Morale has improved among workers at the
York County Department of Social Services, which last year was
devastated by the deaths of three children in their care, according to a
member of its advisory council.
"We're better," said Karen Kaylor, vice chairman of the Advisory
Council.
It's been a rough year for the department, which suspended two
supervisors for five days for not following procedures in the case and
gave one worker a written warning. The department also is included in a
state investigation to see how DSS protects children.
In June, the legislature approved pay raises, and this week state DSS
officials announced that county offices can fill all of their staff
vacancies, although hiring supervisors will be on a case-by-case basis.
In York County, that means three more workers in child protective
services.
That's good news for a department that has struggled with turnover
and heavy workloads.
But state DSS officials say neither budget cuts nor the inaction by
DSS workers caused the deaths of the three children, who were killed by
the hand of one or both of parents. Officials said little after
reporting in February they disciplined the three workers. The agency
continues to be tightlipped.
"We won't be commenting further on the York County DSS office," said
Virginia Williamson, an attorney for DSS in Columbia.
Workers were reprimanded for not making sure an interpreter was used,
not monitoring a family safety plan and not ensuring that a translated
version of the plan matched the English version.
Members of DSS's York County Advisory Council say the workers should
have been better supported in the aftermath. The workers "do not bear
the brunt of the responsibility," said Pat Wolfe, advisory council
chairman. "We do, the community."
It will be a year on Tuesday that three Hispanic children and their
parents were found dead in their burning house. The children had been
drugged and their throats slashed, authorities said. The oldest daughter
had been sexually assaulted.
Several months earlier, DSS had developed a safety plan that both
parents agreed to. The husband was to stay away from the home, but he
was continually seen in the neighborhood.
Last week, Williamson said language barriers and cultural issues were
not to blame.
Each county office has designated employees to train staff and help
locate interpreters and translation services, she said. Most agency
material is also published in Spanish, and the York office can get
interpreters from 12 Charlotte agencies, a spokeswoman said.
Outrage at how the case was handled prompted the statewide
investigation. A report is due next year.
State Rep. Gary Simrill, R-Rock Hill, asked for the audit to make
sure child protective services are adequate. He said people blame budget
cuts, but the bottom line was that the workers did not follow protocol.
The state budget cuts came at a time of increased demand for
services.
The budget for the York County DSS office decreased 6.7 percent from
$13.3 million in 2000 to $12.4 million in 2003. Workers were furloughed
and supervisors had to pick up cases.
Since then, caseloads have fallen some. As of July 31, child
protective services investigators in York County averaged 19 cases each,
higher than the 15 recommended by the Child Welfare League of America.
The county also battles turnover as caseworkers leave for higher pay
in neighboring counties. Once hired, employees require more than four
weeks of training before they can begin.
"It's better this year than it has been, but we still have a long way
to go," said Wolfe.
Wolfe is concerned that the public doesn't understand what
caseworkers go through.
"They have a wonderful, dedicated staff of people," she said. "I just
have to sing their praises."
Sula Pettibon • 329-4033
spettibon@heraldonline.com
