Residents and social workers press Alexander County leaders on foster care staffing and licensing

Several residents and a former county social worker told the Alexander County Board of Commissioners on the evening of the board’s March 2025 regular meeting that chronic staff turnover and limited licensing capacity at the Department of Social Services are harming local foster children and families.

At the meeting, former social worker Taneal Hellman said staffing shortages left remaining workers "doing the job intended for 3 or 4 people," and said licensing historically has not been given enough priority, leaving the county with far fewer foster homes. "When we don't have a licensing worker who can give the job the time and attention it needs, we start to lose the foster parents that we do have left," Hellman said.

The remarks were echoed by longtime foster parent Brenda Price, who said she has fostered more than 200 children over 40 years and described foster parents as "frustrated about the turnover and not having anyone at DSS they can count on for correct information, advice, or support." Price said some foster families were told by staff that they should transfer their license to another county to get needed support and urged the board to "hold DSS accountable." "The time for excuses is over. The time for action is now," she said.

DSS Director Carrie Jarrell spoke later in the meeting with staff at her side and thanked staff publicly; she also presented agency performance metrics and staffing updates to the board. Jarrell said the department's count of children in foster care rose to 48 during the reporting period and described continued vacancies. She said the department had recently filled two foster care social worker positions, including a transfer from another county who is pre‑certified and can begin service without pre‑service training.

Jarrell reviewed performance measures she said were meeting or exceeding state timeliness goals: adult protective services investigations were reported at 95 percent timeliness, exploitation evaluations at 97 percent, and special assistance application timeliness in the high 80s to low 90s. She also described upcoming foster parent training sessions and outreach opportunities: an informational session March 17 and a MAP (Model Approach to Partnerships) class April 22, and said staff will accommodate applicants' schedules.

Speakers in public comment and agency staff flagged several operational effects from the licensing and staffing issues: a decline in licensed foster homes (from a number cited in prior meetings to an estimated 16 in December, with possibly fewer now), increased placements outside Alexander County, more travel and costs for social workers, delayed adoptions, and case continuity problems including frequent worker changes for some children.

Board members did not take formal action on the public comments; the meeting continued to a separate presentation and later to a closed session limited to economic development, contractual and personnel matters. Jarrell requested the board's continued assistance with recruitment and with ensuring supervisors and staff have the supports the department needs.

The board did not announce a new, specific directive to DSS at the meeting. Jarrell and other staff offered to provide follow‑up data on workforce changes and to continue updates to commissioners.