County gets $35,000 for caseworker

Heavy losses of experienced child protective unit workers in Jefferson County have put a larger burden on the newer staff left behind. A $35,000 state award to add a caseworker may ease the pain until April.

Laura C. Cerow, Social Services commissioner, said staff veterans have retired, requested transfers to other DSS units or left for more attractive jobs at a much faster pace over the past four years. Now, only five caseworkers remain who have worked there for more than 18 months. Six of the 15 caseworkers were hired within the past three months.

The commissioner said the caseworkers who remained "became more and more overwhelmed" as the county tried to hire and train replacements, whose inexperience limited the number of investigations they could handle simultaneously.

For each caseworker, the state Office of Children & Family Services recommends a caseload size of 12 active investigations per month. By law, caseworkers must start investigating any child abuse complaint with 24 hours of it being lodged. Investigators have seven days to assess the complaint's validity and the child's potential danger.

Mrs. Cerow said she believes it takes two years to train a caseworker properly, adding the best employees possess the skills of a "legal and medical expert, a child development specialist, a domestic violence expert and a marriage therapist."

While a pair of county legislators wondered aloud Tuesday whether the local turnover was a result of personality conflicts with department leaders, County Administrator Robert F. Hagemann III said retaining child protective services staff is a statewide problem.

Mr. Hagemann said doing the job adequately is "an emotional undertaking" that creates burnout across the profession.

Mrs. Cerow said she hopes to coax a retired caseworker to take the new position. If not, she said, the new hire could fill any vacancy that might exist in April. The department also could request April-to-January funding from the county for the position as part of its 2009 budget request.

No matter the solution, Mrs. Cerow said, "seven months of an additional CPS worker is a tremendous help to staff."

The state Office of Children & Family Services provided funds for the additional caseworker less than 10 days after the county's Department of Social Services outlined its need. The money was accepted Tuesday by the county Legislature, with no dissent.

Also Tuesday:

■ Legislators unanimously agreed, 14-0, to amend a 2001 local law to allow all-terrain vehicles to legally navigate portions of six additional county roads in southern Jefferson County.

Joseph Z. Onyon, state Off-Highway Recreational Vehicle Association Region 6 director, and Jeffrey Parker, Black River Valley Riders ATV Club president, spoke before the law was passed.

Both men advocated for almost a mile of County Route 47 to be open to ATV traffic so that riders could enjoy a continuous trail system in Champion. That road was not included in the amendment Tuesday.

The pair also expressed concern about the county's decision to amend its 2001 law instead of creating a new law. They reasoned that if the law were legally challenged and invalidated, it could lead to the closure of roads that have been open for several years.

■ Legislators unanimously agreed, 14-0, to pay $45,000 to David O'Brien, a city Water Department employee, to settle a 2004 lawsuit.

Mr. O'Brien suffered a broken ankle in April 2004 when a trench he was standing in collapsed on him while crews were installing water pipes at the Jefferson County Highway Department complex, Glen Park. The city was lending its workers to the county as part of a shared services agreement.

Legislator Scott A. Gray, R-Watertown, was absent Tuesday.