Frederick County Department of Social Services

Frederick County Department of Social Services July 2011 June 2012 Annual Report State of Maryland Martin O Malley, Governor Anthony G. Brown, Lt. Governor Maryland Department of Human Resources Theodore Dallas, Secretary Frederick County Department of Social Services Diane W. Gordy, Director www.fcdss.info

VISION We envision a Maryland where people independently support themselves and their families and where individuals are safe from abuse, neglect and exploitation. MISSION We will aggressively assist and empower people in economic need, provide prevention services and protect vulnerable children and adults, in Frederick, MD. GUIDING PRINCIPLES Work is indispensable for achieving independence. Partnerships and alliances with business and the community are critical to our customer's ability to achieve and maintain independence. Families should be the first resource for the emotional and financial support of their children and other family members. Assistance is provided to people while honoring individual and group differences. Empowerment is essential to the provision of human services. 2

Director s Message The Frederick County Department of Social Services (FCDSS) has been successful in meeting the goals set by the Department of Human Resources and those goals we have set for ourselves. We provide valuable resources to all residents who are in need of our services and who meet our program eligibility requirements. The entire department s staff have greatly contributed to the success of our service delivery system and to all of the achievements that have been made to assist all clients in 2012. The number of man hours invested and the personal and professional efforts expended in pursuing our mission were massive. The dedication of all staff in meeting the expectations of those who depend on our services is commendable. In 2012, our Board membership proved to be a continued tremendous asset to our department with their resource development activities, guidance and genuine interest in our programs, services, volunteer opportunities, priorities and goal achievements. On behalf of the staff, State and County governments, I thank them for their time, contributions and support. Board Chair s Message The Frederick County Department of Social Services Board membership consists of community volunteers who are appointed by the Frederick County Commissioners. The duties of the Board include reviewing the Departments programs, assessing the need for new programs and advocating for additional resources from state and local sources and promoting awareness of the services provided by the agency to consumers and the general public. This year s board members participated in several Department activities including the Crib Crawl 5K Race, Convoy of Hope, Foster Parent Recognition Dinner, and other events as well as improving the children s play area within the facility. The past year has been a difficult one for social services programs in Frederick County in general and for the Department of Social Services. Reductions in funding support and staff have had a noticeably negative impact on the agency. Hiring freezes, prolonged vacancies, layoffs among other challenges have taxed the Department. The Department has had to deal with increased need in almost every area of service it provides. However, the constant and reliable assist at the Department has been the quality of its staff, their dedication to the agencies mission, high level of teamwork, unwavering commitment of the welfare of the people in Frederick County and the professionalism of the Departments leadership. These qualities have made the Department function in spite of the severe constraints in funding and staffing placed on the agency. 3

Child Support Enforcement Division The Child Support Enforcement Division establishes the legal responsibility of paternity and child support enforcement of the court order obligations and the collections and timely distributions of funds collected. In Federal Fiscal Year (FFY) 2012 our divisions accomplished the following: 10,738 customers were served by our Department for Child Support Services 1,729 new applications for child support were received and processed 1,056 call center work orders from customers requesting information on cases were responded to and given priority 580 requests for modifications of child support amount were reviewed The percent of cases under court order by 2.17% over FFY 11 was increased Collections increased by 6.04% over the prior year Frederick County Department of Social Services continues to be in the top ten for the state in all performance areas: Percent of children with paternity established, percent of cases under court order, percent of cases paying current support and percent of cases paying on child support arrears Family Investment Administration In Fiscal 2012, FCDSS continued to provide economic support services to the needy citizens of Frederick County. The Family Investment Administration total caseload for FY 12 increased of (7%) seven percent over the caseload size last fiscal year. The following programs assisted adults and families with children to better meet their nutritional needs, access medical care, obtain more affordable child care, retain employment and, in many cases, avoid the need to seek cash assistance benefits: The Temporary Cash Assistance (TCA) Program provides financial assistance to families seeking to support themselves through employment and to children in the care of relatives. During FY 12, we received an average of 130 applications per month and approved on average 48 cases per month. The agency provided TCA benefits to an average of 499 cases which consisted of 373 adults and 918 children monthly. Applicants for TCA were served by our Employment Resource Center (ERC) where two customers participated in a paid internship, three customers were assisted with a Welfare Avoidance Grant and 253 customers were placed in employment with an average wage of $10.27 per hour. There is a federal mandate that at least 50% of the Temporary Cash 4

