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1 <br /> ORANGE COUNTY <br /> BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS <br /> ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT <br /> Meeting Date: December 4, 2017 <br /> Action Agenda <br /> Item No. 7-a <br /> SUBJECT: House Bill 630 — Family/Child Protection and Accountability Act <br /> DEPARTMENT: Social Services <br /> ATTACHMENT(S): INFORMATION CONTACT: <br /> House Bill 630 Overview Nancy Coston, 919-245-2800 <br /> UNDER SEPARATE COVER <br /> House Bill 630 — Only Available <br /> Electronically at: <br /> https://www.ncoastate.no.us/Sessions/2 <br /> 01 7/ ills/ ouse/P F/ 630v6.pdf <br /> PURPOSE: To provide the Board with information about legislation passed by the North <br /> Carolina General Assembly impacting programs at the Department of Social Services (DSS). <br /> BACKGROUND: In June 2017, the North Carolina General Assembly passed House Bill 630, <br /> Family/Child Protection and Accountability Act. This bill includes study and changes designed <br /> to improve outcomes for families in the child welfare system and to improve performance in all <br /> mandated social service programs. A UNC School of Government Overview is attached and <br /> House Bill 630 can be accessed at the electronic link noted above. <br /> There are many facets of this law, some of which have major implications for local departments <br /> of social services. Some of those areas are organizational structure/regionalization of both state <br /> and county services, performance contracts between each county and the state, and an external <br /> study of the social services system. Although the timelines vary for different parts of the law, <br /> performance contracts with the state will become effective July 2018 and the details of those <br /> contracts are currently under development. The law includes language regarding corrective <br /> actions and "state takeover" of all or some of the programs in a local agency if the performance <br /> measures are not met. <br /> A report on the advantages and challenges of transitioning from county Social Services' offices <br /> to regional offices is due to the General Assembly by February 2019. There is also a report due <br /> in November 2018 on regionalization of state offices with implementation to occur no later than <br /> March 2020. A workgroup was appointed by the General Assembly to make these <br /> recommendations. There are county representatives on the workgroup, and one representative <br /> of attorneys who works with social services agencies is Angie Stephenson, a law partner at <br /> Holcomb and Stephenson (the firm that provides legal services for Orange County DSS <br />