Learn More about DCFW

What: The Division of Child and Family Well-Being (DCFW) brings together complementary NC Department of Health and Human services to support North Carolina’s children growing up safe, healthy, and thriving in nurturing and resilient families and communities. DCFW includes the following sections:

  • Food and Nutrition Services: North Carolina’s Food and Nutrition Services (FNS)/Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Food and Nutrition Services is a federal food assistance program that provides eligible families the food they need for a nutritious diet.
  • Community Nutrition Services: North Carolina’s Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) and the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP). WIC provides basic nutritious foods to eligible pregnant, breastfeeding, and postpartum women, as well as infants and children. CACFP provides reimbursements for nutritious meals and snacks to eligible children and adults who are enrolled for care at participating child care centers, day care homes, and adult day care centers.
  • Whole Child Health:
    • Child Behavioral Health programs include school mental health programs, System of Care, the pediatric mental health care access program (NC Psychiatric Access Line), evidence-based programs for children and youth, and the Department’s Rapid Response Team.
    • Child and Youth health programs in schools and communities, such as school health promotion, home visiting programs, supports for children and youth with special health care needs, genetics and newborn screening and more.
  • Early Intervention: Early Intervention/Infant Toddler Program provides supports and services to young children with developmental delays or established conditions.

Why: Across NCDHHS, we aim to make a positive impact on the lives of the people we serve and to ensure that programs and services reach those who need them the most. We are proud of how we transformed how we work as a team to serve children and families during an unprecedented global crisis. The Division of Child and Family Well-Being will build upon these lessons learned to further prioritize and coordinate whole child and family well-being by:

  • Enhancing how children and families access programs that support their well-being: Coordination across programs serving children and families allows more families to access programs across mental, social, and health services. An early area of work will be making it easier for families to enroll in the nutrition programs in the division (e.g., WIC and FNS/SNAP). 
  • Coordinating increased investments to improve child health and well-being: The investments will be informed by data with a focus on closing equity gaps in child well-being.  An early focus will be maximizing the impact of the federal American Rescue Plan funds.
  • Elevating the value of our teams supporting child and family well-being: We are inspired by our team members who passionately work to improve the lives of children and families in North Carolina. Our commitment is to create a thriving culture where we celebrate our positive impact on child and family well-being.