Assistance recipients are required to participate in specific work activities. The average work participation rate for FCDSS in FY 12 was 56%. Non-Custodial Parent Employment Program (NPEP) works with non-custodial parents who are unable to meet their child support obligation due to unemployment. The Child Support Enforcement Administration refers potential participants to the Employment Resource Center for employment services. During FY 12, 61 new referrals were received and 13 obtained employment. The Child Care Subsidy (CCS) Program is funded through the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) and administered by FCDSS. The program assists low-income Frederick County residents who are working and/or attending school by providing subsidies to child care providers caring for their children. The program assisted an average of 294 families and 508 children monthly during FY 12. The average non-tca subsidy was $251.83 per child and the average TCA subsidy was $379.18 per child. The total subsidy payment to providers in Frederick County for FY 12 was $1,861,897. The Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) is funded through the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) and administered by FCDSS with a total program expenditure of $993,340 in FY 12. The subsidy program provides reimbursement to licensed family child care providers who serve nutritious meals and snacks to children in their care. In FY 12 there were 257 licensed family childcare providers enrolled in the program serving approximately 1,695 Frederick County children. The Food Supplement Program (FSP) issued benefits totaling $2,045,546 to assist with the purchase of food to an average of 7,927 households comprised of 17,975 individuals monthly during FY 12. The Temporary Disability Assistance Program (TDAP) provides financial assistance to lowincome adults with disabilities. Benefits issued totaled $40,221 with an average of 239 customers supported monthly in FY 12. The Public Assistance to Adults (PAA) Program issued benefits totaling $458,389 during FY 12 with an average of 226 adults monthly who are physically and/or mentally disabled and reside in supported living arrangements. The Refugee Cash Assistance Program provides up to eight months of financial assistance to refugees or political asylees who have resided in the United States no longer than five years. During FY 12 an average of 11 individuals received a monthly cash grant. The total expenditure for this program was $36,540 in FY 12. 5

The Community Medical Assistance Program serves low-income families and individuals who are aged, blind or disabled. Services were provided to an average of 8,456 households each month during FY 12. The Long Term Care Medical Assistance Program assists individuals residing in long-term care facilities with medical expenses and cost of care. The caseload averaged 508 cases monthly in FY 12. The Maryland Children s Health Program (MCHP) provided medical assistance coverage to an average 2,584 children and pregnant women each month during FY 12. The Medical Assistance Supplemental Security Income (SSI) Program provides Medical Assistance coverage to customers who receive SSI benefits from the Social Security Administration. The caseload averaged 2,140 cases monthly in FY 12. The average compliance rate for timely processing of all Family Investment programs in FY 12 was 97% or better. Frederick County Energy Assistance helps low income households with the cost of home heating and electricity. In FY 12 energy assistance assisted 4,972 households. Grants for lowincome households totaled $2,544,126. Children, Family, and Adult Services The FCDSS Children, Family and Adult Services Division is divided into two primary areas, Child Welfare and Adult services. The Child Welfare Program (CW) consists of 3 units: Child Protective Services (CPS), In-Home Family Preservation Services (IHFP), and Out of Home Placement (OOH) Services. Each unit is headed by a Program Manager. The units are further divided into smaller units with each managed by a supervisor. The Adult Services Program consists of 4 areas: Adult Protective Services (APS), Social Services to Adults, In-Home Aide Services (IHAS), and Project Home. Child Protective Services (CPS): The CPS Unit consists of two primary areas: screening and investigations. Screening receives all child welfare referrals, obtains demographic and incident information as well as obtains background history to determine if the family is known to the agency or has had previous criminal involvement. The investigation unit consists of two separate units; one unit 6

investigates reports that most likely will not involve criminal activity while the other unit conducts forensic interviews for the higher risk referrals. These workers are part of the Child Advocacy Center (CAC), a child focused, multidisciplinary community based program that provides a comprehensive, coordinated, and collaborative response to child abuse investigations. The CPS Unit consists of one Program Manager and 3 Supervisors who oversee 16 workers and 2 administrative assistants. Of the 16 workers, 75% are licensed at either a LGSW or LCSW-C level. Of the remaining 4 workers, one is licensed as a Certified Associate Counselor - Alcohol and Drug and three are not licensed at all. All of the CPS investigators except one have advanced training on how to conduct forensic interviews (Child First Doctrine). During FY 12, 2407 CPS referrals were received and 1294 accepted for investigation. Caseloads average between 8 and 12 new investigations per month; well within the standards as established by The Child Welfare League of America and Department of Human Resources. In Home Family Preservation Unit: The In Home Family Preservation Unit provides a continuum of services that support, stabilize, and strengthen families. Most often, the families who are involved with this program have at least one child who is at risk of being placed in Out of Home care due to safety and risk factors. The In Home Family Preservation workers engage with families in their home and communities to promote the safety and well-being of children while empowering families to achieve independence and self-sufficiency. These time limited services focus on connecting the family to the natural supports within the community in order to reduce their dependency on the department. These supportive services may be in the form of therapeutic interventions, addictions treatment, parent education, employment explorations, day care, or housing assistance. This unit also conducts non-cps assessments for services as well as the Voluntary Placement Agreement assessments. Also within this unit is the Family Centered Practice Coordinator who is responsible for moving the child welfare division towards a more family centered practice. This evolving position is responsible for assessing the needs of the families we work with, determining the services that are available as well as where the gaps exist then helping to develop services to fill the gaps. 7

