Adoption

Our children available for adoption are generally considered special needs. Most have been abused or neglected and have spent varying times in foster care. The North Carolina Division of Social Services maintains an online registry of all the children in the state’s foster care system waiting for an adoptive home. Persons wishing to adopt a child from foster care must attend 30 hours of training provided by our staff.

Baby LINKS

Our Baby LINKS program provides skilled nursing assessments for postpartum mothers and newborns and ‘Links’ new mothers in Dare County to available support services while providing all new parents with parenting education and information.

Care Coordination for Children

Our CC4C program works to improve your child’s care by linking you to services that will meet the specific needs of your child and family. Care Coordination for Children (CC4C) is offered at no charge for children birth to five years of age.

Care Management Services

Our nurse case manager collaborates with primary care providers to respond to referrals from hospitals, other healthcare entities, and self-referrals.

Child Day Care Services

North Carolina's Division of Child Development uses a combination of state and federal funds to provide subsidized child care services to eligible families through a locally administered state-supervised voucher system. The amount of funding allocated to each county is determined by legislation.

Child Protective Services

Reports of abuse and neglect of children under the age of 18 are assessed with the goal of protecting children from physical and sexual abuse and neglect.

Children's Environmental Health

Our Children's Environmental Health Program supports several programs for the protection of children's health. Conditions could exist in such facilities that could lead to accidents, food-borne illnesses, or the spread of communicable diseases. Our Environmental Health Specialists inspects the establishments such as school cafeterias and buildings, daycares, residential care and foster family homes.

Early Care & Education Initiative

Early Care & Education Initiative provides support to Day Cares and Preschools through the development and implementation of policies to support wellness (nutrition and physical activity). Positive Action, an evidence-based substance abuse prevention curriculum, is provided in the Day Cares and Preschools that participate in the initiative. The program is a character education curriculum comprised of age appropriate lessons on topics such as substance abuse, medication safety, physical activity, and nutrition.

Family In-Home Services

In-Home Services are legally mandated and provided to families who have had a substantiation of abuse, neglect or dependency or a finding of in need of services due to safety issues.

Family Support Services

Our Family Support Services program is a voluntary program available to families residing in Dare County with at least one child under 18 years of age in the home. This intensive program focuses on increasing the family stability, strengthening family relationships, identifying support systems and consistently meeting the needs of the family.

Foster Care

Our Foster Care program is a child welfare service which provides substitute care for children when their own family or legal custodian cannot care for them.

Health Check

Our Health Check services improve access to care by assisting families with children through age 19 in obtaining health insurance coverage, periodic well child checkups, specialized medical services, dental care, age appropriate immunizations and transportation.

Immunizations

Our Immunization Program promotes public health through the elimination of vaccine-preventable diseases such as polio, hepatitis B, measles, chickenpox, whooping cough, tetanus, rubella (German measles), and mumps.

Infant, Child, and Teen Health

Our Child Health program provides preventative health services, physical and developmental assessments to identify and minimize potential health risks for infants, children, and teenagers.  We are able to offer well-child exams, physicals, and immunizations, including flu vaccines, through this program.

Independent Living

A child may remain in foster care until the age of eighteen, if adoption or other permanent plan is not seen as an option. Teens in foster care receive LINKS services to assist them in preparing for their future.

Peer Power

Peer Power is a peer health education program where high school students are trained as health educators to positively influence elementary and middle school student’s health behaviors related to: nutrition, physical activity, alcohol, tobacco, and other drug usage.

Physicals & Health Assessments

Health assessments are conducted to make sure that your child is healthy, ready to learn, and is up-to-date on his/her vaccinations. Sports physical are conducted to identify medical or musculoskeletal conditions that might make participation in a particular sport unsafe, to screen for any previously undetected health problem, and to assure that any previous injuries have been adequately rehabilitated so that the athlete is not at risk for further injury.

School Health Nursing

Our department provides health services to Dare County Public School students by stationing public health nurses in each school. We are proud to provide services that includes screening, evaluation, treatment, health education and case management for students with chronic diseases and/or other special health care needs.  

Women, Infants & Children (WIC)

Women, Infants & Children (WIC) is a nutrition program that provides healthy foods for you and your family. WIC is available for: women who are pregnant, breastfeeding, or recently had a baby; infants from birth to one year of age; and children from one year of age to their fifth birthday.