Director of SC agency in charge of children’s welfare to step down. What happens next
The director of the state agency in charge of caring for abused and neglected children is leaving the job at the beginning of next year as more and more demands have been put on the agency with limited resources.
Department of Social Services Director Michael Leach, who has been with the agency for five years, will resign on Jan. 2. He notified the governor’s office Monday and the agency staff Tuesday.
“I believe I was destined to be here in South Carolina at DSS during a chaotic time when people needed help more than ever,” Leach said in a news release. “I am proud of the work we have done and the positive impact we’ve made on our South Carolina community. Collaborating with dedicated colleagues and advocates has been inspiring, and I am grateful for the support and guidance I received from everyone in South Carolina.”
Leach, 45, has been credited with turning around the agency that struggled for caring for foster children. He guided the agency through the Michelle H. lawsuit settlement, where the agency agreed to make improvements to its foster care system.
In 2015, the agency was sued for overly relying on group home or congregate care settings rather than family-like settings and for not meeting the medical and food needs of children in foster care.
According to the governor’s office, during Leach’s tenure, the percentage of licensed kinship caregivers — relatives or close friends who care for children when their legal guardians are unable — has grown from 6% to more than 27%. In 2023, the state set a record with 645 public adoptions, bringing the total number of adoptions since 2019 to 2,572.
“Director Leach has been an exemplary leader for our state, excelling in a challenging role at a crucial time,” said Governor Henry McMaster. “Thanks to his leadership, the agency is stronger and more effective than when he started.”
While speaking to reporters Tuesday, McMaster said his office made efforts to try to convince Leach to stay on the job, which has become more of a strain on him and his family.
“We tried to offer solutions for him, including taking a break and a lot of other things,” McMaster said. “We’ve gotten to the point now things have escalated over the years and maybe even the last few months even more. But it’s clear we have a problem that we cannot handle with the resources we have devoted to it today. We have to make some changes.”
But he gave an example of where a juvenile is arrested or taken into custody in the late hours of the night with no detention facility to bring them to, means they end up with DSS.
Counties may not have juvenile detention centers, leading to DSS becoming overrun.
“This situation at DSS has been growing and growing, and we’ve been trying to find the right solution, but it’s now clear it’s coming to a breaking point,” McMaster said.
McMaster in a news release said he will make further announcements regarding the leadership of the agency in the near future.
Outgoing state Sen. Katrina Shealy, R-Lexington, who is vocal about children’s issues, said she tried to talk Leach out of leaving.
Shealy said it may be difficult for McMaster to find a new person to fill the role, especially when he has only two more years in office, and there will be no guarantee the replacement will be kept on in the next administration.
“It’s hard, because it’s a hard job. The job pays well, but the hours, it just doesn’t justify what you have to do,. and you can get somebody to do it, but it’s not really the right person,” Shealy said. “Michael Leach had his heart in it.”
This story was originally published October 22, 2024 at 12:48 PM.
