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IIIII ~o~emher 27, lg91 TO: Jo~ ~ltherspoon, County Hana~ ~O~: J~ Cook, Social Se~ices O~:e~ T SUB,CT: Chi2d ~roCective Se~ices ~ ~t~g to request that the Board of Co~issioners at lt~ December meeting autho=ize the use of ne~ State and Federal fu=atng ye have received for the es:abl~s~ent of three ne~ posit~ons to provide protective se~ices fo: abused and neglected children. A budget ~en~ent request ~s attached. BACKCRO~ County depaz~ents of social seduces have responsibility ~n the General Statues for investigat~n8 reports that children have been abused o= neglected and ~or ptov~d~g seduces ~eze necessa~ to protect children. During the current yeazr the adeq~cy of North Ca:ol~a*s system for protecting children has been the object of serious conce~. ~e~spapers across the State have brought attention ~o prob2e~ rich the system through :heir covera&e of the tragic deaths o~ a n~be= o~ children vhich have resulted fr~ abuse and neglect. Several ~itiattvea have been undertaken by the State in an effort to strengthen the ch~ld protective se~ices system. ~ese have ~=~uiea establis~ent of a State fatality :ev~ev syst~ prov~sion for the ~ssuance of an a~ual State ~ld Fatality Report~ ~prov~ents in State policies and ~n the cent=al registry for abusets/neglectors~ ~ncreased State staffing for t:a~n~n8 a~a supe~is~on of local agency staff~ add institution o~ c~unity chela protection te~. Vethaps most sig~ficant, the l~t session of the General ~sembly appropriated funding to help ease the critical unaerstaffiug of ch~l& protective se~ices pzo&r~s at county departments of social se~lces. A total oi ~3.25 million for the ~erioa 1-1-92 to 6-30-92 an& $7 ~11ion for the yea= beginning 7-1~92 vas appropriated for additional social ~ork staf~ at county depaz~ents. A second source of funtinS vhich c~ be utilizeg fo: additional staff for p=otective se~ices has ~so beene available this year. Staf~ at a u~be= of county ~epar~ents of social se~ices, i=c2uti=g Cabar~s, beg~ doc~ent~n8 t~eir asencys~ e~isibillty to receive additional Federa2 ~itle ~-E a~inistrative funa~8 about years ago. Ne elected to ~o=~ent our eligibility ~ or~er to deveiop this added ft~c~l res~rce for child velfare seduces. ~z staff ~otke& hard to accomplish t~. l=ttial pa~ents of this =e~ ~itle IV-~ f~a~8 ~ete ~ae to ~baz~s aaa other counties ~ July. I