Usually, what happens in Nash County – a county in eastern North Carolina with about 100,000 people that’s a pass-through zone on the way to the Outer Banks – doesn’t even register on Guilford County’s radar.
However, a Monday, Sept. 11 decision by the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) regarding Nash County registered a very big blip on the radar of Guilford County Division of Social Services.
The biggest insult the State of North Carolina can make to any county department is to come in and take it over due to a lack of confidence. On Sept. 11, NCDHHS announced that it was doing just that with the Nash County Child Welfare Division of the Social Services Department, effective immediately.
Like Nash County, Guilford County’s social services operations have been under the extreme scrutiny of state social services officials due to the deaths of children who were being overseen by social service workers.
In February 2023, NCDHHS became aware of a child fatality in Nash County and, after investigating, the Nash County Department of Social Services was placed on a corrective action plan – as Guilford County has also been – due to inadequate supervision of the children in its care. In August 2023, NCDHHS followed up and found that Nash County DSS continued to leave children unprotected.
NCDHHS determined that Nash County wasn’t providing child welfare services “in accordance with law, rule and policy, and found further, the failure to provide these services poses a substantial threat to the safety and welfare of children in Nash County.”
NCDHHS announced that, therefore, on Tuesday, Sept. 12, it was assuming direct operation of the child welfare services in that county.
“When NCDHHS assumes operations, the Nash County DSS Director shall be divested of her service delivery powers under [NC General Statutes] and all other powers under state law that pertain to child welfare services,” the September 11 announcement from NCDHHS reads.
The violations of Nash County were similar to those in Guilford County – except Guilford County had multiple child fatalities, not just one. So, the state may be even more willing to take over Guilford County’s Child Welfare Services if state officials don’t like what they see. The actual takeover of operations in Nash County shows that the state is willing to follow up the threats with action.
As in the case of Nash County, state investigators found a slew of alarming violations by Guilford County child welfare workers.
In December of last year, a fire at a home on Grimsley Street in Greensboro led to the deaths of a 3-year-old and a set of 1-year-old twins who were all being overseen by the Guilford County social services staff. In mid-March another house fire – on Glenside Drive in Greensboro – killed a 2-year-old and a 3-year-old. Those children were also being “protected” by county social services workers.
In spring, NCDHHS, after an extensive investigation, sent a scathing letter to Guilford County officials putting Guilford County on a similar state of probation as that of Nash County.
Taking over Nash County department of social services and taking over Guilford are two totally different beasts but be our guess free up the staff for the other social programs we have going and the ones yet to start! Quit trying to scare us with the state it’s apparent we don’t care
After the death of those 3 children right before Christmas it sounds like someone needs to be looked at. They were already on the radar. And they weren’t the only ones….
I believe part of the problem (maybe most) is overworked case managers – literally not enough personnel to handle the number of kids in the system. Unless the state brings extra bodies to adequately handle the caseload, I wonder how the state takeover really accomplishes lasting change.
I may be over-critical, or wrong, but in my opinion this is how our Govt functions.
Just throw some tax money at a problem (real or conceived), and walk away, considering the problem solved. Using the publicity as a diversion, continue feathering their own nest.
I can only hope the state does the same to Guilford County since it does not appear Guilford County is addressing the issue. I wonder how Skip and cronies will get out of this one?
I hope that the mere hint of a takeover by the NCDHHS will galvanize immediate corrective action by Guilford County. Guilford County DSS is a disgusting example of bureaucracy, lack of leadership and inaction. These abused children are pawns and they deserve better.
100% Agree. Greensboro & High Point DSS Are Trash & Most Workers & Supervisors Should Be Prosecuted For What They Have Allowed. Over worked is not an excuse, abuse is abuse, mental, physical, verbal, sexual you DON’T send a child back to these environments!! Degrees or Not Most Social Workers/Case Workers are ignorant, incompetent, lack true compassion for children!! They literally make me SICK!
After talking to a volunteer who presents the child’s case in court, I was shocked at how the higher ups manipulated facts to support what they wanted to do with the child ifnoring the worker, the child and the volunteer
I bet not 1 single person was fired or even disciplined for gross negligence during the “corrective action” plan.
Give them more benefits, that always works with government employees.
Wow. The hate is strong with this group. It broke my heart to hear about the deaths of those kids. The mother most definitely belongs behind bars. But what was a caseworker supposed to do to prevent that from happening? We don’t know the circumstances that caused DSS to get involved. Hindsight is 20/20. The caseworker couldn’t possibly know the house would catch fire. Nobody would allow something like that to happen to kids if they could prevent it. It’s easy to be an armchair quarterback but if any of you think you have the answers, by all means, please present them to DSS. If you really care about kids, maybe open your home and foster a few. But if you’re just here to whine about government workers, then whine away.