Beaufort County residents press commissioners over child‑welfare practice; board sends resolution to state for study
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Summary
Dozens of residents told the Beaufort County Board of Commissioners they believe child‑welfare removals have been mishandled; after extended public comment and debate the board approved an amended resolution asking the North Carolina General Assembly to study enhanced oversight and due‑process protections for child‑welfare actions.
Dozens of residents told the Beaufort County Board of Commissioners during a packed public‑comment period that the county’s Department of Social Services (DSS) has wrongly removed children and failed families in a range of cases. Speakers recounted personal histories of removals, alleged procedural gaps and requested county‑level oversight and state legislative reform.
“Children are seized unnecessarily from families,” civil‑rights advocate Jessica Saxon told commissioners as she read affidavits and called for the board to elevate the issue to the state level. Family‑integrity advocate Sarah Lee urged the board to examine the Families First Preservation and Services Act and to prioritize reunification and front‑loaded services in local practice.
Commissioners heard extended, often emotional accounts from parents and former foster‑care youth who said local DSS investigations had left families separated and, in some cases, subjected parents to court sanctions or criminal allegations. Several speakers named local social‑services staff by name and described individual case outcomes; others said they had submitted affidavits and civil‑rights complaints for review.
On the board’s agenda, Commissioner Stan introduced a short, broad resolution asking Beaufort County’s state legislators to pursue enhanced oversight and judicial due process in child‑welfare cases. The board debated the draft at length: some members argued the language was accusatory toward county employees and should be narrowed, while others said a broad resolution was needed to prompt a careful statutory review in Raleigh.
After discussion and amendments that removed or softened some of the draft’s "whereas" clauses, the board adopted an amended resolution asking the North Carolina General Assembly to study possible statutory changes that would increase oversight and clarify due‑process protections in child‑welfare proceedings. The resolution does not create new local law or fund program changes; it asks the state legislature and applicable state associations to examine the issue and report back.
County staff and the county attorney repeatedly noted that state statutes and judicial review are already part of the child‑welfare process, and that some investigative removals are made under emergency circumstances. Commissioners said the resolution is meant to spur a state‑level review rather than to indict local staff.
Next steps: the board directed staff to prepare the amended resolution for transmittal to Beaufort County’s state legislators and to consider sending the item to the North Carolina Association of County Commissioners for study and broader county input.
