Former Gaston DSS worker concerned over system

GASTON COUNTY, N.C. — A former Gaston County social services worker said Thursday supervisors told her to close cases before children were removed from harm's way.

She came to Channel 9 after she said she went to supervisors with concerns and nothing was done.

Dorothy Griffith said families walking through the doors at Gaston County human services are not getting the help they need.

"They aren't addressed as they should be," Griffith said.

She worked as a social worker for more than a year and quit in October because of a lack of trust in management.
She said supervisors forced her to abandon complex cases to avoid heavy case loads.

"A mother took her children to a gun fight," Griffith said. "Nothing happened to reduce the risk of those children being put in that situation again. That case was closed."

Gaston County human services has come under scrutiny since the agency placed children into Wanda Sue Larson's care.

Larson was a Union County DSS supervisor.

She's still in jail, accused of handcuffing an 11-year-old boy to a porch post while he had a dead chicken tied to his neck.

Channel 9 asked Chris Dobbins, director of the Gaston County Health and Human Services, if there are cracks in the system.

He said he didn't believe so.

He couldn't address questions about specific cases including the placement of Larson's adoptive children because of confidentiality laws.

Dobbins said last week that state officials were in Gaston County reviewing the department's procedures.

He said they did not alert him to any issues but he's open to hearing them.

"If there is something that was not done properly, I welcome proper agencies to tell us what that is and how to do it better," he said.

County Commissioner Chad Brown told me people have called him concerned about DSS.

"There may be some flaws in the system but tell me where there is flaw not in the system," he said.

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