8-month-old boy hurt while in foster care, Burke County officials say

BURKE COUNTY, N.C. — An 8-month-old boy in foster care was flown to the hospital with serious injuries Monday night, but deputies say they aren’t exactly sure how he was hurt.

South Mountain Children and Family Services said it has several homes on the property where children are fostered by people trained to care for them.

The organization told Channel 9 that the couple who was fostering the baby became concerned after the baby became very fussy.

The baby was then airlifted to a hospital in Winston-Salem, and it was later revealed that he had broken bones and a head injury.

“They came to us with significant injuries, and we have been working with the children to improve their lives. We’ve also had folks from other agencies coming into the home,” said Executive Director Chris Jernigan.

The organization said it’s common for there to be security cameras in the common areas of all their homes, and the hard drives for those cameras have been turned over to investigators.

South Mountain Children and Family Services has been caring for thousands of children in Burke County for more than 100 years.

Jernigan said they also work closely with law enforcement through their children’s advocacy centers across the state that help investigate child abuse.

“We care very deeply about all the children that are in our care. We scrutinize the parents who come to work for us very closely. We do extensive training to help them understand how to do their jobs and how to care for children that have been maltreated,” Jernigan explained.

The foster community said it also does extensive background checks on all the parents who work here.

South Mountain Children and Family Services is licensed for up to 50 children but is caring for only 15 right now.

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