Children's Home Society of North Carolina

Children's Home Society of North Carolina (CHS) exists to promote the right of every child to a permanent, safe, and loving family. CHS seeks to prevent childhood trauma, break cycles of poverty and neglect, and help build healthy and resilient families. Our services focus on improving child and family well-being and helping children achieve permanency through reunification, guardianship, or adoption. Last year we served 23,515 individuals across North Carolina. Foster Care to Permanency Services: Provided foster care for 966 children across the state; 113 children were adopted and 51 were reunified with their family of origin. Life-Long Post Adoption Services: Provided an array of support services to 251 adoptees, adoptive families, and birth parents. This program helps clients address issues that may have arisen from their experience with adoption and uses confidential intermediary services to provide connection services to adult adoptees and birth families. Child Focused Recruitment: Provided services to 656 of the oldest and longest waiting children in foster care to identify a permanent family. 60 youth achieved permanency. Supportive Post Adoption Network: Provided clinical in-home and community-based post-adoption support services to 275 families and 185 children. This work supports families in understanding and addressing child trauma. Intensive Family Preservation Services: Provided services to 528 families and 1069 children to improve family functioning and prevent entry into the child welfare system. 98% of families remained intact after receiving services at case closure. HealthySteps Specialists provided parenting education for 5686 caregivers and 5862 children. The program currently operates in 13 pediatric practices in Guilford County, supporting families with children aged 0-3. Community Navigation operates in OB-GYN offices in Guilford County, providing support for 2023 pregnant people starting at their first prenatal appointment and continuing through a series of follow-up appointments. 242 postnatal clients consented to services as well. Family Education and Support: Provided education services to 1073 parents/caregivers focused on building knowledge and skills to improve child and family well-being in a group setting and 107 in an individualized format. Youth education: Provided 295 adolescents and 221 professionals with training and education around sexual, reproductive, and relationship health for youth in care. Professional Training: Provided professional training and skill-building to 370 professionals across the state, improving knowledge and professional skills in child welfare and responding to child trauma. Child First is an in-home, evidenced-based therapeutic intervention provided for children aged 0- 5 and their caregivers. This year, 54 children were served.