Prince William County supervisors voted to spend about $370,000 to hire new social services staff in the wake of the death of a developmentally disabled child in January.
The money will go toward adding 11 staff members to the Child Protective Services Division of the county’s Department of Social Services this fiscal year.
In January, the body of 13-year-old Alexis “Lexie” Glover was found in Woodbridge in a 2-foot-deep creek. Alfreedia L. Gregg-Glover, Alexis’ adoptive mother, pleaded guilty to abusing and killing her daughter.
A social worker in the Department of Social Services was fired and two others were disciplined in the wake of the incident. The department established a pilot program in September that placed two emergency workers on the night shift as a short-term solution.
Three audits related to Lexie’s death were conducted between March and August. The Virginia Department of Social Services, a Child Protective Services regional specialist and county social services internal staff all recommended shifts in staffing, training and technology to reduce the risk of abuse and neglect of children.
The community experienced a “terrible tragedy” in January, said Jack Ledden, director of the Department of Social Services. He said he took full responsibility for any errors that the department may have made in its handling of the case.
“I’m confident [in] the plan you have before you,” he told supervisors.
The Child Welfare League of America recommends a maximum caseload of 12 cases per full-time Child Protective Services worker. The ratio in Prince William County had been 24-to-1 and has increased by 20 percent since 2008, according to county documents.
Board Chairman Corey Stewart, R-at large, commiserated with the social services staff.
“I hope this community understands how much [this] has weighed on them personally,” he said. “They have to live with this every day.”
He said he was confident the agency has made changes, but also issued words of caution.
“That doesn’t preclude the possibility that things can and will happen,” he said.
