Family Navigators – Care Managers

NC Integrated Care for Kids (NC InCK): Helping NC Families Get the Support They Need

Posted on by manda.hufstedler@duke.edu

NC InCK was created to help make getting support easier for families with children enrolled in Medicaid in Alamance, Durham, Granville, Orange, and Vance counties.

Families helped shape NC InCK from the beginning. From 2020 to 2026, caregivers, young people, schools, healthcare providers, community organizations, and dedicated NC InCK councils worked together to make sure the program met the real needs of children and families.

Read why NC InCK mattered, how we strove to understand the whole child and family, and how we connected families to the right support at this link.

School-based Supports and Interventions in Rural Counties Integrated Care Rounds (August 2026)

Posted on by manda.hufstedler@duke.edu

Description

NC InCK’s August 2026 Integrated Care Rounds focused on access to school-based supports in rural counties and the key role schools play for rural families.

Click this link for the August 2026 Integrated Care Rounds slide deck.

Key Takeaways

  • In rural communities, access to care can be challenging as resources tend to be more limited or spread out, and many families don’t have access to reliable transportation. Schools are playing an increasingly important role in addressing gaps in behavioral health and social needs by partnering with local organizations who meet students where they are to provide meaningful services.
  • Care managers can play a key role in helping families understand and connect to supports available through their local school community. Teachers, counselors, administrative staff, and student support services faculty are key school partners who you can connect with to learn more about these resources and enroll in them.
  • Many adolescents today are navigating issues related to their family, social media, peer/romantic relationships, health related social needs, and other local community stressors. School-based mental health programs can guide youth through these challenges with referrals and a range of services like psychiatric consults, therapy, medication management, parent workshops, and other in-person or telehealth providers.
  • Young people have the right to honest reproductive health information and the necessary tools to protect themselves and safeguard their health. In North Carolina, parents or guardians need to opt their students into these courses, and they are often supportive of them. Some high schools may offer trauma-informed sexual health education courses where students can learn about families, relationships, puberty, anatomy, sexually transmitted infections, sex trafficking, and many other important topics such as self-advocacy.

Managing Burnout & Practicing Self-Regulation for Care Managers Integrated Care Rounds (May 2026)

Posted on by Josie Hatley

Description

NC InCK’s May 2026 Integrated Care Rounds focused on strategies for managing burnout and strengthening regulation skills for care managers. The session shared practical tips and resources to help care managers navigate the complex stressors of their roles, so they can best support themselves, their colleagues, and the children and families they work with.

Key Takeaways

Stress Isn’t the Problem. Getting Stuck Is.

  • The work is meaningful but also demanding. It’s important to have boundaries, support, and intentional skills you use regularly.
  • Replaying situations is not problem-solving. Instead, talk about it, write it down, and refocus on something meaningful.
  • Build skills during work, not just after hours.

Avoidance doesn’t reduce stress. It prolongs it.

  • Engaging with difficult emotions helps you process and move through them.
  • Notice and name emotions.
  • Practice curiosity and empathy instead of suppressing emotions.

Tips for Preventing Burnout in Practice:

  • Set realistic expectations (with yourself and families).
  • Maintain daily structure (schedule, breaks, stop time).
  • Lean on your team—don’t work in isolation.
  • Take PTO and rest intentionally without feeling guilty.
  • Build a “joy toolbox” with activities that help you feel restored.

Resources

Evidence-Based Readings:

Personal Development Readings:

Supporting Families in the School System​ Integrated Care Rounds (March 2026)

Posted on by manda.hufstedler@duke.edu

Description

NC InCK's March 2026 Integrated Care Rounds discuss navigating school services for students and their families. This session shares helpful resources that care managers and providers can use to assist families.

Click this link for the March 2026 Integrated Care Rounds slide deck.

