What is Partnership with Families?
The Partnership with Families programs were designed to create a comprehensive system of care for children ages 5-18 who are diagnosed with a Serious Emotional Disturbance, where those organizations and agencies who are working with a child or youth develop a coordinated effort to meet all of the family’s needs. In the past, families have complained of getting the “runaround”, of having to fill out multiple applications, and going through multiple assessments, and of getting conflicting advice from different providers. The Partnership uses a “wraparound” approach that invites the family and all service providers to the table initially to identify strengths and priorities of the family, and to determine how to meet the families goals, including the mobilization of needed services.
What types of services are available to families?
Services include:
- Initial Diagnostic Screening and Assessment
- Care Coordination
- Parent Partner Services
- Crisis response and Stabilization Services
- Psychiatric and medication services
- Respite care
- Transportation Services
- 24-hour crisis intervention
- Skill-building interventions
- Family Assistant Services
- Family Empowerment Groups
Each family has access to a Care Coordinator and a Parent Partner. The Care Coordinator is responsible for identifying needs and serves as a liaison for linking, monitoring and coordinating needed services. The Parent Partner provides valuable insight and support as each Parent Partner has personal experience in raising a child with a serious emotional disorder. The Parent Partner is an employee of FACT. The level of care coordination delivered to the child and family is dependent upon their level of need based on the following:
Intensive Level Care Coordination
Intensive Community Psychiatric Rehabilitation (CPR) is a level of support designed to help children who are experiencing an acute psychiatric condition, alleviating or eliminating the need to admit them into a psychiatric inpatient or residential setting. It is a comprehensive, time-limited, community based service delivered to children who are exhibiting symptoms that interfere with individual's lives in a highly disabling manner. This level of care is intended for children with serious mental illness and severe emotional disorders who meet program eligibility and:
- Would be hospitalized without the provision of intensive community-based intervention; or
- Have extended or repeated psychiatric hospitalizations, or
- Crisis episodes; or
- Are at risk of being removed from their home or school to a more restrictive environment; or
- Who require assistance in transitioning from a highly restrictive setting to a community-based alternative, including specifically persons being discharged from inpatient psychiatric settings who require assertive outreach and engagement.
Rehabilitation Level Care Coordination
The Rehabilitation level of care is designed for those individuals who require a significant level of support, treatment, and rehabilitation services to live successfully with their families and with their community. The treatment plan is focused toward age-appropriate rehabilitation. Emphasis may be on stabilization in the community. Care Coordinator services including mobilization and coordination of services, monitoring, and skill-building interventions are critical components in this level of care.
Maintenance Level Care Coordination
The Maintenance level of care is designed for those individuals who have achieved significant stabilization from psychiatric illness and who generally are no longer in need of multiple services or frequent contact with a service provider and who are living either wholly independently or with only minimal support in the community. Ongoing maintenance, retention of previous gains, and prevention of relapse, with an emphasis on self-sufficiency and self-determination are the primary goals. Services at this level typically will include medication services, care coordination (if required) and crisis services as needed.
