Unified Prevention Strategy for Triage, Response, Engagement, and Mobilization (UPSTREAM-SC) - Building on significant progress made since the passage Family First Prevention Services Act, the Department of Social Services seeks support through this Title IV-E Prevention Accelerator grant to implement UPSTREAM SC, a unified prevention strategy designed to deliver rapid triage, targeted engagement, and timely mobilization of services for children and families at imminent risk of entering foster care by Emergency Protective Custody (EPC). Over the most recent thirteen-month period, 2,034 children entered foster care through EPCs, often due to acute behavioral concerns or parent child conflict rather than substantiated maltreatment. This project will strengthen rapid response processes, improve referral pathways, expand the use of Motivational Interviewing as a core engagement strategy in counties with a high number of EPCs, and deepen coordination with partners positioned at the moment risk emerges, including law enforcement and the South Carolina Department of Social Services. The project will follow phased implementation approach beginning in Charleston and Horry Counties, where EPC rates and readiness indicators support early deployment. Using existing infrastructure, including CAPSS, the provider portal, and DSS’s continuous quality improvement systems, UPSTREAM SC aligns statewide leadership oversight with county-level operational execution. The implementation structure will help the Department to identify adaptive and technical needs, refine referral pathways, and ensure fidelity as the model expands to Berkeley and Aiken Counties before preparing for broader statewide implementation. Through these activities, DSS will prevent unnecessary foster care entries, strengthen family stability, and reinforce long term sustainability by maximizing Title IV-E prevention claiming. In conclusion, this work strengthens South Carolina’s long term prevention infrastructure, reflects our continued commitment to sustain and expand Title IV E prevention services, and advances the State’s broader goal of building a prevention-oriented system that supports families earlier and reduces reliance on Emergency Protective Custody as a crisis response.
