The head of the Watauga County Department of Social Services is asking for local help to provide better care for at-risk foster youth.
When a child in Watauga with emotional, behavioral or health issues needs foster care, there’s often nowhere to place them.
Tom Hughes is the county’s social services director. He says there aren’t enough foster families who can adequately care for them. Sometimes those children spend nights at the DSS office as they wait for placement.
“That creates a lot of safety risk because of the supervision that it takes to make sure they are safe until they get a placement," Hughes says. "It just seems we could do much better.”
Hughes has asked Watauga County Commissioners to consider using a county-owned building to create a facility to care for those children.
Last month, commissioners heard a presentation from Tennessee-based Isaiah 117 House. The nonprofit partners with child welfare agencies for this type of facility in 12 states. Commissioner Emily Greene asked more about the steps for opening a house in Watauga.