The new Children and Families Specialty Plan (CFSP) will go live on December 1, 2025. Blue Cross NC was awarded the contract for the Children and Families Specialty Plan in August 2024.
The Children and Families Specialty Plan is a single, statewide NC Medicaid Managed Care health plan designed to support Medicaid-enrolled children, youth and families served by the child welfare system in receiving seamless, integrated and coordinated health care.
As a statewide entity, the Children and Families Specialty Plan, regardless of a member’s geographic location or situation, will provide members with the same basic benefits and services and the following services:
- Physical health
- Behavioral health, such as outpatient therapy, inpatient treatment and crisis and therapeutic residential options for children
- 1915(i) Home and Community-Based services
- Intellectual/Developmental Disabilities (I/DD) services
- Long term services and supports
- Pharmacy services
- Unmet health-related resource needs
Stakeholder feedback was instrumental in shaping the Children and Families Specialty Plan. The Department used multiple avenues for stakeholder engagement throughout 2021, 2022 and 2024 that resulted in a Children and Families Specialty Plan design to provide children, youth and families served by the child welfare system in North Carolina with a specialized plan intended to improve near and long-term health outcomes, increase access to health and health-related services and strengthen and stabilize families.
Resources
- The Children and Families Specialty Plan (CFSP) is a new single, statewide NC Medicaid Managed Care health plan that will provide Medicaid-enrolled children, youth and their families currently and formerly served by the child welfare system with seamless, integrated and coordinated health care.
- The health plan will operate statewide, ensuring members can access the health care services they need, including mental health care, and continue to work with their doctors as placements may move them across the state.
- The health plan is part of North Carolina’s commitment to improving the long-term health and well-being of children experiencing the child welfare system to strengthen and support families.
- To implement the health plan, NCDHHS will work with Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina (Blue Cross NC), who will manage the health plan under the name Healthy Blue Care Together.
- One, single statewide plan: The health plan will operate statewide as the single entity accountable for the health care of its members, simplifying processes and providing caregivers, providers, case workers and families with the information to provide the right care at the right time.
- Informed by local needs: The health plan will collaborate with local Departments of Social Services, local stakeholders and families to understand and respond to needs in each community. Care managers will be located within the community to support this work.
- Prevention focused: The health plan will take a family-focused approach to care delivery to strengthen and preserve families, reduce entry and reentry into foster care, and support reunification and other permanency plan options.
- Comprehensive care: The health plan will increase timely access to a broad range of physical health, behavioral health, pharmacy, long term services and supports and intellectual/development disabilities services and unmet health-related resource needs for all members.
- Coordinated care: The health plan will provide care management to all members to support integrated, whole-person care and facilitate coordination among service providers. It will also facilitate seamless transitions for members who experience changes in treatment settings, child welfare placements, transitions to adulthood and/or loss of Medicaid eligibility.
- Children and Youth Transitioning from NC Medicaid Managed Care to Foster Care, English - Spanish
- Children and Youth Transitioning from NC Medicaid Managed Care to Foster Care for Providers
Webinar: North Carolina Medicaid Managed Care Transformation as of April 1, 2023: Implications for Children and Youth Served by the Child Welfare System: A Resource for DSS County Child Welfare Workers - March 23, 2023
Webinar: Transition to Tailored Care Management for Children/Youth Served by the Child Welfare System:
A Resource for County DSS and Other Stakeholders - Nov. 29, 2022
Webinar: Updates on North Carolina’s Children and Families Specialty Plan - Feb. 17, 2022
- Presentation
- Recording (Passcode: 81x1?u#Z)
Webinar: An Update on North Carolina’s Specialized Foster Care Plan – June 4, 2021
Webinar: An Overview of North Carolina's Specialized Foster Care Plan – Feb. 11, 2021
| Date | Proposed Topic(s) | Meeting Materials |
| Jan. 11, 2022 | Update on North Carolina’s Specialized Foster Care Plan |
| Date | Proposed Topic(s) | Meeting Materials |
| April 19, 2021 |
| |
| May 3, 2021 |
| |
| May 17, 2021 | Care Management | |
| June 7, 2021 | Stakeholder Brainstorm on Care Management | |
| June 22, 2021 | Care Management, cont. | |
| July 12, 2021 | Quality and Outcomes | |
| July 26, 2021 | Provider Network | |
| Aug. 9, 2021 | Workgroup Lookback and Next Steps |
About the Children and Families Specialty Plan
NCDHHS released the revised Children and Families Specialty Plan Policy Paper on Jan. 16, 2024.
The original North Carolina's Specialized Foster Care Plan was released in February 2021, requesting input from those who support these populations and other interested stakeholders. After reviewing recommendations, NCDHHS offers several updates to the Children and Families Specialty Plan.
For more information email Medicaid.NCEngagement@dhhs.nc.gov.
This page was last modified on 01/15/2025