OTHER-2025-030-Acceptance of the Sobriety Treatment and Recovery Teams (START) Grant with the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Servicess and approval of related budget amendment #8-B

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Docusign Envelope ID: 50585F21-A738-4303-BD3F-60841076ED5E Contract Number 00048145 / Page 10 of 30 • Foundations IV: Child Welfare Practices — This 6-hour training supports fivont-line practice of the START model, builds on the material from Foundations I and H and is required for newly formed START teams . This training will be offered for each START team (supervisor, social worker, and family mentor) before they begin to serve families . Child welfare management is encouraged to attend . The goals of the training, coaching, and consultation are to: • Ensure that the START model is fist understood and selected to match the capacity and readiness of each site, adapted to the jurisdiction with the guidance of the TTA consultants, and then implemented with fidelity . • Reinforce and coordinate START implementation with related child welfare, court improvement efforts , and other initiatives in the jurisdiction. • Build the capacity of leaders and practitioners to implement and suustaiin START independently following consultation, training, and technical assistance. • Support the development of a learning organization culture incorporating program evaluation principles , ongoing quality improvement, and data-driven decisions . SCOPE OF WORK (PERFORMANCE REQUIREMENTS) By September 2025 , the Grantee shall implement the START program into the county ' s Child Welfare Practice for families with at least one child from ages birth (0) through five (5), and their siblings, who become involved with child protective services due to the parent' s substance use. The Grantee shall use START model ' s strategies of, peer mentor supports , coordination to intensive SUD treatment, intensive case management, while using a family-centered approach. The expected outcomes once fully implemented and firmly established within a community include : • Ensure child safety; and • Reduce entry into out-of--home care, keeping children in the home with the parents when safe and possible ; and • Achieve child permanency within the Adoptions and Safe Families Act (ASFA) timeframes, preferably with one or both parents or, if that is not possible, with a relative; and • Achieve parental sobriety in time to meet ASFA permanency timeframes ; and • Reduce repeat child maltreatment and re-entry into out-of-home care; 'and • Expand behavioral health system quality-of-care and service capacity as needed to effectively serve families with parental substance use and child maltreatment issues ; and • Improve collaboration to transform the system of service delivery between child welfare and SUD/mental health treatment providers . PERFORMANCE STANDARDS The Grantee shall : • Ensure participation and coordination with the Grantee and CFF for ongoing technical assistance (TA), coaching, and consultation. • Demonstrate a commitment to meaningful parent engagement and leadership opportunities . • Promote racial equity, diversity and inclusion within the agency. • As a part of Continuous Quality Improvement practice, encourage ongoing staff development. • County DSS reporting systems shall be kept tip to date, for the data integrity via the DSS Data Warehouse. • Ensure Data reporting to CFF and the University Research Evaluator of outputs and outcomes for monitoring the program implementation. Reports require the CLADS information for each child in a family which receives START services . Necessary data points for collection, for evidenced model fidelity: o County Staff participating in webinars, technical assistance and Foundations Trainings o Number families referred to the START team o Number of children and families served by the START team o Number/percentage of parents who, dining their START services episode: ■ Receive timely substance use assessment and substance use services