The Child Protective Services Investigation Team responsibilities consists of intake and investigation of all reports of abuse, neglect and dependency received in Wilson County as defined by North Carolina General Statutes. This highly structured legal based service is a non-volunteer service mandated to be available 24 hours a day to all the citizens of Wilson County once jurisdiction has been established.

Intake is the first stage in the Child Protective Services process. All reports are formally screened during the intake process in establishing jurisdiction for a Child Protective Services Investigation, other reports are assessed for appropriate in-house or community resource referrals. The assessment of risk immediately follows the report of a suspected child abuse protective services report.

Investigations is a highly involved process of gathering detailed information to assess the validity of the report and consequently the risk to the child. Multi-collaboration with a wide range of professionals drives the investigative process to arrange for the provision of and assisting families in utilizing appropriate services and community resources to prevent further abuse and neglect so the healing can begin in the treatment process.

The Child Protective Services Investigation team embraces the team decision process. All case decisions are staffed in-house with team members and supervisor.

The purpose of Child Protective Services Case Management is to help parents/caretakers develop and carry out plans to insure the safety of their child(ren) on an on-going basis. Staff members in this program are responsible for providing, at a minimum, weekly intensive, in-home services to the family where abuse, neglect and/or dependency has been substantiated.

To accomplish this, the Child Protective Services staff must continually assess the risk to the child, and should it be necessary, take action to prevent further harmful conditions that may exist within the home environment. Simultaneously, the staff must actively support the parent's effort to implement plans to change conditions or behaviors that have, in the past, placed their child at-risk. This program is mandated by the State of North Carolina and is provided in accordance with state rules, regulations, standards, and laws set forth by the North Carolina General Assembly.

Foster care is substitute care for children who must be temporarily or permanently separated from their families. Foster care services are designed to preserve, rehabilitate, reunite and strengthen families whenever possible and appropriate. This is done through a goal oriented service delivery that is focused on achieving permanence for a child within a 12-month period. The services are designed to remedy the problems that brought the child into care and reflect the same expectations of the family throughout the life of the case.

The goals of foster care are to 1) assure that the quality of substitute care is as close as possible to the care and nurturing that society expects of a family; 2) strengthen and preserve the family as a unit, recognizing that there are a number of parenting styles that provide a minimal sufficient level of parenting.; 3) achieve a permanent plan for the child and family within one year, and 4) assure a single, safe, nurturing and appropriate living arrangement for children in substitute care.

Out of home placement of children or reunification across state and national lines require the cooperation of agencies in ensuring that potential placement arrangements are evaluated for suitability, that the placement is in the best interest of the child and ensure to follow-up supervision if the child is placed. These services are usually provided to facilitate foster care, adoption and placement of run away children.