The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services is bolstering its support for vulnerable children and families with a new initiative that sees seven seasoned veterans stepping into the role of regional directors to enhance local Departments of Social Services (DSS), as reported by the NCDHHS.

In an expansion of Rylan’s Law, these appointees are tasked to liaise with the state's 100 county DSS agencies, aiming to fortify leadership, capacity, and service delivery—this new structure empowers NCDHHS to provide constant supervision, support and training to the local leaders responsible for child welfare and social services; however, one could wonder how this will play out in reality given the diverse challenges faced across the state's varied communities.

"These regional directors are a critical part of our broader efforts to support county DSS agencies, assist with improving their systems and processes, and share best practices between counties," Susan G. Osborne, NCDHHS Deputy Secretary for Opportunity and Well-Being, expressed the NC Department of Health and Human Services commitment to upscaling the quality of services.

The regional directors, who average out at over 25 years a piece in managing social services, aren't just figureheads—they're poised to be instrumental in diagnosing and tackling systemic issues, directing policy, providing operational support, and what's important, their collective expertise could be just the thing to turn the tides in a system that's seen better days but the proof, as they say, will be in the pudding, with Ben Rose as Lead Regional Director drawing from more than three decades of experience.