AG 1993 12 06 - Laserfiche WebLink

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PROGRAM REVISION NARRATIVE: In an effort to expand the continuum of services available to Community Based Alternative Youth (CBA), and in an effort to reduce waiting lists, the Cabarrus County Home Based Program is requesting the expansion of its services to incorporate a program which will offer step-down services to the Cabarrus County Mental Health Family Preservation Program. The Cabarrus Mental Health Family Preservation Program serves primarily youth that are referred by Juvenile Court. Criteria for admittance to the Family Presentation Program are: 1) that the child be referred by Juvenile Courts, DSS, or Mental Health (approximately 95 percent of referrals have been from juvenile court) and that the child be at imminent risk of being placed out of the home. For cases referred by Juvenile Court, we are generally looking at training school as the imminent risk factor. Juvenile Court has had great success in utilizing this program which offers four to six weeks of intensive (approximately 10-15 hours per week) in-home services. However, both Juvenile Court and Mental Health have noticed a need for, and are in support of, a step-down type service. A step-down service wiil allow the family to continue to receive the needed services and counseling on an extended yet less intensive basis, thus increasing the likelihood of the family internalizing and maintaining the progress, thus continuing to reduce the likelihood of training school placement. The step-down program will be in addition to the Home-Based Services Program and will operate under the same basic guidelines and procedures as home based. The position is expected to be a part-time position of 28.3 hours per week or 736 hours from January - June, 1994 at $17.30 per hour for 26 weeks. Thus the step-down counselor will carry approximately 6 cases at a time and will have an average of two weekly contacts per case. The step-down program, by nature of its referral source (Juvenile Court cases which have been involved with Family Preservation) will serve those CBA targeted youth with higher levels of severity. The expansion of this service will allow for more effective and timely delivery of community based alternatives as well as facilitate inter-agency collaboration and coordination between Juvenile Court, Mental Health, and DSS. The basic difference between home-based and step-down services would be that: 1) families involved with step-down services would have received services through the Family Preservation Program prior to entering the step-down services program. 2) The Social Worker responsible for step-down services would differ their intervention from traditional home-based services in that the step-down Social Worker would build upon a plan which is already in place versus initiating an original plan. 3) The step-down program (being a part-time position) will serve a smaller number of cases than the home-based sociai worker. REASON FOR THE CHANGE: Increased waiting list and gaps in community services are the primary reasons for this program change. During the third and fourth quarter of 1992-93~fiscai year, the home-based program maintained an average waiting list of approximately three to four clients. In addition, Mental Health and Juvenile Court had made several referrais back to Home-Based Services once Family Preservation Services were completed. This program revision/expansion will allow for our community to have a formalized way of serving the CBA identified youth with the highest levels of severity in a timely manner.