DCDSS News

Voluntary Outpost Established in Kill Devil Hills

Social Services establishes a voluntary outpost in Kill Devil Hills

In an effort to ease some of the financial burden to families in need due to the rising cost of fuel, Dare County Department of Social Services has established a voluntary outpost in Kill Devil Hills at the Thomas Baum Senior Center located at 300 Mustian Street. A caseworker will be available each Thursday to accept applications for public assistance programs including, Medicaid, Food and Nutrition Services (formerly known as food stamps), Work First Family Assistance and Special Assistance.

Individuals may apply for assistance at the Thomas Baum Senior Center each Thursday beginning October 2nd, 9:30 AM – 3:00 PM. For more information please contact Shanta Peterson at 475-5500.

Dare County 2007 Employee of the Year

Susan Saulsbury is Dare County's 2007 Employee of the Year.  She was honored at the January 7 meeting of the Dare County Board of Commissioners.  Many of her family members and co-workers were present.

Mrs. Saulsbury moved here from Baltimore and joined the Dare County Department of Social Services in February 1989.  She has held several positions with the department in her 18 years of service.  Her starting position was as an Emergency Services Intake Social Worker.  After five years in that position, she became an In-Home Services Social Worker.  She held this position until 2003.  She is currently working as an Adult Protective Social Worker.

As an Adult Protective Social Worker, she performs several important functions, some of which include receiving, investigating and evaluating reports of adult abuse, neglect and exploitation.  She also counsels clients and their families who are in need of assistance with financial, medical, social and psychological problems.

Outside of work, Susan has been a licensed foster parent, serves as a board member of the Community Development Corporation , is an active member of Mighty Wind United Methodist Church and participates and raises money for the March of Dimes, Relay for Life and Crop Walk.

In accepting the award, Mrs. Saulsbury noted, "It's just so good to be a part of an agency that has those beliefs.  It is a privilege to work for Dare County.  I love living in Dare County.  I love my work and I love my co-workers."

GOALS AND OUTCOMES

2008-2009 Goals

Dare County Department of Social Services

The Dare County Department of Social Services will focus on the following goals and outcomes:

1.  Children and families will be safe and reside in stable environments.

1. Children who were victims of substantiated abuse and/or neglect or services recommended,  will not have another substantiated or indicated report within a six month period, before or after the identified report.

2.  Families receiving Case Management Services will successfully complete their case plan.

3. Children receiving Case Management services will remain in the physical

care of a member of their family when possible and appropriate.

4. Working families in Dare County who are potentially eligible and in need of day care services will receive day care subsidy assistance.

Note:  205 children are currently on the Dare County Dare Care Subsidy waiting list due to lack of funds.

5. Children in Dare County who are eligible and have requested day care services through Dare DSS will receive subsidy assistance.

Note:  205 children are currently on the Dare County Day Care Subsidy waiting list due to lack of funds.

6. Families voluntarily accepting at-risk services will not have a substantiated child abuse/neglect report during the time period at-risk services are active.

Note:  Out of 12 cases, one case was substantiated.  The report was made by the prevention social worker.

7. Families voluntarily accepting prevention services will not have a substantiated child abuse/neglect report during the time period prevention services are active.

Note:  In 2007- 2008, there were 4 substantiated reports out of 57 prevention cases.  One report was from an incident that occurred before moving to Dare County .

8. Individuals below 21 years of age who are potentially eligible for Family & Children’s Medicaid or Health Choice will receive Family & Children’s Medicaid or Health Choice.

9. Individuals potentially income eligible for Food Stamps will receive Food Stamps.

2.     C    2.  Children in the agency’s custody achieve safety and permanence.

1. Children in the custody of Dare County will be protected from abuse and neglect.

2. Children in foster care will be reunified with their parent or previous caretaker within twelve months of entering substitute care.

Note:  Of the 74 children in foster care, seven were reunified with their parent or previous caretaker within twelve months of entering care.  An additional two children were placed in the custody of the non-removal parent, two more were placed in the custody of relatives and one child was adopted, so actually 12 children (16%) were legally provided a permanent placement as deemed appropriate by the Court within twelve months of entering foster care.

3. Children who were previously in foster care will experience stability and permanence in their placements and be protected from further abuse, neglect and/or re-entry into foster care.

4. Children will be legally adopted within 24 months of that being established as the permanent plan for them.

Note:  Four (4) of these cases were delayed due to legal appeals filed by the biological parents, which prevented the agency from finalizing the adoptions until the Court of Appeals ruling was received, a process which took more than twelve months in each case.  Had it been possible to complete these adoptions earlier, our results would have been 90%.

5. Children will experience no more than two placements while in out-of-home care.

Note:  Of the 74 children in foster care, 13 experienced more than two placements.  It is important to note that in the case of 5 of these children, one of the placements was in the home of the parent, with whom four were ultimately reunified.  The remaining eight children have significant special needs requiring therapeutic care which has required more than two placements.

6. Children placed in group care will be over the age of eleven years.

3.     Ec    3.  Economically disadvantaged children and adults become appropriately self-sufficient

1. Former Work First employment recipients will maintain off Work First for employment.

2. Work First employment recipients will meet the minimum required participation hours.

3. Former Benefit Diversion and/or Work First recipients receiving 200% Services will remain off Benefit Diversion and/or Work First.

Note:  In FY 2007 – 2008, 18 out of 36 families receiving 200% services were former recipients. None of the 18 former recipients received Work First or Benefit Diversion during this FY.

4. Households will receive financial assistance through emergency services a maximum of two times per year.

4.     4.  Programs are efficiently administered while maintaining the highest fiscal  and programmatic integrity

1. Collections for overpayments or over-issuances will be increased by 10%.