The Rowan County Department of Social Services will operate its own specialized foster care program, abandoning plans to contract with private agencies.

The program, called Hope Center, will open its first home on Friday in Salisbury.

Tom Brewer, director of the Children’s Protective Services Division, outlined the new concept to Social Service Board members meeting Tuesday evening at Rowan Public Library.

For more than a year, the staff has looked at ways to cut the high cost of providing 24-hour, seven-day-a week supervision and care for troubled children.

Many of the children show violent behavior, aggressive sexual tendencies and have a history of setting fires or other problems.

The children range from around 6 years old to early teens. Social workers say the children are products of abuse and neglect.

The cost of providing the care has run as high as $6,000 a month, per child. At one point, the county was paying nearly $80,000 a month for 21 children who were being kept in group homes across the state. Virtually all of the cost comes from county tax dollars.

Over the past several months, the Social Services staff interviewed various agencies that provide therapeutic foster care in home settings. In June, the agency agreed to contract with Greensboro-based Children’s Home Society to recruit, train and open five therapeutic homes in Rowan.

Brewer said that while it sounded great at the start, it simply proved unworkable. They couldn’t find any parents willing to participate. Frequent trips to Greensboro required for training were a major stumbling block.

Brewer confessed to the board that the answer kind of fell in their laps.

A woman who is already certified and who is already keeping a child under contract to an agency, approached the DSS staff and asked why she couldn’t contract directly with DSS.

On Friday, the woman will become the first home operating under Hope Center.

And Brewer had another confession. She will be keeping the same child that she has had for months.

Instead of paying a contractor $3,200 a month, DSS will pay her $2,000 a month.

As word of the new program has spread, Brewer said four other sets of foster parents have expressed an interest in the specialized foster care program.

While the goal is saving money, Brewer said the quality of care will not diminish. He suggests that many of the children will benefit. By being in the county, family or friends can more easily visit them.

During a wide-ranging discussing of the specialized care, Brewer said the program is working.

Among the success stories, a troubled child who was in the program for nearly two years is now with an Asheville family who is considering adoption.

The county paid $6,000 a month for two years for intense care of the child. Currently, the cost is $365 a month.

He cited other success stories, where children have overcome behaviorial problems and have been placed in less restrictive settings, including the Nazareth Children’s Home.

A year ago, there were 38 children in residential group homes with the cost for 21 of the children at nearly $60,000 a month. Eighteen of the children were in residential facilities outside Rowan.

Currently, 26 children are in residential group home facilities with only six outside Rowan. A total of 17 children who need intensive supervision and treatment are costing the county $45,000 a month.

Board members were enthusiastic about the new concept.

Board Chairman Frank Tadlock said the bottom line is that it means better care for less money.

The Social Services Board unanimously agreed to allow the staff to contract with private psychiatrists and other providers for treatment and counseling.

Brewer said while some of the children qualify for help through the Piedmont Behavioral HealthCare program, many others do not.

In other matters, the board heard information or acted as follows:

• Social Services Director Sandra Wilkes said the Health Choice program, which provides insurance for children, will be frozen in January. Wilkes said the DSS can continue to sign up children in December. Currently 966 Rowan children are signed up.
• Briefly reviewed a new guardianship policy that upgrades the department’s current procedure. The board will consider action at a later meeting.
• Discussed an effort to get the department Web page up and running. Officials said it’s ready, but is awaiting assistance from the county’s technical staff.
• Agreed to a proposal by Board Member Zell Setzer to do a full evaluation of Director Wilkes by April.
• Agreed to a proposal by Board member Edwin Koontz for the Social Services Board to develop and approve its operating budget before it is sent to the county manager.
• Steve Thackery of the department’s child support section, presented a gift to Brewer, recognizing his work on behalf of children.

Employees in the child support section donated money to buy a child safety seat.

Brewer beamed as he accepted the seat, and said he would have little trouble finding a child who can use it.

• Agreed to hold the December meeting on Dec. 21 at 2 p.m. following a Christmas event at the department.