S257 - 2026 Appropriations Act. (SL 2026-41)

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Session Year 2024

Overview: Section 9J.2 of S.L. 2026-41 (Senate Bill 257), notwithstanding the provisions of the North Carolina Family Services Prevention Act, requires the Intensive Family Preservation Services (IFPS) Program to provide intensive services to children and families in cases of abuse, neglect, and dependency where a child is at imminent risk of removal from the home and to children and families in cases of abuse where a child is not at imminent risk of removal. The IFPS Program must be implemented statewide on a regional basis.  Standardized assessment criteria for determining imminent risk and clear criteria for determining out-of-home placement must be applied.

Any program or entity receiving State, federal, or other funding for the purpose of IFPS must provide the following information and data to the Department Health and Human Services (DHHS): (i) an established follow-up system with a minimum of six months of follow-up services; (ii) detailed information on the specific interventions applied, including utilization indicators and performance measurements; (iii) cost-benefit data;  (iv) data on long-term benefits associated with IFPS which will be obtained by tracking families through the intervention process; (v) the number of families remaining intact and the associated interventions while in IFPS and 12 months after release from the IFPS; and (vi) the number and percentage, by race, of children who received IFPS compared to the ratio of their distribution in the general population involved with Child Protective Services.

DHHS must continue implementation of a performance-based funding protocol and only provide funding to those programs and entities providing the required information.  DHHS must submit an annual report to the Joint Legislative Oversight Committee on Health and Human Services and the Fiscal Research Division by December 1 of each year that provides this information and data.

This section became effective July 1, 2026.

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