PROGRAM GUIDE - Mecklenburg County

Thank you for signing up to be a Socialight!

We are grateful for you and for your willingness to partner with us to support social workers who are protecting the vulnerable children in our city.  

Continue reading below for important program guidelines, detailed directions, and expectations specific to Mecklenburg County social workers.

Have questions? Email us at socialight@cfknc.org.

01. COMMITMENT

As a Socialight, our desire is for you to provide encouragement and support for your social worker(s) throughout the current calendar year. At the end of the year, we will review our processes and give you an opportunity to re-commit for the following year. If for any reason you are not able to fulfill your responsibilities as a Socialight, please let us know as soon as possible.

02. COMMUNICATION

As various personalities come together, it is inevitable that each Socialight/Social Worker relationship will look a little different, and we are excited about that!  We believe that tactfully managing expectations with grace and in love will go a long way to fostering a successful relationship. We want to encourage creativity and autonomy as you find ways to encourage your social worker within the guidelines outlined below; we do ask that you allow time for the relationship to grow naturally and organically, keeping in mind the demands that a heavy workload, long days, and odd working hours might have on your social worker.    

Your Social Worker received your name, picture, email and phone number and is looking forward to hearing from you soon!  

Please reach out to your social worker within the next week.  Introduce yourself, your family, or your group.  Please let the Socialight Coordinator know if you do no hear back from your social worker within two weeks of that first email.  

We ask that you then communicate on a regular monthly basis, as appropriate for your relationship.  Feel free to email, text, or call, whichever works best for you and your social worker after that initial email.  We at CFK will primarily communicate with you via email.  

03. GUIDELINES

You received a “Meet Your Social Worker” document that lists some helpful information including email address, office location, and some of your social worker’s favorite things. Listed below are a few easy ways to encourage your social worker. Additionally, the CFK team aims to give you other creative ideas to encourage your social worker throughout the year.  We hope these will be an encouragement to you as well!   

• Notes of prayer and encouragement   

• Encouraging artwork and quotes for his/her desk   

• Office supplies (pens, post-it notes, binder clips, and so on)   

• Snacks and goodies   

• Gift cards to your social worker’s favorite shops & restaurants   

• A birthday card or treat 

We value our partnership with Mecklenburg County DSS and other agencies, for it is one of the characteristics that makes CFK unique. We want you to be creative in the ways you bless your social worker, but we do ask that you adhere to the following guidelines to ensure we respect these non-negotiable requirements set forth by Mecklenburg County DSS.    

• Gift card denominations cannot exceed $25 at one time.   

• Monetary gifts and gift cards cannot exceed a total of $100/year. (This includes anything from a Snickers bar to a new planner.)   

• All monetary gifts and gift cards must be reported to CFK, as we have been asked to track this information).  USE THIS LINK to document your gifts in a timely manner.   

• Cash gifts are not allowed   

• All “snail mail” or deliveries should be sent to the social worker’s office location (see below).  Cost of postage does not need to be reported to or tracked by CFK.   

04. EXPECTATIONS

Check out the 2-minute video below to see some tips and reminders to help set expectations as you plan to reach out to your Social Worker.

05. MAILING INFORMATION

Sending a note or small gift through the mail is a great way to encourage your social worker at his/her office. When sending standard mail, please include a “c/o” line with your social worker’s name below the DSS office name. Each social worker has listed their office location on their “Meet Your Social Worker” page.

Example:           Charlotte East 

c/o John Doe 

5800 Executive Center Drive

4th floor

Charlotte, NC 28212 

Mecklenburg County YFS Office Locations & Addresses 

If you have any questions or concerns throughout the process, please do not hesitate to reach out at socialight@cfknc.org and let us know how we can better support you. 

Looking forward to a great year!