Youth, Family & Community Partnerships

Educate. Advocate. Collaborate.

Educating, advocating, and collaborating with individuals and systems to promote the well-being of youth and families

Individually and collectively, we are committed to making the Center for Youth, Family, and Community Partnerships a great place to work. We are united by a passion for making a difference in the world. We support one another in this work by upholding the shared values of embracing teamwork and collaboration, being strengths-based, and striving for ongoing professional development.

For over two decades, the Center for Youth, Family, and Community Partnerships has served as a trusted partner for community-based organizations seeking assistance with the following services:

We specialize in working collaboratively with our partners to identify the most useful strategies to enhance their understanding of the populations they serve and the services they provide. 

The Center is staffed by researchers with expertise and experience in managing and analyzing large databases, collaborating with local and statewide stakeholders, and providing training and technical assistance on a variety of evidence-based practices.

To learn more about our services and inquire about how to partner with the Center on any of the services listed above, please send us a message via our About Us page.

>30

Dedicated staff

bringing expertise and shared life experiences to our communities

$6.8M

Annually

in grants and external funding

100

Counties

wide-ranging programs serving all of NC

7

impactful programs

empowering families through all stages of life and providing tools to navigate hardships

In the News

A Force for Youth & Families

A child acting out in preschool.
A teenager in trouble with the law.
A family reeling from a mental health crisis.
These are just a few of the North Carolinians aided by the Center for Youth, Family and Community Partnerships at UNCG…(read more)

In the Early Years

For the past 20 years, Bringing Out the Best has lived up to its name by helping Guilford County residents under 5 years old overcome behavioral, social, and emotional challenges…(read more)

In the Aftermath of a Crisis

After a crisis occurs – whether a high schooler’s violent outburst to a middle schooler’s attempt to self-harm – families are left to pick up the pieces, often unsure where to begin. That’s where the NC Enhanced Mobile Crisis Unit comes in…(read more)

In the Juvenile Justice System

In 2022 alone, about 15,000 young people were entangled with the North Carolina juvenile justice system. Program manager Dannette McCain says the majority of these young people have experienced trauma and related behavioral and emotional challenges. But people often only see the young person’s crime – a theft or violent outburst, for example – and not the struggles lurking underneath…(read more)

Voices, Seen

A rain-streaked windshield and a street sign don’t normally warrant more than a passing glance. But four high school students found deeper meaning in them as perfect visuals to express their feelings about mental health. With help from doctoral student Stacy Huff and the NC Healthy Transitions pilot program, they found a creative approach to depict their experiences when it comes to anxiety, self-esteem, hope, and security…(read more)

>18

NC High Fidelity Wraparound teams

in 74 counties assisting families when youth experience mental health or behavioral challenges

60

families Reached

1st 4 months of NC Enhanced Mobile Crisis Pilot

>150

Kids Supported

by Bringing Out the Best each year

Our Programs

The NC DHHS Division of Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities, and Substance Abuse Services is contracting with the UNCG CYFCP to provide the infrastructure management and evaluation support necessary for the successful implementation of the Mobile Outreach Response Engagement and Stabilization Pilot (MORES Pilot). This pilot program will begin with five sites across North Carolina that will implement an enhanced mobile crisis unit model that includes family peer support, decreased response times, and added follow-up support for children, youth, young adults, and their families.

NC Enhanced Mobile Crisis Pilot Program

Bringing Out the Best seeks to provide FREE family-centered, community-based services to children ages birth -five with social/ emotional and behavioral challenges.  Our objective is to increase the number of children in Guilford County that are healthy and ready to succeed as they enter kindergarten.

Bringing Out the Best

North Carolina Healthy Transitions is a Substance Abuse Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) funded project awarded to the North Carolina Division of Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities, and Substance Abuse Services. The goal of the project is to improve the outcomes for youth and young adults ages 16-25 who are experiencing serious mental health challenges. The state is partnering with two local communities and mental health providers in Henderson and Buncombe counties to implement a coordinated system of outreach, assessment, and care coordination integrating peer support to improve access to treatment and support services. Lessons learned in these communities will help support efforts to sustain services and support for this unique population across North Carolina. UNCG provides project management and evaluation support.

NC Healthy Transitions

The NC High Fidelity Wraparound Training Program (NC HFWTP) supports statewide expansion of high fidelity wraparound and the growth of HFW teams across the state. The program assures a high-quality training, credentialing and monitoring system is in place and that fidelity to the model is consistently implemented at the local level. The NC HFWTP Model is grounded in the national standards and requirements set forth by the National Wraparound Institute (NWI).

NC High Fidelity Wraparound Training Program

NC Youth & Family Voices Amplified is a statewide training, technical assistance, and collaboration organization that aims to elevate the voices and lived experiences of youth and families to promote mental health.

NC Youth & Family Voices Amplified

NC JJBH Partnerships is a statewide initiative to address the mental health and substance use needs of young persons and families in contact with the juvenile justice system. UNCG works with 21 local teams across North Carolina who work to increase access to effective, family-centered services and support for juvenile justice-involved youth with substance use and/or mental health challenges. This System of Care based initiative involves the Local Management Entity/Managed Care Organization (LME/MCO), the local Department of Public Safety, and Service Providers.

NC Juvenile Justice Behavioral Health Partnerships

Strong Minds, Strong Communities is a free program funded by the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) designed to give North Carolinian adults 18+ that speak English, Spanish, or Arabic simple tools to improve the way they think, act, and feel. Through 10, one-on-one psychoeducational skills sessions, Strong Minds can help adults improve their health and well-being! Our overall goal is to reduce mental health disparities and increase access to high quality, culturally competent mental health care by providing our free program and training Community Health Workers to implement our program across North Carolina.

Strong Minds, Strong Communities

334

Community Support Partners

trained by NC Voices Amplified in its first 2 years

21

Juvenile Justice Behavioral Health Partnerships

supported in serving 96 NC counties

>295

Teachers trained

by Bringing Out the Best each year