CHARLOTTE, N.C. (WBTV) – A bill that would give the state more oversight into child welfare cases is one step closer to becoming law after the North Carolina House passed the “Dominique Moody Safety Act” on Wednesday afternoon.
The bill was named after Dominque Moody, a 6-year-old Charlotte girl, who died in December 2025 after investigators said she was beaten, tortured and starved.
WBTV Investigative reporter Naomi Kowles said earlier in June during a legislative hearing lasting more than eight hours Mecklenburg County Social Services received a dozen calls for investigations at Moody’s house.
The 13th call was the child’s death.
Read –> ‘Lost kids in Mecklenburg County’: Lawmakers blast county officials in combative hearing about child’s death
Lawmakers from both parties filed the bill in the North Carolina General Assembly back on April 30. The bill would create a child welfare escalation team under the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services.
What the bill will do
House Bill 1144 would create a child welfare case escalation team under the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services.
The team would get involved in decision-making for children at a regional level when a child had an extensive history of reports or other complicating factors.
Counties currently hold that authority alone.
The bill would require counties to escalate cases to this new regional team when presented with Child Protective Services reports for children with one of the following:
- Extensive child welfare history
- Three or more reports to Child Protective Services in a 12-month period
- Past foster care history
- Three or more substantiated findings involving the family that demonstrate pattern of neglect
- Repeated reports of medical neglect
The bill would also introduce other elements of state oversight to county social services departments across North Carolina, and would appropriate more than a half-million dollars to create the team.
The regional team would consist of one person per five state regions, alongside a supervisor. If there’s a disagreement between the county and the regional team about whether a case should be screened in or out the regional team would take the lead.
Previous Moody coverage:
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