Prince William County preserves social services budget

Prince William supervisors allocated more than $2 million to the county's social services department Tuesday in an effort to improve an agency criticized for failing to protect Alexis "Lexie" Agyepong-Glover, the 13-year-old found dead in a frigid creek after abuse by her mother.

The funding, unanimously approved by the board, will preserve the department's $36 million budget after state and federal funding cuts and will allow social services director Jack Ledden to hire staff members and upgrade equipment as he overhauls the department.

Although neighbors and bus drivers reported signs of abuse to social services officials and police, the girl remained in her home until Alfreedia Gregg-Glover left her adopted daughter for dead in the Woodbridge area. Lexie's body was found Jan. 9.

Gregg-Glover, 45, has pleaded guilty to abusing and killing her daughter but has not been sentenced. A judge ordered that an evaluation be completed first to determine whether she is mentally ill. The results of the evaluation are scheduled to be released Friday.

The county is strapped for cash and entering a tough budget year, but supervisors said they must enhance social services to protect vulnerable residents.

"It's important we learn lessons from Alexis's death, and the most obvious is we need to do a better job of intervening or having the tools to intervene," said Prince William Supervisor Martin E. Nohe (R-Nokesville). "If . . . the same mistakes happen again, the county is definitely at fault. Failing to change the things you know created problems in the past is inexcusable."

The money allocated by the board will help address concerns raised after state and local officials investigated the department. According to a state report, it is understaffed and suffers from low morale and poor internal communication. Some employees lack training, the report found.

Ledden said the funding will be used to start an Emergency Duty Unit with 11 new employees. The additional staff will bring a 24-to-1 caseload-worker ratio down to 12-to-1, which is what the Child Welfare League of America recommends. The positions will allow the agency to increase staffing at night and on weekends and holidays. In addition, the money will be used to equip employees with laptops and mobile aircards.

One social worker was fired and two were disciplined after the audits, Ledden said. Policies were adjusted so that supervisors review cases after three calls even if none merited a site visit, and staffers are being trained by police on how to better identify signs of abuse.

In the two years before Lexie's death, people who had contact with her reported signs of abuse. School bus drivers said they saw Lexie's mother drive off with the girl in the trunk of a car. Neighbors told police that the girl had come to their house barely clothed and suffering from a head wound.

Although the funding allocated Tuesday was part of the approximately $845 million budget adopted earlier this year, the county still has to consider how to pay for the staffing additions in fiscal 2011 -- a cost of about $848,000.

The board has not set a tax rate for next year, but if it is unchanged, Prince William will face a budget shortfall of about $40 million.