Buncombe County Employee Directories are records of the contact details for government staff in Buncombe County, North Carolina. I can promise you, I would be better served to speak to you about the things youre asking me, Blevins said. I do not believe it is a blanket black box that prevents you from having any discussion about anything related to your department, Perry said. Fax Number: 828-250-6341 Some families accused DSS staff of generally playing God with peoples lives and acting in a conspiratorial manner. 90,126. Director of Buncombe County Health and Human Services Talmadge "Stoney" Blevins provided few answers to the Joint Legislative Oversight Committee on Health and Human Services about why officers with the Black Mountain Police Department were reportedly told to leave a 9-year-old girl in a hotel room with a stranger, meth, and more than 100 . You may remain anonymous but we encourage you to give us your name in the event additional information is needed. The School Board works for me. I can understand why a lot of people give up and stop fighting because, one, youre fighting a hard system, and two, you cant afford it, she said. A county with an annual removal rate exactly the same as the statewide rate would have a 100% comparison rating, a county that removed children on average at twice the statewide rate would have a 200% comparison rating, and a county that removed children on average at half the statewide rate would have a 50% comparison rating. Editors note: This is part 2 of the four-part investigative series Patchwork Protection. Part 1 appeared June 7. She was concerned the children could be injured if he attacked her. Burke County DSS . And some economically advantaged counties may also cluster with high or low removal rates. To help people know where to go if they suspect maltreatment or self-neglect, this rack card was created by BCHHS. CPP then mapped these comparison percentages, marking distinctly those at the extremes. This will reduce capacity to one active hopper and operational delays should be expected. Time and again, though, lawmakers tried to turn the conversation back toward the specific case. Stoney Blevins, director of the Buncombe County Department of Social Services, testified before a state legislative committee last week, saying he couldnt tell legislators much about a specific child welfare case due to confidentiality laws. Years before she died, she worked with departments of social services in multiple counties to arrange for Reeves mother to care for the older son. Sports:What's new with Memorial Stadium? I ended the phone call.. With the support of readers like you, we provide thoughtfully researched articles for a more informed and connected community. At the expense of our Childrens Future!!! I can understand why a lot of people give up and stop fighting because, one, youre fighting a hard system, and two, you cant afford it, she said. Polk County Department of Social Services. But others include the major Piedmont metro areas, which have some of the highest populations. Adoptions in North Carolina cannot be reversed. Carolina Public Press provides in-depth, investigative reporting on issues affecting Western North Carolina in a nonprofit, nonpartisan setting. They may think the system has wronged their families. Thats all Im going to say, best leave before I get upset. 40 Coxe Avenue The case made international headlines over the following months, focusing a world spotlight on the total failure of the child protection system in her case. Many of the counties with very low rates or rates in the middle also experience poverty. Wrongful Termination and Breach of Contract!!! Her trailer had no heat, according to statements to law enforcement. A parents attorney could get a hold of these records and make an argument to have the kids returned home.. If you have any questions you may call or come into our office located at 35 Woodfin Street, Asheville, NC. While Blevins was able to speak to the accuracy, or lack thereof, in a Black Mountain police report regarding the case, he skirted the details known to him and his social workers because state law requires a judges ruling to give specifics of a confidential case, he told lawmakers. Stanley said officers could search the room. But it took years for one young child to disclose what happened to her in the home. Buncombe County Fire Marshall . Catherine Noyesis a grandmother who expresses frustration over the Cabarrus County Department of Social Services and courts handling of her familys case. 1,900+ former CCS Students 19-22 years old-Set for Failure-Right Now!!! A state legislative committee has voted to subpoena Buncombe County's Health and Human Services director to get answers as to why a social worker thought it was appropriate to leave a 9-year-old . A judge granted the request. Confidentiality rules preventing discussion of child welfare cases may limit much of the testimony NC legislators seek. Her school reported abuse, and multiple social workers visited the family. Response times to child welfare reports vary depending on how much risk the child is in. A CPP investigation nearly two years later found that the family had notified the Brevard Police Department. The police reported that an officer called Buncombe County DSS but then hung up on the social worker. The DSS worker said we could leave the child in the room, but she hopes we would not do that, the report says. Phone: 828-250-5500 Buncombe County's Finance Department, which oversees the accounting for the over $580 million fiscal year 2023 budget, recently lost its director to another county, and a longtime Buncombe County employee has stepped up to temporarily hold the position. Much to lawmakers chagrin, Blevins could not confirm