Harnett County Department of Social Services

1
Harnett County Department of Social Services
2
Agency Goals

• Ensure high quality delivery of services to the
  community
• Fair, objective hiring practices
• Ongoing collaboration and partnerships with other
  county agencies, the faith community, civic
  organizations and businesses.
• Commitment to preserving county dollars while
  maximizing Federal, State and grant funding.

3
Agency Goals

• Analyze staffing structure in order to make full
  use of staff resources to meet the needs of our
  agency.
• Develop new leaders within the Agency
• Ensure program and financial accountability

4
Budget

• 2005-2006 estimated at 119,000,000
• Employees 146 Full Time
• Yearly Payroll - 4.9 million

5
Food Stamp Program

• 4210 Households receive Food Stamps
• 9700 Individuals
• Approximately 10.6 million in Food Stamps will
  be issued in Harnett County
• Over 90 of the Food Stamps will be spent in
  Harnett County
• Zero error rate for past 3 years

6
Medicaid NC Health ChoicePrograms

• Medicaid Budget approximately 100 million.
• County share of Medicaid is 5.5 or 5.2 million.
• Approximately 11,000 individuals in Harnett
  County receive Medicaid
• 4300 Adults
• 6955 Children
• Additionally 1,822 children received NC Health
  Choice which is administered by Blue Cross
• Processing Time frames have been met every month
  for 5 years

7
Work First / Day Care

• TANF Benefits are received by 287 families
• In 1997 over 1300 families on TANF
• Success due to
• Adherence to strict participation requirement
• Group interview process
• ESC staff on site
• Child Support Services
• To assist working families day care services are
  essential
• 1162 Children receive day care subsidy
• Total subsidy payments are 5 million per year

8
Energy Assistance Program

• Crisis Intervention Program
• Approximately 240,000 per year
• CPL Project Share - 15,000
• Share the Warmth Piedmont Natural Gas
• Low Income Energy Assistance Program LIEAP one
  time payment yearly use part time staff to
  process applications

9
Program IntegrityFraud

• 2 Investigators
• 1 Fraud Clerk
• 252,494.92 collected last Fiscal Year

10
Adult Services

• Staff investigates reports of abuse, neglect and
  exploitation
• Guardian of 21 disable adults
• Payee for 20 adults with 4 cases pending
• Coordinates medical transportation through HARTS,
  agency staff, and private vendors.
• Coordinates In-Home Services for 31 adults and
  provides homemaker services for 20
• Monitors 16 rest homes
• Monitors 1 adult day care facility and provides
  subsidy payments each year of approximately
  50,000

11
Adult Services

• SA In-Home Services
• Pilot Program
• 17 individuals receiving SA Income Services which
  totals 29,154
• If in Adult care home, cost to the county would
  be 118,728
• Savings to County 89,574

12
Children Services

• 1074 reports of abuse and/or neglect
• 2291 children involved in these reports
• 65 of reports are now classified as Assessments
  under New Multiple Response System
• 62 cases open for Treatment services
• 114 Children now in custody of DSS
• 83 Children are in Licensed Foster Homes

13
Childrens Services

• Challenge for Children
• Goal to reduce Foster Care Backlog by 10
• 2004 met the goal with a 12 reduction
• 91 children received permanence
• 33 reunification with parents
• 26 by Adoption
• 37 by Guardianship
• 4 Reached age 18

14
Childrens Services

• In Fiscal Year 2004-2005 Agency completed 27
  adoptions and received
• 138,000 Special Children Adoption Funds
• ?May 2005 Child and Family Services Review
• Found to have substantially achieved all
  objectives of Review

15
Childrens Services

• Successes in Childrens Services due to
• In house legal services
• Reduced turnover in Children Services
• Recruitment of Trained and Trainable Staff
• Goal setting by Management Staff

16
Special Projects

• World Changers
• Administered by Kelly Blankenship and the Adult
  Services staff
• Partnership with Fuquay Baptist Church to repair
  homes for the needy
• This year repaired 28 homes
• 20,000 provided by the County
• 10,000 private donations
• 22,000 in grant funding
• 44 individuals have applied for 2006

17
Special Projects

• Christmas Cheer
• Christmas Program for Children and Elderly
  over 400 families served last year
• Donations by community and Toys For Tots

18
Special Projects

• Christmas Party for Foster Children
• Partnership with RSVP
• Relay For Life
• Agency Sponsored Team
• Raised over 9,000

19
Special Projects

• Leadership Development Initiative
• 12 Non-Supervisors selected for first class
• Adopted 3 projects to improve Agency
• Wellness Program
• Employee Survey/Suggestion Program
• Employee Recognition and New Worker Orientation

20
Challenges

• Unfunded State and Federal Mandates
• Cost shift to local Government
• Increase in Hispanic population
• Increase energy costs
• New technology
• Change in staff expectations

21
Helping Hand Awards

• Opportunity for Clients and Co-Workers to
  recognize staff for extra effort.

22
Content Pat Cameron, Director Slide Show
Mary Ann Woodson Support Staff
23
Thank You