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Child and Family Services – DSS

Child and Family Services

A hotline to help critical workers find child care during the COVID-19 pandemic has been launched by the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services. The state agency announced Tuesday that it has partnered with the North Carolina Child Care Resource and Referral network to establish a hotline to provide child care options for children of critical workers who do not have access to typical care because of COVID-19 closures. Families who have flexible working arrangements are encouraged to stay at home with their children, according to the NCDHHS. Workers who need care can call 1-888-600-1685 to receive information about local options for children from infants through age 12. The hotline is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

“Child care is a critical service. People working on the front lines of the COVID-19 response need access to safe, quality child care so they can know their own children are being well cared for as they care for others,” said Dr. Mandy Cohen, NCDHHS secretary.

Some foster children will never go back to their birth family. We are committed to the value that every one of these children deserves a “forever family”. We have the firm belief that a safe, permanent, and nurturing home can be found for any child who needs one. We also firmly believe that we are responsible for enabling this. Adoption Services are designed to find permanent homes for children and to provide support to the families who adopt them.

We are in need of adoptive families to provide the love, care, and stability that provide the foundation in any child’s life. The majority of children awaiting adoption are school age, and many are brothers and sisters who need to stay together. You can become an adoptive parent if you are 21 or older and have stable income. You can be single, married, or divorced. You may be any ethnic origin and there is no minimum education requirement.

The vision of a safe and permanent home within one year for every child for whom a county Department of Social Services has legal custody or placement responsibility is an essential element of our mission to ensure that every child in North Carolina has a safe, permanent, nurturing home. To realize this vision, we began issuing the “Challenge for Children” in 1997. It has been reissued annually since; and as a result, we have come closer to realizing our vision. In the Challenge for Children, we ask every county Department of Social Services in North Carolina to make foster care backlog reduction a top priority for its child welfare system. The backlog includes all children who remain in the custody or placement responsibility of a county Department of Social Services for more than 12 months.

Authority

Community Child Protection Teams were established in 1991, as a response to the increased numbers of children reported as being abused, neglected or dependent in North Carolina. Teams were established to add a community dimension to child protection.

The duties and responsibilities of the team were adopted as North Carolina Administrative Code 41I .0400. The original purpose and composition of the team was further formalized and expanded by G.S. 7B 1406, (previously G.S. 143-576.1) effective July 1, 1993.

In 1997 North Carolina designated CCPTs as Citizen’s Review Panels which were required by the Federal Child Abuse Prevention Treatment Act (CAPTA). The panels, which must meet at least every three months, are intended to involve citizens in ensuring that states are meeting their goals of protecting children from abuse and neglect.

The intent of the CCPT is to enhance child protection in the community through collaboration and advocacy. The establishment of CCPT as a community partner in child protection changed the concept that the community had about the Departments of Social Services. That agency went from a stand-alone concept of protecting children to partnering with the community concept of protecting children. Families and communities have benefited from the community approach to child protection.

Purpose of CCPT

The Community Child Protection Team is an interdisciplinary group of community representatives who meet regularly to promote a community-wide approach to the problem of child abuse, neglect and dependency.

Who Are CCPT Members?

CCPT consists of representatives of agencies and organizations as well as citizens-at-large that have children and families as a focus. NC law mandates membership for certain agencies and organizations. These members includes:

The county director of social services and a member of the director’s staff, a local law enforcement officer, an attorney from the district attorney’s office, the executive director of the local community action agency, the superintendent of each local school administrative unit; a member of the county board of social services, a local mental health professional, the local guardian ad litem coordinator, or the coordinator’s designee; the director of the department of public health; and a local health care provider.

The board of county commissioners may appoint a maximum of five additional members to represent various county agencies and the community-at-large to serve on any local team.

CCPT Tasks

Review active cases in which abuse, neglect, or dependency is found and that are:

  • Selected from categories defined by the team.
  • Brought for review at the specific request of a team member.
  • Brought for review at the initiative of the director of the department of social services.

Report to the Board of County Commissioners and the community about the status of families in the community.

Advocacy and Collaboration

CCPT educates the community about issues that puts children at risk of harm and how this impacts families and the community. The knowledge of CCPT members is utilized to create services in response to identified gaps. The sharing of information among members about under-utilized resources in the community helps to address service gaps. CCPT informs the board of county commissioners about trends in child maltreatment that suggest a need for changes in services in the community, and advocate for necessary resources.

