The twice-monthly meetings are serving our families well, with different dates and times available to meet with families to better accommodate their schedules. With the COVID-19 Pandemic, our meetings moved to virtual meetings starting March 2020.  The virtual meetings have also improved performance and attendance across the board with our families and agency partners

LCT Members consisted of the following agencies: Department of Social Services, Department of Juvenile Services, Eastern Shore Psychological Services, Somerset County Core Service Agency, Somerset County Health Department, Department of Rehabilitative Services, Governor's Office for Children, Maryland Coalition for Families, Somerset County Public Schools, and Lead4Life (Mental Health). 

Additional Agencies are to be included when needed, such as law enforcement agencies, and other interested parties as needed.

Open communication between team members via e-mail, phone calls, and text messaging (when needed) ensured success for clear and concise communication and knowledge sharing in regards to case management for clients and families. HIPAA regulations are also adhered to when communicating about families.

Expand reach out through LCT presence at local events within the community to inform residents of the resource available to them within the Local Care Team.

Through community outreach, this should increase the chance of families self-referring instead of the team waiting for a child or family to be referred through an agency.

Research additional funding sources and apply for smaller grants to fund materials events, guest speakers, and trainings, not just for professional partners, but for the community as well.

Due to the COVID pandemic, an in-person presence at community events is not regularly possible at this time.  Will continue to attend local virtual events within the community to inform stakeholders/partners of the resource available to them within the Local Care Team for the families they work with.  The LCT Coordinator is working on designing a virtual update and Technical Assistance that can be shared with agency partners, as we work through the COVID pandemic.  Will also continue researching additional funding sources and apply for smaller grants to fund materials events, guest speakers, and trainings.