Burke County board unanimously authorizes RFQ to integrate foster‑care services
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Summary
County manager asked the board to authorize a request for qualifications to vertically integrate foster‑care services with a private provider to improve licensing, recruitment and service coordination; commissioners approved the direction 5–0 and staff will draft and post an RFQ for roughly 30 days.
The Burke County Board of Commissioners voted unanimously on Monday to authorize county staff to draft a request for qualifications (RFQ) that would vertically integrate foster‑care services through a single, prequalified vendor.
County manager presented data showing the county spends “about $2,700,000 a year in foster care” and described the county as having a foster‑care population disproportionate to its total population. The manager said the county currently licenses about 11 active foster parents under its local Department of Social Services licensing effort and identified delays in reunification and limited local resources as barriers to reducing time in care.
The proposed RFQ would seek a vendor able to provide a range of services — from clinical assessments and substance‑use treatment to parenting education and case support — with the goal of increasing licensed foster parents, speeding reunification and improving purchasing power through a single contracting vehicle. Staff said the RFQ would be posted for about 30 days and that a selection and implementation window would likely take roughly 60–90 days after posting.
Commissioner Burns moved to accept the manager’s report and authorize drafting the RFQ. The board approved the motion 5–0.
Manager presentation slides compared Burke County rates for child‑welfare referrals and substantiations to state and federal averages and suggested substance‑use disorders are a key local driver of foster‑care entries. The presentation included a figure described in the meeting transcript as an average length of time in care of "12 98 days"; that number was presented as a data point in the slides but the transcript formatting is ambiguous regarding whether that is intended as 1,298 days or a different formatting. The county did not provide an alternative value on the record at the meeting.
Board members who spoke supported attempting a new approach. A selection committee, staff said, would likely include a commissioner and a DSS board member to participate in vendor selection.
The motion was procedural direction to staff to proceed with drafting and posting an RFQ; no vendor contract was awarded at the meeting and no new budget appropriation was approved at this time.
