But figuring out how to make that happen is very difficult. Instead, DSS hasn't been able to keep staffers from leaving. Keeping staffers on the job is crucial, said Beebe James, executive director of Prevent Child Abuse South Carolina. We can have fine laws. But if the people on the front lines don't have the support and the training they need, they can't adequately handle the situation.
Wrong decisions can be deadly.
Four years ago, for instance, several Aiken County children died in foster-care homes. DSS had removed her from her mother's home, and she was placed with her aunt. After DSS removed him from his mother's custody, he had been moved to the home of his great-aunt. When such cases occur, DSS workers often are blamed. Critics say those workers are often overworked and have too little training and experience.