New social services chief to push for more workers

By Timothy Pratt (contact)

Friday, May 2, 2003 | 9:58 a.m.

A new Henderson office, a push for funding to hire more personnel and revised training are some of the measures being pursued by the new person in charge of Clark County social services.

Darryl Martin, who was brought on board in January as director of the Clark County Department of Social Service, said Thursday that a new office will open in Henderson to replace the one that shut down after two social workers and a guard were stabbed by a former client at the office on Dec. 10. All of the victims survived.

The new office, scheduled to open by mid-June at 750 S. Boulder Highway, is part of efforts by the agency to improve safety and comfort for the county's social workers and the public they serve.

"The new building was designed for security," Martin said. "But we're also looking at the possibility of hiring more staff and making changes in training."

The agency saw 90,000 people last year, an increase of 15 percent over the year before, with no increase in staff, the agency's director said.

The new Henderson office will have five employees instead of two, including an additional social worker, an eligibility worker, and a social worker supervisor, Martin said.

Sandy Burkhead, human resources manager for the agency, said employees and management met in the weeks after last December's stabbing.

"A lot of employees were concerned ... they talked about staff-client interactions and asked, 'What can we do to de-escalate a situation?' " she said.

Employees also thought their offices were becoming pressure cookers for themselves and the public.

"We're seeing, since talking with the employees, that as you see more people coming through our doors, there's more waiting ... and more frustration," she said.

The agency is developing training techniques that will help deal with tense situations when they occur, Burkhead said.

The new training should also be available by mid-June.

The new office will include features that come out of the agency's review of its policies and practices since last December, said Carel Carter, manager of acquisition, design and construction for the Department of Real Property Management.

These features include a metal detector at the front door, a lobby designed for the security guard to have a full view of the area, laminate glass separating the lobby from the receptionist, and separate entrances for staff and the public.

"It was a learning experience for all of us to figure out what we could do to make it nicer for everybody and also safe," Carter said.