or deny anything in the police report due to strict laws protecting the privacy of the girl and her family. Even without names or narratives, the overall data from the last decade points to locations in the state where removals of children have occurred far above or far below the statewide average. The DSS Director reports directly to the Board of Social Services and reports indirectly to the County Manager's Office. His grandmother and aunt told CPP that they would have taken him so that he could grow up alongside his brother, but no one from DSS contacted them. Thank you for serving our children. Buncombe County DSS has since changed its procedures, Blevins told Carolina Public Press last month. Angry and desperate parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles have contacted Carolina Public Press for years hoping to share their stories and possibly get help in investigating what went wrong with their families experiences with child protective services in North Carolina counties. To accept the referral for Protective Services the information provided must state: This specific criteria is important because Protective Services unlike other services provided by Social Work Services is initiated without the consent of the adult. I thought I had faith in it, but I dont anymore.. Ideally, when social workers conduct their monthly home visits, they look for changes in the home. Please join us! A project supported by The California Endowment, Protection of NC children, families depends on the county, Structure of NC child protective services leads to inequity, NC could look to other states for potential child welfare reforms, Blevins could not confirm or deny anything, died while under supervision by county DSS. Burke County DSS . In almost all cases where a child is young or at immediate risk, child welfare workers are required to respond immediately. These are system answers to human problems.. Please contact the developer of this form processor to improve this message. He is earning a salary of $102,755.32, according to a public records request. I ended the phone call.. You guys are highly under-appreciated!! Once social workers take in a child, every interaction is supposed to be closely monitored. Low counties are clustered in the rural northeastern counties, which typically have very low populations. Sen. Jim Perry pushed back at the notion of blanket confidentiality. These records are tied into funding. Report and History Lesson by Robert A. Williams . [This story was originally published by Carolina Public Press.]. If it is an emergency, an on-call social worker is available after regular business hours and weekends. Customer Service Center:1-800-662-7030 But the map also shows that the high and very high counties mostly cluster geographically, as do the low and very low counties. Social Work Services A decade ago in Swain County, 15-month-old Aubrey Kina-Marie Littlejohn died while under supervision by county DSS. Customer Service Center: 1-800-662-7030 Visit RelayNC for information about TTY services. Although Noyes had previously assisted in caring for her daughters children and remained willing to do so, DSS ultimately removed them instead and persuaded the court to place the children with their father. I mean you cant get back the last couple years of these little children, you know.. The officer hung up, and the DSS worker called back and asked him to complete the report. The largest concentration of counties that are removing children at high or very high rates are in the western mountain counties, though a smaller cluster also exists in the southeastern counties, and a few other exceptions are scattered across the map. Email her at imari.scarbrough@gmail.com. Social Worker Buncombe Family and Children's Services Learn More{{/message}}. State Courier #: 12-50-02 404 Social Services jobs available in Buncombe County, NC on Indeed.com. (Health and Human Services) is a creation of this body, the fine men and women who were here long before me, and the only purpose of having an oversight committee is to provide oversight.. Police later claimed that they emailed information about the case to the Transylvania County Sheriffs Office. At one point, Noyes believed that an employee of DSS had an inappropriate previous professional relationship with a judge who handled the case. Some lawmakers were incensed. He was making a salary of $161,785.44, according to a public records request. Your email address will not be published. A week later, the mother of two was found dead in a New Jersey motel room. A grand jury first indicted the mother for neglect in 2015. Most of the allegations CPP has received from families are nearly impossible to substantiate. The case made international headlines over the following months, focusing a world spotlight on the total failure of the child protection system in her case. Please contact the developer of this form processor to improve this message. Imari Scarbrough is a contributing writer to Carolina Public Press. Families from many parts of North Carolina who contacted CPP made repeated claims of social workers and social services lawyers insulting families for being poor, uneducated, Black, Cherokee, Lumbee, from out of state, the wrong religion or simply for not being knowledgeable about the policies of that jurisdiction. Protection of the Abused, Neglected or Exploited Disabled Adult Act is located under Statute 108A Article 6. Upcoming articles in this series will examine the systemic problems that create challenges for child protective services in North Carolina and potential solutions. State Government websites value user privacy. Although she filed a complaint, she said it was not taken seriously. An Associated Press investigation into Littlejohns