Protecting Our Children

Kevin Dolan, NorCo CYF Director

Lamont McClure hails from coal cracker country, not the Indian subcontinent. But he subscribes fully to Mahatma Gandhi's belief that "the true measure of any society can be found in how it treats its most vulnerable members."  This was a major theme of McClure's campaign for NorCo Executive. Since his election, he has put that principle into practice. He is beefing up the Department of Human Services, adding personnel who can insure a safety net for our elderly, our young and those of us who have developmental issues.

Last night, McClure proposed eliminating two positions from Human Services and adding 11. These  including seven caseworkers for Children, Family and Youth (CYF), along with two casework supervisors and support staff.

Human Services Director Sue Wandalowski told County Council that each CYF caseworker manages between 15-17 cases at a time, almost twice the 9 case per caseworker recommended by the state. She added that overtime is excessive. between January 6 and June 2, CYF caseworkers have spent 514 hours of overtime doing paperwork. They spent another 2,512 hours of overtime in home visits. "We talk about retention, we're wearing out people, to say the least," she noted.

In determining how best to beef up his department, CYF Director Kevin Dolan invited the state to help him. The state will pay between 80-90% of the cost of this manpower.

"I'm not going to miss an opportunity to protect our children," said Lamont McClure  "We can't protect everyone all the time, but we can look ourselves in the mirror."

County Council will vote on this proposal tonight.