If you have any questions you may call or come into our office located at 35 Woodfin Street, Asheville, NC. I thought I had faith in it, but I dont anymore.. But Zahra was never removed from the family. We aim to prevent abuse, neglect and exploitation of vulnerable residents and promote self-reliance and self-sufficiency for individuals and families. If you have an update to county agency information, please email dssweb@dhhs.nc.gov . Our staff is committed to providing Buncombe's diverse population with effective services in a timely and respectful manner. Cheri Wood, 828-250-6340 Veritas HHS But often county level workers fail to appropriately rank the risk of a case, according to a legislative report completed last year. And so Im not sure we need a (new) law. Im so disgusted with the system. Your email address will not be published. If you want to help us spread the word about signs of abuse, self-neglect or exploitation of elder adults or adults with disabilities, please consider hanging this poster somewhere in your community. A social worker ordered a family to banish the family dog, who had bitten no one. 40 Coxe Avenue. Carolina Public Press provides in-depth, investigative reporting on issues affecting Western North Carolina in a nonprofit, nonpartisan setting. He was making a salary of $161,785.44, according to a public records request. Colby Rabon / Carolina Public Press Their stories were often shocking and always emotional. State law also allows DSS offices to disclose records to prosecutors without court orders, said Sara DePasquale, an associate professor specializing in child welfare law at the UNC School of Government, two years ago. The legal direction is that information cant be shared before the House or Senate, Govus said. And yet, I do not see proof that weve implemented the plans that have been made.. Visit RelayNCfor information about TTY services. The officer wrote in his report, I told her I did not have time to do that, I had to find a safe place for the child. The server responded with {{status_text}} (code {{status_code}}). Social Worker Investigative/Assessment and Treatment. Visit RelayNCfor information about TTY services. To accept the referral for Protective Services the information provided must state: This specific criteria is important because Protective Services unlike other services provided by Social Work Services is initiated without the consent of the adult. Public Employee Directories list that contact information, such as names, phone numbers, and . However, even with the subpoena, a county spokeswoman said Blevins would be limited in what he could reveal about the specific incident. Monday - Friday Police later claimed that they emailed information about the case to the Transylvania County Sheriffs Office. It was unclear whether photos documenting bruises were taken immediately or later, but they showed far less bruising than the family remembered seeing. Will Asheville City Soccer Club still play there? Carolina Public Press provides in-depth, investigative reporting on issues affecting Western North Carolina in a nonprofit, nonpartisan setting. Stacie Saunders, Buncombe County's public health director, who is leaving her position at the end of the year for a state government role. We would never support leaving a child in a hotel room with a stranger and 300 used needles, as a blanket statement, Blevins said last year. Burke County DSS . They have anywhere from immediately to 72 hours to respond to the case, depending on the seriousness of the situation. Family members had warned social workers multiple times she was in danger and had received no response from DSS, according to the Smoky Mountain News. Blevins will be subpoenaed to testify during an Oct. 13 committee hearing regarding a March 20 incident in which Black Mountain police officers asked Buncombe County's DSS for help with a 9-year-old girl after arresting her father. At other times, however, DSS agencies have cited confidentiality rules as reasons for not responding to questions about their general procedures and policies that require no identifying information about individual children and families. Most of the allegations CPP has received from families are nearly impossible to substantiate. Sources report that the Cleveland County Commissioners have selected Katie Swanson from the Buncombe County DSS as the Director of the Cleveland County DSS. Starting Monday, Feb. 27, a maintenance project taking place at the Buncombe County Transfer Station may cause some extended wait times. State Government websites value user privacy. The law gave DHHS authority to enforce performance standards at each county, and for DHHS to take over DSS offices that chronically underperform an authority DHHS used a few months later when it took over Cherokee Countys child welfare division. It was unclear whether photos documenting bruises were taken immediately or later, but they showed far less bruising than the family remembered seeing. Buncombe County Health & Human Services Address: 40 Coxe Ave., Asheville, NC 28801 P.O. A social worker ordered a family to banish the family dog, who had bitten no one. Stories Recount Concerns With DSS Agencies Across North Carolina From CPP: Legislators subpoena Buncombe official over DSS handling of Box 7408 ASHEVILLE, N.C. (WLOS) An attorney for Buncombe County Health and Human Services said in a letter director Talmadge "Stoney" Blevins would not comply with a subpoena about a case involving a 9 . A grand jury first indicted the mother for neglect in 2015. The officer wrote in his report, "I told her I did not have time to do that, I had to find a safe place for the child. But Zahra was never removed from the family. Time and again, though, lawmakers tried to turn the conversation back toward the specific case. A CPP investigation nearly two years later found that the family had notified the Brevard Police Department. No appointment is needed. A legislative study has shown that intake procedures differ widely among counties throughout North Carolina. Yourtax-deductible donationwill advance our mission of supporting journalism as a catalyst for change. This project was produced for the USC Annenberg Center for Health Journalisms 2020 Data Fellowship. Reeves family said she had lived in fear for her life because of attacks from her ex-husbandTitus Boley, who had served a prison sentence for assaulting her. Throughout last weeks hearing, Blevins explained the delicate balance of preserving parental rights while ensuring children are cared for. I ended the phone call.. Adoptions in North Carolina cannot be reversed. Social Work Services: DSS - Buncombe County | Asheville Buncombe County spokeswoman Lillian Govus said unless the subpoena is from a judge, Blevins couldnt testify about the particulars even if the meeting is behind closed doors. Officers told her they might take him to jail and sarcastically asked if he should leave the girl alone in the hotel room. County Social Services Director - DSS Jobs NC Learn More{{/message}}, {{#message}}{{{message}}}{{/message}}{{^message}}It appears your submission was successful. Polk County Department of Social Services. DSS seized children during a drug raid that found no evidence and was conducted at the wrong house on warrants intended for a search elsewhere. 