AGENCY'S WOES TO BE DISCUSSED : OFFICIALS' PRIVATE SESSION WILL REVIEW SOCIAL SERVICES.Byline: Christopher Noxon Daily News Staff Writer Responding to attacks on the system designed to protect abused and neglected children, county officials will meet in private today to review the job performance of Public Social Services social services Noun, pl welfare services provided by local authorities or a state agency for people with particular social needs social services npl → servicios mpl sociales Agency Director James Isom. The county Department of Children's Protective Services has come under increasing fire from outside critics and its own social workers. The Board of Supervisors will review the complaints and allegations in closed session today, said county Supervisor Frank Schillo. ``There have been a lot of accusations and a lot of problems from that department,'' said Schillo. ``We need to get to the bottom of it.'' Social workers publicly complain that they are overburdened o·ver·bur·den tr.v. o·ver·bur·dened, o·ver·bur·den·ing, o·ver·bur·dens 1. To burden with too much weight; overload. 2. To subject to an excessive burden or strain; overtax. n. 1. and unable to keep up with a caseload case·load n. The number of cases handled in a given period, as by an attorney or by a clinic or social services agency. caseload Noun that often includes more than 20 children per worker. Outside critics, meanwhile, point to high-profile failures as proof that the agency is poorly managed and unable to adequately monitor vulnerable children. Last year the department was criticized for failing to take an Ojai baby into protective custody An arrangement whereby a person is safeguarded by law enforcement authorities in a location other than the person's home because his or her safety is seriously threatened. after authorities were told her mother was mentally imbalanced and addicted to drugs. The baby was later found starved to death while the mother was convicted of felony child neglect. The department was lambasted again in October when department officials took an underweight Underweight An situation where a portfolio does not hold a sufficient amount of securities to satisfy the accepted benchmark of the portfolio's asset allocation strategy. Notes: baby away from a Ventura couple they suspected of abuse. Social workers refused to release the infant even after learning that the child had a brain tumor Brain Tumor Definition A brain tumor is an abnormal growth of tissue in the brain. Unlike other tumors, brain tumors spread by local extension and rarely metastasize (spread) outside the brain. . Department officials say their efforts have been frustrated frus·trate tr.v. frus·trat·ed, frus·trat·ing, frus·trates 1. a. To prevent from accomplishing a purpose or fulfilling a desire; thwart: by budget cuts that have amounted to a $1 million reduction over the past three years. But Schillo said cuts should not have been made to a part of the agency that handles such sensitive and important work. ``If they're not getting something done, it's because the department head doesn't think it's important,'' he said. ``Children's Protective Services is not getting the attention it deserves and they can't blame us for it.'' |
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