Title
Vote on a request to approve the appointment of Jennifer Ritchea to the Chatham County Combined Community Child Protection-Fatality Prevention Team.
Abstract
Vote on a request to approve the appointment of Jennifer Ritchea to the Chatham County Combined Community Child Protection-Fatality Prevention Team.
Introduction & Background: Chatham County has a combined Community Child Protection-Fatality Prevention Team. Membership is prescribed by the NC general statutes and includes an emergency medical services provider or firefighter appointed by the Board of County Commissioners (currently vacant).
Jennifer Ritchea is a Senior Medic (Captain). She has been a paramedic since 2019 and before that for approximately 8 years was an Emergency Medical Technician, including 5 years as a firefighter. Ms. Ritchea is also a paramedic instructor, CPR instructor, and is Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) certified.
Discussion & Analysis: The team is charged with several important duties including the following:
• Review selected active cases in which children are being served by child protective services and cases in which a child died as a result of suspected abuse or neglect, and a report of abuse or neglect has been made about the child or the child's family to the county department of social services within the previous 12 months, or the child or the child's family was a recipient of child protective services within the previous 12 months.
• Submit annually to the Board of County Commissioners recommendations, if any, and advocate for system improvements and needed resources where gaps and deficiencies may exist.
• Review the records of all cases of additional child fatalities.
How does this relate to the Comprehensive Plan: N/A
Budgetary Impact: No Local Funding Requested.
Recommendation: Motion to approve the appointment of Jennifer Ritchea to the Chatham County Combined Community Child Protection-Fatality Prevention Team.