Pitt County’s county government is currently grappling with significant workforce development challenges within its social services department, leading commissioners to deliberate a substantial contract aimed at alleviating acute staffing shortages in critical child welfare and adult services divisions.
The proposed agreement, valued at $852,455, is with NeuroAgile Leadership and Workforce, a staffing agency poised to supply the necessary personnel. This crucial decision is slated for review at the upcoming 6 p.m. Monday meeting, underscoring the urgency of addressing the current human resources crisis impacting public health initiatives.
For an extended period, the Pitt County Department of Social Services has contended with considerable difficulties in securing qualified individuals for both social worker and supervisory roles across its child welfare and adult services sectors, creating a strain on vital community support systems.
To finance this strategic contract and ensure the continuation of essential services, staff plans include freezing 11 currently unfilled positions. This budget management strategy reallocates funds to directly address the immediate need for a robust and stable workforce development solution within the county’s framework.
Beyond the immediate staffing concerns, the commissioners’ agenda also features a pivotal presentation on the comprehensive Pitt County Floodprint report, a critical document for understanding local vulnerability and disaster preparedness.
Following this presentation, the board will consider authorizing staff to actively pursue grant funding. This funding is earmarked for initiatives related to hazard mitigation, stemming from research and reports produced by N.C. State University’s Coastal Dynamics Design Lab, further strengthening the county’s resilience.
An additional, albeit secondary, benefit of the proposed NeuroAgile contract highlighted in a memorandum to commissioners is its potential to streamline administrative processes by significantly reducing the volume of manual entries staff are required to make in the county’s payroll system, enhancing operational efficiency.
