Rutherford County DSS board warns staffing shortfalls as foster caseloads reach about 200 children

Acting Director Dodd told the Rutherford County Department of Social Services board on April 15 that the agency is managing about 200 children in care and is making progress on adoptions, but staffing shortages and reporting gaps are straining operations.

"Right now, we're at 200 kids in care," Dodd said, citing recent placement and legal activities. She said the agency had 13 parental-termination (TPR) cases ready to move toward adoption and reported seven adoptions recently, putting the office close to its year goal for adoptions.

Board members pressed for clearer caseload metrics and a better public-facing report format. One board member said the current tables make it hard to see who is assigned what and whether high caseload numbers reflect assignment or reporting errors. Dodd acknowledged discrepancies in the county data warehouse and said she provided source data from "path and c" to produce more accurate figures.

Board members also raised retention and recruitment issues tied to pay and workload. Staff and board members said posted salary ranges had discouraged applicants when the advertised top of range did not match the actual hiring range. Dodd described several recent resignations and the need to pay contractors for out-of-county visits, noting that some positions remain vacant because candidates decline offers once they learn the starting pay.

"We've had applicants, but when they realized [the salary] they were like, no," Dodd said, explaining the agency is adjusting how it posts hiring ranges to reflect the true hiring minimum and maximum.

The board discussed use of contract staff to cover visits and after-hours work; Dodd said contractors (which she named as Vanguard) are handling out-of-county visitations and that contract pay lines have significantly exceeded the budgeted amount for temporary salaries. Finance staff later told the board a temporary salary line budgeted at $172,000 had reached roughly $313,000 to cover contractors.

Board members asked whether kinship placements could become custodial placements and whether court timelines were slowing permanency efforts. Dodd said timelines vary but that the agency has had "hiccups" with outside attorneys on TPR work that have delayed moves to adoption; she reported 13 cases that should be able to move forward once legal matters are cleared.

Dodd also described operational changes connected to Path and C, the case-management tool the county is adopting for foster care and adoption workflows; she said staff are undergoing training and that adoption assistance is being made available electronically.

The board pressed for a way to display assignment and closure counts without risk of identifying individual workers. Dodd said she will work on a format that provides the board a clearer, non-identifying view of assignments and closures so members can spot workloads and outliers.

The board’s discussion matched concerns raised in the financial report presented later in the meeting, which showed program spending pressure and elevated contractor costs tied to staffing gaps. The board left the personnel and service reports with a request for clearer caseload reporting and continued attention to recruitment.

The board did not take formal action on staffing or salaries at the April 15 meeting; members noted the county commissioners are reviewing budget amendments that could add funds to foster-care lines.