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State child‑welfare officials ask Davidson County to add a full‑time DSS attorney; commissioners approve
Summary
State child‑welfare officials told the board that Davidson County DSS has a growing backlog—about 70 petitions filed July 2025–Jan 2026 and legal responsibility for roughly 237 children—and the commissioners approved adding one full‑time attorney to reduce caseloads and speed permanency for children.
Felisa Farrell, acting child welfare director with the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, told the Davidson County Board of Commissioners on March 23 that the county’s social‑services legal team is overwhelmed and needs another full‑time attorney to manage court work and move children to permanency.
“From fiscal year 26, from July 2025 through January 2026, we filed, nearly 70 petitions in that department,” Farrell said, adding that “Davidson County DSS is legally responsible now for 237 children.”…
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