is my taxes that go to CCS. Each countys average annual removal rate, compared with the states annual removal rate, was calculated as a percentage of the states rate. Because of that, we placed one of our staff at the hospital. In a case of suspected abuse in a foster care setting, DSS is obligated to notify law enforcement. An Associated Press investigation into Littlejohns death found social workers forged documents to cover their tracksafter the girl diedto show the visits had occurred when they in fact had not. 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. A year ago, Buncombe County updated its policy, and social workers now respond to any law enforcement officers request for a social worker on the scene. But sometimes social workers fudge. Response times to child welfare reports vary depending on how much risk the child is in. County Director of Social Services August 1, 2022 / DSS Jobs NC. Even without names or narratives, the overall data from the last decade points to locations in the state where removals of children have occurred far above or far below the statewide average. Don Warn, 53, who was the Buncombe County finance director since November 2018, recently left Buncombe County to go to Guilford County, where he started on Feb. 13, according to a. Visit RelayNCfor information about TTY services. Some families accused DSS staff of generally playing God with peoples lives and acting in a conspiratorial manner. No appointment is needed. Social workers are supposed to try to make these contacts regularly. The North Carolina General Assembly meets in the State Legislative Building in Raleigh, seen here in Feb. 2018. Zahra Baker was a native of Australia who lived in Catawba County with her father and stepmother. Did you like this story? The successful candidate has a history of collaborating with staff, the local community and state partners to create stronger families, safer communities, and a better future for those they serve. Must be able to understand and prioritize work to adhere to County, State and Federal timeframes. In nearly 1-in-4 of North Carolinas 100 counties, child welfare workers consider outside guidance in addition to statewide policy for child welfare cases, the report said. His grandmother and aunt told CPP that they would have taken him so that he could grow up alongside his brother, but no one from DSS contacted them. State Government websites value user privacy. Related:After first clean audit in 4 years, Buncombe County again has 'significant deficiency', County Government:Buncombe County Commissioners discuss affordable housing, cryptocurrency, finances, "We can never really know what a particular environment will look like in any given year, but I lean to those relationships, so maintaining trust and communication both within and outside the organization," he said. Even after all the insider wheeling and dealing that made her the Interim Director to begin with. Carolina Public Press is an independent nonprofit news organization dedicated to nonpartisan, in-depth and investigative news built upon the facts and context North Carolinians need to know. Police arrested all three adults after saying they found drugs and used needles, according to the report. 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. Blevins said he cant talk about specific child welfare cases because of confidentiality laws. Theyve ripped (the grandchildrens) family apart, Noyes said. They visit the parents, then write down what they say. Now, much of that trust has been regained, Scott said, and after the work put in over the last several years, the department now has what Scott calls "stable processes. At other times, however, DSS agencies have cited confidentiality rules as reasons for not responding to questions about their general procedures and policies that require no identifying information about individual children and families. 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. And so Im not sure we need a (new) law. Learn More{{/message}}, {{#message}}{{{message}}}{{/message}}{{^message}}It appears your submission was successful. 40 Coxe Avenue 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. Reporting like this isnt free to produce and we cannot do this alone. Didnt they care this girl was going to be left with someone she did not know? Almost every one of those studies says essentially the same thing; the recommendations are pretty much the same, Blevins told the committee. County Director of Social Services Work Type. This is your chance to support credible, community-based, public-service journalism. Would love your thoughts, please comment. 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. I truly hope in this process that this confidentiality requirement isnt being used to hide the mistakes, Hise said. Please contact the developer of this form processor to improve this message. At one point, we were having upwards of 400 babies a year born at Mission Hospital with illicit drugs in their system, Blevins said. 0 miles away . The Social Worker will ask numerous questions of you such as but not limited to adult's name, address, age/date of birth, Social Security number, family/collateral names, how is the person disabled, what are the allegations of abuse, neglect or exploitation. 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. State law also allows DSS offices to disclose records to prosecutors without court orders, saidSara DePasquale, an associate professor specializing in child welfare law at the UNC School of Government, two years ago. You may remain anonymous but we encourage you to give us your name in the event additional information is needed. Christian Smith is the general assignment reporter for the Asheville Citizen-Times. Some abuse is so heinous that workers are required to investigate immediately. Each countys average annual removal rate, compared with the states annual removal rate, was calculated as a percentage of the states rate. Court records from the case show that the judge recognized the ultimate goal of reuniting the boy with his family when possible, and while the fathers rights had been terminated, Reeves rights were intact. In 2020, police in Black Mountain pulled over a swerving car and arrested all three adults. No appointment is needed. In September 2016, a CPP investigation learned that the boy had been adopted within weeks of his mothers death. Director of Buncombe County Health and Human Services Talmadge "Stoney" Blevins provided few answers to the Joint Legislative Oversight Committee on Health and Human Services about why officers with the Black Mountain Police Department were reportedly told to leave a 9-year-old girl in a hotel room with a stranger, meth, and more than 100 . She told the police she wanted to go home. Asheville, NC 28802 12. The report says a social worker told police that DSS did not respond to these situations., Officers explained that the parent wanted to leave the girl with Stanley. The report says the DSS worker demanded multiple times to take a report over the phone. Over time, many families have contacted Carolina Public Press about child protective services concerns. 