Edgecombe County

DEMOGRAPHIC INFORMATION

Location

Edgecombe County is a rural county approximately one hour east of Raleigh and approximately two hours inland of North Carolina’s beautiful beaches. Edgecombe County offers a mild year round climate with four distinct seasons. Tarboro, the county seat, offers a breathtaking historic experience.

Size

526 square miles

Population

The current population is approximately 56,500 people. There are about 15,350 families living within the county. The population is approximately 56% black, 43% white, and less than 1% other ethnic groups.

Wages and Employment

The median annual income for an Edgecombe County resident is $27,464. The unemployment rate as of April 2000 is 5.7%, down from 8% in 1999.

Size of Agency

Edgecombe County Department of Social Services employs 190 regular full-time positions.

Agency Budget

The total agency budget is $83.9 million. Of this amount, approximately $55.9 million goes towards Medicaid and $5.1 million goes toward Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF).

Agency Mission Statement

To form partnerships with families and communities to enhance the families’ quality of life.

Programs Administered and Caseloads per Program

Adolescent Parenting Program

• The program works with adolescent girls age seventeen or younger in the first trimester of their pregnancy or have already given birth to their first child. Services are focused on preventing future teen-age pregnancies.
• The program is currently working with 12 young women.

Adoption Services

• This program is aimed at providing permanent homes for children in the legal custody of DSS. Potential families are studied for adoptive placements.
• Edgecombe County has had 19 adoptions finalized from January 1, 2000 to December 11, 2000

Adult Protective Services

• Disabled and elderly adults may be vulnerable to abuse, neglect, and exploitation. The agency receives and evaluates reports to determine whether disabled adults are in need of protective services and determines what services they need.
• Current caseload is approximately 20 cases

Adult Day Care

• Day care services are available on a limited basis for the elderly or handicapped individual who needs daily care outside of their own home. This service insures that individuals have nutritious meals, social contact and other stimulating opportunities in a group setting.
• 22 individuals are currently being served

Carolina Access

• This is a Medicaid case management approach that assigns a "gate keeper" primary care physician for all recipients of Medicaid.
• We currently have 9,637 individuals enrolled.

Child Care

• This service links children with appropriate day care based on their needs and the needs of their parents. Day care is purchased from private day care centers by the agency to enable parents to attend educational and job training classes, maintain or seek employment, and to ensure the safety of children.
• We are currently serving approximately 1,600 children.

Child Support

• This program promotes parental responsibility and reduces welfare dependency by locating absent parents, establishing paternity and support obligations, and enforcing support payments.
• Our current program caseload is 8,357.

Crisis Intervention Program

• CIP provides assistance to low-income households when they are experiencing or are in danger of experiencing a heating or cooling related crisis. The federally funded program is based on income-eligibility and the current need for heat or cooling.
• We generally serve approximately 1,900 households in this program.

Emergency Assistance Program

• This program provides financial assistance to families with dependent children in emergency situations based on need and family resources.
• This program provides assistance for approximately 350 families.

Fatherhood Initiative

• Utilizing contracts with community agencies, this initiative seeks to increase bonding and support between children and their absent parents.
• 6 fathers just completed the program.

Faith Community Program

• The Faith Community Program is a new program supported by collaboration between Edgecombe County Department of Social Services and the area’s faith community. This program is dedicated to helping Work First Families make a smooth transition from welfare-to-work. Churches, civic organizations, and others are recruited to become partners in helping to aid in the transition process.
• We are currently working with 26 faith community partners

Food Stamps/EBT

• This program supplements the food dollars of low-income families and individuals.
• There are currently 2,872 Food Stamp cases.

Foster Care

• Community families are screened, trained, and licensed to provide care for children who are placed by the Juvenile Court into the custody of DSS. Children receive social work services through placement. Services are focused on reunification with biological families.
• There are 93 licensed foster care homes in Edgecombe County and we currently have about 67 children placed in foster care.

Low Income Energy Assistance Program

• LIEAP gives families or individuals a one-time cash payment to help pay their heating bills. Applications are taken from early November to early February.
• 2,201 households received assistance in 1999-2000.

Medicaid

• Medicaid provides health care coverage for the elderly, disabled, blind, families, and children based on need and resources.
• Current reports show 6,645 total open Medicaid cases.

