What is SOC?

SOC stands for System of Care. It is a community and outreach-based service
system that focuses on stabilizing children whose placements are at risk due to
emotional or behavioral issues.

SOC serves:

•  a child in a home of relative or traditional foster care placement who needs clinically intensive services to stabilize the placement; or 
• a child in a more restrictive placement who needs additional services to step down to a foster home.

System of Care (SOC) providers will work with the caseworker to help deliver and coordinate services, including: 

• individualized assessments; 
• 24-hour crisis intervention; 
• Child & Family Team meeting facilitation and wraparound planning; 
• individual and family counseling/therapy; 
• placement stabilization support; 
• linkage to community resources; and 
• assistance in obtaining services/goods (as necessary) that will help stabilize the placement.

How do I get SOC services for my child? 

• talk to the child’s caseworker about your concerns and what you think you need to help keep the child with you.  Any caseworker who has a child residing in a foster home can make a referral for SOC services by completing the SOC referral form and forwarding it to the local SOC agency assigned to the neighborhood in which you and the child live; and 
• caregivers and caseworkers can call the CARES line at (800) 345-9049 to request immediate crisis intervention services from SOC.

How long will SOC be involved? 

It is important to know that SOC does not take the place of your caseworker and is only going to be involved for as long as the placement is at risk.  For some children, that might mean a month or even less - for other children it could be much longer.  Each child is diff erent and SOC will work with you and the caseworker to fi gure out what is best for your child.