Services for Families and Children

Family and Children’s Services Programs that we provide include:

Child Support

Child Support services works with custodial and non-custodial parents to ensure children receive adequate financial support.  Child Support Enforcement provides the following services:

·         Locating absent parents

·         Establishing paternity

·         Establishing support orders through the court for medical and financial support

·         Enforcing court ordered support obligations. 

Child support services are available to anyone in the county without regard to income.  There may be an application fee not to exceed $25.00.

Child Protective Services Assessment

Unfortunately, children sometimes are harmed by their parents or caretakers.  When suspicion of child abuse or neglect exists, our agency initiates an assessment to determine whether the child is indeed abused, neglected or dependent (has no one available to provide care to them).  The purpose of this assessment is to identify any safety concerns and future risk of harm, and to provide services to alleviate these safety factors.  If a criminal act has been committed, a referral is made to law enforcement for a criminal investigation.

 Child Protective Services Remediation

When a child has been determined to have been abused or neglected by a parent or caretaker, in-home services are offered to the family to remediate the causes of the abuse and neglect so that family functioning is improved and the child can remain safely in his/ her home.

 Foster Care

The primary purpose of Foster Care service is to provide a safe temporary placement for children who cannot remain safely in the home of their parent(s). These children are in the custody of the Department of Social Services by court order. The goal of foster care is to implement a plan for permanency for each child.  If the child cannot be returned home to the parents, another permanent planned living arrangement is made. Permanency plans by federal law are:

• Reunification with parents
• Relative placement in foster care
• Guardianship/custody (with a relative or non-relative)
• Adoption (by a relative or non-relative),
• Another planned permanent living arrangement in foster care (APPLA)

Child placement needs are evaluated, arranged, maintained and supervised in licensed or Court-sanctioned placement, with services to assist in reunification or another permanent plan for the child. The agency provides services in conjunction with the community are community-based, culturally competent, child centered, and family focused.
 

 Adoption

These services assist children who cannot safely return to their birth families become part of a legally secure permanent home.   Adoption Services for children in DSS custody include:

What is the Safe Haven for Abandoned Infants Act (Daniel's Law)?
 

This state law provides pregnant women with an alternative to abandoning a newborn baby in potentially fatal circumstances such as in the dumpster. Under the Safe Haven Act, an infant can be left with a hospital or hospital outpatient facility, law enforcement agency, fire station, emergency medical services station, or any staffed house of worship during the hours the facility is staffed. The infant must be less than 7 days old, unharmed, and left by the parent or other person acting for the parent. The law provides the parent immunity from prosecution if the conditions are met. A baby left under these conditions will be placed in DSS foster care and adoptions proceedings will be initiated immediately. Contact our local DSS office if you need additional information.

Becoming a foster or adoptive parent with our Agency

The Department of Social Services partners with the community to recruit, train, license, support and monitor foster and adoptive homes for children in foster care.

Foster parents are special people who provide a nurturing, stable environment for children. They may be married or single, ages 21 and over, may or may not have children of their own, and must have sufficient income for the needs of their own family.  Foster and adoptive families are diverse in race, ethnicity, income and age.  We encourage interested persons to contact Angie Gillespie at (828) 884-3174 Ext. 302, to learn about the required 30 hour training "Model Approach to Partnership in Parenting" (MAPP) offered at our agency.

There are children in need of committed, flexible, open, loving and capable families for short term placements as well as those families interested in fostering to adopt. The mutual assessment and selection process helps families determine if fostering is a good match for them.

Foster Home Licensing and Placement Services Include: 

·         Training

·         Assessment

·         Licensure

·         Foster care board payment after licensure

·         Ongoing support and training