Key Takeaways

  • Encourage families to request interpreters in advance and ask for clarification before signing documents. Schools must provide families with qualified interpreters at meetings, key documents in the family’s language when possible, and full understanding before consent is signed. Students and untrained staff should not be used as interpreters. 
  • Care managers can play a key role in helping families understand their rights and prepare for school meetings: Under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), parents have the right to request evaluations at any time, provide consent before services begin, and receive evaluation reports in advance of meetings. Parents are also entitled to participate as equal members of the IEP team and may request independent evaluations or pursue dispute resolution options if they disagree with school decisions. 
  • Be alert to patterns where behavioral issues are addressed without evaluating academic needs and support families in advocating for appropriate services and protections: Students with disabilities are about twice as likely to be suspended, with even higher rates for students with emotional disabilities and for students of color. 
  • Care managers should actively coach families to submit written requests (email is sufficient) for special education evaluations. Families have the right to request evaluations at any time—and it should be in writing. This creates documentation, triggers timelines, and increases accountability from the school. 

Resources

Supporting Healthy Eating on a Budget Integrated Care Rounds (January 2026)

Posted on by manda.hufstedler@duke.edu

Description

NC InCK's January 2026 Integrated Care Rounds discuss food security and eating healthy on a budget. This session shares helpful resources for families, including ways to maximize WIC and SNAP benefits.

Click this link for the January 2026 Integrated Care Rounds slide deck.

Key Takeaways

  • Food insecurity is a health and safety issue, not just a nutrition issue. Inconsistent access to healthy, adequate food is strongly linked to poorer physical health, behavioral and school challenges, caregiver stress, and increased interaction with child and adult support systems. Recognizing food insecurity as a preventable risk factor is critical to early intervention and long-term family well-being.
  • Healthy eating on a limited budget is possible with practical, realistic strategies. Small, actionable changes like using canned and frozen vegetables, choosing store brands, and shopping sales can meaningfully improve diet quality without increasing costs. Care managers play a key role in sharing these strategies with families in a judgment-free, culturally responsive guidance way.  
  • SNAP and WIC are essential tools and care managers can help families stay enrolled. Care managers can support families by educating them about the enrollment process; facilitating recertification by encouraging families to keep contact info updated in ePASS/with their local DSS office; and helping families navigate newly expanded SNAP work requirements, including connecting them to options to meet requirements like volunteering or employment programs. Proactive support helps ensure families maintain access to food at all times. 

Resources

Talkspace for Youth Mental Health Integrated Care Rounds (November 2025)

Posted on by Lindsay Kenton

Description

NC InCK's November 2025 Integrated Care Rounds introduces Talkspace as a secure, accessible online therapy platform for North Carolina youth ages 13–17, offering virtual therapy, peer support communities, and self-guided mental health courses without requiring parental consent or insurance. The discussion highlights the urgent need for youth mental health support, describes Talkspace’s privacy protections and suicide risk algorithm, and shares upcoming community events and resources for promoting mental wellness.

Click this link for the November 2025 Integrated Care Rounds Slide Deck

Key Takeaways

  • NC Dept. of Health and Human Services is collaborating with Talkspace to offer free virtual behavioral health services for NC-based youth ages 13-17 who have been affected by the legal/justice system (including directly justice-involved youth, youth who have been victims of crime, and youth affected indirectly by the justice system, e.g. teens who have family members who are/have been incarcerated or detained by immigration enforcement).
  • The program is available for free regardless of insurance and citizenship status. Caregiver/guardian consent is not required for youth to enroll.  
  • Available services include messaging and live sessions with licensed providers, moderated online peer support communities, and a two-week self-guided mental health course designed for teens.

Resources

  • Talkspace Program for NC Youth: Form to learn more about and enroll in free Talkspace services. Page is English-only, although Spanish-speaking therapists are available; care managers may need to assist patients speaking languages other than English with completing the request form.
  • Talkspace Resources: Printable and digital materials to share program information with interested teens.