death found social workers forged documents to cover their tracksafter the girl diedto show the visits had occurred when they in fact had not. She told the police she wanted to go home. P.O. Pitt County is approximately 90 miles east of Raleigh NC with a population of 180,742. During visitation with the family in 2014, they noticed marks on him, which led to a Department of Social Services investigation. Court records from the case show that the judge recognized the ultimate goal of reuniting the boy with his family when possible, and while the fathers rights had been terminated, Reeves rights were intact. The DSS worker called back and asked him to help complete the intake report. I ended the phone call." The General Assembly called Buncombe County Health and Human Services Director Stoney Blevins to testify about the . If you cant answer because you dont know or you can answer because you refuse to under some other authority, Edwards said. When he arrived at the hearing, Blevins was told that there, in fact, was not a subpoena a fact that was disputed among different members of the committee throughout the hearing lasting more than two hours. Box 7408 "The county is in a strong financial position, so I think it makes the work that we do easier.". Or a family who had contacted CPP initially might not be able to talk now because of a settlement that included a nondisclosure agreement. Required fields are marked *. LE afforded BCDSS the same courtesy. He said he is lucky that the county is already in such a strong financial position so that he can focus on proactive instead of reactive work. Each of North Carolina's 100 counties has a local social services agency. This interpretation of the rules can make it difficult for other branches of state government to hold DSS agencies accountable for possible mistakes, much less the news media, which has no access to subpoena powers. Colby Rabon / Carolina Public Press, Blevins could not confirm or deny anything, died while under supervision by county DSS, Mining in your backyard: The story of Mountain Mist Mine and the neighbors contesting it, part two, Mining in your backyard: The story of Mountain Mist Mine and the neighbors contesting it, part one, Teen girls engulfed in a growing wave of sadness, violence and trauma, latest youth survey shows, Looming cuts to emergency SNAP benefits threaten food security in rural America, Taking a moonshot at early colorectal cancer detection in northeastern NC, Your support funds important public interest journalism, Proudly powered by Newspack by Automattic. The parents used intravenous drugs in the presence of their children and failed to provide adequate nutrition and hygiene, the indictments said. State Sen. Chuck Edwards said during the hearing that police officers were told by a social worker to leave the . Maybe many others!! You may also make the report in writing. Buncombe County's DSS office allocated $400,000 for extra clerical staff when it thought it would be required to use NC Fast's child welfare modules, but its current system has more features that child welfare workers need than NC Fast does, said Stoney Blevins, director of health and human services in Buncombe County. Pitt County, designated in 2020 as an All-American County by the National Civic League, is located in the central portion of the Coastal Plain. But the grandmother said she could not care for Addison, Reeves younger child, at that time. As a result, the family said, the statute of limitations had expired, and no one could be charged two years later. Thank you! Cherokee County DSS never responded to CPPs questions about the records fracas but provided the records to the DAs office after CPP published a story about the issue. When news organizations contact local departments of social services offices with questions about a specific case, the agencies are typically unable to discuss them. Visit RelayNCfor information about TTY services. And then we seem surprised when it fails. Volunteer for the HCCBG Advisory Committee! Henderson County residentFelicia Reevesdisappeared in August 2015. Noyes said she continues to work with her daughter to regain custody of the children but has become disappointed by the process. please consider hanging this poster somewhere in your community. The fact that they have lasted so long-to retirement age-is a tragedy and sheds a very bad light on all of Cleveland Countys so-called leadership. Taking a child from a parent is considered a last resort and is usually done to prevent imminent harm or maltreatment of a child. Im so disgusted with the system. Court records from the case show that the judge recognized the ultimate goal of reuniting the boy with his family when possible, and while the fathers rights had been terminated, Reeves rights were intact. A social worker ordered a family to banish the family dog, who had bitten no one. Adults Protective Services: DSS - Buncombe County | Asheville Aging & Adult Services Child & Family Services Foster Parent Resources Adult Protective Services In Buncombe County you can make a Protective Service referral or report by calling (828) 250-5800 anytime, day or night. County Social Services Director Work Type Directors and Program Managers Position Number 221-16-0001 Salary $72,892 - $109,338 Closing Date May 10, 2021 Posted April 23, 2021 Agency Name Mitchell County Department of Social Services Work County Mitchell Job Contact Their stories were often shocking and always emotional. Blevins confirmed he will show up to talk with legislators once he receives the subpoena. Records from Reeves communications during the final weeks of her life show that she was repeatedly at odds with DSS agents over her son, though what she knew about his location was not clear.