Staffing Gap: Guilford County seeks $42,000 to fill 32 social worker vacancies

Guilford County child welfare operations have faced persistent staffing shortages since a 2023 state investigation found systemic failures in the department. The current situation requires immediate financial action to maintain coverage for active cases.

County commissioners will vote on a $42,000 increase to a contract with Vanguard Professional Staffing on Thursday, November 5. The item is listed on the consent agenda for a meeting beginning at 5:30 p.m. in the Old Guilford County Courthouse.

The proposed amendment raises the contract value from $190,000 to $232,000. Board approval is necessary because the total amount exceeds the $200,000 threshold for automatic processing.

Agenda documents detail the current workload. In September, 28 foster care social workers managed caseloads for 776 children in county custody. Another 32 assessment social workers handled 1,160 open assessment cases.

Thirty-two children's services social worker positions remain vacant. Supervisors currently cover these empty slots, and the department has moved staff between program areas to keep services running.

County leaders state that the additional funding allows contracted workers to finish existing caseloads. Vanguard has staffed these roles since July 2021. Contracted workers perform assessments, manage foster care cases, conduct home visits, write court summaries, and handle referrals and on-call duties.

Spending on the contract had previously stabilized at roughly $183,000. Monthly costs doubled in the last two months due to higher demand for child welfare staff and fewer available temporary workers from other agencies.

The current numbers represent a sharp rise from a 2022 snapshot. In June 2022, the department reported 17 vacant positions, 461 children in custody, and 530 open assessment cases. That earlier request supported eight contracted social workers.

The staffing challenges occurred while the department implemented a corrective action plan following the deaths of three children in a December 2022 house fire. The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services confirmed in April 2025 that the county completed all requirements of that plan.

County records from September 2025 showed that cases open for more than 120 days dropped from 387 to 95. Those figures reflected performance during the improvement period and are distinct from current November 2026 data.

Guilford County also increased spending with another staffing firm, Allies 4 Outcomes, in early 2026. Commissioners raised that contract from $136,440 to $433,997 in February. A new $322,000 agreement with the same firm passed in August, covering temporary staffing and capacity building.

Staff plan to pay for the Vanguard increase using funds from vacant permanent positions. The budget line is the part-time salaries account. State and federal reimbursements cover between 50 and 75 percent of these social work activities.