System of Care
A System of Care is:
A spectrum of effective, community-based services and supports for children and youth with or at risk of serious challenges and their families, that:
- is organized into a coordinated network,
- builds meaningful partnerships with families and youth,
- addresses their cultural and linguistic needs, in order to help them to function in all life domains
Core Values
- ) Family-Driven and Youth-Guided, with the strengths and needs of the child and family determining the types and mix of services and supports provided.
- ) Community-Based, with the locus of services as well as system management resting within a supportive, adaptive infrastructure of structures, processes, and relationships at the community level.
- ) Culturally and Linguistically Responsive, with agencies, programs, and services that reflect the cultural, racial, ethnic, and linguistic differences of the populations they serve.
Guiding Principles
- ) Provide a broad, flexible array of effective, community-based services and supports that include formal, informal and natural supports
- ) Provide individualized services and supports in equitable partnership with families
- ) Commit to evidence-informed and promising practices, as well as practice-based evidence.
- ) Deliver services and supports within the least restrictive, most normative environments.
- ) Ensure that families and youth are full partners in all aspects of the planning and delivery.
- ) Ensure that services are linked and coordinated
- ) Provide care management and care coordination (i.e.Wraparound) at the practice level.
- ) Provide services to families and youth in their homes and community or community-like settings.
- ) Provide services for transitionof youth (age 14-18) to adulthood and to the adult service system as needed.
- ) Emphasize prevention, and early identification to improve outcomes.
- ) Focus on quality and improvement by adhering to the systems of care goals; practice fidelity, and outcomes at the system level, practice level, and child and family team level.
- ) Protect the rights of children and families and promote effective advocacy efforts.
- ) Ensure that services are sensitive and responsive to differences.