DSS Board Meeting Minutes
CALDWELL COUNTY SOCIAL SERVICES BOARD
MEETING MINUTES
September 29, 2009
I. Call to Order
The Caldwell County Department of Social Services Board met on Tuesday, September 29, 2009 in the City/County Chambers at the Alden E. Starnes County Office Plaza in Lenoir, North Carolina for their regular monthly meeting. The Board Chair, Frances Fox, called the meeting to order at 3:00 p.m. Other Board members in attendance were Ron Roukema, Alden Starnes, Mattie Patterson, and Kaeti Groome.
II. Approval of the Agenda
The Chair called for approval of the agenda. Ron Roukema made the motion the agenda be approved as written. The motion was seconded by Alden Starnes and was approved unanimously.
III. Approval of Minutes
The Chair then called for approval of the August 25, 2009 Board minutes. Ron Roukema made the motion the minutes be approved as written, seconded by Alden Starnes. The minutes were approved unanimously.
IV. Recognitions
- A. Employee of the Month
Child Support Supervisor, Mitch Laws, came before the Board to introduce the September Employee of the Month, Dawn Winters. He stated it is an honor and privilege to introduce Ms. Winters who works as a Child Support Agent. She is extremely organized and never wastes time. She is helpful to others with their work and is very much liked by her co-workers. Mr. Laws stated "she talks to folks they way they should be talked to on many different levels." He concluded she always has a smile on her face. Director Edwards added she had received a phone call just that morning from someone in the community giving Ms. Winters a lot of praise. The Board congratulated Ms. Winters on her achievement.
V. Reports
- A. Financial Report
Linda Laws, Business Officer, presented the Board with the financial report stating we are managing very well with the budget although there are still challenges. She stated we are fortunate to find items that we can control the cost of or have been lucky with a drop in cost. The service programs are staying in budget for the first two months of the fiscal year. She continued there are still some uncertain issues with Medicaid. There will be a budget amendment in October for stimulus money in the amount of $88,467.00 from the State that will be put into the budget. The money will be used in the Food and Nutrition Services Program.
- B. Personnel Report
Director Edwards gave the personnel report stating we have had two vacancies since the last meeting and they have both been filled. We have two vacancies remaining we hoped to have filled before too long. She stated we still have a low turnover rate at this time.
- C. Super Summer Follow Up
Peter West, Child Welfare Supervisor, presented the Board with a power point slide show of some of the Super Summer activities our foster children participated in. He stated "summer can be a challenge with children in custody. We have been very fortunate that benefactors in the community have come up with some great activities for the kids." Three major events included the annual summer lake party, a trip to Bo's Amusements, and various camps.
The summer lake party is an annual event hosted by former Board member, Pat Robinette, who opens her home to the children. Mr. West stated the kids have a blast. We had a tremendous turnout this year with approximately fifty to sixty children. They enjoyed a cookout with hamburgers and hot dogs, boat rides, sea do's, and visitors from the Hickory Police Department brought the patrol boat to show the kids.
Fifteen children participated in a fun filled day at Bo's Amusements in Lenoir, NC. Mr. West stated Bo's took care of everything and we bared no expense. The kids had a great time bowling and gaming in the Arcade. Mr. West pointed out on the slide show a large thank you card the children made for the owners of Bo's Amusements.
Children in care were also able to participate in various summer camps throughout the summer. Mr. West related one story of a fourteen year old girl with special needs that was able to attend an equestrian therapy camp. The therapy was successful and she had such a good time that was awarded a scholarship to continue the program.
Mr. West concluded this has been a very exciting summer for everyone and extended a special thank you to the many sponsors who participated.
- D. Adoption Banquet
Melinda Price, Adoptions Supervisor, was next to address the Board with an update on the upcoming Adoptions Banquet. As November is Adoptions Awareness Month plans are being made to recognize adoptive parents on Friday, November 6, 2009 at the Broyhill Civic Center in Lenoir, NC. There will be a catered dinner, activities for the children, and guest speaker Donna Foster, an adoptive parent and State Consultant. Ms. Price will request the Caldwell County Board of Commissioners adopt a proclamation honoring November as Adoptions Awareness Month at their November 2, 2009 meeting. Board Chair, Fran Fox, extended the Board's thanks for including them in this special event.