family centered practice approach, this position is also responsible for overseeing the Family Involvement Meetings (FIM) and serves as one of several FIM facilitators. The In Home Family Preservation Unit consists of one Program Manager and one Supervisor overseeing 10 workers. Of the 10 workers, 60% are licensed at either an LGSW or LCSW-C level. The remaining 4 workers are not licensed. During FY 12, 188 families received In Home Family Preservation Services. The average caseload per worker is 8, well within the standards as established by Child Welfare League of America (CWLA) and Department of Human Resources (DHR). Out of Home Placement Services (OOH): The OOH Unit consists of several sub-programs to include foster care, adoption, kinship care, guardianship, independent living, and resource home recruitment and licensure. The focus of the OOH Unit is to obtain permanency and safety for children whether with their biological family or an alternative family. This Unit also contains one Family Support Worker who is responsible for providing a variety of supportive services for children and families working with the OOH Unit. This worker works collaboratively with the social worker in ensuring visitation between children and birth families, transportation to various appointments, parental coaching, supervising visits, and providing recreational activities for the children to include Life Book workshops. The OOH Unit is comprised of 25 staff that includes the Program Manager and 3 Supervisors overseeing the work of 19 social workers/case workers, one support worker and one administrative assistant. Included in this number are 3 vacancies; one supervisor position and two workers. Most (80%) of the OOH Unit workers have advanced degrees in Social Work (MSW) with 70% of them licensed at an LGSW or LCSW-C level. Caseloads average between 8 and 15 per worker, well within the standards as established by CWLA and DHR. Resource Unit: Located within the OOH Unit, the Resource Unit is a non-case-carrying sub-program whose main purpose is to recruit and approve family resource homes for children in Out of Home Care. This unit is tasked with recruiting families for our more difficult to place youth such as children with disabilities, multiple siblings, and the older youth. Recruitment efforts have focused on locating homes within the Frederick City area as nearly half of the children in care originate from Frederick City. These targeted recruitment efforts have been relatively successful with nearly half of all resource homes located within the City s zip codes. The recruitment efforts have included area specific advertisements using Val Pak, 8

information booths at City functions such as In-The-Streets and Children s Festival, and partnering with area churches for Pride classes. Adult Services Adult Services provides a variety of services to support individuals 18 years and older who are disabled or vulnerable. Services include: Adult Protec 9

The Project Home Program provides a supportive family-centered housing service to meet a range of needs presented by disabled clients. The program develops, certifies, and monitors suitable providers to care for adults with disabilities. Additionally, the program provides case management services for the adults who are placed in these homes. Without this service, many of these adults would be institutionalized. During FY 12, the FCDSS Project Home Program provided care for 27 clients in 15 approved homes. Local General Administration The Local General Administration Division (LGA) for Frederick County Department of Social Services provides support services to the agency s 162 State and County staff in regards to finance, fleet, procurement, agency equipment and supplies, facility management, security, telecommunications and information technology. State Budget The Department s FY 12 total State Administrative Budget was $10,676,883. Of this total, 80% or $8,565,489 was dedicated to salaries and benefits. The Department locally controlled roughly 7% of the total or $750,532, which included the Department s operating budget appropriation, overtime and temporary staff allocations. The Department s FY 12 year-end nonpersonnel operating expenditures totaled $742,702 representing a budget utilization rate of 99%, falling within its strategic goal of utilizing 98-102% of the State operating funds. County Budget The Department s FY 12 total County Operating Budget was $1,879,882 of which $1,135,312 was reimbursed ($357,513 from Federal sources, $777,799 from the State) for a net total cost to the County of $744,570. This net cost total includes: Salaries and Benefits for 24 budgeted employees and the County Legal Services contract. Procurement While responsible for agency-wide procurement and technical assistance in the development of contracts, Local General Administration administers and monitors five specific contracts including: Unarmed Security, Legal Services, Document Destruction, Floor Protection, and the Facility Lease Agreement. In addition to the Local General Administration contracts the agency also administers and monitors. 10

