Building a System of Care in Child Welfare: North Carolina

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Building a System of Care in Child Welfare
North Carolina
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MRS/SOC is System Reform

• -From intake to permanency.
• -3 key components to this reform
• Policy reform
• Philosophy reform
• Shift in Focus

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It takes a village---

• Families are unique and distinctive
• One size still does not fit all
• Families are more likely to engage and carry out
  a plan that they have truly taken part in
  planning-child and family teams
• We wont be involved forever, we need to build a
  support network of extended family and community
  partners

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North Carolinas Family Support and Child Welfare
System
Well-Being
Permanency
MRS
Safety

Self-Sufficiency
Foster Care
Work First
CPS
Adoption
Community Based Programs

• Family-centered practice and system of care
• principles are our foundation
• -

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System of Care Supports MRS Implementation

• A proven framework for
• Organizing and coordinating services and
  resources into a comprehensive and interconnected
  network by
• developing PARTNERSHIPS between individuals,
  families, and agencies
• building on individual and community STRENGTHS
  and making the most of
• existing resources.
• Improving the skills, knowledge, and attitudes of
  frontline service providers toward more FAMILY-
  CENTERED practices.

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System of Care History

• In NC, began in 1994 with national mental health
  System of Care grants through SAMHSA (Pen-Pal, NC
  FACES, SOC NET, Mecklenburg CARES)
• 2003 NCDSS received System of Care Grant from the
  Childrens Bureau to expand SOC to other target
  populations including families in the child
  welfare system

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System of Care Guiding Principles/Values

• Interagency Collaboration
• Child and Family Partnership
• Individualized Strengths-based Care
• Cultural Competence
• Community-based Services supports
• Accountability to results

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MRS/SOC Success Successful Partnering

• Three critical levels of partnership
• State
• Community
• Family

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Strategic Planning

• At both the state and local level
• Plan based on SOC principles
• Continuous evaluation
• Yearly planning retreats with TA
• Parallel process

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State Level Contributions

• NCDSS merging MRS/SOC more completely- SOC values
  part of NCDSS mission-vision/ SOC incorporated
  into child welfare policy/ MRS/SOC regional
  meetings
• SOC principles driving the PIP child, youth, and
  family involvement, interagency collaboration,
  cultural competency, court involvement,
  accountability to results
• Mandatory child and family team training for all
  child welfare staff
• Mandatory Cultural Competency training
• Guidance around engaging service providers using
  regional CPR
• Policy requires that family members are involved
  in and compensated for attending meetings,
  training, etc. and use of family co-trainers
• All sections of NCDSS are involved in family
  centered practice training and in the development
  of the sections strategic planning
• TA from National Resource Centers to
  strategically plan with CW supervisors to
  strengthen child welfare supervision at the local
  DSS
• Special projects coordinator position
• Presentations at conferences/ Poverty Simulation
• Strong ties to State Collaborative for Children,
  Youth, and Families

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State Collaborative for Children, Youth, and
Families

• NCDSS stakeholder group with family
  representation
• Consensus of child and family team definition
• Cross system child and family team curriculum
  with blended funds
• Website with blended funds
• Charter and strategic plan
• Cross agency Committees including technical
  assistance and membership
• System of Care Conferences/Training Events
• Statewide SOC Conference with 350

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Community and Family Partnerships

• Local County Collaborative groups

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Community Collaboratives Integrating Resources
Response
One Unified Approach
Child Serving Agencies , Community Resources and
Families
Better outcomes for families and communities
Maximizing Resources for a Comprehensive System
of Services/Supports Braided Funding Blended
Services Family, Neighborhood Community
Involvement
John Franz, 1999
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Local SOC Efforts

• SOC coordinators at DSS
• Family partners
• Relationships with MH SOC regional coordinators
• Cross training
• Community building events
• Building local collaborative groups and
  structures such as care review teams
• Coordinating services and service planning
  through child and family teams

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SOC in NC A Work in Progress