Person County is offering incentive pay for social service workers to encourage them to take extra shifts supervising foster care kids.
Due to a shortage in the number of licensed foster care homes in the state, many kids have been forced to sleep in social service offices.
Person County Commissioners approved $39,000 in the budget for the next fiscal year for the increased pay. Sonya Carver with the County's Department of Social Services gave a presentation on the incentive pay policy at a commission meeting last week.
“We will provide overnight supervision shift for shifts one, two and three. And this includes holidays and weekends,” Carver said, during Monday’s meeting. “First shift, if it's a weekday, we'll get $25, and then $50 on the weekend. Second shift: $50 for a weekday, $75 for the whole weekend.”
The third shift will receive $75 for weekdays and $100 for the weekend. If the shift occurs during a holiday, it’s an additional $50 to have shifts covered.
Carver said that the additional incentives will not replace the employee's ability to be paid overtime when they're doing these job duties.
Moving forward, Person County Commissioners and Carver’s department will look at options to renovate the social services facility and possibly add more beds for children to sleep in.
