PROGRAMS

Daryl C. Plevy, Esq., Deputy Secretary for Programs

311 West Saratoga St.
Baltimore, MD 21201 (410) 767-7486

The Deputy Secretary for Programs oversees the
major programs of the Department. In conjunction
with local departments of social services, these pro-
grams are carried out by five administrations: Social
Services; Income Maintenance; Community Services;
Child Support Enforcement; and Child Care.

SOCIAL SERVICES
ADMINISTRATION

Diane W. Gordy, State Director of Social Services
Yvonne Gilchrist, Deputy Director

311 West Saratoga St.
Baltimore, MD 21201 (410) 767-7216

The Social Services Administration originated as
the Board of State Aid and Charities in 1900 (Chapter
679, Acts of 1900). In 1939, the Board was replaced
by the State Department of Public Welfare (Chapter
99, Acts of 1939). The Department was renamed the
State Department of Social Services in 1968 (Chapter
702, Acts of 1968). In 1970, it became the Social
Services Administration (Chapter 96, Acts of 1970).
The Social Services Administration coordinates
and directs all social services in the State (Code
1957, Art. 41, sec. 6-106). These include adoption,
foster care, protective services to children and fami-
lies, and services to families with children.
The Social Services Administration develops and
coordinates services, determines what factors contrib-
ute to social and family problems, and recommends
ways to address those problems. In carrying out these
responsibilities, the Administration calls upon local
departments of social services for leadership within
their communities and for participation in statewide
programs. Baltimore City and each county have a local
department of social services. The director of the local
department administers social services locally subject
to the supervision, direction, and control of the Social
Services Administration.
The Social Services Administration supervises
all public and private institutions that have the
care, custody, or control of dependent, aban-
doned or neglected children, except those placed
under supervision of another agency. It licenses
agencies and institutions having the care and
custody of minors.
The State Director of Social Services is appointed
by the Secretary of Human Resources with the Gov-
ernor's approval (Code 1957, Art. 88A, sec. 2).
In each county, the local department of social
services has a nine-member board of social services.

Board members are appointed to three-year terms
by the local governing authority. One member is a
member of the local governing body, designated to
serve ex officio. In Baltimore City, the board is called
the social services commission. The Mayor appoints
its members to six-year terms. The Mayor and the
Commissioner of Health serve ex officio (Code
1957, Art. 88A, secs. 1, 2, 4, 14, 14A).
The Social Services Administration is organized into
the Special Projects Division and five offices: Family and
Children's Services; Federal Funding Initiatives; Pro-
gram Review and Monitoring; Executive Management
and Support Services; and Child Placement Resources.

OFFICE OF FAMILY & CHILDREN'S SERVICES
Linda M. Heisner, Director
(410) 767-7026

The Office of Family and Children's Services
originated as the Office of Family and Child Devel-
opment Services in 1980 and was reorganized un-
der its present name in 1991.
The Office sets policy and standards for four
programs: Child Protective Services, Family Serv-
ices, Foster Care, and Adoption. The Office also is
responsible for Maryland's part in the Interstate
Compact on the Placement of Children, the Mary-
land Adoption Resource Exchange, and the Mutual
Consent Voluntary Adoption Registry.

OFFICE OF FEDERAL FUNDING INITIATIVES
Margaret J. Sisk, Director
(410) 767-7287

Functions of the Office of Federal Funding In-
itiatives date to the 1930s when the federal govern-
ment first contributed to the funding of State social
welfare programs. In 1991, the Office of Federal
Program Reimbursement was created. Later that
year, it was renamed the Office of Federal Funding
Initiatives. The Office is responsible for three pro-
grams: Emergency Services to Families with Chil-
dren (Title IV-A); (Title IV-E); and Supplemental
Security Income for Foster Care Children (Title
XIII).
Under Title IV-A of the federal Social Security
Act, the federal government pays 50 percent of the
administrative costs for child welfare programs to
alleviate abuse, neglect, or abandonment, or the
threat of those conditions, and pays for the first six
months of foster care for children removed from
their homes due to such conditions. Title IV-E
provides federal funds for 50 percent of administra-
tive costs and maintenance payments for foster care
and adoptive children who meet federal income
requirements and removal criteria. Disabled or
functionally delayed children in State foster care or
adoption programs are screened to determine their
eligibility for Supplementary Security Income un-
der Title XIII of the federal Social Security Act.