In a major move to modernize child welfare services in North Carolina, the Department of Health and Human Services has launched PATH NC (Partnership and Technology Hub for North Carolina). This statewide information system will provide child welfare staff with real-time data and decision-making tools to better protect children and to improve outcomes for children and families across the state. Previously, the state's 100 county departments of social services were bogged down by a mix of independent data systems, with some counties still heavily dependent on manual processes and paper records.
"PATH NC is more than a technology upgrade – it’s an investment in North Carolina’s children and families," Dev Sangvai, NC Health and Human Services Secretary, conveyed in an announcement. Seeking to quickly advance the integrity and responsiveness of child welfare, the NC Department of Health and Human Services has said to have collaborated with county leaders and invested approximately $65 million into this project. Notably, the implementation of PATH NC began on June 2 with 15 counties, and plans are in place to gradually roll out the system statewide by summer 2026.
The new system is designed to unify the efforts of all counties under a singular platform, equipped with tools such as real-time alerts, dashboards, and risk and safety assessments to streamline operations. One of its goals is to bring about consistency between county intake decisions and state policies, and an early review has shown promising alignment. "We’ve built PATH NC from the ground up in collaboration with county leaders to ensure it meets the current, real-world needs of North Carolina’s child welfare social workers," remarked Michael Leighs, Deputy Secretary for Opportunity and Well-Being, in a description found within the NCDHHS official press release.
Among the features highlighted in the roll-out of PATH NC are mobile-friendly design for documentation from the field, advanced data analytics, and the capability to integrate with other child-serving systems like NC Medicaid, all purposed to ease the administrative burden and improve data accessibility. "PATH NC is going to be a game changer for the state, and we’re excited to be among the first counties leading the way," told Christa Smith, Director of Forsyth County DSS, as per the NCDHHS official press release.