There is currently a need for supportive type services for victims of Domestic Violence in Swain County. Clients who are homeless and suffering from domestic abuse have multiple needs. Supportive Services may include but are not limited to: Outreach, Child Care, Job Training / Placement, Case Management, Health Care, Transportation, Employment Assistance, Education / Tuition, Vocational Opportunities, Life Skills, Counseling / Mental Health Care, Housing Assistance, Substance Abuse Treatment, rent deposits, first and last month’s rent, Work Supplies, Gas, Utilities, Insurance, Car Maintenance, Parenting Skills, Psychiatric Care, Home Furnishings, Budgeting, Food, Medical Costs, Dental Costs, medication expenses/supplies, resource/referral services, assistance with applying for and securing benefits, and court advocacy. etc. The long-term goal of the program is to have each client obtain and remain in a safe permanent housing situation. We feel that our goal should be to enable clients to become and remain self-sufficient through supportive type services. The Case Manager will facilitate the involvement of local services, agencies, and community resources that will benefit the client. Participants will be assisted in increasing their incomes and living independently through a collaborative process. A plan based on individual client needs, goals, and objectives, training and mentoring is needed. Participants will be encouraged, through referral and support, to access the multitude of programs available in Swain County. They will also be assisted in the arrangement of transportation to needed programs and services. The goal of the program is to assist the clients in the adoption of living skills necessary to be successful in providing for themselves and their families. Domestic Violence is a pattern of behaviors that reflects an abuser’s need for power and control. What starts as verbal or emotional abuse can change into physical abuse directed toward an intimate partner, children, pets or property. No one deserves to be abused. Nothing that is said or done justifies an abuser’s violence. Problems in a relationship are not solved by abuse. Ending or changing an abusive relationship is often a slow and painful process, but never as painful as letting it continue. Once the abuse begins, it usually continues and becomes more frequent and extreme. It Includes: Pushing, Harassment, Unwanted sex, Constant put-downs, Slapping, Isolation, Strangling, Kicking, Threats and Punching. For more information about Domestic Violence and its effect on children, download this document.
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Children and Domestic Violence: An Information Packet

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There is currently a need for supportive type services for victims of Domestic Violence in Swain County. Clients who are homeless and suffering from domestic abuse have multiple needs. Supportive Services may include but are not limited to: Outreach, Child Care, Job Training/Placement, Case Management, Health Care, Transportation, Employment Assistance, Education/Tuition, Vocational Opportunities, Life Skills, Counseling/Mental Health Care, Housing Assistance, Substance Abuse Treatment, rent deposits, first and last month’s rent, Work Supplies, Gas, Utilities, Insurance, Car Maintenance, Parenting Skills, Psychiatric Care, Home Furnishings, Budgeting, Food, Medical Costs, Dental Costs, medication expenses/supplies, resource/referral services, assistance with applying for and securing benefits, and court advocacy. etc.. The long-term goal of the program is to have each client obtain and remain in a safe permanent housing situation. We feel that our goal should be to enable clients to become and remain self-sufficient through supportive type services. The Case Manager will facilitate the involvement of local services, agencies, and community resources that will benefit the client. Participants will be assisted in increasing their incomes and living independently through a collaborative process. A plan based on individual client needs, goals, and objectives, training and mentoring is needed. Participants will be encouraged, through referral and support, to access the multitude of programs available in Swain County. They will also be assisted in the arrangement of transportation to needed programs and services. The goal of the program is to assist the clients in the adoption of living skills necessary to be successful in providing for themselves and their families.
Case Planning/Case Management provides families a way to stay intact and work with the agency to resolve issues of neglect and abuse. Children who receive this service are at imminent risk of out of home placement. Family Preservation and Intensive Family Preservation Services provide home-based services to families to help them keep their children in their own homes. To receive these voluntary services, which last from six weeks up to three months, parents work with a social worker so that the children, who may be at imminent risk for out-of-home placement, may remain at home. The focus is on stabilizing the family, in which neglect, abuse, dependency, delinquency or undisciplined behavior has occurred.
Foster care is intended to be a temporary arrangement for children, not an end in itself. The goal for every child who enters foster care is a safe, permanent home as soon as possible, whether that means reunification with the birth family, custody or guardianship with relatives or kin, or adoption. Foster parents work with the agency and with the child’s family to help the child find a permanent home. If the child needs to be adopted, the foster parents may become the adopting parents. Foster care offers a temporary home to children when their families are unable to meet their basic needs for care and protection. Usually, there is not any one reason a child comes into foster care, but a combination of factors may lead to placement, such as:
  • physical, sexual or emotional abuse
  • neglect
  • family stress caused by divorce, separation, substance abuse, or mental illness
  • illness or death of a parent
  • abandonment
  • child’s behavior due to physical or emotional disability
  • parental rights have been terminated and the child is waiting for an adoptive placement
Permanency Planning aims to provide a safe, permanent home for children within 12 months of when a child is taken into custody by our agency. This plan can include reunification with the family, custody or guardianship with a relative of the child or adoption. Our agency will work with parents who have lost their children to the custody of Social Services for reasons of substance abuse and/or other causative factors. The goal of this program is to help the parents to be reunited with their children who have been in foster care or to place them with a relative. We strive to find the least restrictive placement for children.

