But when public officials do not abide by the laws, they take an oath to, to stand for, then our system is in trouble. Each countys average annual removal rate, compared with the states annual removal rate, was calculated as a percentage of the states rate. Carolina Public Press is an independent nonprofit news organization dedicated to nonpartisan, in-depth and investigative news built upon the facts and context North Carolinians need to know. His grandmother and aunt told CPP that they would have taken him so that he could grow up alongside his brother, but no one from DSS contacted them. Prosecutors filed additional charges, including incest, aiding and abetting incest, child prostitution and other felony sex offenses involving multiple close relatives. This is your chance to support credible, community-based, public-service journalism. 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. To make an adult or child protective services report any time, day or night, call the numbers below: Early Childhood Education & Development Fund, Environmental & Energy Stewardship Subcommittee, Parks, Greenways and Recreation Advisory Board. Buncombe County Solid Waste is . Police later claimed that they emailed information about the case to the Transylvania County Sheriffs Office. If county officials decide to go beyond the scope of state guidelines, or in some cases beyond what state and federal laws allow, those choices are being made by individuals, some of whom already face criminal prosecution. The North Carolina General Assembly meets in the State Legislative Building in Raleigh, seen here in Feb. 2018. So, they did. Carolina Public Press provides in-depth, investigative reporting on issues affecting Western North Carolina in a nonprofit, nonpartisan setting. Adults Protective Services: DSS - Buncombe County | Asheville Aging & Adult Services Child & Family Services Foster Parent Resources Adult Protective Services In Buncombe County you can make a Protective Service referral or report by calling (828) 250-5800 anytime, day or night. Social workers removed him from the foster care setting, but the family remained unclear about what happened to him next, they told CPP. One relative was convicted last year and is serving a 12-year prison sentence, another is serving a suspended sentence of five years, and a third is serving a two-year prison sentence. Now, much of that trust has been regained, Scott said, and after the work put in over the last several years, the department now has what Scott calls "stable processes. 40 Coxe Avenue. Such records are typically open to prosecutors, according to Peg Dorer, with the N.C. Conference of District Attorneys. This will reduce capacity to one active hopper and operational delays should be expected. But others include the major Piedmont metro areas, which have some of the highest populations. But what to do with the 9-year-old girl? Police arrested all three adults, one of whom was the girls father. Mason Scott, 34, was hand-picked by Warn as his temporary successor. To help people know where to go if they suspect maltreatment or self-neglect, this rack card was created by BCHHS. Officers said that the father told them they could leave the girl in a hotel room with a man named Spencer, but when asked, the girl told police that his name was actually Stanley, she didnt know his last name and she wanted to go home. Zahra Baker was a native of Australia who lived in Catawba County with her father and stepmother. If county officials decide to go beyond the scope of state guidelines, or in some cases beyond what state and federal laws allow, those choices are being made by individuals, some of whom already face criminal prosecution. In nearly 1-in-4 of North Carolinas 100 counties, child welfare workers consider outside guidance in addition to statewide policy for child welfare cases, the report said. Questions or comments? Some families accused DSS staff of generally playing God with peoples lives and acting in a conspiratorial manner. LE afforded BCDSS the same courtesy. Asheville, NC 28802 12. Phone: 828-250-5500 Or a family who had contacted CPP initially might not be able to talk now because of a settlement that included a nondisclosure agreement. Protection of the Abused, Neglected or Exploited Disabled Adult Act is located under Statute 108A Article 6. Customer Service Center: 1-800-662-7030 Visit RelayNC for information about TTY services. Emergency Phone: 828-250-5500Website, Administrative Assistant: Christa Lance,828-250-5587, Business Officer/ Fiscal/Performance Manager: Lisa White,828-250-5802, Operation Manager: Leigh Anderson,828-250-5575, Economic Services Division Director: Phillip Hardin,828-250-5592, Social Work Services Division Director/Foster Care & Adoptions Program Administrator: Rebecca Smith,828-250-5764, Permanency Planning: Amber Cook, 828-250-5824, CPS Intake/Investigations: Sherrie Thomas, 828-250-5843 ; Trina Hill, 828-250-5249, Licensing & Adoptions: Lizzi Shimer, 828-250-5277, Adult Services: Jennifer Teague, 828-250-5198, Quality Assurance, Program Administrator: Kelli Buckner,828-250-5987, Quality Assurance, Social Work Performance Standards: Alison Mann,828-250-5788, Family & Adult Medicaid Program Administrator: Ian Allen,828-250-5628, FNS/Program Integrity/Community Resources: Patricia Wallin,828-250-5689, FNS/Technical Support/Training: Denise Lancaster,828-250-5639, Child Support Enforcement: 0 miles away . A spokesperson for the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services told CPP at the time that the foster mother would no longer be able to foster children in North Carolina. Learn More{{/message}}, {{#message}}{{{message}}}{{/message}}{{^message}}It appears your submission was successful. The DSS worker said we could leave the child in the room, but she hopes we would not do that, the report says. Those removing children at two-thirds the state rate are considered low, and those removing at less than half the state rate are considered very low. Fax Number: 828-250-6235 Your email address will not be published. While Blevins said the states juvenile code forbade him from providing specifics about the March incident, he had a lot to say about improving the states child welfare system. I mean you cant get back the last couple years of these little children, you know.. Blevins pointed out that the police report says the officer hung up on the DSS worker who was trying to take the report. The largest concentration of counties that are removing children at high or very high rates are in the western mountain counties, though a smaller cluster also exists in the southeastern counties, and a few other exceptions are scattered across the map. This interpretation of the rules can make it difficult for other branches of state government to hold DSS agencies accountable for possible mistakes, much less the news media, which has no access to subpoena powers. Low counties are clustered in the rural northeastern