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Success Coach program at BGHNC supporting families

The Success Coach program at Boys and Girls Homes of North Carolina is providing family reunification and support services to families emerging from crisis.

Grant support from The Duke Endowment and Cape Fear Memorial Foundation has allowed BGHNC to provide services at no cost to the families.

“Success Coach is one of the programs demonstrating our commitment to being a leading child welfare services provider,” said BGHNC President/CEO Ricky Creech. “We are dedicated to meeting the needs of the children and families in our communities so that they are in an environment that promotes health, healing and hope.”

Success Coach is a voluntary program to support children and families who have been reunited, are in the process of reuniting, and families who might benefit from post adoption support. The program works with families in the home to build skills in problem solving, self-advocacy, and crisis management to prevent a return to the child welfare system.

“Success Coach services are designed to support children who are in trial home placement, or who have been placed with a guardian as part of permanency planning,” said Success Coach Supervisor Aliza Blumstein. “We also accept Child Protective Services cases that have a finding and have been transferred to an in-home social worker. Our Success Coaches promote and enhance child and family well-being by strengthening resiliency, providing support and advocating for families.”

Family reunification programs are widely recognized as a “promising practice” to prevent foster care re-entry and strengthen all participating families. Success Coaches advocate for children and their families, connect families to community resources, help parents assess their children’s social and emotional needs, empower families to solve problems and resolve conflict, engage in skill building, support parents in meeting children’s educational needs, enhance parenting practices and provide crisis management services.

“Our goal is to stop the revolving door through the child welfare system,” said BGHNC Chief Program and Business Development Officer Donna Yalch. “We are grateful that we have the opportunity to offer this important service to our community.”

Initiated at BGHNC in October 2019, the program is modeled after the initial pilot program in Catawba County.

“Outcomes from our program are providing data to allow Success Coach Services to become an officially recognized evidence-based program for the Family First Prevention Services Act,” said Blumstein. “This is an important designation as it will allow for funding to truly support the families in need so that no family is left behind.”

The program is currently serving 12 families with an additional four active referrals.

“We’ve had several families meet their goals since the program started,” said Blumstein. “With our innovative practices and supports, it is sometimes hard for the families to recognize that they are ready to move forward on their own. Part of the job of our Success Coaches is to help the families recognize and celebrate their successes. We are always available to provide booster sessions as needed to refresh their skills in-home and in the community.”

To request free assistance or learn more about Success Coach, contact Aliza Blumstein at aliza.blumstein@bghnc.org.

About Boys and Girls Homes of North Carolina

Boys and Girls Homes of North Carolina, Inc., has been helping children since 1954. Since then, more than 7,500 children have benefitted from the services of the not-for-profit, 501(c)3 agency. Its mission is to provide a comprehensive array of services for children and youth who have been removed from their homes due to abuse, neglect or other family dysfunction. BGHNC offers adoption, family and therapeutic foster care, Success Coach services to prevent children from coming into foster care, and free children’s therapy, as well as residential care on the campus at Lake Waccamaw. The campus features a SACS-accredited school with a middle and high school curriculum, vocational education, recreation facilities, farm, chapel and cottage life. As many as 320 children are cared for through the residential, community-based services, and school program provided by BGHNC at any given time. BGHNC operates its program, services and activities in compliance with federal nondiscrimination laws. BGHNC is nationally accredited by the Council on Accreditation.

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