McDowell County program works to place foster kids in homes quickly
LEFT: the Safe babies Court program was discussed at Monday's meeting of the McDowell County board of Commissioners. the board held its third Monday meeting at the County administrative Offices in downtown Marion.
RIGHT: Tracy mason, the Safe babies Court coordinator for McDowell and Rutherford, gave a report on its impact.
A pilot program for McDowell and Rutherford counties that seeks to reduce the time a young child spends in foster care has made a difference in the lives of babies and toddlers.
The Safe Babies Court program was discussed at Monday's meeting of the McDowell County Board of Commissioners. The board held its third Monday meeting at the County Administrative Offices in downtown Marion.
During the meeting, the commissioners heard an update from McDowell County Human Services Director Sarah Brewer. Brewer introduced Emily Sanders as the new deputy director of Human Services, which includes the McDowell County Department of Social Services.
Then, the commissioners heard a report about the Safe Babies Court program.
In early 2022, the state chief justice's task force on adverse childhood experiences recommended the start of Safe Babies Court in North Carolina through a three-year, five site pilot program.
Of the 7.2 million children in the United States referred to Child Protective Services, children younger than 3 enter the child welfare system more than any other age group. Every seven minutes, a baby or toddler is removed from their family due to abuse or neglect and placed in out of home care, according to information from N.C. court system officials.
Safe Babies Court aims to reduce the time a child spends in foster care before reaching a permanent, safe home, preferably through reunification. The approach seeks to improve the longterm well-being of children and families involved with the child welfare court system by providing information about the mental health and developmental needs of infants and toddlers and case oversight, according to the N.C. Judicial Branch.
The program connects babies, toddlers and their families with support, and monitors services designed to promote healthy child development, according to the N.C. Judicial Branch website. The program includes frequent judicial status conferences and family team meetings to provide additional oversight.
Safe Babies Court families have family team meetings every month. The meetings are meant to ensure that all strengths, challenges and barriers are discussed, according to the website for the N.C. Judicial System.
The program for Judicial District 41 (McDowell and Rutherford) was started last year.
On Monday, the commissioners heard from Judge Ellen Shelley about how the program was implemented in McDowell. It took training at conferences in Boston and Portland, Oregon, to learn just how it can be started in McDowell and Rutherford.
"We were an innovative group that took something that we learned and implemented it to fit our needs," Shelley said.
Tracy Mason, the Safe Babies Court coordinator for McDowell and Rutherford, gave a report on its impact.
Mason said since the program started in McDowell and Rutherford, a total of 46 children, ages birth through 3, have been served. They represent 23 families.
Of those 46, 17 have been from McDowell County.
She also talked about advertising and trying to reach more people about the program.
Mason talked about the creation of a room for the program and the children and their families. It will be a dedicated meeting space for these families and serve as "a place for critical conversations, positive support and working together as a team/community in a trauma informed environment," Mason said.
This room would be used to house Safe Babies Court meetings and judicial conferences.
"This is for the families to come in and meet with myself, the judges and entire team (including their attorneys)," Mason said. "Our goal is to present a trauma informed — family centered atmosphere, as many of our families have experienced generations of trauma that often includes court. It's our goal to make a space where they feel safe when talking about their challenges and ultimately healing traumas centered around court, also, what has brought them into court."
She said there is a small space in the lower level of the McDowell County Courthouse for the room.
County officials made no decisions but expressed an interest in creating such a space.
Judge Robert Martelle also spoke to the commissioners about the program.
"We can make together basically a program and a courthouse and a building and a program that is the envy of everyone in the state," Martelle said. "And I have no doubts we can accomplish that."
In other business, the McDowell County Commissioners held a second reading of the human resources employee policies. After a discussion, the board voted 3-2 to adopt the policies with Commissioners Trish Garner and David Walker voting against.
