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HomeMy WebLinkAboutDSS Board Minutes 091911MINUTES ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF SOCIAL SERVICES September 19, 2011 1 THE ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF SOCIAL SERVICES MET ON MONDAY: September 19, 2011 at the Hillsborough Commons, Hillsborough, North Carolina. BOARD OF SOCIAL SERVICES MEMBERS PRESENT: Pat Garavaglia, Chair; Valerie Foushee; Albert Williams; and Arthrell Sanders. GUEST: None. BOARD OF SOCIAL SERVICES MEMBER ABSENT: Claire Millar. STAFF PRESENT: Nancy Coston, Director; Joyce Lee, Business Officer; Lindsey Shewmaker, Human Services Manager. I. Call to Order and Introductions DSS Chair, Pat Garavaglia, called the meeting to order at 4:07 P.M. II. Board Comments Valerie Foushee noted she was glad to see Albert back at the meeting. III. Public Comments None. IV. Agenda Changes None. V. Action Items On a motion by Valerie Foushee the Board approved the Minutes of August 15, 2011. Arthrell Sanders seconded the motion. The motion was carried without dissent. Pat Garavaglia added that Friends of DSS provided the materials for the book bags distributed. VI. Items for Discussion and/or Decision 1. Work First Changes Nancy Coston informed the Board that a work group has formed to look at the Work First program and determine whether the current program of cash assistance and work support is effective. Child-only cases are now more than fifty percent of the Work First caseload. These cases are made up of children living with grandparents and work-readiness is not a factor. The able-bodied clients who remain on Work First have many barriers to employment. These issues are causing the program criteria to be re-evaluated. Few clients are moving into employment from Work First. Cash assistance for a mother and child is just over $200 per month, which is not enough for a family to live on. The question is whether there is a better way to support low income families. Suggestions have included using resources for child care instead of cash payment and/or using an approach that resembles vocational rehabilitation. Ms. Coston added that she, Sharron Hinton, and Robert Gilmore attended the meetings from Orange County. MINUTES ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF SOCIAL SERVICES September 19, 2011 2 2. Social Services Institute The Social Services Institute will be held in Hickory, NC from Wednesday, October 26th to Friday, October 28th. Ms. Coston asked whether any Board members are interested in attending. Arthrell Sanders stated that she was interested in attending. Valerie Foushee and Pat Garavaglia noted they would be interested in attending for the day on Thursday. 3. Work Support Lindsey Shewmaker and Nancy Coston talked about the Work Support Strategies Grant for which the State of North Carolina is applying. This grant and the strategies behind it will seek to streamline the eligibility and income criteria across all programs in public assistance. Changes in the processes and procedures across public assistance would alter the way departments of social services do business. Valerie Foushee asked whether there was anything the Board could do at this point outside of being supportive. She also asked that staff let the Board know when the Work Support meeting is being held at the Institute. Pat Garavaglia commented that it looks like this could be far reaching and stated that she was interested in the outcome. 4. CPS Automation Nancy Coston informed the Board that the State is looking at an interim solution for child welfare while waiting for NC FAST. Since NC FAST is focused on preparing for the health care changes in 2014, child welfare has been pushed to the end of the list for development. The Annie Casey Foundation has developed software that the State is looking at bringing to the counties. Ms. Coston noted that Denise Shaffer saw the demonstration and liked the software. Child welfare is also implementing REAP (Reaching Excellence and Accountability in Practice), which is data driven. It would be much easier to look at the required data in a case management system. Duston Lowell is attending a meeting on child welfare for Native American children. The Occaneechi Tribe is now recognized and the agency will be responsible for following all laws associated with tribes in North Carolina. Albert Williams asked whether most of the tribes were located in Orange County. Ms. Coston replied that there are many tribes across the state and child welfare cases involving members of the tribes are handled differently. 5. Director’s Report The Second Family Foundation wants to fund a research project to interview former teens in foster care. The research project will look at teens in care over the last twenty years. The Foundation is working with Orange County Social Services and the state to gather data on the teens and interview them about their experiences. To complete the research, the Foundation is funding a part-time position at the agency. The data collected through this project will help tailor services for current teens in foster care. In addition to interviewing former foster teens about their experiences, the Foundation is also planning to ask the former foster teens whether they are currently in need of services. The Foundation funded a variety of recreational opportunities for current teens in foster care this summer, including swimming with dolphins and a trip to New York. The county still does not have an MOU with Smart Start even though there have been many meetings between the agency and the Partnership for Young Children. Some providers are still upset about the cuts and changes. The electronic cards for child care payments are getting started. For the first three months, the agency will run a dual system. MINUTES ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF SOCIAL SERVICES September 19, 2011 3 The Holiday Program will be kicking off on October 3rd. There will be a stakeholder meeting in the evening to get support for the program. Valerie Foushee agreed to participate in the meeting and add support to requests for donations. Health insurance benefit costs have increased considerably and staff are very upset. Valerie Foushee noted that it is hard to decrease benefits while not increasing salaries. Joyce Lee announced that she has completed her Master’s Degree in Business Administration. She will get her degree in October. The Board congratulated her on her achievement. VII. Announcements The next regular meeting is scheduled for Monday, October 17, 2011 at the Hillsborough Commons, Mayo Street, Hillsborough, North Carolina at 4pm. On a motion by Valerie Foushee and seconded by Arthrell Sanders, the Board adjourned their regular meeting at 5:09 P.M. Submitted by Nancy Coston Director Pat Garavaglia Chair NC/PG __________________________ Approval Date