counties, which typically have very low populations. Please contact the developer of this form processor to improve this message. "I'm grateful to have an opportunity to serve even in the interim at this point in my career.". When CPP brought the case to the attention of deputies in 2016, they conducted an investigation. Are new people living there? An Associated Press investigation into Littlejohns death found social workers forged documents to cover their tracks after the girl died to show the visits had occurred when they in fact had not. Salary. When news organizations contact local departments of social services offices with questions about a specific case, the agencies are typically unable to discuss them. Colby Rabon / Carolina Public Press, Blevins could not confirm or deny anything, died while under supervision by county DSS, Mining in your backyard: The story of Mountain Mist Mine and the neighbors contesting it, part two, Mining in your backyard: The story of Mountain Mist Mine and the neighbors contesting it, part one, Teen girls engulfed in a growing wave of sadness, violence and trauma, latest youth survey shows, Looming cuts to emergency SNAP benefits threaten food security in rural America, Taking a moonshot at early colorectal cancer detection in northeastern NC, Your support funds important public interest journalism, Proudly powered by Newspack by Automattic. One was located in a glove inside a door pocket, a police report says. Cumberland DSS has a fiduciary budget of $715 million, an operating budget of over $65 million, and nearly 716 employees, who work in seven sections. Its regretful there were some communications mishaps, said Cherokee County DSS DirectorAmanda McGeeina later interview on WKRK, a radio station in Murphy. Buncombe County's DSS office allocated $400,000 for extra clerical staff when it thought it would be required to use NC Fast's child welfare modules, but its current system has more features that child welfare workers need than NC Fast does, said Stoney Blevins, director of health and human services in Buncombe County. The Social Worker will ask numerous questions of you such as but not limited to adult's name, address, age/date of birth, Social Security number, family/collateral names, how is the person disabled, what are the allegations of abuse, neglect or exploitation. No appointment is needed. The officer hung up, and the DSS worker called back and asked him to complete the report. Ideally, when social workers conduct their monthly home visits, they look for changes in the home. Closing Date. He answered legislators questions about generic procedures but drew the line when asked about the specific case. If the purpose of the record request is to protect a juvenile, then no court order would be needed, DePasquale told CPP. {{#message}}{{{message}}}{{/message}}{{^message}}Your submission failed. "The county has a strong team in the Finance Department and we appreciate Mason serving as our interim as the Commissioners undergo a search process to hire a new permanent Finance Director for Buncombe County," Board of Commissioners Chair Brownie Newman said. Box 7408 State Courier #: 12-50-02 Phone: 828-250-5500 Fax Number: 828-250-6235 Emergency Phone: 828-250-5500 Website Key Staff Director: Stoney Blevins Administrative Assistant: Christa Lance , 828-250-5587 Reeves family said she had lived in fear for her life because of attacks from her ex-husband Titus Boley, who had served a prison sentence for assaulting her. Job Contact. Such situations include when the only parent of a child is being arrested and is thus not able to plan for another adult to care for the child. Forging contact records is not trivial. If a judge releases the record, the judge can release a record to whatever parties they choose to, Blevins said. Didnt they care this girl was going to be left with someone she did not know? City Public Health Programs. But even in some of these cases, legal counsel may ultimately advise them not to discuss the situation further. Public Employee Directories list that contact information, such as names, phone numbers, and . Its just disturbing. Work County. He helped implement Workday, the county's primary financial accounting system, in 2017, then formally joined the Finance Department in 2019 as a financial planning and analysis manager. People who lose their children or are unsuccessful in having children removed from the home of a troubled family member are not happy about these outcomes. Noyes said she continues to work with her daughter to regain custody of the children but has become disappointed by the process. Many of the counties with very high removal rates have elevated poverty rates, but no direct correlation exists between poverty levels and child removal rates. A parents attorney could get a hold of these records and make an argument to have the kids returned home.. Buncombe County Health and Human Services Director Stoney Blevins sits at his desk in Asheville. In a Sept. 15 email to Edwards, Blevins said he would be honored to meet with the committee to talk and answer questions about our child welfare system. DHHS Childrens Program representativeBrian Voglstated concerns for falsifying the foster care monthly contact records these are identical, and they are falsifying these records, the memo stated. If we need to talk specifics, all I would ask is that we take the appropriate legal steps so that I can talk to you freely without violating the law that I took an oath to uphold.. A county with an annual removal rate exactly the same as the statewide rate would have a 100% comparison rating, a county that removed children on average at twice the statewide rate would have a 200% comparison rating, and a county that removed children on average at half the statewide rate would have a 50% comparison rating. Does the child feel safe? The case made international headlines over the following months, focusing a world spotlight on the total failure of the child protection system in her case. A county with an annual removal rate exactly the same as the statewide rate would have a 100% comparison rating, a county that removed children on average at twice the statewide rate would have a 200% comparison rating, and a county that removed children on average at half the statewide rate would have a 50% comparison rating. Confidentiality rules preventing discussion of child welfare cases may limit much of the testimony NC legislators seek. pigella miraculous ladybug power. Graham County DSS Ms. Amy Seay, Director 196 Knight Street Post Office Box 1150 Robbinsville, NC 28771 Tel. And some economically advantaged counties may also cluster with high or low removal rates. Some lawmakers were incensed. He is earning a salary of $102,755.32, according to a public records request. There appeared to be no attempt by the police or DSS to follow up with the Sheriffs Office. Buncombe County Health & Human Services Address: 40 Coxe Ave., Asheville, NC 28801 P.O.