South Carolina DSS: Overview and Its Role in Protecting Parental Rights

South Carolina DSS (Department of Social Services) plays a pivotal role in ensuring the safety, welfare, and well-being of children and families within the state. This vital institution aims to facilitate stability and self-sufficiency in households that are navigating through challenging times. One of its core functions is operating the CPS (Child Protective Services), which focuses on protecting children from abuse and neglect while upholding and sometimes having to make tough decisions regarding parental rights.

Understanding the Functions of CPS

The Child Protective Services, a sector under the South Carolina DSS, is tasked with significant responsibilities. If CPS receives a report of child abuse or neglect, they are required to take swift action. This involves conducting thorough investigations to determine the safety and well-being of the child involved. The process is designed to be comprehensive, ensuring that every decision made serves the best interest of the child while also respecting the rights and circumstances of the parents.

Navigating through these matters, CPS workers assess various factors such as the severity of the case, the immediate risk to the child, and the capacity of the parent or guardian to safely care for their child. They may implement safety plans, provide family services aimed at remediation, or, in severe cases, intervene directly if the child’s safety is in immediate jeopardy.

Protecting Parental Rights and the Role of DSS

Respecting and protecting parental rights while ensuring child safety can be a delicate balance. The South Carolina DSS is committed to supporting families in retaining or regaining the ability to safely care for their children whenever possible. Parental rights are profoundly valued, and DSS works to offer resources, support, and guidance to parents who are facing challenges that may impact their ability to provide a safe and nurturing environment.

For families involved with CPS, various programs and resources are available. These include parenting classes, substance abuse treatment programs, and mental health services, which are designed to address the root causes of issues that might affect parenting capabilities. By providing these resources, South Carolina DSS aims to equip parents with the tools they need to maintain custody of their children and foster a stable family environment.

The Legal Framework and Parental Rights

The intersection of legal frameworks with CPS processes ensures a structured system where parental rights are recognized and respected. Parents in South Carolina have the right to be notified of and involved in all proceedings that concern their children. They have the right to legal representation, to contest allegations of abuse or neglect, and to be part of their children’s lives.

When decisions are made that might limit or affect parental rights, such as in the case of foster care or adoption, these decisions are made with careful consideration. The goal is not to separate families but to ensure the health and safety of the children involved. Additionally, in cases where it is deemed safely possible, CPS works towards family reunification as the most favorable outcome.

Conclusion: The Impact of DSS and CPS on South Carolina Families

The operations of the South Carolina Department of Social Services and its CPS division are central to the state’s commitment to protecting vulnerable children while also safeguarding parental rights. While the agency is often seen during times of crisis, its broader role includes preventative measures and support systems to foster healthier family dynamics.

Through its multifaceted approach, which includes direct intervention, community engagement, and resource provision, South Carolina DSS is keen on creating environments where children can thrive under the care of their parents whenever feasible. This responsible balance of protecting the well-being of children while respecting family integrity helps build stronger, resilient communities across the state.

Summary of the investigation:

• The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) confirmed an investigation into the Walhalla Rescue Squad and its former chief, William Tatum, regarding allegations of financial wrongdoing and misappropriation of funds.​​
• SLED and local officials clarified that no current member, officer, or volunteer of the Walhalla Rescue Squad is accused or suspected of any wrongdoing, and the organization is cooperating fully with law enforcement.​
• The investigation led to the former chief being charged with embezzlement of public funds; William Tatum was arrested after admitting to embezzling public funds during his tenure.​
• The Rescue Squad stated it remains dedicated to integrity, transparency, and their mission to serve the citizens of Oconee County.

Key timeline:

• August 2025: SLED confirms investigation and charges are announced.​​
• August 21, 2025: The former chief is formally charged and arrested.​

If you need more details (such as the official press release or legal documents), they can be found via SLED or SC True News outlets.

Oconee County 2nd Amendment Sanctuary

As of March 2020 Oconee County Council declared Oconee County a 2nd Amendment Sanctuary
Now if you read the 2nd Amendment it states: A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.

Let me say that again as we have some people that can’t read that very simple line: the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed. Nothing at all about the 2nd Amendment gives anyone a right to use a gun or other weapon to engage in criminal activity, it at no time ever served to protect people from being prosecuted for engaging in criminal activities. It protects the human right to self defense that all people have. Our founding fathers understood that. Yet any time you stand up for the 2nd Amendment some people always want to defend taking away gun rights by discussing criminal actions with guns, which has nothing at all to do with the conversation.

The reason for this post is as of December 2022 there have been two arrest this month of someone in possession of a gun. They were NOT engaging in any criminal activity with a gun at all, they were arrested for being in possession of a gun in Oconee County the 2nd Amendment Sanctuary.

So how is this happening? There is a federal law called The Gun Control Act of 1968

Assassinations and Gun Control

After the assassinations of President John Kennedy, Attorney General Robert Kennedy and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., the Gun Control Act is passed and imposes stricter licensing and regulation on the firearms industry, establishes new categories of firearms offenses, and prohibits the sale of firearms and ammunition to felons and certain other prohibited persons. It also imposes the first Federal jurisdiction over “destructive devices,” including bombs, mines, grenades and other similar devices. Congress reorganizes ATU into the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax Division (ATTD) and delegates to them the enforcement of the Gun Control Act.

Atf.gov. “Gun Control Act | Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives,” 2022. https://www.atf.gov/rules-and-regulations/gun-control-act.

All the way until 1968 there was no federal law banning certain people from having a gun.
The law as you can see was passed out of fear and sold to the American public as a cure for violence, no more gun violence since we will make sure that only certain people can have a gun.
As you can see this was a law passed that infringed on the 2nd Amendment rights of the people.
It was not a change in the 2nd Amendment at all. Yet everyone wants to talk about how much they support the 2nd Amendment when in fact they really support The Gun Control Act of 1968.
Quickest way to out them as to what their stance is would be to ask them if they support the right of all people to own and carry a gun.

