Madison County Department of Social Services

The Department of Social Services in Madison County administers a variety of programs, including

• food stamps

• public assistance

• child support collection and enforcement

• domestic violence services

• food stamp nutrition education programs

• home energy assistance program

• earned income tax credit

• employment services

• Medicaid

• Family Health Plus

• day care services

• child protective services

• foster care

The department has worked with a number of field school fellows in the past, including Darcy Richardson, Jane Sheehan, Kevin McAvey, and Jesse Quinn. In 2007, Kate Serrurier, '09, helped the department go through a ten-step process called "Getting to Outcomes," which will analyze all program expenditures within the department. The process will focus on $1.2 million in special funding the department receives annually, as well as other programs the department funds separately.

In the summer of 2006, Jane Sheehan, '08,  completed a rental study of Madison County under the direction of Community Action Partnership and the Department of Social Services, both in Madison County. Her study included a rental stock database which provides the address, landlord, number of units and bedrooms, and the vacancy rate for almost every rental property in the county. Using this information, she created documents that describe the availability and affordability of properties within each township, as well as for the entire county. 

“My study certainly sheds light on the ills of the rental situation in the county.  Community Action Partnership and the Department of Social Services plan to use this study towards a grant for more affordable housing and also a grant for a shelter for teenagers in Madison County.  My study may also be used to supplement the Needs Assessment for the County, which allows Madison County to receive both federal and state subsidy and aid for a number of other projects,” said Jane.

In the summer of 2005, Darcy Richardson, '06, completed two projects for the department. Her report is below:

This summer I am completing two projects for the Madison County Department of Social Services.  The first is researching the probable impact of new child care regulations that are going into place in New York State.  More specifically, it is looking at the regulations that informal child care providers must meet in order to receive government funding through subsidies.   Informal child care providers are those who care for only a few children in their home or the children’s home (including relatives other than parents), and who then do not face the same licensing requirements as day care centers.  In New York, regulations are being implemented to hopefully improve the quality of informal care.  I am exploring whether the regulations will have this effect or whether they will negatively impact elements of the child care market including costs, availability, and parental use of child care.   My research will hopefully be used by Madison County and other districts in the assessment and implementation of the new regulations that are under consideration.  The second project is an analysis of “child-only” welfare recipients in Madison County.  These are children who are the only ones in their families eligible for grants from Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF).  My project is to follow-up a study done by Cornell students that attempted to profile a sampling of these cases across New York State.  They tried to understand the backgrounds, needs, services used, and potential of these TANF recipients.  My project is similar but focuses on the approximately seventy-five cases of this type in Madison County, with the goal being to assess how the Department of Social Services can better assist these youth.

Final Report on Government Regulation of Child Care

Child-Only Welfare Cases in Madison County, New York

In the fall of 2005, to help celebrate Madison County’s bicentennial in 2006, Kevin McAvey, '05, helped the department create a history of its programs, projects and accomplishments. Senior Kevin McAvey, working with Professor Jill Tiefenthaler, created this document. The history sheds an interesting light on the progress of the social support network in the county as well as on the local view about the role of government in supporting low income families. McAvey said that studying the history of Madison County’s welfare system taught him “a great deal about how national movements such as the New Deal wound up trickling down to the rural county level. It is truly fascinating to see the development of Madison County’s system, from one that operated a county farm to a modern organization that places a more direct focus on the individuals in need.”