Children, youth and families are healthy, safe and successful at home, in school and in their communities.

The North Carolina State Collaborative for Children and Families, through a System of Care framework, provides a forum for collaboration, advocacy and action among families, public and private child and family serving agencies and community partners to improve outcomes for all children, youth and families.

The State Collaborative:

• Provides a forum for the discussion of issues regarding how agencies and families can work together to produce better outcomes for children and families a "place" where decision makers from agencies can come to work collaboratively to better meet the needs of children and families.
• Develops recommendations regarding the coordination of services, funding, training and local reporting requirements to eliminate duplication and make the system more consumer friendly.
• Includes representatives of a range of state and local agencies, families and advocates.
• Provides support for local Collaborative and Child and Family Teams.

• Leadership:  Libby Jones, co-chair, family member, North Carolina Families United and Rebecca Wells, co-chair, The Department of Health Policy and Management at UNC-Chapel Hill.
• Members
  • Family Members
  • Agency representatives from Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities, and Substance Abuse Services (MH/DD/SAS), Division of Social Services (DSS), Department of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (DJJDP), Exceptional Children's Branch at the Department of Public Instruction (DPI), Medical Assistance and the Governor's Crime Commission, Administrative office of the Courts, Public Health
  • Professional Associations
  • Private Providers
  • Advocacy Groups
  • Representatives from local collaborative groups

The State Collaborative meets on the second and fourth Fridays of the month from 9:00am-11:00am at the Mental Health Association, 1331 Sunday Drive, Raleigh, NC.

• The small working group focuses on tasks at hand and local issues. Meetings are held the second Friday of each month.
• The large group meets on the fourth Friday of each month which is reserved for reports and presentations.
• Location of both meetings is subject to change. Contact Libby Jones at ljones3@bellsouth.net or Rebecca Wells at rwells@unc.edu for more information.