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41 <br /> (Goal 1, Priority 4) The majority of the budget for Social Services relates to this <br /> goal. <br /> What are the concerns or emerging issues your board has identified for the <br /> upcoming year that it plans to address, or wishes to bring to the Commissioners' <br /> attention? <br /> 1. Ongoing Child Welfare reform efforts <br /> There are State-level initiatives to change the child welfare system that <br /> continue to impact DSS staff. <br /> 2. Continuing impact of COVID on families and programs <br /> COVID has seen an increase in the number of people receiving Food and <br /> Nutrition Services and Medicaid. The workload is becoming difficult to <br /> manage in some program areas. There are impacts to safety programs <br /> like child welfare as well due to children being out of school for long <br /> periods and the economic and mental health toll of the pandemic on <br /> families. <br /> 3. Staffing recruitment and retention <br /> DSS has had increased difficulty over the last few years recruiting and <br /> retaining qualified staff. Impacts of COVID and resulting job market have <br /> made this more difficult and there are currently more than 20 vacancies. <br /> The number of candidates applying for positions has been lower than in <br /> recent years and many are not accepting offers because they are not <br /> competitive with their current salary. <br /> The Board of Social Services is concerned with the numbers of Orange County <br /> residents in need of services and potential impacts on vulnerable and <br /> disenfranchised residents. The Board wants to be certain that the critical <br /> programs and services provided by the Department of Social Services can <br /> continue to operate and that residents of Orange County are able to access the <br /> services they need. <br />