ECHO Series: Adolescent Behavioral Health Integrated Care Rounds (September 2025)

Posted on by Lindsay Kenton

Description

NC InCK's September 2025 Integrated Care Rounds discuss a case study in adolescent behavioral health and resources that can support families and children to proactively mitigate potential harm.

Click this link for the September 2025 Integrated Care Rounds Slide Deck

Key Takeaways

  • Depression commonly begins in adolescence. Between 2009 and 2019, the prevalence of adolescent depression nearly doubled.
  • Suicide is the second-leading cause of death for people ages 10-34. 90% of individuals who attempt suicide have an underlying psychiatric condition, and depression is the most common one.
  • Know the difference between active and passive suicidal statements. Active statements indicate intent or a plan (“I want to die”), while passive ones indicate hopelessness (“I wish I weren’t here”). Both matter and should always prompt further evaluation.
  • Referrals to behavioral health services often take time. During this waiting period, care managers can support families by monitoring the referral, helping them find ways to manage stress, and encouraging healthy behaviors like staying active and connected.

Resources

  • North Carolina Psychiatry Access Line (NC-PAL) - Provider-facing resource to connect providers with pediatric psychiatrists and social workers who can help identify mental health resources. This site also includes tips for how families can talk to their primary care provider about mental health. 
  • 988 Lifeline - 24/7, free, confidential mental health hotline that connects individuals in need of support with counselors across the United States and its territories. People do not have to be suicidal to call or text 988. Reasons to call include: substance use disorder, economic worries, relationships, culture and identity, illness, intimate partner violence, depression, mental and physical illness, and loneliness. Services are available in Spanish and for those who are deaf/hard of hearing. 
  • NAMI NC - Operates a free helpline to individuals seeking mental health support. This site also has a guide to navigating a mental health crisis.  
  • The Adolescent Health Resource Center - Information on mental health and care access for teens, caregivers, primary care providers, and youth-serving professionals. 

LGBTQIA+ Guide

Posted on by manda.hufstedler@duke.edu

This guide is designed to support NC InCK Family Navigators, care managers, care coordinators, and support staff in, understanding the needs of LGBTQIA+ youth, effectively engaging LGBTQIA+ youth and their families, and integrating the care and supports LGBTQIA+ youth need to thrive.

Legal Aid Integrated Care Rounds (July 2025)

Posted on by Lindsay Kenton

Description

NC InCK’s July 2025 Integrated Care Rounds discuss how legal remedies can support families facing housing instability, benefit denials, and discrimination. This session shares practical resources and insights on how to connect families to Legal Aid of North Carolina’s services. 

Video

Click this link for the July 2025 Legal Aid Integrated Care Rounds slide deck.

Key Takeaways

  • Accessing Legal Aid Is free, confidential, and accessible – Clients can apply via the helpline, online, or be referred by health and community partners. Legal Aid provides multi-language support and an online self-help library for clients who prefer to or need to self-navigate. 
  • Legal Aid offers broad legal support for low-income individuals – Services span public benefits (e.g., Medicaid, SSI, FNS), housing, employment, education, and domestic violence. Legal Aid of North Carolina serves all 100 counties in North Carolina and served more than 69,000 North Carolinians in 2024. 
  • Legal Aid of NC is a critical partner in addressing Social Drivers of Health (SDOH) – Up to 80% of health outcomes are influenced by social and economic conditions. Legal Aid helps individuals address civil legal problems (like housing, benefits, and discrimination) that directly impact health outcomes. Their services can be a powerful intervention when integrated into health care settings.

Resources

  • Legal Aid of NC Website – Comprehensive hub for legal resources, self-help tools, and application access
  • Self-Help Library – Free digital resource with guides, forms, and videos on legal issues like housing, benefits, and family law
  • Statewide Helpline – Individuals can apply for legal assistance by phone. Particularly helpful for those without internet access or who need direct conversation
  • NC Medicaid Ombudsman – Independent resource for Medicaid beneficiaries who need help resolving coverage or care disputes