LINKS

LINKS is a program that works with youth between the ages of 14 and 21 who currently are or have been in foster care. Young adults learn budgeting, household maintenance, how to apply for and retain a job, and many other important life skills. We provide other benefits for participants such as SAT and ACT fees, graduation fees for senior students, assistance applying for college, etc.

Family Permanency

Foster care is temporary substitute care for children who cannot remain safely in their home as determined by the Court. Child placement services shall be provided to any child in the custody or placement responsibility of a County Department of Social Services. Placement of a child in foster care requires assessment of the child and family’s needs and careful planning. The placement process focuses on the whole family rather than only on the child in placement. The child, the family and the foster care providers shall be appropriately prepared for the placement prior to the physical move of the child, except in emergency removals. Child placement needs are evaluated, arranged, maintained and supervised in licensed or Court-sanctioned placement, with services to assist in reunification or another permanent plan for the child. The agency provides services in conjunction with the community that are community-based, culturally competent, child centered, and family focused.

Families for Kids goals:

  • Community-Based Family Support
  • One Coordinated Assessment
  • Single Stable Placement
  • One Year To A Permanent Home

Family Permanency & Child Placement Services Include:

  • Services to protect children in their own homes, strengthen families, and prevent out-of-home placement
  • Careful planning and decision making with the family about placement, when necessary
  • Assessing children’s needs to ensure appropriate placement and services
  • Arranging and monitoring a placement appropriate to the child’s needs
  • Involving the kinship network to provide planning, placement and other support for the child and family

Family Permanency & Child Placement Services Continued

  • Developing and arranging community-based services to support the child and family
  • Collaborating with other community service providers working with the family to ensure continuity of services and to prevent duplication of services
  • Referring the child and family to needed services, including clinical treatment
  • Providing treatment services, as appropriate
  • Preparing the child, the child’s family, and the foster family for separation and placement, including negotiating and preparing visitation agreements
  • Assessing family strengths and needs to determine the appropriate plan for service
  • Providing ongoing risk assessment to determine risk to the child and to guide the case planning process
  • Working with the family to develop and implement the Family Services Case Plan
  • Monitoring and updating the Family Services Case Plan with the family
  • Providing case management
  • Concurrent permanency planning with the family to develop alternative options to provide a permanent home for a child should reunification fai
  • Helping the family meet Family Services Case Plan objectives by providing information, instruction, guidance and mentoring on parenting skills
  • Providing counseling to the child and family to help the child and family cope with the grief resulting from the separation and placement
  • Arranging medical examinations and other services for the child
  • Supervising foster care facility to ensure that the child receives proper care during placement

Family Permanency & Child Placement Services Continued

  • Maintaining contact with the family and others significant to the case
  • Preparing for and participating in court proceedings
  • Maintaining a close working relationship with the agency attorney for guidance in the legal process
  • Providing transportation for children in foster care when needed and not otherwise available, including visits with parents, siblings, and relatives
  • Providing independent living services to assist older youth in learning life skills necessary to make a successful transition from foster care to living on his or her own
  • Ensuring that foster care placements across state lines are in compliance with the Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children
  • Recruiting, developing and supervising foster care families and child care facilities
  • Recruiting and assessing relatives and other kin as potential caregivers
  • Assessing and periodically reassessing foster care homes and facilities to determine if the home or facility meets the needs of the children it serves
  • Providing consultation, technical assistance, and training to assist foster families and foster care facilities to expand and improve the quality of care provided
  • Involving foster parents in the planning and decision making for children in foster care
  • Facilitating foster/adopt options for children and preparing foster/adoptive parents
  • Preparing children for adoptive placements and maintaining life books
  • Maintaining the foster care case record and thorough documentation of case activities.
  • Periodically reviewing the Family Services Case Plan
  • Preparing for and facilitating Permanency Planning Action Team meetings

