Raleigh, NC — November 20, 2024 — Benchmarks, the largest specialty healthcare provider association in North Carolina, and Your Case Plan have announced an innovative partnership. As Benchmarks’ newest corporate member, Your Case Plan will work with Benchmarks to improve communication, transparency and accountability throughout the state’s child welfare system. Founded by a former foster parent in North Carolina, Your Case Plan is committed to advancing child welfare reforms across the state and reducing the time children spend in foster care.
“Becoming a member of Benchmarks represents an important step for us. As a former foster parent, I know firsthand how miscommunications can lead to endless court delays and gaps in services that keep children stuck in foster care for years,” said Ryan O’Donnell, CEO & Co-Founder of Your Case Plan. “Amidst recent class action lawsuits, civil rights investigations, and mounting public pressure, it is clear that NC must do more to support families and ensure children are not neglected by the very system designed to protect them.”
Your Case Plan helps families navigate the system and connect them to all of the various stakeholders involved in a child welfare case including parent/child attorneys, agency caseworkers, GAL/CASA, and healthcare providers. Their web and mobile apps integrate with existing case management systems used by public and private agencies, reducing duplicate data entry and promoting collaboration throughout a case. Often referred to as “MyChart for Foster Care,” Your Case Plan provides everyone a user-friendly, secure and HIPPA compliant platform to communicate via chat, voice, and video and collaborate by sharing appointments, tasks, case notes, documentation, photos, and videos.
To celebrate this partnership, Your Case Plan has committed to provide eligible member organizations with up to $100,000 of gifts in kind to implement the product. Karen Mcleod, President and CEO of Benchmarks, shared her excitement for the partnership, stating, " The Your Case Plan was developed from a perspective of someone with lived experience as a foster parent, who understands that ineffective communication erodes the outcomes of children in foster care. We are delighted that this software offers a powerful solution to provide enhanced communication, for all parties, to effectively support our youth in the child welfare system.”
Earlier this year, Oklahoma was the first state to implement the product throughout the state through their Office of Family Representation. The product has received wide-spread support in North Carolina, including over 30 current and former county DSS directors plus multiple leaders from private agencies and the court system. The NC IDEA Foundation recently awarded them one of their prestigious NC IDEA Grants to support their expansion in North Carolina, recognizing the company as one of the most innovative new companies in the state.
Attendees of Benchmarks’ annual conference, Destination 2025, will learn how the State of Oklahoma implemented Your Case Plan and their impact across the state. Additionally, attendees will have the opportunity to hear directly from Ryan O’Donnell as he shares his transformation from a pre-adoptive foster parent to a fierce advocate for family reunification and child welfare reforms.
About Your Case Plan by Sunlight:
Founded by a former foster parent and serial tech entrepreneur, Sunlight is on a mission to strengthen America's social safety net. Sunlight’s first product, Your Case Plan, reduces the time children spend in foster care by improving legal representation and communication for all parties involved in a child welfare case. Trusted by leading states, our web and mobile apps make it simple, secure and HIPPA compliant to communicate via chat, voice, and video as well as share case notes, tasks, events, and documentation. For more information, visit: https:/
About Benchmarks:
Benchmarks is an alliance of nationally accredited agencies committed to providing quality care, leadership, and accountability in services to children, adults and families in North Carolina. Member agencies of Benchmarks deliver a broad continuum of behavioral health, child welfare, education, development disabilities and residential support services. For more information, visit https:/
