DSS

Shows a woman hugging a little boy she's had in foster care. She is signing his adoption papers.

Foster care case numbers continue to climb in NC, as opioid crisis affects families

September 24, 2019 by Sarah Ovaska

Foster care case numbers continue to climb in NC, as opioid crisis affects families - North Carolina Health News

Record numbers of children, almost all of whom have trauma of their own, are entering the foster care system as a result of abuse and neglect.

By Sarah Ovaska-Few North Carolina could use more people like Lisa Link, as the state grapples with record numbers of children entering and staying in the already stretched foster care system. Link, an auto broker and owner of a small used-car lot in Charlotte, opted five years ago to become a foster parent after years […]

shows the front of the legislative building in Raleigh, general assembly

Computer glitches frustrate county workers, could eventually cost the state millions

March 22, 2019 by Rose Hoban

Computer glitches frustrate county workers, could eventually cost the state millions - North Carolina Health News

Software designed to track children in the child welfare system has been difficult to get up to speed, leading to frustration at county departments of social services. Department heads came to Raleigh for help from the NCGA.

By Rose Hoban Once again, glitchy computer programs are creating headaches for the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services and social workers across the state. For many people who work in county social services departments , the culprit is a familiar one: NC FAST. In 2013 and 2014, problems with implementing the computer […]

shows children looking frightened as they tumble down a slide

Children Face Struggles in Some North Carolina Counties, Stats Show

August 1, 2018 by Carolina Public Press

Children Face Struggles in Some North Carolina Counties, Stats Show - North Carolina Health News

Results from this year's Kids Count Data Book shows North Carolina rates highest in education at 22nd in the U.S, but lowest in family and community at 36th.

By Karrigan Monk Carolina Public Press The numbers say North Carolina is middle-of-the-road edging toward poor in some categories when it comes to the well-being of the state’s children, with some counties posting alarmingly high numbers for neglect cases and children in foster care. But children are more than just numbers, and even accurate data […]

shows people at a table, one woman is talking

Much-needed Social Services Reforms Underway

March 14, 2018 by Rose Hoban

Much-needed Social Services Reforms Underway - North Carolina Health News

A multidisciplinary group has been working since October on changes to be made to the social services system. The activity comes in the wake of some high-profile deaths of children in the system.

By Rose Hoban A 3-year-old boy drowns while in his mother’s care. A 14-month-old boy dies of malnutrition. A 14-year-old overdoses on antidepressants. These are all children who died while in the care of the social services system. And lawmakers want these deaths to stop. Now, after close to a dozen meetings, members of a […]

Additional Thanks

Categories