As she gave her report to the Cook County Human Services Board on April 15, 2014, Public Health and Human Services (PHHS) Director Sue Futterer noted that there had been a number of staffing changes in recent months. She gave an update on the most recent restructuring and hiring and said she hoped that the latest changes would bring stability to the PHHS department.
Futterer asked Social Services Supervisor Grace Bushard to introduce two new employees, social workers Julie Kinney and Lynn Wright.
Kinney replaces Linda Waterhouse who retired from full-time employment with Cook County. Kinney comes to Cook County from Ramsey County and has worked with children and adults with developmental disabilities. She will work as a caseworker for individuals with developmental disabilities and eventually conduct family assessments.
Wright began his career working in foster care and child protective services in North Dakota. He comes to Cook County from LeSueur, Minnesota, where he worked at the Minnesota Mental Health Hospital. Wright will provide mental health services, as well as family assessments and child protective services.
Futterer said that by July 1, 2014, both Kinney and Wright would be up to speed and working as a team with Social Worker Beth Faraone to provide family assessments and child welfare services.
However, hiring the two fulltime social workers did not solve the problem of another vacancy, the in-home support coordinator. Futterer said that position had been advertised and four candidates interviewed. The position was offered to an individual who declined the job. Futterer said instead of advertising the job again, she would like to move 30-hour Social Worker Martina Williams to that position. Williams had previously worked in that position for six years and had done an “excellent job” managing the program.
Futterer said Williams is willing to return to the home support coordinator position, as well as take on the additional duties of becoming the MnChoices assessor. Futterer said the positions offer a more flexible schedule, something Williams is interested in at this time.
Moving Williams to that position creates a 30-hour social worker vacancy, but Futterer said she hoped to hire someone for 40 hours, noting that the expansion is feasible because of an increased number of Minnesota Senior Health Options, Minnesota Senior Care, and Special Needs Basic Care participants who require PHHS support. Those are services for which PHHS will be reimbursed. A unanimous motion passed to authorize the hiring of another social worker with an increase in hours.
Also still vacant is the 37.5- hour office support/case aide position, but Futterer was hopeful that job would be filled after interviews taking place on April 16.
Futterer said assistance is needed during this transition period. In a memo to the human services board, Futterer wrote, “While the director, supervisors and other staff help out as much as they can, there is a considerable amount of work that is not getting done timely and in the best interest of the clients.”
Futterer added that some of the stress experienced by staff can also be attributed to the absence of a social worker at Grand Portage Human Services. PHHS staff is helping while Grand Portage seeks a new social worker.
Futterer said because of the workload, of the 126 clients receiving children’s services in the past six months, staff estimated that 33 did not receive ongoing case management due to lack of staff time.
For that reason, Futterer recommended the temporary employment of social workers Linda Waterhouse and Annie DeBevec. The length of temporary employment is limited to six months. She said the approximate cost would be $7,200. She also asked for extension of the contract with St. Louis County Financial Specialist Mark Wittrock who has been assisting Cook County’s eligibility specialists. She said the maximum cost to the county would be $1,000 minus a federal reimbursement of $470.
Unanimous motions passed in support of hiring those temporary workers.
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