North Carolina DHHS Temporarily Assumes Leadership Over Child Welfare Services In Cherokee County

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) temporarily assumed leadership of child welfare services at the Cherokee County Department of Social Services (DSS) on March 16, 2018. The state is working with the county to correct systemic problems, including the use of “Custody and Visitation Agreements” (CVAs) which placed children in homes without court oversight.

In December 2017, DHHS learned that the Cherokee County DSS used the CVAs to make placements without the required oversight of the court system. The subsequent DHHS investigation revealed that the county DSS staff had been using the agreements since 2009. DHHS . . .