This is part 2 of the four-part investigative series Patchwork Protection produced by Kate Martinfor the USC Annenberg Center for Health Journalisms 2020 Data Fellowship. Im so disgusted with the system. Or a family who had contacted CPP initially might not be able to talk now because of a settlement that included a nondisclosure agreement. Blevins evaded, citing confidentiality rules. NC Department of Health and Human Services 2001 Mail Service Center Raleigh, NC 27699-2000. The study showed that correctly ranking the risk to children can be a difficult task, and even supervisors can incorrectly screen hypothetical child welfare cases. 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. Inside were three adults and a 9-year-old girl, the police report of the traffic stop says. Food Network's 'Spring Baking Championship' to feature WNC pastry chef, After first clean audit in 4 years, Buncombe County again has 'significant deficiency', Buncombe County Commissioners discuss affordable housing, cryptocurrency, finances, Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. A tangible sign of those things are the yearly audit, which Scott said he hopes will show no findings. At one point, the report says, she advised officers to leave the girl in the custody of Stanley.. Lets start meeting and talking and get ready to kick these rats out. An Associated Press investigation into Littlejohns death found social workers forged documents to cover their tracksafter the girl diedto show the visits had occurred when they in fact had not. The City of Greenville is the county seat. By the officers account, the father told them to take her to a needle-infested hotel room and leave her with a man she did not know. But the Sheriffs Office had no record of it. I thought we were waiting for them to copy the records.. 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. August 19, 2022 Posted August 1, 2022. I do hope that the new Director will help me, we, us, or you the citizen. 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. The allegations parents brought to CPP ranged widely: Social workers refused to screen in a case of extreme negligence involving meth-addicted parents despite repeated urging from a grandmother. Each of North Carolina's 100 counties has a local social services agency. Printable DSS Directory 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. And some economically advantaged counties may also cluster with high or low removal rates. I apologize that I cant answer, Blevins said. In September 2016, a CPP investigation learned that the boy had been adopted within weeks of his mothers death. In some cases, people may have kept enough records and can present a credible account shored up by documentation. For instance, he said, he can think of at least three studies of the child welfare system, in addition to federal reviews and several other legislative-level studies. 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. He said a social worker now shows up every time a law enforcement officer requests such a presence and will perform the intake report at the scene. Choose a focus area. But it took years for one young child to disclose what happened to her in the home. Zahra Bakerwas a native of Australia who lived in Catawba County with her father and stepmother. The officer hung up, and the DSS worker called back and asked him to complete the report. Families from many parts of North Carolina who contacted CPP made repeated claims of social workers and social services lawyers insulting families for being poor, uneducated, Black, Cherokee, Lumbee, from out of state, the wrong religion or simply for not being knowledgeable about the policies of that jurisdiction. And some economically advantaged counties may also cluster with high or low removal rates. Forging contact records is not trivial. 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. She wasnt sure why that didnt happen in Addisons case, and privacy laws prevented her from discussing the details. The district attorneys office decided that the evidence justified charges of misdemeanor child abuse, but not a felony. Customer Service Center: 1-800-662-7030 Visit RelayNC for information about TTY services. The boys death spurred lawmakers to action, and the General Assembly approved a package of major reforms with strong bipartisan support. No appointment is needed. If you have any questions you may call or come into our office located at 35 Woodfin Street, Asheville, NC. Because of that, we placed one of our staff at the hospital. An official website of the State of North Carolina, Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities, and Substance Abuse, Office Of Minority Health And Health Disparities, Services for the Deaf and the Hard of Hearing, COVID-19 Information for Local Social Services Agencies. This is your chance to support credible, community-based, public-service journalism. the tall man aboriginal spirit; metadata api request failed: component conversion failed: file_ended; caleb foote sandlot But the map also shows that the high and very high counties mostly cluster geographically, as do the low and very low counties. 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. When CPP brought the case to the attention of deputies in 2016, they conducted an investigation. 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. (Health and Human Services) is a creation of this body, the fine men and women who were here long before me, and the only purpose of having an oversight committee is to provide oversight.. Upcoming articles in this series will examine the systemic problems that create challenges for child protective services in North Carolina and potential solutions. Your email address will not be published. Sources report that the Cleveland County Commissioners have selected Katie Swanson from the Buncombe County DSS as the Director of the Cleveland County DSS. The sad part is Jane Shooter, Pam Bright Prichard, Karen Ellis Prichard and others should have been fired 25 years ago. If the purpose of the record request is to protect a juvenile, then no court order would be needed, DePasquale told CPP. For several months DSS did not produce confidential child welfare records for a criminal case after the DAs office sought them. Then, using the child population of each county during the year in question, reporters calculated the percentage of children removed in a given year. But Zahra was never removed from the family. Response times to child welfare reports vary depending on how much risk the child is in. I thought I had faith in it, but I dont anymore.. It was unclear whether photos documenting bruises were taken immediately or later, but they showed far less bruising than the family remembered seeing. 