Foster Care-Recruitment/Licensing

Swain County Department of Social Services primary goal is to locate permanent, loving homes for children in need of adoption. Foster Home Licensure handles recruitment, training and supervision of foster homes to assure safe and secure temporary care for children. Adults over 21 years old with a stable home and income may be a foster parent. You may be married or single and rent or own your home. In addition to 30 hours of training and assessment provided by DSS, the only requirement is a desire to provide a loving, supportive home for a child.

Who can be a Foster Parent?

Foster parents must:

  • Be at least 21 years old
  • Have a stable home and income
  • Be willing to be fingerprinted and have a criminal records check
  • Maintain a drug free environment
  • Complete all required training and be licensed by the state of North Carolina

Do Foster Parents have to be Licensed?

Yes, North Carolina state law requires that all foster parents be licensed to care for children in their care. These licenses are issued by the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services. County Departments of Social Services and several private child caring agencies are authorized to work with potential foster parents to assist them with the licensing process and to provide supervision and support for the foster parents.

Potential foster parents receive 30 hours of training. The training covers topics such as child abuse and neglect, working with birth parents, and helping foster children deal with the issues they face. It also helps the potential foster parents think about how parenting another child may affect their family.

Requirements for foster families to be licensed include:

  • Potential foster parents must participate in and complete 30 hours of pre-service training provided by the agency. County Departments of Social Services use a curriculum called MAPP-GPS, or Model Approach to Partnership in Parenting – Group Preparation and Selection. The frequency and times for this training varies from agency to agency.
  • Potential foster parents must complete an application form and family profile.
  • The family’s home must receive and pass a fire and safety inspection arranged for by the agency.
  • All foster families must receive and pass an environmental safety check that is arranged for by the agency. If the family’s home is not on a public water system, the family’s home must receive and pass a water inspection arranged for by the agency.
  • Family members must have a physical examination and a TB skin test.
  • All family members 18 years old and older must be fingerprinted in order for criminal record checks to be conducted locally, through the SBI, and through the FBI.
  • If the potential foster parents are a married couple, they must have been married for at least one year. Single applicants can be licensed as foster parents.
  • To be licensed, foster parents have to be within the ages of 21 and 65.
  • Foster families need to have adequate income to financially support their own family without relying on the foster child’s board payment, as the board payment is designed to cover the essentials of room and board for the foster child. Foster parents may work as long as they are able to meet the basic needs of the foster child.
  • The foster home must have a working telephone.
  • The foster family must have access to transportation and be willing and able to provide necessary transportation to meet the needs of the foster child.
  • The foster home must provide each child with their own personal bedroom space.
Child Protective Services aims for every child to have a permanent sense of belonging in a nurturing family that provides for good physical and mental health, a safe environment, a quality education, and hope for the future. For families in which child abuse or neglect has occurred, DSS works with other community agencies to provide a variety of services. The goal is to prevent further mistreatment and enable the child to remain safely in the home. When children are not able to remain safely with their families, they are placed with relatives or in foster care to assure their protection. Child Protective Services serves the community by providing for the safety and welfare of the children of our county. Child Protective Services is available 24 hours each day to receive reports of suspected child abuse, neglect or dependency and then to investigate such reports. If child abuse or neglect is determined the agency decides if a child has to be removed for his/her own safety or if there are ways to maintain the stability of the home for that child. Then a family may be provided services or foster care. It is our goal to be able to serve children within their family; removal is our last option.

