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DSS director flags PathNC go‑live, staff vacancies and point‑in‑time foster‑care count
Summary
Corey Fisher Wellman, director of Burke County DSS, reported 14 open positions (≈7% vacancy), 217 children in foster care at a point in time, and preparations to move child‑welfare functions into the statewide PathNC system on Sept. 8. He warned implementation will be labor intensive for staff.
Corey Fisher Wellman, director of Burke County Department of Social Services, briefed the board on staffing, caseloads and the county’s transition to PathNC, a statewide child‑welfare case management system.
Wellman said the department had 14 open positions (about a 7% vacancy rate) with several conditional offers pending, and noted operational pressures in economic‑services roles. He also reported point‑in‑time foster‑care figures of about 217 children and said the department had seen more exits than entries in June, a positive short‑term sign.
Discussing PathNC, Wellman warned that Sept. 8 is the county’s target to put all child‑welfare programs into the system. "So on September 8, everything we do will go into path," he said, and added that the migration will require staff to rebuild legacy records and that bugs in the statewide system have delayed full implementation. He urged the board to recognize implementation risks and the workload impact on DSS staff.
Wellman also described adult‑services caseloads and family‑preservation programs, and commissioners thanked staff for meeting MOU outcomes even with staff constraints. The board accepted the June DSS report 4–0.
