North Carolina’s health department will temporarily take over child welfare services in Davidson County starting Friday.
The state began investigating the department in 2024 after four children with active or prior child protective services cases died. Three of the deaths occurred within a two-month period.
The county was placed on a corrective action plan that summer, after investigators found evidence of mismanagement. But state officials say progress has been limited since then.
"The continued mismanagement of recent cases, where safety decisions are not made in compliance with child welfare law, rule and policy, has magnified our ongoing concerns about DCDSS’s ability to adequately assess child safety and risk that is vital to the protection of all children in Davidson County," NC Health and Human Services Secretary Dev Sangvai said in a letter to the county.
Davidson County leaders say rising caseloads have strained staff and that they support the state’s intervention.
"Demand on child welfare resources has increased dramatically in the last decade. This has placed a great strain on our child protective services program area," said Davidson County Manager Casey Smith in a press release. "The County looks forward to working collaboratively with the NC DHHS to reduce caseloads and ensure the safety of children within Davidson County."
This is the sixth time the state has taken over a county’s child welfare system.
