North Carolina’s child welfare system, known as the Multiple Response System, is based upon the application of family-centered principles of partnership through seven strategic components.

One of the primary strategies of MRS is the ability to assign CPS Assessments to one of two tracks based on the allegations found in the report--investigative assessment and family assessment.

The choice of two approaches to reports of child abuse, neglect, and/or dependency protects the safety of children by not treating all reports in the same way and missing some clear need for immediate action; engaging families in services that could enable them to better parent their children; focusing on the family’s strengths, supports, and motivation to change; and, better serving many of the families reported to CPS by helping them.