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. Didnt they care this girl was going to be left with someone she did not know? I ended the phone call." The General Assembly called Buncombe County Health and Human Services Director Stoney Blevins to testify about the . Does the child feel safe? Graham County DSS Ms. Amy Seay, Director 196 Knight Street Post Office Box 1150 Robbinsville, NC 28771 Tel. Copyright 2023 Citizens For Good Government. 404 Social Services jobs available in Buncombe County, NC on Indeed.com. Policy choices are made by individuals, though geographical isolation and limited resources may promote decisions in some areas of the state more than others. 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. Or a family who had contacted CPP initially might not be able to talk now because of a settlement that included a nondisclosure agreement. When he arrived at the hearing, Blevins was told that there, in fact, was not a subpoena a fact that was disputed among different members of the committee throughout the hearing lasting more than two hours. The purpose of intake questions is to determine how urgently a case needs the governments attention. While Blevins said that confidentiality rules forbade him from talking about this specific case, he did entertain a hypothetical question. 40 Coxe Avenue While Blevins was able to speak to the accuracy, or lack thereof, in a Black Mountain police report regarding the case, he skirted the details known to him and his social workers because state law requires a judges ruling to give specifics of a confidential case, he told lawmakers. Blevins strongly disagreed with this last claim. Salary. DSS seized children during a drug raid that found no evidence and was conducted at the wrong house on warrants intended for a search elsewhere. Choose a focus area. Zahra Bakerwas a native of Australia who lived in Catawba County with her father and stepmother. The Purpose of Buncombe County Health and Human Services is to strengthen our communities by advancing health, safety, and opportunity. Polk County Department of Social Services | NCDHHS LE afforded BCDSS the same courtesy. She died in 2010, and her stepmother was eventually charged in her murder. Thank you! But it took years for one young child to disclose what happened to her in the home. In September 2016, a CPP investigation learned that the boy had been adopted within weeks of his mothers death. Blevins said confidentiality laws, as well as state rules surrounding personnel information, prevent him from saying more without a judges intervention. Reporting like this isnt free to produce and we cannot do this alone. New Jersey officials ruled the case a suicide, but a Carolina Public Press investigation identifiedproblems with this explanationthat have never been resolved. Social Services jobs in Buncombe County, NC - Indeed Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Buncombe County Health and Human Services Director Stoney Blevins sits at his desk in Asheville. Policy choices are made by individuals, though geographical isolation and limited resources may promote decisions in some areas of the state more than others. He is earning a salary of $102,755.32, according to a public records request. Police arrested all three adults, one of whom was the girls father. Catherine Noyes is a grandmother who expresses frustration over the Cabarrus County Department of Social Services and courts handling of her familys case. Directors and Program Managers. Places nearby. Monday - Friday DSS Director - DSS Jobs NC Fax Number: 828-250-6235 A state legislative committee has voted to subpoena Buncombe County's Health and Human Services director to get answers as to why a social worker thought it was appropriate to leave a 9-year-old . Social Work Services Explore departmental dashboards. I think it is critical for this committee to thoroughly understand why anyone thought it would be OK to leave a 9-year-old girl in a hotel room with a stranger that contained needles and drugs, Edwards said. Lets start meeting and talking and get ready to kick these rats out. There appeared to be no attempt by the police or DSS to follow up with the Sheriffs Office. Reliable sources also report that CCDSS Interim Director Jane Shooter is mad as a hornet that she was NOT promoted to the CCDSS Director position. Meanwhile, Addisons birth family had no idea what had happened to him after removal from foster care. The General Assembly called Buncombe County Health and Human Services Director Stoney Blevins to testify about the incident. If you would like to obtain posters or rack cards, please email hhscommunications@buncombecounty.org, Social Work Services 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. 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. I do hope that the new Director will help me, we, us, or you the citizen. Categories. When CPP brought the case to the attention of deputies in 2016, they conducted an investigation. Asheville, NC 28802 12. Throughout the hearing Blevins lauded Buncombe Countys DSS office as a model for other counties. A decade ago in Swain County, 15-month-oldAubrey Kina-Marie Littlejohndied while under supervision by county DSS. Are new people living there? Buncombe County is basically my entire professional career at this point," Scott said. Legislators grill Buncombe DSS director, who disputes Black Mountain cops, intake procedures differ widely among counties, Legislators subpoena Buncombe official over DSS handling of childs case, Stories recount concerns with DSS agencies across North Carolina, Change in NC rent aid programs could force counties to pull from their own budgets, 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. Buncombe County public health director leaving for NC Public Health CPP is not naming the adults because naming them could identify the young children. The elected district attorney,Ashley Welch, told CPP then that she took an unusual step of filing a motion to compel DSS to provide documents after her office was repeatedly denied an opportunity to view the records. County Social Services Director - DSS Jobs NC County Social Services Director Work Type Directors and Program Managers Position Number 840201 Salary $98,812 - $156,171 Closing Date July 8, 2022 Posted June 9, 2022 Agency Name Social Services Work County Pitt Job Location 1717 West 5th Street Greenville North Carolina 27834 Job Description The fact that they have lasted so long-to retirement age-is a tragedy and sheds a very bad light on all of Cleveland Countys so-called leadership. 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. When news organizations contact local departments of social services offices with questions about a specific case, the agencies are typically unable to discuss them. When news organizations contact local departments of social services offices with questions about a specific case, the agencies are typically unable to discuss them.
