DSS Vision:  To Be The Best!

The Mecklenburg County Department of Social Services was the first in the United States...

• To contract with a Chamber of Commerce to market North Carolina's Work First Program
• To cross-train Child Welfare social workers with Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Officers
• To pilot a weekly, fresh and frozen, meal program to the frail homebound elderly
• To establish an educational liaison position between Child Welfare and Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools
• To utilize Work First dollars to fund an academic after-school program for at-risk children

We were first in North Carolina...

• To implement mandatory Medicaid Managed Care to reduce the growth in costs and improve service quality and accessibility
• To exceed urban enrollment target for North Carolina Health Choice
• To automate the Child Welfare System with an Automated Revenue Maximization function
• To employ a Domestic Violence consultant in Child Welfare and develop and implement a protocol for family/domestic violence in Child Protective Investigations
• To implement drug, alcohol and domestic violence screening in the Work First application process
• To have online access to the schools' Student Information System
• To employ a County Attorney -- cross designated as an Assistant District Attorney to prosecute welfare fraud

On February 27, 2002, President George W. Bush visited Mecklenburg County to recognize the accomplishments of the Department of Social Services' Work First Program and the impact on the community of putting over 13,000 people to work.  To learn more about the visit from President Bush and our partnership with the Charlotte Chamber, please visit our Bush Backed Our Work First Program page.

To learn how other innovative partnerships are achieving success within the community please visit our Leadership page.