The DCFW Implementation Support Project (federally funded component) for the DHHS Child Behavioral Health Leadership Team and its funded projects enhances the existing partnership that the Impact Center has with the DCFW CBH team at DHHS. The partnership creates an implementation science, practice-based set of activities and capacity building efforts in support of a multi-tiered policy/governance, program (e.g., EBP) support, and delivery system across North Carolina.
Beginning July 01, 2026 the Impact Center will continue to work alongside and receive directions from DCFW Leadership, embed implementation science best practices within the Team, its projects, and support system partners where directed. This multi-tiered support system endeavors:
- To provide effective, timely, relevant implementation and improvement science-informed best practice supports - encouraging leaders and staff to apply implementation science competencies and capacities at all system levels. Success will enhance CBH team and agency goals for effective whole-child services integration and other key policy priorities.
- Support DHHS capacity development for a variety of state system improvements including but not limited to: supporting behavioral health system investments, trauma-resiliency network development, System of Care capacity building, DCFW/partner IEMCH activity alignment, Children with Complex Needs, CBH capacity building/strategy design, and embedding evidence-based initiatives/practices and other designated policy and program reforms. Implementation support occurs through effective use of implementation and improvement science design and support system strategies impacting state leaders, providing adult learning and behavioral coaching, and human centered design thinking applied to the CBH team and partners.
- For specific projects, apply implementation science best practices facilitating appropriate capacity development and provide specifically tailored workforce development system supports through supportive behavioral coaching and experiential learning, creating and utilizing well-defined implementation plans, and applying more routinized implementation science-informed strategies to internal and cross-partnership experiences.
- Facilitate the ongoing application and acceptance of implementation science tools, resources, and best practices at each support system level. Expected outcomes include DCFW and partner adoption and use of implementation practice frameworks, tools, and strategies to lead state level projects using research-based implementation and prevention science. These same outcomes will occur with key system partners (e.g., LME/MCO’s, providers, IEMCH and Trauma-Resilience co-design collaborators, SOC local site teams). Creating state level implementation science proficiencies among leaders and their system partners can significantly improve team performance, individual project, and system outcomes. These proficiencies further enhance governance systems to optimize outcomes involving state, managed care organizations, community agencies, consumers, and other stakeholders.
