0 - 000 0 3 The joint meeting ofthe Amelia County Social Services Advisory Board and the Administrative Board convened at 8:30 a.m., March 19, 2025, in the County Administration Conference Room. Advisory Board Members Present: Chair Debra Adams, Vice-Chair Rose Mastracco, James Foster, Stanley Wilkinson Administrative Board Present: David Felts Staff. Present: Audra Morris, Director, Heather Dalton, APA II, Lynn Murphy, FS Supervisor, and Emma Snowden, BPS Lead Worker Agenda Item I. Call to Order Mr. Wilkinson called the meeting to order; a quorum was present. Agenda Item II. Public Comment Period Discussion Some staff members wish to attend this open-to-the-public meeting, and they absolutely have every right as county citizens. However, they will use annual time or adjust their work schedule with the Supervisor's approval. Staff representing the Agency will be seated around the conference table. A public comment period will be added at the beginning and end of every DSS Board meeting. Agenda Item III. Public Comment Period: (3- minute max) None Agenda Item IV. Board Organization A. Ms. Morris reminded The Board that Mr. Felts is an ex officio member and is not a voting member. There must be a quorum present without Mr. Felts. The Board members can serve up to 2 four-year terms and will be unable to be voted back in until after a 2-year period. B. A question about having a formal set ofby-laws was presented. Ms. Morris will draw up a form containing procedures and The Board will review it at the next meeting. C. Nominations were opened for the Chair of the Advisory Board and Ms. Adams was the sole nominee. Ms. Adams was elected Chair effective immediately and for a term ending December 31, 2025. Nominations were opened for the Vice Chair of the Advisory Board and Ms. Mastracco was the sole nominee. Ms. Mastracco was elected Vice Chair for a term beginning immediately and ending December 31, 2025. Agenda Item V. Approval ofthe Minutes On a motion by Ms. Mastracco and carried, the Board approved the 01/15/2025 minutes. Agenda Item VI. Administrative Board Report A. The new County Administrator, Eric Pollitt, will be introduced at the next meeting. Mr. Felts will be assisting Mr. Pollitt in the transition to the Administrative Board. B. The FY26 budget will be presented to the Board of Supervisors at the April 16th meeting. Ms. Morris has presented the budget to Mr. Felts and Mr. Monday, Interim County Administrator, and they have stated that the budget for DSS and CSA looks great. 0000 0 4 Agenda Item VII. Director's Report A. EBT Skimming Public Notifications: Ms. Morris presented the public notification and documents to The Board and encouraged them to post the information at their churches and civic organizations. Information will be posted at Food Lion and other local businesses as well as an article being placed in the local newspaper in both English and Spanish. Ms. Morris stated the BPS Unit is doing an amazing. job of explaining and aiding clients as needed. B. Unit Updates: Ms. Snowden, BPS IV, introduced Ms. Kelly Price, HSA III, and Ms. Tehya Pugh, BPS I. ADMIN UNIT: A shoutout to Monica Wilkerson, Program Coordinator - The agency was selected for a Promoting Safe and Stable Families (PSSF) Program Desk Review which is conducted every five years. Monica handles the budget line management oft these funds and was assisted by Tammy Gangwer, Administrative Services Manager, during the review. A pre-review conference was scheduled with the VDSS program consultant to answer questions staff might have. There were no documented findings for the period under review ofl May 2023 to August 2023. In addition, the Admin Unit has been completing updated and refresher customer service training courses in the Learning Center. A shout-out to Kristal Smith, Administrative Program Assistant II: Kristal is the first face and voice people see at ADSS, and she does an amazing, job. The Admin Unit receives approximately 1,000 calls per month at the front desk. This does not include missed calls, calls out, or calls that go straight to direct extensions. Kristal has multiple other duties; one of which is submitting the Local HR Certification Report due the 5th business day of every month certifying agency positions, correct salaries, probationary ending date and annual evaluation