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38 <br /> What are the concerns or emerging issues your board has identified for the upcoming <br /> year that it plans to address, or wishes to bring to the Commissioners' attention? <br /> 1. Behavioral Health Access for Protective Services <br /> For children in DSS custody, the new Child and Family Services Specialty Plan <br /> was awarded to Blue Cross Blue Shield NC and is expected to roll out in 2025. <br /> This will transition health care management for youth in foster care to one <br /> managed care plan statewide. There continues to be difficulty finding appropriate <br /> placements for children in DSS custody, particularly teenage youth and children <br /> with complex behavioral health challenges. We will continue our local recruitment <br /> efforts, continue to prioritize kinship placement and support, and continue to <br /> focus on programming that supports and keeps families intact to avoid entry into <br /> the foster care system. <br /> We currently partner with Alliance Healthcare for our Adult Protective Services <br /> and Adult Guardianship cases with Medicaid coverage. We will expand our <br /> collaboration with Alliance Healthcare in 2025 to have a dedicated Alliance <br /> liaison for Adult Services. We also plan to start holding a regular Adult Protection <br /> Multidisciplinary Team meeting to work collaboratively with other community <br /> partners in addressing challenges seen with this vulnerable population. <br /> 2. Child Care Subsidy Access <br /> In September of 2024 DSS had to implement a waiting list for working families to <br /> receive child care subsidy. In October 2024, the Board of County Commissioners <br /> approved more than $700,000 to allow more families to receive child care <br /> subsidy. Staff have continued removing children from the waiting list and will <br /> spend most of those appropriated funds this year if trends continue. Additional <br /> County funds will be needed to maintain this service level moving into FY2025-26 <br /> unless additional State funds are made available. <br /> 3. Community Involvement and Engagement <br /> DSS is focused on building and expanding community engagement over the next <br /> year. We plan to hold community engagement sessions throughout the county to <br /> provide staff with opportunities to share agency information, encourage program <br /> participation, and gain input from the public regarding access to programs and <br /> services. <br /> In addition to the community engagement sessions, DSS plans to initiate an <br /> annual Human Services Forum. The forum will be held in collaboration with <br /> other county departments and local human services agencies, non-profit <br /> organizations, government officials, and community leaders. This will provide a <br /> platform for community-wide discussion of various human services issues <br />