- E. Hunger Awareness
Program Administrator, Lisa Abel, along with Food and Nutrition Services Caseworker, Martha Hedrick, informed the Board for the sixth year the Department of Social Services will be holding the Hunger Awareness Drive in October as October is declared Hunger Awareness Month. Ms. Abel explained in the Food and Nutrition Services Program customers are assisted as quickly as possible, however, their EBT cards are mailed to their households and can take seven to ten business days before they can actually go to the store and purchase food. This is where the local food pantries in the community step in. Families are referred to South Caldwell Christian Ministries, Yokefellow and the Lenoir Soup Kitchen for food until their EBT cards are received. She added with the declining economy the client base is increasing and so are the demands on the food pantries. The Hunger Awareness Food Drive is our way of giving back and helping them stock their shelves. There are currently 13,742 persons in Caldwell County being served through the Food and Nutrition Program with monthly benefits averaging $1,741,406.00. The food drive will be held on Saturday, October 10th at Fairvalue Grocery in Lenoir, Fairvalue in Hudson, Fairvalue in Granite Falls, and at Food Lion in Lower Creek from 9:00 a.m. to Noon. Canned goods, non-perishable items, and monetary donations will be accepted. The staff at the department also plans to collect these items at the October agency staff conference. All proceeds from the food drive will be divided equally between the food pantries listed above. Ms. Hedrick and Ms. Abel concluded we enjoy doing this each year and hope to have a good turn out.
- F. Medicaid Transportation
Community Alternatives Supervisor, Will Wakefield, addressed the Board on Medicaid Transportation policy stating he was providing them with a draft of the updated policy. Medicaid Transportation is available to persons who are on Medicaid and have exhausted all other means of transportation. Mr. Wakefield stated we go by state guidelines but create our own local policy staying within state regulations. There are not many changes in the policy from the last time it was adopted by the Board. One change is that public transportation is no longer being provided by CCATS. We are now a part of regular transportation through Greenway which covers Caldwell, Catawba, Alexander, and Burke counties. Being a part of regular transportation we wanted to update some of our policies to match the new transit system. Now that we have regular transportation we do not limit our region to just Caldwell County. This gives our clients more options in the physicians they choose. We pool people together as much as possible which means less cost to Medicaid. Mr. Wakefield concluded the new policy is getting away from reimbursement as much as possible. There is one transportation coordinator at DSS and there is a lot of information that must be processed. Reimbursement is very time and labor intensive. On average there are over nine hundred appointments coordinated per month by only this employee.
The Chair called for a motion for the approval of the new policy. Mattie Patterson made the motion, seconded by Ron Roukema. The motion passed unanimously and the policy was adopted.
- G. Fostering Connections
Wendy Pyle, Child Welfare Program Administrator, presented a power point and informed the Board a new law was passed last fall by George Bush that will have significant impact on child welfare practice. Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act (Fostering Connections) adds a requirement that counties must notify all grandparents and other adult relatives the child has been removed, the options available to the relatives of the child in regards to placement and care, and the requirements to become a licensed foster home and services available. The process must be completed within thirty days of the removal of the child. Ms. Pyle stated we have followed this practice as we are mandated by the state to look for relatives of the child first when a child is removed.
However, we like to be sensitive to the parents request if parents do not want relatives to know what is happening in their family. We must follow the law and we are working with the state on this issue.
This new law provides financial assistance to help keep children in their own counties and schools. Ms. Pyle stated "if we can maintain one piece of their world it makes a huge difference." The laws also require agencies to make reasonable efforts to place sibling groups together in the same foster home. North Carolina already has this policy mandated and as an agency we pay our foster parents a stimulus to take sibling groups. We are very excited all agencies will focus more on keeping siblings together.
The law put into place some waivers for relatives for non safety licensure standards on a case-by-case basis. Counties are encouraged to request waivers for non-safety issues that may be currently keeping a home from being licensed. Waivers must be staffed and signed off on by the Director.
Effective October 1, 2009 children age sixteen and older do not have to have an eligibility requirement. They are automatically eligible for IV-E funding. As older children leave foster care and transition into independent living a person-centered plan called the Emancipation Plan will be developed to assist with plans for housing, transportation, school, financial planning, etc.
Ms. Pyle concluded we will keep the Board informed as we move forward with Fostering Connections.
VI. Board Governance
- A. The location of the October 27, 2009 Board meeting will be moved to the Administrative Conference Room at the Caldwell County Human Services Building due to early voting at the Alden E. Starnes County Office Plaza. The meeting will begin at 3:00 p.m.
- B. Fran Fox and Kaeti Groome shared their recent trip to a Board Member Training they attended in Asheville, NC stating the training was very informative. Ms. Groome stated there was a lot of information and she enjoyed the history and funding pieces of the program. Ms. Fox stated the rules the Board is governed by are very interesting as well as the important role the Board plays. Being effective leaders in the community and advocating for the county and citizens best interest is top priority. Ms. Groome stated she would contact John Saxon at UNC School of Government to see if a copy of the power point can be obtained to share with fellow Board members. She provided the Board with website information she received at the training.
VII. Scheduled Public Comment
No one was scheduled to speak to the Board for the public comment period.
VIII. Adjourn
With no further business, Ron Roukema made the motion to adjourn. Mattie Patterson seconded the motion and the meeting adjourned at 3:55 p.m.
Frances Fox, Chair
Joyce P. Edwards, Secretary