dates, and any expired employee information in the system. Kristal has 100% Timeliness for the entire FY in this reporting. BENEFITS UNIT: February was Benefit Programs Specialist appreciation month. Ms. Morris shared the VDSS Resolution of Appreciation. The agency held an appreciation luncheon in honor of the BPS Unit. In addition to February being a short month, staff dealt with major phone restrictions (inaccessibility), system downtimes and agency closures. The unit put in the hours to get cases processed timely, SO customers did not have interrupted benefits. Shout-out to the entire Benefits Unit: Leesha Morales, the VDSS Central TANF/VIEW Program Consultant sent a message in mid-January: "Thank you, and Amazing Work. Your agency rocked it in 2024! Thanks for your hard work and dedication!" The team was recognized for one whole year of 100% accuracy for processing OfTANF applications. The team has also been meeting 100% timeliness for SNAP since October 2024. FAMILY SERVICES UNIT: March is Family Services Specialist appreciation month. No resolution was available. The agency will hold a luncheon in honor of the FSS unit. FS Unit] Focus for Spring: 0000 0 5 Implementation of KinFirst policy within the agency Development of substance screening guidelines for the agency Prevention conference in April, entire unit will attend for team building and required continued education Sherri Cunningham was awarded a scholarship to attend the Elder Abuse Prevention conference in May in Newport News Nora Barta and Ashlyn Dixon will complete their Motivational Interviewing training FS Stats 6/1/24-3/1/25: O 61 youth in Foster Care, a former Fostering Futures youth reentered the program in February APS reports- 72 (6/1/23-3/1/24- 49 reports) = 46% increase CPS reports - 94 (6/1/23-3/1/24- 52 reports) = 80% increase UAI screening requests- 54 (6/1/23-3/1/24- 72 requests) = 25% decrease 18 Guardianship reports- this is consistent Shout-out to Lynn Murphy and the entire unit: Sarah McDonald, the VDSS Central Permanency Practice Consultant sent this message: "Before the hustle and the bustle of the day kicks in even more, I wanted to send you a note to express my appreciation for the work that you and your Amelia team do each day. All too often we only hear about the areas we could improve in and grow, which leaves us missing opportunities to reflect on ALL oft the areas ofexcellence and accomplishment. There are many for Amelia. Your team is a dedicated one that explores all possibilities, gets creative, and really hangs in there with the children and families that you serve. It does not go unnoticed." 99 C. Donation Updates: Ms. Morris explained the Gift It Forward group, the process for access, and explained these donated gift cards are used for anyone in the community experiencing a need, not just DSS clients. D. FY25 - 2nd Ouarter Report: The 2nd quarter report was presented to The Board and will be provided to the Board of Supervisors at the April meeting. E. FY26 Budget Presentation: Mr. Felts asked Ms. Morris to present the FY26 budget to The Board. The Agency has requested additional funds in the Respite budget line. There is an increase in the personnel budget due to being fully staffed, a request for another BPS position, and the COLA increase. Travel expenses are expected to increase as the State requires more in-person training and workers are no longer required to share a hotel room. The budget also includes a request for ai new vehicle. One ofthe Agency vehicles is 20 years old and the other two around 10 years old. Ms. Adams suggested a staff appreciation day in September. More discussion will occur during the May meeting. Agenda Item VIII. Administrative Bills January 2025 and February 2025 The administrative bills were reviewed and approved by Mr. Felts. Agenda Item IX. Schedules of] Board Actions January 2025 and February 2025 The Schedule of Board Actions was reviewed and approved by Mr. Felts. 0000 - 0 6 Agenda Item X. Date ofNext Meeting The next meeting will be held May 21, 2025, at 8:30 a.m. in the County Administration conference room. Agenda Item XI. Public Comment Period: (3- minute max) None Agenda Item XII. Adiournment As there was no further business to come before the Boards, the meeting was adjourned. QudakA Chair Executive Secretary 4n/25 lolizjas Date Date