‌We have seen that allowing the passage of The Gun Control Act of 1968 didn’t make us safer. We still have rampant gun crimes and even worse now that we have Gun Free Zones, those Zones have become targets for criminals.

Oconee County Crime Map now available

You can go to the Oconee County Sheriff Office page and see a crime map.
The link is at: https://www.oconeelaw.com/crimemapping

As of now the map doesn’t have any data showing. At the time of this writing I was not able to get any information from the Oconee County Sheriff Office as to why the map is blank even though there has been crimes reported.

This is a long awaited feature that the public has been asking about for many years and will be a great tool in keeping up with what is going on in the county.

This might be able to help the public know where crime watch groups are most needed depending on the data shown in the map. It will also be great to help neighbors know what is the most prominent crimes going on potentially in their area to keep an eye out for.

The site being implemented here is from: https://www.crimemapping.com/

We will publish a update if more information becomes available.

(Walhalla, SC)————————————–

A Seneca man was taken into custody today, and booked into the Oconee County Detention Center, on two counts of Criminal Sexual Conduct with a Minor – Second Degree.

36 year old Joshua Edward Worley, Sr. was booked into jail around 2:31pm this afternoon. At this time, Worley, Sr. remains in jail on a combined $40,000 surety bond.

A deputy from the Uniform Patrol Bureau took a report on September 16th of this year in regards to reported molestation between the victim and Worley Sr. The investigation was turned over to the Criminal Investigations/School Safety Bureau.

As the investigation continued, and evidence was gathered in the case, it was determined that Worley, Sr. had sexual intercourse with the victim, who was a child, between September of 2018 and September of 2019. Also, Worley, Sr. had sexual intercourse with the same victim, a teenager, during the summer of 2022. The sexual assaults involved only one victim and occurred within the boundaries of Oconee County.

The Oconee County Sheriff’s Office is continuing its investigation, and in order to preserve the integrity of the investigation, and that of the victim, the Sheriff’s Office will not release any information that could, either directly or indirectly, identify the victim in this case.

There has been important motions being made on behalf of Mr. Duham by his attorney on the matter of the legal matter.

When you view the file you will see that the attorney outlines the political corruption as well as the legal misconduct that went on in this case.

For years there has been a push for Ban The Box Legislation

Some disagree about banning the asking of arrests, while others agree that you shouldn’t be kept from getting employment so you can get a job and take care of your needs.

Nationwide, 37 states and over 150 cities and counties have adopted what is widely known as “ban the box” so that employers consider a job candidate’s qualifications first.

While it is true that some people never change the fact remains is that many do. For someone to be able to seek to be a law abiding citizen and take care of their own needs they will first have to be able to get a job to do so. Many employers however stand in the way of those seeking to do just that.

This has been seen as a humanitarian initiative since everyone deserves the right to be employed and have the right to take care of themselves.

On the other side we have employers that stand to lose if the employee doesn’t perform well at their job, the customers suffer and the company could lose lots of money due to the fact an employer is responsible for what their employees do, so the employers do have a point as there are people out there that will seek to destroy a business if they get an unpleasant experience while doing business with the company. You also have liabilities that the company would be responsible for if the employee does something that causes damages to a person or their property. So we also need to work on that aspect as well.

Not only does a person have a right to take care of themselves by being gainfully employed you also have to think about the children of those people and their spouse, we have children suffering due to the failure of businesses to hire people just because at one point in their life they were arrested. Think about that a kid out there might be going hungry because a business won’t hire someone due to an arrest 10 years ago or more.

We also have to think about the taxes, if you work to fight for the right of a person to be gainfully employed they will be a tax paying citizen and paying in to help society. Those taxes go into helping build roads and maintain our state.

President Trump signs the Fair Chance Act, one of the final criminal justice reform priorities of the late Congressman Elijah Cummings

Glenn, Carrie. “Justice Action Network.” Justice Action Network, December 21, 2019. https://www.justiceactionnetwork.org/news/fair-chance-act-becomes-federal-law-one-year-after-passage-of-groundbreaking-first-step-act.

So it has been years since the passing of the Fair Chance Act and we haven’t seen any news reporting of this leading to the downfall of our nation, or states.

‌So far however the state of South Carolina has not adopted the Ban The Box legislation to follow along with other states that have given people a fair chance at getting a job. Hopefully this will change soon to help thousands of people in South Carolina get jobs and take care of their family.

In Oconee County, South Carolina they recently had a crack down on the panhandlers in the area, while it is true that some refuse to work there are some that would, but they face the barrier that many do and that is not being able to get hired due to a prior arrest record, many employers don’t put reasonable limits on usage of arrest records which is why the Ban The Box AKA Fair Chance Act has become much needed legislation.

Shocking Victory

For many years men have endured slander and defamation without being able to get the justice they deserve against and ex. Finally the courts have ruled in favor of a man that was being slandered. The jury ruled that Amber Heard the ex had in fact engaged in a hoax against Johnny Depp and deserved to win the case and awarded him money to compensate the damages done to him.

The thing is will we see courts finally take the defamation and slander serious that has been done against men and give them the justice they deserve as well, or will we still see females getting by with slander and defamation to seek to harm men.

The Award

The jury awarded Depp $15 million in damages. Unfortunately in the state of Virginia they cap that to $370,000. Hopefully the system will work and they give him the money all of it that he can get.

https://law.lis.virginia.gov/vacode/title8.01/chapter3/section8.01-38.1/