Burke County DSS presents foster-care staffing, caseloads and worker account of ‘day in the life’

Burke County Department of Social Services officials on Sept. 2 briefed the Board of Commissioners on foster-care caseloads, staffing and recruitment, and shown a short training film used in recruitment and training.

Corey Fisher Wellman, director of Burke County DSS, told the board the department’s monthly report showed 186 children were in foster care in the county at the time of the report and that the department’s vacancy rate was about 3.5 percent once four candidates who had received offers were onboarded. Wellman said the department averages about 65 child-protective-services reports per month and has worked to reduce a previous caseload spike.

DSS foster-care social worker Garrett Smith described day-to-day responsibilities for children in care and for families working toward reunification, and he recounted the range of placements and levels of care (regular foster care, therapeutic levels, IAFT, and psychiatric residential treatment facilities). "This is not a job for everyone," Smith told commissioners. He detailed routine tasks ranging from court reporting and child-family team meetings to interstate placement paperwork (ICPC) and emergency removals.

Smith described a recent case in which a child placed in a pre-adoptive home in another state was removed after allegations involving another child in the home; Smith said the child returned with a backpack and a carry bag and required immediate support and, later, hospitalization for a panic attack. He said staff provided on-site care, assisted in locating a new placement and continued follow-up. "There are times where you will want to just throw your hands up in the air and say, I cannot do this anymore, but you can't do that," Smith said. He described the emotional strain and the rewards of seeing children reach permanence through adoption.

Commissioners asked questions about common causes of removal and reporting patterns; Smith said domestic violence and substance abuse were common contributors and that CPS reports decline in the summer when schools — a primary reporter — are not in session. Commissioner comments included a suggestion to offer similar training or presentations to Burke County Public Schools staff to improve understanding of foster-care realities.

Following the presentation, the board accepted the DSS monthly operations report; the clerk recorded the vote as 4-0 to accept the report as presented.

Ending — Commissioners thanked staff and the foster-care worker for the presentation. Staff said the department will continue recruitment and outreach efforts and incorporate the foster-care presentation into broader recruitment and public-awareness activities.