Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Child Welfare topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
DHHS says backlog shrinking after state divestiture of county child‑welfare operations
Summary
A DHHS acting director reported the child‑welfare backlog fell to 315 cases and described hires, new supervisory schedules and contracting with vendor staff as the state temporarily administers Davidson County’s child‑welfare services.
The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, which is temporarily operating Davidson County’s child‑welfare services following state divestiture, told the Board of Commissioners on April 2 that the backlog of cases has declined and that staffing and process changes are underway.
Felissa Frell, who said she is acting as the county’s child‑welfare director for DHHS, gave the board updated case counts: a total backlog of 315 cases across both systems in use (98 in the Traverse system and 217 in PATHN), 490 current CPS cases, and 236 active foster‑care cases. She said 25 children had entered foster care since DHHS assumed operations and that permanency has been found for 27 children.
Frell credited recently authorized temporary contract staff (Allies for Outcomes and Vanguard) and competitive salary adjustments for helping with recruitment and for pushing backlog numbers down. “The staff have really been putting in a lot of hours,” she said, and noted nine full‑time hires since divestiture with several more new hires expected in April.
The DHHS representative described operational changes: a daily assignment huddle to triage new reports, weekly leadership and supervisory schedules, updated legal staffing and staffing patterns to improve court coordination, and enhanced reference checks and training for new social workers. Contractors are currently carrying a portion of caseload as the county ramps up hiring; staff said Allies for Outcomes had about 35 contracted cases and Vanguard about 94 at the time of the meeting.
Why it matters: The state’s temporary assumption of child‑welfare authority allows DHHS to make case, personnel and financial decisions to stabilize services while staff vacancies are filled. Commissioners and staff said they want to see continued progress toward targeted staffing and measurable outcomes.
What’s next: DHHS and county staff said they would continue weekly and bi‑weekly coordination with county management and the board and would provide updated case and staffing numbers as they become available.
