System of Care Forms and Info

Upcoming System of Care Training - offered by Jackson Psychological Services

Training details are posted on WHN's training calendar: 
March 5-6 |  April 23-24 | July 2-3 | October 29-30 | December 20-21

WHN SOC Coordinators

Angie Garner manages Buncombe, Henderson, Transylvania and Polk counties.  Her email address is: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .  Her office number is 225-2785 ext. 2974.  Her cell number is 768-3089.

Sheila Wilson manages Yancey, Madison, Mitchell and Rutherford counties.  Her email address is: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it    Her office number is 225-2785 ext. 2555.  Her cell number is 385-2432.

What is System of Care?
System of Care is a nationally recognized framework and Best Practice for organizing and coordinating services and resources into a comprehensive and interconnected network for youth and families.  The goal is to work with youth and families who need services or resources from multiple human service agencies to be safe and successful at home, in school and in the community.  System of Care builds on youth, family and community strengths and makes the most of existing resources to help children and their families achieve better outcomes with the most normative and least restrictive environment possible. 

System of Care is a part of a National Initiative that was established by Congress in 1992. Currently, more than 60 systems of care communities are funded through cooperative agreements to States, communities, territories, and Tribal Nations which are administered by the Center for Mental Health Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

In 2003, North Carolina began its North Carolina Mental Health Reform transformation. An essential part of that plan is the inclusion of systems of care which incorporates child and family team supports, reflecting best practice.

What is a Child and Family Team?
A CFT is a meeting in which family members and their community supports come together to create a collaborative treatment plan, usually initiated and organized by the clinical home. The CFT is built around the family to make sure that each family's strengths are promoted and their needs are met. Team members work together with the family to write a Person Centered Plan based on what the child/youth and family wants and needs, and to also decide on CFT membership and frequency of meetings.

One of the goals of System of Care is to help families become more confident and able to meet the needs of their children without relying only on paid professionals. As a result, as families begin receiving more of the support and resources that they need through the System of Care, the idea is that they may then need fewer professionals and want more CFT members to be family members and other family supporters in their neighborhood and community.

Who is on a Child and Family Team?
The family is always part of the CFT. Children who are old enough to attend meetings, understand the process, and make choices can also be on their own CFTs. The team can include anyone who is important in the family's life and who knows the strengths and needs of the child and family. Team members are usually people who are part of the child's education, care, custody, or treatment, and others who know the family and lend support. They can include but are not limited to the following:

• Family members
• Friends and neighbors
• Community members
• Members of businesses, churches, or other groups
• Teachers and other school staff
• Family advocates
• Service providers (doctors, social workers, case managers, court counselors, teachers, school nurses, etc.)
• Others who know the family well

What is a Family Advocate?
Everyone on the CFT will be helpful and supportive, but the family advocate has a special job to guide and support the family when necessary or as requested, as they learn their role as a team member and become active in the System of Care. The family advocate can help the family locate information, choose service providers, solve problems, and get prepared for meetings. The family advocate can also help the family get in touch with other parents to share ideas and experiences. The family advocate is usually a parent of a child with special needs and can provide support and empathy because of having walked in similar shoes like that of the family receiving services.

CARE REVIEW TEAM

Learn what a Care Review Team does, and how to make referrals - Care Review Team & Referrals

Resource Links

• Utilization Review Guidelines for Residential Behavioral Health Providers: 
  Implementation Update #90 (9/7/11)

• 11hr Mandatory SOC Training: Implementation Update #73 | Summary for Update #73

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