Social services staff accomplish all these services through:

  • Assessing suspected cases of abuse and neglect
  • Assisting the family in diagnosing the problem
  • Providing in-home counseling and supportive services to help children stay at home with their families
  • Coordinating community and agency services for the family
  • Petitioning the court for removal of the child, if necessary
  • Providing public information about child abuse, neglect, and dependency

We esteem:

  • Each child’s need for safety, love, care, and the stability of a permanent family
  • the strengths and diversity of families and kinship networks
  • The responsibility of parents, families, and kinship networks to make decisions about their children and to care for their children
  • The responsibility of families and service providers to work together to meet children’s needs
  • The responsibility of service providers to be proactive and discerning in ensuring positive outcomes for each child served
  • The enrichment of communities that occurs from a diversity of knowledge and experience
  • Collaboration among professionals, paraprofessionals, community members, the family and its support systems to ensure that decisions are in the best interests of the child, family and community

CHILDREN & FAMILY SERVICES: PROTECTIVE SERVICES INVESTIGATIVE ASSESSMENT SERVICES

N.C. law requires that local county departments of social services ensure children’s safety in their homes. A child protective services investigative assessment determines whether abuse or neglect has occurred and whether other services may be needed to help the family.

How did my family get reported?

Any person in North Carolina who suspects that a child is abused, neglected or dependent can report this to the county DSS. By law, the identity of the reporter is confidential.

Why does DSS want to talk with me and my family?

DSS is required by law to conduct an investigative assessment when there is an allegation that a child is abused, neglected or dependent. This means that a social worker needs to meet with you and your family to determine if the allegations are true and if your child is safe.

What happens after a report is made?

An investigative assessment must be prompt and thorough to determine if protective services should be provided or the complaint filed as a petition in Juvenile Court. If the allegations include abuse, written notification must be made to the District Attorney and law enforcement to coordinate the investigative process. Swain County DSS’s goal is to partner with the family and complete investigations as quickly as possible without Court intervention unless your child cannot be protected. It is important to us that all different types of families are respected and that there is a broad range of lifestyles and parenting practices that provide safety and minimally sufficient care for children in our community.

What is involved with an investigation?

The investigation and evaluation shall include a visit to the place where the juvenile resides. An investigation means that a social worker looks at the environmental, medical, physical, mental health, educational and emotional needs that keep children safe. Other people with helpful information may be contacted for their input. Family input, resources and safety planning are very important in keeping children safe. Your cooperation and consent for the social worker to come into your home for the investigation helps this process. It is our goal to keep children safe and families together whenever possible.

Can I refuse to let the social worker into my home?

You must give permission for a social worker to enter your home. Social workers will show their identification and clearly explain why they wish to speak with you. They will tell you about the allegations and the process of an investigation. For safety reasons, law enforcement officers typically escort social workers after hours and on weekends. Should you choose not to cooperate with an investigation, DSS may file an obstruction petition so that we may complete the investigation as required by law. If an obstruction petition is filed, a Court hearing will be scheduled no less than five days after the parent or caretaker is served with the petition and summons. Our goal is to respect your rights and work with you to make sure your child is safe. DSS must comply with the law to ensure that children in our community are safe and provided with minimally sufficient care. We will work with you to assess family strengths, needs and supportive resources that are part of safety planning.

What is the purpose of the Safety Assessment?

The Safety Assessment is completed when the social worker first makes contact with the family. This form outlines safety issues and a plan to keep children safe during the investigation. If needed, the social worker will discuss with you any safety factors present and ask for your input in making a plan that is specific and detailed. You have the opportunity to include your comments and your participation is important in developing this plan. We believe that most families are capable of finding solutions that can preserve their family while making child safety a priority. It is our job to work with families and their support to achieve these solutions.

What does it mean to place my children with a relative or other caregiver?

When the risk to your child is high and other means to protect are not reasonable, DSS may ask you to place your child with a relative to avoid the child(ren) from coming into foster care.State policy requires that a kinship assessment be completed in these cases, as well as a criminal background and child abuse/neglect check. These placements can help avoid custody and give the parents an opportunity to address any safety issues needed to return the child home. These placements are intended to be short-term and can occur during the investigative process or while DSS is providing services after an investigation.

What happens after the investigation?

If abuse, neglect or dependency allegations are found to be true, then the agency provides services to the family with child safety as the goal. You will be notified in writing of the case decision once the investigation is completed. This should occur within 30 days. A case decision of substantiation or in need of services means that there are safety and risk factors that could result in children being removed from the home without services to protect the child. There are some cases where risk to children is high and no safety planning or services can reasonably protect them. In these cases, DSS can file a petition with Juvenile Court alleging abuse, neglect or dependency or ask the Court to protect the child by removal from the home. Bringing a child into foster care is used only as a last resort to protect children from serious harm. Reasonable efforts to keep children safely at home are first attempted, along with relative or kin placement if needed. Less than 8% of all children who have been substantiated as abused, neglected or dependent are removed from the home.

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