Senate panel advances Margaret Bodman for South Carolina state child advocate

Margaret Bodman, the governor’s nominee to serve as South Carolina’s state child advocate and director of the Department of Children’s Advocacy, received a favorable report from a Senate committee after a confirmation hearing that covered her background, agency priorities and an operational plan to stabilize programs and improve child welfare outcomes.

Bodman told the committee she had been serving in an interim capacity and described a quick focus on stabilizing the agency’s budget and refocusing staff work. "In that short amount of time, we cut expenses...we now no longer have to ask for a single penny," Bodman said, summarizing steps she said avoided layoffs and closed a funding gap without additional appropriation requests.

The nominee reviewed several immediate priorities she pursued as interim director: protecting the continuum-of-care division after a loss of a Medicaid waiver, piloting direct legal representation for children in abuse and neglect proceedings in three counties (Berkeley, Sumter and Clarendon), and upgrading the agency’s case database to permit county- and placement-level reporting. "We grew faster and larger than we expected," Bodman said of the office’s caseloads and data needs, noting staff currently must compile many reports manually.

Bodman also emphasized family-engagement work intended as prevention for youth at risk of Department of Social Services involvement and described multiagency staffings used to coordinate urgent assistance for individual youths. She told senators she had visited roughly half of the agency’s offices, attended foster-care review board hearings and met guardian ad litem volunteers and division directors as part of preparing for the job.

Senators asked about specific program and legal issues. Senator Adams sought clarification on guardian ad litem appointments; Bodman said the agency’s guardian ad litems are volunteers who receive an initial week of training and annual refreshers and that volunteers are appointed a lawyer for guidance. On gaps in the system, Bodman pointed to mental-health services and long-term behavioral-health placements as the top need and said she would seek to convene multiagency collaborations to prevent youth from inappropriately landing in the Department of Juvenile Justice or being misdirected to DSS when other placements are more appropriate.

Committee members also discussed prior oversight materials Bodman had reviewed, including a monitoring report tied to a U.S. Department of Justice settlement and a December 2024 Legislative Audit Council update; Bodman said some recommendations have been addressed and others remain under review. She suggested statutory cleanups, including removing the Governor’s School for Agriculture from DCA oversight statutes so oversight would be consistent with other governor’s schools.

After questions, a committee member moved a favorable report on Bodman’s nomination and the motion was seconded. The committee took a voice vote; the chair reported no opposition and that proxies were recorded as yes, and the nomination was advanced to the full Senate for consideration.

Quentin Gaddy, who administered standard screening questions at the start of the hearing, confirmed Bodman had filed required ethics and disclosure forms and had no disqualifying disclosures. Bodman affirmed she understood the obligations of the office and told senators she intended to serve the full six-year term. "Our goal isn't to embarrass, shame, demoralize or demoralize other agencies...we should acknowledge and celebrate improvements and successes as well," she said, describing the DCA's approach to collaboration.

The committee asked Bodman to provide a list of facilities and county visits for distribution to senators before a full Senate vote. The hearing ended after the favorable report was recorded and the nomination was moved to the full Senate.