North Wake News

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) has announced the statewide expansion of the Success Coach program, aimed at supporting families after they exit foster care. The initiative is part of a transition from offering post-adoption services to implementing a comprehensive support model intended to promote stability and well-being for various familial arrangements, including adoptive, reunified, custody, guardianship, and kinship care.

The Success Coach program, developed in collaboration with the Duke Endowment and Catawba County Department of Social Services, involves providing voluntary, in-home services to families. This includes individualized coaching, advocacy, and resource navigation for up to two years, free of charge. The objective is to enhance family bonds, increase protective factors, and mitigate risks of reentry into foster care.

"Every child deserves a safe, loving and stable family, and Success Coach is a key part of our commitment to making that a reality for all families exiting foster care," said NC Health and Human Services Secretary Dev Sangvai. "By expanding this permanency model statewide, we are ensuring that families across North Carolina have access to consistent, high-quality support, no matter where they live."

Success Coaches are specialized social workers who work with families to address their needs, create personalized success plans, and link them to community resources. The program's services range from parenting support to assistance with basic needs, targeting North Carolina’s rural counties where resources may be limited.

"Catawba County families have long benefitted from Success Coach Services," said Lisa Tucker Cauley, MSW, Division Director of Human Services. "We are proud of the partnership with Catawba County and the Duke Endowment that led to these services being available for all North Carolina families."

Catawba County's data reveals the program's positive impact on sustainable permanence, highlighting improved mental health outcomes, strengthened parent-child relationships, and stable placements. Over the past decade, no children reentered foster care within 12 months of exiting care in this county.

NCDHHS aims to positively impact permanency outcomes statewide, reduce placement disruptions, lower reentry rates into foster care, and improve long-term well-being for affected children and families.

"Success Coach is already showing great results for improving permanency among families in Catawba County, and we know this program is a game-changer for children and families across the state," said Catawba County DSS Director Karen Harrington. "We are removing barriers to access by bringing services directly into the home and providing families with the tools they need to remain safe, strong, and self-sufficient for the long run."

The state is investing over $16.5 million in funding over three years to implement the program across North Carolina. Regional vendors such as Catawba County DSS, Boys & Girls Homes of North Carolina, and Children’s Home Society of North Carolina will support the expansion.

Eligibility for the Success Coach program includes families exiting foster care through various means, as well as adoptive families. The services offered are voluntary and can be engaged multiple times to support familial stability.

This statewide expansion aligns with the NCDHHS’s broader strategy of establishing a robust and accessible permanency support system, potentially serving as a national model for effective permanence services.