Investigators ask for two new positions as DCS referrals climb to 548 last year

Blount County investigators asked the budget committee to add two positions to address sharply higher child‑welfare and elder‑abuse caseloads.

Ron, a supervisory investigator, said the county initially assigned a full‑time child‑abuse investigator to the Child Advocacy Center (CAC) in 2021 and later added a second investigator. He told the committee DCS referrals have grown rapidly: 441 in 2022, 498 in 2023, 519 in 2024 and 548 in the most recent year. To maintain timely response and specialist continuity, Ron requested adding a third investigator permanently assigned to the CAC.

He also asked for a general investigator to carry the bulk of adult protective services (APS) referrals. Ron supplied APS referral totals showing an increase from 145 (2022) to 153 (2023), 223 (2024) and 226 (2025), and said supervisors are currently handling some APS work to reduce investigator backlogs.

Why it matters: Child abuse and elder‑abuse investigations require specialist interviewing, coordination with the CAC and DCS, and long timelines; higher referral volumes increase workload, response time risk and burnout among investigators.

What’s next: The committee will consider adding the requested positions during budget deliberations and asked presenters to make supporting statistics and workload analyses available for personnel decisions.