Jeffery Brown serves as the E MDT Coordinator for the Onslow County Department of Social Services, Adult Protective Service Unit. Onslow County is the 12th largest County in North Carolina and is home to Camp Lejeune, one of the country’s largest military bases. Located on the east coast of the State we are surrounded by beautiful beaches and wetlands. Jeffery recently retired from the State of Georgia’s Child Welfare team where he served as a Regional Director over twelve Counties in and around Atlanta.
Onslow has a large MDT consisting of APS, local law enforcement, the local hospital team, private service providers, local faith leaders, Legal Aid, military services, and bank representatives. The team meets once a month for an hour and a half. Each month includes a cross-training opportunity and reviews of APS cases, leading to better cooperation between the MDT partners. While some challenges exist, such as improving law enforcement and prosecutorial participation, the team is finding its footing and becoming a stronger networking team while working together to improve case outcomes for our mutual clients. Since the team is relatively new, we are still working together to finalize the MOU document while developing a referral process for team members to submit their cases for review. We are also developing a survey to use for our trainings to enhance these ongoing opportunities. While this initial work is ongoing, we have already seen small successes tied to the work of the team. A recent APS case involving abuse and financial exploitation of a 99- year-old in our community came to a successful outcome. The client was removed from the unsafe situation and placed with relatives all within a 48-hour period. This was primarily due to relationships developed in the MDT leading to better trust and respect between the partners involved. The team is now working with the DA to move towards prosecution.
Quick Tip for E-MDT Coordinators
One tip I can share is to be sure to include your core MDT members in every decision made for the group from the beginning. This cuts down the amount of time it takes to move through new processes and policy decisions for the group. Each member is coming to the group with a different set of policies and regulations so everyone must participate in each decision-making process.
Burning Question for E-MDT Coordinators
One question I would bring to the group is how you track outcomes and demographic information on cases presented at the MDT. Any examples of spread sheets, databases or other tools would be appreciated.
