Help is on the way for Child Protective Services. The Erie County Legislature unanimously approved a restructuring plan for the Department of Social Services Thursday that allows the hiring of 37 employees.
The hiring was approved nearly three weeks after the Poloncarz Administration made the request. But it appears Social Services Commissioner Carol Dankert-Maurer isn't looking back.
"Ideally, would I have liked it to have been passed the first week? Absolutely. But I'm not going to spend a lot of time worrying about the process," Dankert-Maurer said. "We're going to continue to focus on what's right. And that's quality of services to children in our community. We've now got that. And we've gotten their support and we're going to move forward with that today."
Social Services will be adding 25 new CPS workers and a dozen part-time investigators who would be hired from the ranks of retired police officers.
Under the deal the commissioner will be required to attend monthly committee meetings to update the Legislature on the department's heavy case load. Given that it's well above state guidelines, County Executive Poloncarz complained last week about the hiring delay.
"I'm sorry to hear was frustrated," Majority Leader Joseph Lorigo said. "We believe in the Legislature that we need to do our homework. And we don't just do everything that the County Executive asks us to do. Our questions were answered somewhat adequately and we all recognize that we need to get these caseworkers out there on the street."
But Lorigo says he's not completely satisfied with the plan. He says the Department of Social Services "still has a managerial problem."