Rachel McConachie, director of the Anne Arundel County Department of Social Services, told the County Council on May 15 that the department handled more than 50,000 face‑to‑face customer interactions and processed nearly 40,000 new economic benefit applications in the prior fiscal year.

McConachie described the agency’s structure — child protective services and child welfare, family investment administration economic services, community initiatives (including homeless services) and administrative services — and said the county supplies roughly 92 county positions while the majority of staff are state employees funded in part by federal and state reimbursements.

On child welfare, McConachie said the department has adopted a ‘‘kin‑first’’ approach; today about 34% of children in foster care are placed with kin and the department is working to increase that number. The department highlighted youth supports including a youth advisory board called RISE (Reaching Independence through Social Equity) and partnerships such as the Annapolis Family Support Center and Annapolis High School programs.

McConachie described family investment administration activity and food supports: she said “about 7,000,000 Family Investment Administration economic benefits are issued here to Anne Arundel County residents” (as stated in the presentation) and that the county runs a summer benefit program to replace school meals. For homeless services, she described outreach and case management serving roughly 100 households and proposed additional budgeted positions (blended with federal grants) to continue outreach; one grant‑funded position is proposed to receive supplemental county funding to continue as a contractual position.

On kinship care, McConachie said relatives caring for children who are not in foster care need concrete supports (summer camp, respite, furniture, rental or utility help). The department proposes a kinship navigation role in partnership with the Partnership for Children, Youth and Families to provide those supports.

Councilmembers asked whether federal grants had been frozen; McConachie said at 9:45 a.m. on May 15 she had not been notified of any frozen funds but the department was monitoring federal grant stability closely. The presentation was informational; no formal council vote was taken.