Guilford officials 'committed' to transparency after social services violations (2024)

GREENSBORO — Officials promised transparency as they address shortfalls in Guilford County’s efforts to protect children at risk of abuse and support those caring for them.

After releasing the county’s “corrective action plan” to address violations cited by state officials, Assistant County Manager Victor Isler held a news conference on Thursday.

“We are committed to a transparent process,” Isler said. “We must recognize that we are talking about the lives of children as well as the structure of families, and we take it extremely seriously.”

The N.C. Department of Health and Human Services recently ordered the Guilford County Department of Social Services to take corrective action after a review found deficiencies following the deaths of three children in a December house fire.

Among other things, the state determined the DSS agency did not properly handle an open case involving the children’s mother, who was later charged with three counts of negligent felony child abuse inflicting serious bodily injury.

DSS had received nine complaints since 2016 filed with Child Protective Services against Brandi Sturdivant, including one less than a month before a house fire claimed the lives of her three youngest sons on Dec. 12.

Antonio Little Jr., 4, and his 1-year-old twin brothers, Aerious and A’nyis, were alone inside the house when the fire started, authorities said.

A Nov. 17 complaint, which alleged Sturdivant left the children unsupervised, was still under investigation when fire swept through the home at 2518 Grimsley St., according to court documents.

Another complaint that was closed by DSS involved a September incident where one of the twins was found with fresh and dried feces on his body and matted in his hair. The boy had a swollen and injured penis caused by severe diaper rash, according to the arrest warrant.

Court documents show that Child Protective Services opened an investigation and created a “temporary safety plan” in which all of the children were removed from the home and placed with a relative. However, the agency returned the children to Sturdivant just eight days later.

Isler did not answer specific questions regarding the case, noting legal and ethical issues. Sturdivant remains in the Guilford County jail awaiting trial.

Isler also would not comment on whether any employees were disciplined as a result of the cases reviewed by the state. DSS Director Sharon Barlow was not present at the news conference, but still oversees the department.

The county later said in an email that “there have been no terminations to date” within the department.

“Our social workers are our unsung heroes, and we will continue to invest in them and develop them,” Isler said at the news conference. “At the end of the day … we want children and families to thrive, but most importantly to be safe.”

The problems at the county’s DSS — which responds to about 500 calls a month — can be traced to several areas.

“We had a vacancy rate within the Department of Social Services last year of around 35%,” said Isler, which forced supervisors to take on social work cases.

At the time of the county’s review, social workers with Child Protective Services had about 20 cases each, the county said.

The county increased employee salaries in November, which Isler said helped the department reduce vacancies to 3.34% currently.

While the department has 600 employees, Isler said about 130 of them work in the area of child welfare. Their caseloads have dropped to between 10 and 15 cases, Isler said, adding that the state’s standard caseload per person is about 10.

The county still has two vacant positions in child protective services. Isler said it takes four to six months to train and get these workers in place.

“We want our social workers able to be out in the community with good eyes and ears to best support families and also children and what their needs are,” Isler said.

The county also added three additional child welfare workers and two social workers focused on adults. Isler also noted the addition of a Child Protective Services team earlier this year, as well as a foster care team.

“Our intent is to do routine visits, whether that is weekly or bi-weekly based on a risk level,” Isler said. “There are times where we will do unannounced home visits as well.”

The county sent its corrective action plan to the state on June 15. State officials said they are reviewing the plan, which includes:

The county has posted the full corrective action plan on its website and plans to publish any updates.

DSS also is bringing back recent retirees to support supervisors with developing coaching for staff.

A reorganization of the Children’s Services Division also is planned.

Despite the state’s findings, Isler said DSS has done a good job.

“I do not feel the system is failing these kids,” he said. “I have been in this work for over 20 years and we are committed.”