0 miles away. GPS Latitude: 35.597763. And then we seem surprised when it fails. Please join us! Blevins strongly disagreed with this last claim. These records are tied into funding. Much to lawmakers chagrin, Blevins could not confirm or deny anything in the police report due to strict laws protecting the privacy of the girl and her family. We are prohibited by statute to disclose the name of the reporter except when law enforcement is conducting a criminal investigation related to abuse, neglect or exploitation of the adult; or unless ordered by the court. A CPP investigation nearly two years later found that the family had notified the Brevard Police Department. This project was produced for the USC Annenberg Center for Health Journalisms 2020 Data Fellowship. This report has not been officially . If you cant answer because you dont know or you can answer because you refuse to under some other authority, Edwards said. Post Office Box 7408. But Reeves death was only part of the case. The parents used intravenous drugs in the presence of their children and failed to provide adequate nutrition and hygiene, the indictments said. On March 20, police in Black Mountain pulled over a car that was swerving over the white line. Each member of a public agency or department must submit contact information for the Buncombe County personnel directory. Carolina Public Press provides in-depth, investigative reporting on issues affecting Western North Carolina in a nonprofit, nonpartisan setting. 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. And I think you could understand how we would see that it could have the department or its failures.. It is my statement, based off my information, that no (DSS) staff member in Buncombe County has given the advice for a police officer to leave a child in a room with a stranger and 100 to 200 needles, Blevins said, speaking about the police report. 40 Coxe Avenue. At one point, the report says, she advised officers to leave the girl in the custody of Stanley.. For instance, he said, he can think of at least three studies of the child welfare system, in addition to federal reviews and several other legislative-level studies. To learn more, view our full privacy policy. An official website of the State of North Carolina, Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities, and Substance Abuse, Office Of Minority Health And Health Disparities, Services for the Deaf and the Hard of Hearing. To be perfectly honest, I just think we need to take action.. Must be able to type a minimum of 40 words per minute. Its just disturbing. Carolina Public Press has confirmed that there was a subpoena. But Shooters long and corrupt past at CCDSS caught up with her. The programs are housed in three separate locations. A simple takeaway from the map is that the state has many counties at either end of the spectrum, far removed from the statewide average. ASHEVILLE - Buncombe County's Public Health. Colby Rabon / Carolina Public Press Their stories were often shocking and always emotional. Dumbing Down Courses for High School Students so CCS can send more students into Program so CCS and CCC make more $$$ off the Taxpayers!!! Upcoming articles in this series will examine the systemic problems that create challenges for child protective services in North Carolina and potential solutions. Child welfare officials rank reported cases of abuse and respond either immediately, within 24 hours or within 72 hours depending on the severity of the allegation. Did you know that there is a law that was enacted in 1975 to protect disabled adults from abuse, neglect and exploitation? Social workers removed children seized over a mark from a supposed beating, even though there was no evidence of the mark. 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. Officers said they found drugs and needles on or near all of the adults, including uncapped hypodermic needles, marijuana and methamphetamine. The officer hung up, and the DSS worker called back and asked him to complete the report. Each of North Carolina's 100 counties has a local social services agency. What You Need To Know About Reducing Fraud. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Buncombe County's Finance Department, which oversees the accounting for the over $580 million fiscal year 2023 budget, recently lost its director to another county, and a longtime Buncombe County employee has stepped up to temporarily hold the position. No subpoena is necessary.. The police reported that an officer called Buncombe County DSS but then hung up on the social worker. I ended the phone call." The General Assembly called Buncombe County Health and Human Services Director Stoney Blevins to testify about the . Food Network's 'Spring Baking Championship' to feature WNC pastry chef, After first clean audit in 4 years, Buncombe County again has 'significant deficiency', Buncombe County Commissioners discuss affordable housing, cryptocurrency, finances, Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. Reeves family said she had lived in fear for her life because of attacks from her ex-husbandTitus Boley, who had served a prison sentence for assaulting her. Mason Scott, 34, was hand-picked by Warn as his temporary successor. Ideally, when social workers conduct their monthly home visits, they look for changes in the home. Editors note: This is part 2 of the four-part investigative series Patchwork Protection. Part 1 appeared June 7. P. (828) 250-5500 Stoney Blevins, director of the Buncombe County Department of Social Services, testified before a state legislative committee last week, saying he couldnt tell legislators much about a specific child welfare case due to confidentiality laws. And some economically advantaged counties may also cluster with high or low removal rates. I mean you cant get back the last couple years of these little children, you know.. The DSS agent who had documented the abuse in foster care no longer worked there by this time. She died in 2010, and her stepmother was eventually charged in her murder. At the expense of our Childrens Future!!! This statute was initiated to protect the increasing number of disabled adults in North Carolina who are being abused, neglected or exploited. Low counties are clustered in the rural northeastern counties, which typically have very low populations. Explore departmental dashboards. Officers said that the father told them they could leave the girl in a hotel room with a man named Spencer, but when asked, the girl told police that his name was actually Stanley, she didnt know his last name and she wanted to go home. Email her at imari.scarbrough@gmail.com. Trouble in Paradise for Sure!!! A lock icon or https:// means youve safely connected to the official website. County Social Services Director Work Type Directors and Program Managers Position Number 221-16-0001 Salary $72,892 - $109,338 Closing Date May 10, 2021 Posted April 23, 2021 Agency Name Mitchell County Department of Social Services Work County Mitchell Job Contact The allegations parents brought to CPP ranged widely: Social workers refused to screen in a case of extreme negligence involving meth-addicted parents despite repeated urging from a grandmother. With the support of readers like you, we provide thoughtfully researched articles for a more informed and connected community. Social Worker Buncombe Family and Children's Services