2001 Mail Service Center Meanwhile, Addisons birth family had no idea what had happened to him after removal from foster care. Colby Rabon / Carolina Public Press Their stories were often shocking and always emotional. Noyes questions, among other things, why the children were placed with him rather than her and why his substance abuse issues were not adequately investigated by DSS. However, even with the subpoena, a county spokeswoman said Blevins would be limited in what he could reveal about the specific incident. Or a family who had contacted CPP initially might not be able to talk now because of a settlement that included a nondisclosure agreement. Angry and desperate parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles have contacted Carolina Public Press for years hoping to share their stories and possibly get help in investigating what went wrong with their families experiences with child protective services in North Carolina counties. Social workers removed him from the foster care setting, but the family remained unclear about what happened to him next, they told CPP. Is everyone healthy and is there enough food? 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. Imari Scarbrough is a contributing writer to Carolina Public Press. Even after all the insider wheeling and dealing that made her the Interim Director to begin with. Blevins was asked to testify before the General Assembly last year about how social workers handled a case, but his hands were tied by confidentiality rules. Entertainment:Food Network's 'Spring Baking Championship' to feature WNC pastry chef. Blevins was asked to testify before the General Assembly last year about how social workers handled a case, but his hands were tied by confidentiality rules. But the grandmother said she could not care for Addison, Reeves younger child, at that time. Catherine Noyesis a grandmother who expresses frustration over the Cabarrus County Department of Social Services and courts handling of her familys case. Blevins strongly disagreed with this last claim. The Cleveland County Department of Social Services has a new director. To learn more, view our full privacy policy. Transparency, relationships and continuous improvement are all things Scott hopes to work on during his time in the role, he said. What's new with Memorial Stadium? 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. The report says a social worker told police that DSS did not respond to these situations., Officers explained that the parent wanted to leave the girl with Stanley. The report says the DSS worker demanded multiple times to take a report over the phone. Part 1:Protection of NC children, families depends on the county, Part 3:Structure of NC child protective services leads to inequity, Part 4:NC could look to other states for potential child welfare reforms, Indicted former director resigns from DSS position, cant work for county again, Governor signs bipartisan child welfare overhaul bill, ByKate Martin,Frank TaylorandImari Scarbrough. Officers then called Buncombe County HHS. Her trailer had no heat, according to statements to law enforcement. These are my Children that attend school. We have a broken child welfare system that we refuse to invest in, Blevins said. Hey, look around, look around, are Our Schools working ? Graham County DSS Ms. Amy Seay, Director 196 Knight Street Post Office Box 1150 Robbinsville, NC 28771 Tel. Noyes said she continues to work with her daughter to regain custody of the children but has become disappointed by the process. With the support of readers like you, we provide thoughtfully researched articles for a more informed and connected community. Carolina Public Press provides in-depth, investigative reporting on issues affecting Western North Carolina in a nonprofit, nonpartisan setting. From these annual rates in each county and the state as a whole, CPP calculated an average yearly rate over the 10-year period, then compared each county to the state. "I'm grateful to have an opportunity to serve even in the interim at this point in my career.". Officers said they found drugs and needles on or near all of the adults, including uncapped hypodermic needles, marijuana and methamphetamine. Why didnt DSS show up on the scene? 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. A timeline of the Buncombe County corruption investigation, Wanda Greene dark money lawsuit mediator orders her to hand over answers before Christmas, former County Manager Wanda Greene was indicted on embezzlement charges and went to federal prison. Stoney Blevins, director of the Buncombe County Department of Social Services, testified before a state legislative committee last week, saying he couldnt tell legislators much about a specific child welfare case due to confidentiality laws. DHHS Childrens Program representative Brian Vogl stated concerns for falsifying the foster care monthly contact records these are identical, and they are falsifying these records, the memo stated. Its just disturbing. Job Contact. State Government websites value user privacy. A simple takeaway from the map is that the state has many counties at either end of the spectrum, far removed from the statewide average. The district attorneys office decided that the evidence justified charges of misdemeanor child abuse, but not a felony. The parents used intravenous drugs in the presence of their children and failed to provide adequate nutrition and hygiene, the indictments said. Asheville, NC 28802 County Director of Social Services August 1, 2022 / DSS Jobs NC. Learn More{{/message}}. Our staff is committed to providing Buncombe's diverse population with effective services in a timely and respectful manner. I predict that in short time, if you dont agree with the CCS system which marches in step with Their Federal heros diversity bullshit, that DDS will take you to court. The statute requires that anyone having reason to believe that a disabled person is in need of protective service shall report such information to the director of the Social Work Services. Buncombe County Fire Marshall . 39. Learn More{{/message}}, {{#message}}{{{message}}}{{/message}}{{^message}}It appears your submission was successful. Much to lawmakers chagrin,Blevins could not confirm or deny anythingin the police report due to strict laws protecting the privacy of the girl and her family. You may also make the report in writing. Once social workers take in a child, every interaction is supposed to be closely monitored. After children return to the home, social workers stay in touch to make sure they are safe. Court records from the case show that the judge recognized the ultimate goal of reuniting the boy with his family when possible, and while the fathers rights had been terminated, Reeves rights were intact. Its just disturbing. "There are a lot of people in this organization that work directly with the public and with the community, and they are doing great work, and I feel very privileged to be in a role that supports those other people.". Our award-winning, breakthrough journalism dismantles barriers and shines a light on the critical overlooked and under-reported issues facing our states 10.2 million residents. If you like what you are reading and believe in independent, nonprofit, nonpartisan journalism like oursjournalism the way it should beplease contributeto keep us going. 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. Your support funds important public interest journalism. 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..

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