Sampson County DSS outlines caseload pressure, funding mix and new corrective-action scrutiny
Loading...
Summary
Department of Social Services Director Patty Santos told the county commissioners that high caseloads, staffing shortages and new state corrective-action enforcement are pressing local child-protection, adult-services and economic-assistance programs.
Patty Santos, director of the Sampson County Department of Social Services, told the Sampson County Board of Commissioners the agency is managing many federally mandated programs while facing staffing, caseload and funding pressures.
Santos explained that North Carolina’s social-services system is “federally mandated, state supervised, county administered.” She said mandated programs include child protective services (CPS), foster care, adult protective services, Medicaid eligibility, food and nutrition (SNAP), WorkFirst, child support, energy assistance (LIEAP) and others. She said program funding is an intricate mix of federal, state and county dollars and that some programs are capped while others are uncapped.
On child-protection staffing, presenters said CPS assessors are allotted a statutory or recommended caseload of about six investigations per worker; Santos and staff reported the county has nine CPS positions but only seven active CPS investigators at the time of the presentation and said actual caseloads have exceeded recommended levels. Staff described three response time categories for allegations: immediate, 24-hour and 72-hour, depending on severity.
Rhonda Matthews, foster-care supervisor (quoted by role), said Sampson County currently has roughly 11 licensed foster homes and about 11 children in care, and that the agency sometimes places children out of county when local placements are not available. Jane Douglas, deputy director, and other managers described the foster-to-18 and 18–21 programs, adoption and guardianship supports, and licensing and training for foster families.
On adult services, Carrie Phillips, adult-services program manager, described protective-service investigations for neglect and exploitation and noted recent use of an outside provider, Generations Family Services, to manage casework for wards while the agency maintains oversight.
Economic-services managers said special assistance in home has moved from a capped slot model to an entitlement, increasing local slots from about 18 in 2024 to 55 today. The department’s HUB Resource Center assisted nearly 2,000 individuals in 2024, and the child-support unit reported collecting about $6.4 million last year with a cost-effectiveness ratio of about $5.11 returned per dollar spent on child support activities.
Santos and staff flagged an administrative change: beginning in January the state will more actively enforce the memorandum-of-understanding (MOU) performance measures that counties must meet; failure to meet measures can trigger corrective action. Managers listed recent audits and said the department’s strongest challenges are high caseloads, staff safety concerns and turnover. To alleviate staffing pressures the department has implemented reclassifications, flex schedules and telework and has invested in training; it also noted measures to improve staff safety including metal detectors and an on-site security guard.
Commissioners asked for the DSS slide deck; staff offered to provide contacts for foster-home applicants and said workers second-party case reviews continue for a year of training for new Medicaid eligibility staff to reduce improper authorizations.
Ending: Santos reiterated that the county-administered agency must operate within federal and state rules, and staff asked commissioners to consider the agency’s workload and staffing needs as budget and policy decisions proceed.