2013 Upcoming Events and Ongoing Projects Child Support August 2013: Child Support Awareness Month - Our division will take part in various activities to celebrate the role of child support for families. In our lobby there will be a Child Support display with materials regarding child support services and promotional items. The promotional items will display the child support web site and customer service contact number. Additionally we will have staff available at court to provide promotional items for our child support customers. Child Support Enforcement Training Initiatives - Child Support Enforcement is a new online training initiative for all child support staff. Training is available via Web-Ex. This will enable staff to attend training in a virtual classroom which is readily available and accessible rather than traveling to Baltimore for training. Family Investment Family Investment staff will be learning and utilizing a new computer system named Health Insurance Exchange (HIX). This system will handle Medical Assistance application determinations for single adults and families and children who have income below 138% of the poverty level. Nursing Home Medical Assistance applications and customers who receive Medical Assistance as a supplement to Medicare will remain on the current computer system. Family Investment staff will begin interacting with Connector Entities and their sister agencies that have been hired to provide outreach regarding information on healthcare reform and assistance in how and where to apply for the new programs. These entities will also provide customers with information regarding choosing health insurance through the Maryland Health Care Exchange if the customer is eligible for one of the programs. Healthcare reform will result in increased income limits for medical assistance applicants and the ability to receive assistance through the Qualified Health Care Premium program if an applicant's income exceeds medical assistance levels but is 138%-400% of the poverty limit. Family Investment will design new processes to assure a seamless transition for existing Medical Assistance recipients to the new computer system and the new Medical Assistance policies due to Health Care Reform. 11

Children, Family, and Adult Services Frederick County Child Welfare has been actively involved in the local Foster Care Court Improvement Project. The focus this year has been on developing a generous jurors program to benefit children in foster care. It is known that at times funding is limited or restricted and children in foster care are not able to enjoy various activities such as camp, dance classes, or sporting events. With the generous jurors programs, potential jurists are educated about the needs of the foster children and may choose to donate their daily stipend to the program. Over the past year, both FCDSS and Frederick County worked collaboratively to develop a Memorandum of Understanding to implement the generous jurors program and successfully launched its implementation early 2013. To date, the program has over $1,290 in it which will be disbursed based on the guidelines as established by the local Foster Care Court Improvement Team. FCDSS Child Protective Services units are finalizing their preparation for the official roll out of Alternative Response. This new approach to low risk child protective services referrals provide a more clinical assessment of family strengths and weaknesses and works to connect the family to services and support. With the goal of reducing or eliminating the risk to the children, the social worker and family develop a plan that supports and enhances skills to prevent further risk. The preparation thus far has involved educating the community and developing an agency implementation plan. The implementation plan involves some restructuring of the Child Protective Services unit as well as further training and development of worker's clinical assessment skills. The FCDSS is one of five counties who will be the first in Maryland to "go live" with Alternative Response on July 1, 2013. Local General Administration IT has completed the process of converting the agency s email host from Novell Groupwise to Google Mail as all branches of State government are transitioning to this new platform. Locally, this involved the process of cleaning up and updating information in our Windows Active Directory which served as the source for all of our new e-mail account information. After local IT staff completed initial testing, the Google Mail host was deployed to the agency s cadre of super users who were responsible for training other users. At this point, all FCDSS staff have converted to the Google Mail platform. The Novell Groupwise platform will be terminated by the State on or about June 30 th. The new e-mail addresses follow the following convention: firstname.lastname@maryland.gov. The Agency is poised to implement a new security screening process designed to prevent the entry of potential dangerous items into the facility. The process will involve the installation of a walk-through metal detector at the agency s main entrance to create one of several layers of security screening. Prior to passing through the metal detector, customers or visitors will be 12

asked to disclose and display all metallic objects such as change, keys, watches, cell phones, money clips, pocket knives, jewelry, etc. Upon presentation of the items, customers or visitors may be asked to immediately remove certain items from the premises for example, a pocket knife, box cutter, or firearm. Should a customer or visitor passing through the metal detector trigger its alarm, the patron will be manually screened with a metal detecting wand. While the security screening process will certainly affect the process of how patrons enter the facility and may create some delays during times of peak traffic, the process will also dramatically increase customer, visitor and staff safety in the building. 13