At Risk Case Management is a service that can improve or manage harmful situations and prevent further harm from occurring. Services are provided to disabled adults and families with children who have been abused, neglected or exploited and are in need of protection and include Adult Placement Services to find substitute homes or residential care facilities when they are unable to remain in their current home.
Professional case managers, working through each North Carolina county department of social service,provide this service. Their role is to:
Assess individual needs and then plan for, arrange, coordinate and monitor services for the person and family
Promote improved family functioning
Make use of home- and community-based services in an effort to prevent the need for an acute care or long term care setting
At Risk Case Management also serves adults who are at risk of further mistreatment because the conditions leading to a prior episode continue to exist. When requested, social workers also can help individuals return to more independent settings in the community or relocate in more appropriate settings when new levels of care are needed. These services benefit aging or disabled adults, and their families, who need help with placement and is provided without regard to income.
The Adult Home Specialist Fund also a part of this service, assists county social services departments with financial support for monitoring adult care homes. The funding supports the salaries of adult care homes specialists, who ensure that licensed adult care and family care facilities meet state licensing standards and provide care that meets the needs of the resident.