The Guilford County Board of Commissioners did not state why they went into closed session on Thursday, June 15, but it was a secret to no one why they went behind closed doors.
The subject of discussion was the giant Guilford County Division of Social Services scandal after North Carolina Health and Human Services investigators found wholesale neglect with the way the department was carrying out its duties protecting the children in its care and under its purview.
The deaths of three children in a Greensboro house fire – children under observation by the Division of Social Services – caused state officials to open an investigation into the Child Protective Services section of the division. The troubling findings there led to two other investigations, including one of DSS child placement operations.
The subsequent investigations revealed more alarming instances of social services workers frequently failing to carry out even the basic requirements called for in policy and law meant to keep children safe.
A May 16, 2023 letter from the state to the county citing a wide range of DSS violations became public earlier this week and it was obvious that was the topic of discussion in the closed session.
If one needed any further evidence, Guilford County DSS Director Sharon Barlow was present just outside the meeting room prior to the closed session. Usually, Barlow is sitting in the Commissioners Meeting Room on the Second Floor of the Old Guilford County Court House for the entire meeting, however, on this night, she didn’t enter the room.
Guilford County Attorney Andrea Leslie-Fite, who was announced as the new Guilford County attorney exactly one year before the June 15, 2023 meeting, is certainly earning her pay this year – which began with a giant contractual dispute the county has with Samet Corp. regarding a demolition and construction project costing over $20 million.
Just as in that case, the county commissioners are not saying anything in this case, even off the record.
The day before the June 15 meeting, Alston said he anticipated that he would make a statement. However, after the closed session, the nine commissioners came out of the room and voted unanimously to adjourn without saying anything regarding the matter.
Maybe if Commissioners did their job they wouldn’t have to “keep mum”.
Yup, the Biden handbook.
When hiring policy is driven by the false tenants of DEI, this is what you get. It only gets worse from here folks unless we stand up and do something about this instead of whining about it.
You better circle the wagons skip this all falls at your feet that million and a half you spent on the 5 new mwbe positions could have been used to save the lives of those children. Sweet dreams or nightmares whichever happens to you.
If workers, supervisors and even managers were asked to comment on what is going on they would. The leadership at DSS is failing the managers, supervisors and workers. They are working hard to protect the children and concerns have been raised for years and a blind eye has been turned to the direct staff. Someone needs to go in and talk to the workers, supervisor and managers bc they truly care about the kids and want to do well. It is the division director and director that have turned a blind eye. So sad.
If a law enforcement officer and agency were this negligent in the death of children they would most likely be terminations and criminal charges filed. Looks like to me all the head people are trying to make themselves look good and blame the lower echelon..
WOW! This is serious stuff. We don’t have a clue about what the kids are incurring here. On the surface, it seems the Social Workers are failing to comply with directives for the safekeeping of these kids. They are the real victims in this scenario. Some heads need to roll here and be prosecuted if liable. The Commissioners need to do their job!
Put the blame where it belongs, on skips head he’s the one that diverted 1.5 million for his pet project, the mwbe program. That money could have been used for better things at the county social services department. Shame on you skip, the fate of those children belong to you.
This is a prime example of putting politics and race ahead of service to citizens, and it falls on Skipper and his minions who keep getting him elected. Wake up people!!!!
People need to know that because of instances like this, DSS agents have gone too far in the other direction and taken kids unecessarily, often putting them in greater danger by placing them with those of whom they don’t do proper background checks or they ignore the findings.
Also because DSS has a habit of taking kids without following due process and for issues that have nothing to do with child abuse or neglect, they become swamped with too many cases, keeping them from addressing those where there is truly risk of harm.
The NC Juvenile Code (NCGS 7B) actually does a good job of balancing protecting parents’ rights with the need to protect children, but I have talked to 100s of parents who show via documentation that DSS agents don’t even follow NCDHHS’ policies, and act is if they never heard of the Juvenile Code, or else they cherry pick it to do as they wish and ignore the restrictions on their authority to just take kids and put them in foster care without following due process (where there is not emergency). And the law clearly gives them authority to act quickly if there is an emergency.
What’s more disturbing is that I have found colleges teaching social work don’t have any course that goes over the laws regulating how social workers go about their jobs.
This failure to comply with laws and policies is causing harm by traumatizing children and loving parents who have been falsely accused and where there is no harm or risk of harm to the child, and it causes harm to those who actually need intervention.
Richard Wexler with NCCPR (National Coalition for Child Protection Reform) has written extensively about this problem and presents a study that children generally fare better by remaining in their homes and their parents getting the real assistance hey need, which is often financial. However, our system is set up to give agencies more money if they remove a child than what they get to help a family in need.
Please sign my petition https://www.change.org/p/stop-unethical-social-workers-from-unjustly-removing-children-from-loving-homes?utm_source=share_petition&utm_medium=qr_code_flyer&utm_campaign=starter_dashboard&recruited_by_id=16248960-e641-11ee-bd59-37abd49f7eee&recruiter=1334654277