System of Care
System of Care (SOC) is a comprehensive network of community-based services and supports organized to meet the needs of families who are involved with multiple child service agencies, such as child welfare, mental health, schools, juvenile justice and health care. The goal is for families and youth to work in partnership with public and private organizations, ensuring supports are effective and built on the individual’s strengths and needs. System of Care is a way of working together while putting the family at the center of their child’s care and helps to inform the service system on what needs to improve. The North Carolina System of Care works to ensure that children, youth, and families are healthy, safe and successful at home, in school and in their communities.
The SOC framework is made up of three key components:
- a comprehensive array of services and supports,
- an infrastructure to fulfill essential functions, and
- a clear philosophy intended to guide service delivery for young people and their families.
The following System of Care values guides efforts to increase access to high-quality, integrated behavioral health services for children and families. We work to ensure our child behavioral health services are/include:
- Interagency Collaboration
- Data Driven and Accountable
- Individualized, Strength-Based Approach
- Family-driven and Youth-guided
- Cultural and Linguistic Responsive
- Home and Community-Based Services and Supports
- Trauma-informed Care/Evidenced Based Practices
Source: System of Care | NCDHHS
Workforce Development/Training
A key component of implementing the System of Care Framework is through Workforce Development. Through the System of Care Values, agencies & organizations in North Carolina can work together to engage more families, create culturally-competent, equitable services and continue working towards a more effective service delivery system. System of Care Collaboratives and members both offer and engage in presentations for workforce development.
Workforce development for System of Care collaboratives often includes training in trauma-informed practices, equity, community engagement, facilitation, Child & Family Team (CFT) meetings, interpersonal skills training, project development and more.
DCFW Partnership
The North Carolina System of Care Team (NC SOC), based out of the Division of Child & Family Wellbeing in the Department of Health & Human Services, is an essential component to supporting the System of Care infrastructure in North Carolina. NC SOC Team members are visible across the state engaging with the state and local collaboratives, and family partner agencies. The NC SOC Team has also received a four-year grant totaling $14.8 million from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) to support the mental health of children and families in North Carolina. You can read the press release here.
The UNC Behavioral Health Springboard works closely with the NC SOC Team to add capacity to their work across the state. In conjunction, this partnership offers opportunities for connection, brainstorming spaces, training & professional development, one-on-one support, a monthly newsletter, and upkeeps a database of resources available to members of System of Care Collaboratives, among others, to support System of Care in North Carolina.
External Stakeholder Support and Partnership
The System of Care philosophy is implemented at national, state, and local levels. In North Carolina, System of Care in North Carolina is an expansive network of individuals, organizations, and systems. Multi-sector coalitions convene to strategize and discuss barriers that are specific to their geographical areas. This is the infrastructure that supports the NC System of Care.
State Collaborative: The North Carolina State Collaborative for Children, Youth, and Families (NCCCYF), through a System of Care framework, provides a forum for collaboration, advocacy and action among families, public and private child and family serving agencies and community partners to improve outcomes for all children, youth and families. The State Collaborative engages North Carolina residents to discuss issues regarding how agencies, youth, and families can work together to produce better outcomes for children, youth and families. They also develop recommendations regarding the coordination of services, funding, training and local reporting requirements to eliminate duplication and make the system more consumer friendly. For more information on the State Collaborative, click here.
Local Collaboratives: SOC Community Collaboratives are community-based groups comprised of family members, child-serving public agencies, and private providers. Local Collaboratives work with families, school systems, community-based organizations, and other stakeholders concerned with the behavioral health of all children in their community. Collaboratives bring together families and child representatives across diverse sectors to support coordinated service delivery and problem-solve.
SOC Coordinators: The SOC Community Collaboratives are supported by SOC Coordinators and Family Leads. SOC Coordinators support local SOC development in the community. They provide training to facilitate Child and Family Teams, promote family and youth involvement at every level, and provide guidance and support for strategic planning and implementation of collaborative goals. SOC Coordinators are employed by Local Management Entity/ Managed Care Organization (LME-MCO) (now referred to as Tailored Plans). There are four LME-MCO/ Tailored Plans in NC: Alliance Health, Partners Health Management, Trillium Health Resources, and Vaya Health. To see which LME-MCO/ Tailored Plan covers your county, click here.
Family Partners: Family Leads include family partner coordinators, family partners, family support advocates, and other caregivers with lived experience who support the family voice and help families navigate the system. Because of their lived experience, they can be particularly effective in engaging family members who want to participate in a Community Collaborative and getting input from family and youth at the systems level.
Family Partner Organizations: train and support the development and certification of Family Partners and Family Leads and the agencies that employ them.
Source: System of Care | NCDHHS