Orange County NC Website
Browse       Search
1 <br /> ORD-2025-012 <br /> ORANGE COUNTY <br /> BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS <br /> ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT <br /> Meeting Date: May 6, 2025 <br /> Action Agenda <br /> Item No. 8-j <br /> SUBJECT: Acceptance of the Sobriety Treatment and Recovery Teams (START) Grant <br /> with the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services and <br /> Approval of Related Budget Amendment #8-B <br /> DEPARTMENT: Social Services (DSS) <br /> ATTACHMENT(S): INFORMATION CONTACT: <br /> Grant Award Contract Lindsey Shewmaker, 919-245-2817 <br /> Year-To-Date Budget Summary Crystal Mitchell, 919-245-2767 <br /> PURPOSE: To: <br /> 1) Accept a grant from the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services; <br /> 2) Establish a clinical services coordinator position; <br /> 3) Authorize services contracts for a family mentor position and related supervision; and <br /> 4) Approve Budget Amendment #8-B. <br /> BACKGROUND: Substance use is a leading contributing factor in families coming in contact with <br /> the child welfare system. START is an evidence-based child welfare delivery model shown to <br /> improve outcomes for children and families affected by parental substance use and child <br /> maltreatment. This model promotes collaboration as a system of care to include DSS, treatment <br /> providers, and the judicial system. The model targets families with children ages birth through five <br /> years old. The purveyor of the START model is Child and Family Futures (CFF). CFF offers <br /> training, technical assistance, and consultation. <br /> A component of the START model is the staffing delivery. The team consists of a child welfare <br /> social worker, a family mentor, and a service coordinator. The family mentor is someone in long <br /> term recovery with lived child welfare experience. The service coordinator provides <br /> comprehensive clinicial assessments, links to recommended services, and follows clients to <br /> ensure clinical needs are met. <br /> In April 2025, Orange County DSS was awarded a grant through the North Carolina Division of <br /> Social Services, which is serving as the federal pass through agency for the funding, to implement <br /> START in the County. The grant is $320,480 in state and federal funding expiring September 30, <br /> 2025. The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services will provide ongoing funding <br /> after October 1, 2025, for any staff positions associated with START through IV-E reimbursement, <br /> an uncapped federal funding source for child welfare in North Carolina. <br />