AGENDA DATE: 8/9/2017
TITLE:
Title
Albemarle County Department Social Services Request for New Positions. BODY
SUBJECT/PROPOSAL/REQUEST: Albemarle County Department Social Services request for new positions using new funding appropriated by the General Assembly
ITEM TYPE: Regular Action Item
STAFF CONTACT(S): Walker, Letteri, Savides
PRESENTER (S): Phyllis C. Savides
LEGAL REVIEW: Not Required
REVIEWED BY: Douglas C. Walker
BACKGROUND: In 2017, the General Assembly passed new legislation that will significantly affect the Child Protective Services' workload in two ways:
* first, local departments of social services are required to "investigate all reports of children born exposed to controlled substances, regardless of whether the substance was prescribed for the mother, when she has sought or gained substance abuse counseling or treatment."
* second, requires local departments of social services to respond within 24 hours to any valid complaint alleging abuse or neglect of a child less than two years old.
In order to address the burdens of meeting these mandates, the General Assembly appropriated in May 2017, additional administrative funding of $5.4 million to assist with Family Services' increased workload. With the local match, the total allocated is approximately $6.4 million for the equivalent for approximately 74 new Family Services Specialists positions statewide.
As stated in the Office of Health and Human Resources Governor's Budget Document, the new funding is intended to "provide additional local staff to address an increase in child protective services assessments and investigations of substance-exposed infants as part of mandated reinvestment in child welfare services." The budget document also states that the funding is to "provide additional resources for local workers to handle increasing workloads for mandated activities such as child protective services, adult protective services, and adoption case management." A...
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