Children with serious emotional disturbances face challenges in many aspects of their daily lives-at home, in school, in social situations and in the community. Because of this, they need coordinated services and supports from a variety of child-serving agencies as well as natural supports located in their home communities.

Systems of care (SOC), supported in North Carolina, are coordinated networks of community services and supports that are organized to meet these challenges. The system of care model is not a program; it is a philosophy of how care should be delivered. This approach to services recognizes the importance of family, school and community and promotes each child's full potential by addressing physical, emotional, intellectual, cultural and social needs.

Hallmarks of the System of Care Approach

• The mental health service system is driven by the needs and preferences of the child and family, using a strengths-based perspective.
• Family involvement is integrated into all aspects of service planning and delivery.
• Services are built on multi-agency collaboration and grounded in a strong community base.
• A broad array of services and supports are provided in an individualized, flexible, coordinated manner and emphasize treatment in the least restrictive, most appropriate setting.

Core Values

•  Child-centered, family focused, and family driven;
  
•  Community-based; and
  
•  Cculturally competent and responsive.

Find an SOC Coordinator in your area.

Family Handbook
Family Interviews: 1 | 2
ParentsMedGuide

NC CareLINK Operational

Returning Support for Veterans and Their Families (NC DHHS)

Systems of Care

Child Mental Health Best Practice

Risk & Resiliency in Youth with Mental Health and/or Substance Abuse Issues: Overview | Building Resiliency and Facilitating Recovery from Addiction

Young Children with Challenging Behavior

Suicide Prevention

SOC Tool Box Section IV. Cultural
Competency

Cultural and Linguistic Competency Action Plan
Recommendations to DMH/DD/SAS 2006

Draft DMH/DD/SAS Cultural and Linguistic Competency Action Plan, Recommendations for Moving from Thought to Practice 12/05

Planning for Cultural Competence in Systems of Care

Mental Health: Culture, Race, Ethnicity - Supplement to Surgeon General's Report on Mental Health

Building Collaboration in the NC System of Care

NC Collaborative for Children, Youth, Families

SOC Tool Box Section II. Forming and Sustaining Collaboratives

Child Welfare, Juvenile Justice and the Courts