FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 26, 2018
Greensboro, N.C. – This week, Michael Felts, Granville County Manager participated in a regional meeting on child welfare hosted by the North Carolina Association of County Commissioners (NCACC) in partnership with the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services. The meeting is part of NCACC President and Durham County Commissioner Brenda Howerton’s initiative, “100 Counties: Helping Our Children Thrive,” which focuses on identifying ways for county government to make a positive impact in children’s lives.
“It is important that the children in Granville County are given the opportunity to thrive. Whether it is by promoting physical activity, bringing health services, providing programs to help improve reading proficiency, or advocating for the needs of children in the custody of Social Services, local government is in a unique position to bring together partners to meet these goals.” – Michael Felts
The purpose of the regional child welfare meeting was to bring together county commissioners, managers, and representatives from county Departments of Social Services to deepen the understanding of the state’s current system of child welfare and county responsibilities. It also provided a forum to discuss actionable county-level data, best practices, and the 2017 Family/Child Protection and Accountability Act (Rylan’s Law), sponsored by North Carolina Senator Tamara Barringer. A similar meeting will also be held in Edgecombe County in February.
Speakers included representatives of NC DHHS, UNC School of Government, and the NCACC, with panel discussions led by county and social services attorneys and child welfare staff. Counties also heard from Senator Barringer, a foster parent, who provided a personal video message to meeting attendees linked here.
As part of the meeting, attendees also had the opportunity to provide comments for the Social Services Regional Supervision and Collaboration Working Group, which is the group established by Rylan’s Law to make recommendations to the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services. President Howerton, along with Kevin Austin, NCACC First Vice President and Chair of the Yadkin County Board of Commissioners, Robert Woodard, Chair of the Dare County Board of Commissioners, and Page Lemel, Transylvania County Commissioner, serve as members of this working group on social services.
About the NCACC: The North Carolina Association of County Commissioners (NCACC) is the official voice of all 100 counties on issues being considered by the General Assembly, Congress and federal and state agencies. The Association provides expertise to counties in the areas of advocacy, research, risk management and education and leadership training.
###