Program Integrity

• This service requires investigation of suspected public assistance fraud and ensures collection of overpayments.
• Through this program $213,269 was returned to the county in fiscal year 1999-2000.

Work First Family Assistance (cash assistance)

• This service includes financial assistance to families and children based on need and resources.
• There are currently 685 open WFFA cases.

Work First Employment Services

• These services ensure work opportunities for welfare clients, provide necessary skills and literacy training, and assist with transportation, childcare, participation and work-related expenses.
• There are currently 195 active WFES cases.

Special Projects and Initiatives

• Covering Kids—North Carolina Health Choice: This is a grant to develop public/private partnerships, do outreach, and simplify the State Child Health Insurance Program.
• Families for Kids: This program encompasses all of the services provided to families and children through DSS Child Welfare from Child Protective Services and support services, through foster care and adoptions. Edgecombe County also receives FFK II grant funds. There are currently 171 open FFK cases in Edgecombe County
• Individual Development Accounts: Individual Development Accounts are restricted savings accounts that can be used for purchasing a first home. Participants’ savings are matched 2 to 1 using grant money from both Federal and State sources. The program currently has 34 participants.
• Work First Transitional Housing: This project involves the building of a 32 unit transitional housing complex. Thirty-two welfare/low-income families will live in this complex for two years. During this time, each family will receive extensive counseling in the areas of housing finance, budgeting, parenting, and other training appropriate to live self-sufficiently.
• NC Work First Partners: Through a grant, Edgecombe County DSS partners with two community agencies to form better partnerships with clients. DSS clients work closely with Rocky Mount Community Development Corporation and Opportunities Industrialization Center to find better housing and jobs and to increase self-sufficiency.
• Work Central: Work Central is an electronic hub that identifies opportunities and services available to Work First consumers. Staff from Work Central make calls to Work First consumers outside traditional work hours. Work Central staff help consumers find the resources needed to become self-sufficient. Work First participants who work at least 20 hours per week are eligible. Edgecombe County works with five other counties (Nash, Wilson, Halifax, Pitt, and Martin) in this initiative.

 

TANF/CHILD WELFARE COLLABORATIVE

Introduction of the Project and Planning Retreat

The TANF/Child Welfare Collaborative project was introduced to the agency at a planning retreat. The agency held the retreat on June 26-27, 2000 in Tarboro. Eighty-five staff members were included: 2 line staff and a supervisor from each unit in both the Tarboro and Rocky Mount offices, the director, and Administration. Chris Howell and Gary Nelson, from the Jordan Institute for Families, introduced the retreat’s program to the group. The group was broken down into small groups, which looked at five family outcomes and three process outcomes. Each group completed a mapping process on how the agency was currently working around the outcome. Next, after presenting their concept, they did a second map that represented how that would like to see the agency handle the outcome.

From here, the group decided on ways to achieve each outcome. From this, the agency chose four goals:

• Improve communication
• Develop a common database
• Establish one building
• Conduct and improve cross-training

Working on these four areas will assist in the change process.

Planning Committee

At the end of the planning retreat, staff was asked to volunteer to serve on the planning committee. From this group a 30-member committee was established. The committee is comprised of line staff, management, the agency’s director, and program administrators.

The committee has two subcommittees:

• Professionalism Committee: Looking at staff behavior/attitude and working on ways to improve customer service.
• New Worker Orientation Committee: Working on incorporating our goals into orientation and making sure that new hires come in aware of and supportive of the agency’s new mission and vision.

Name of Project

The project’s planning committee worked together to name the project. They chose F.O.C.U.S, which stands for Families on Course for Unlimited Success.

Community Partnerships

The agency is currently updating its list of community partners and contacts and developing a community partners’ resource manual that will give staff a foundation of information. From there a community partners subcommittee will be formed. The agency is also designing an information fair that would include inter-agency services and community partners. A single assessment form is being developed that will be implemented in a test unit at the first of the year.

Training/Staff Development

Training will now include a more in-depth look at all units and the services that are provided. Currently, the planning committee is working on forming a Client Focus Group. The group will include: Work First Employment clients, Work First Family Assistance clients, Medicaid clients, Food Stamps clients, Child Care clients, and absent parents. We will look at how clients view our services now, and what could make it better. We propose to contract with a consultant to train staff on leadership, communications, and conflict management skills.

Edgecombe County Department of Social Services Web Site

December 2000

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