On Monday the county commissioners gave Morrison the green light to hire an assistant director for children services. Morrison talked about creating the assistant position prior to the October budget hearings but then backed off a bit. He plans to retire in the next few years and wants to be able to groom his staff to take over.
“We were really looking at legacy planning and an eye toward the future, in that regard,” he said. “When we got into the budget negotiations, it didn’t feel like the right time to create it right then. We were being very conscious of creating any new positions in county government.”
He said the recent developments have caused them to reconsider the assistant position, and County Administrator Charlie Young has told him his broader responsibilities will continue in some fashion.
“We decided to go ahead and create that position now in order to free me up and to kind of prepare for what ever eventuality came around, in regard to Ray’s return or not,” Morrison said. “Charlie’s told me he anticipates I’ll continue in a broader role, so I’m planning as if that’s true.”
As for filling the assistant director position at JFS, Young said that cog will be part of a reorganization process. In 2014, when Kearns was the head of JFS and Children Services, he announced the system wasn't working and said they were going to fix it. The new systems, programs, providers and case management plans have been a big success, according to an independent research report released last fall.The study writers noted the new model the agency has adopted was the best course.
“The results of this study combined with current research add to the ‘superiority of this model,’” the report reads. “This study showed that stronger alliances were associated with lower rates of child removal from the home, as well as higher rates of family reunification, and suggested that a better working alliance may lead to a lower need for ongoing services.”
Young and Commissioner Cindy Carpenter said they have begun studying a similar revamp for JFS, but for the time being leadership staff at the agency are handling Kearns’ day-to-day duties, and Morrison is overseeing it all.
“We will be looking to reorganize, and whether that’s a direct replacement of Jerome with the exact duties or with some changes to it, we’re working through those issues now,” Young said. “We are very blessed we have a tremendous staff in that area and each and every one of them have stepped up and taken on additional duties to make sure we continue to meet the needs of the clients, and they are talking to Bill about we can improve going into the future.”
Carpenter said the commissioners are dedicated to making sure the agency is doing everything it can to help the clients become self sufficient.
“This board of commissioners is taking a look at the organization of JFS,” she said. “We believe we’ve had success with reorganizing the structure of Children Services, and the discussions we have had are that we want to focus on the clients’ needs and moving them through our assistance programs towards work and independence.”
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