Burke County staff propose single‑source "vertical integration" foster‑care provider to speed placements and reduce caseloads

County officials on Monday introduced a proposal to pursue a single‑source, vertically integrated foster‑care provider to consolidate recruitment, licensing, training and clinical assessments for children entering care in Burke County.

County Manager introduced the concept as a way to streamline referrals and support for foster families, saying the county would initially solicit input and direction before drafting a request for qualifications (RFQ). "We're calling it vertical integration," the manager said, describing a model that would centralize marketing, recruitment, licensing and clinical services so children are assessed and placed faster.

The proposal was presented as a preliminary step only; staff asked the board whether to move forward with drafting an RFQ and said no action was requested at the pre‑agenda session. The manager said the RFQ would seek providers who could respond rapidly to referrals — "so that means at 3AM when a child is taken into care, they're ready to begin the process" — and could provide a one‑stop set of services for foster families.

DSS Director Corey Fisher Wellman provided related operational context in a departmental update later in the meeting. Wellman said recruitment and staffing remain a challenge across children’s services, reporting a 7% vacancy rate (14 open positions) and noting that caseworkers carry high caseloads. "As of the October, we had 187 kids experiencing foster care," Wellman said, and during October the department recorded six new entries and four exits.

County staff cited several data points to justify the integrated approach, including a three‑year average that shows Burke County's foster intake exceeding state and federal averages and an "average length in care" figure the manager gave as 1,298 days. The manager said that lengthy stays and limited local placement options create a compounding backlog of children in care and that a vertically integrated provider could reduce time to permanency by improving placement availability and expediting clinical assessments.

Staff also pointed to a two‑year heat map (2022–24) overlaying overdose incidents and child‑welfare intakes by school zone; the manager said there appears to be a close correlation and that substance use and overdose are being addressed on a parallel track, including opioid‑settlement contracts approved in August that added staff and in‑home family treatment services. The county noted the RFQ approach aims to be budget neutral: private providers could bill Medicaid under LME/MCO arrangements for clinical services while public payments now made to multiple vendors would be funneled through a contracted partner.

The manager said Burke County currently has one county FTE handling recruitment and licensing duties and several out‑of‑county clinical vendors; the single‑source model is intended to reduce fragmentation, address transportation barriers for families, and create a more sustainable provider relationship locally. Staff emphasized the RFQ would define required services, including clinical assessments, drug screening and parental capacity evaluations, and that a competitive process would follow if the board gives direction to proceed.

Commissioners did not take action at the pre‑agenda meeting; staff said they would return to the regular meeting on Dec. 15 with more details if the board wants to proceed with drafting an RFQ. The county will also continue parallel work on substance‑use responses and other initiatives intended to prevent unnecessary entries into foster care.