westchester community network westchester county, new york myra alfreds, msw

Westchester Community Network

Positive Systems of Care:Stories of Success: Effective Community Responses for Children and FamiliesOctober 27, 2004Waterloo, Ontario

Westchester Community NetworkWestchester County, New York

Myra Alfreds, MSWDirector, Children’s Mental Health

ServicesProject Director


Westchester County NY North of New York

City

Population under 1 million

Diverse Population (Growing Latino Population)

46 School Districts

Westchester County

Urban AreasLakes and Coastal Waters

Major Places

0 10 Miles

N

EW

S


Population Aged 9-17:United States, New York State and

Westchester County(1999 Census Estimates)

WHITEWHITE BLACKBLACK LATINO*LATINO* OTHEROTHER%% %% %% %%

U.S.A.U.S.A. 78.278.2 15.815.8 14.014.0 6.06.0

N. Y. StateN. Y. State 72.272.2 22.022.0 16.716.7 5.85.8

WestchesterWestchester 73.073.0 19.819.8 14.714.7 7.27.2

*Any Race*Any Race


CORE VALUES & PRINCIPLES

Individualized Family Centered Strength Based Culturally

Competent Team

Developed & Supported

Needs Driven Flexible Unconditional Community

Based Outcome

Focused



ObjectiveTransforming the Child-

Serving System to create one System of Care in

Westchester County


Westchester’s Unique SOC…. Community Organization Model Partnership with Parents & Youth Shared cross-system leadership & active

participation at all levels Applied “theory of change process” CCSI/State Three Tier Design 15 Year History of System Re-design 15 Years of Leadership & Shared Vision Infusion of SOC values through on-going

cross-systems training


County Partners

Mental Health Child Welfare Juvenile Justice Youth Bureau Alcohol/Substance Abuse Developmental Disabilities Health

Westchester’s Coordinated Children’s Services

OMH OASAS OCFS SED DPCA CCF Family Support

OMRDD

Tier IIIState Level

Tier II-County LevelChildren’s Core Services

Advisory Council

SPOE/SPORIntegrated

ServicesPlanning

Tier ILocal Level

Transitioning Age

Early Childhood

Sex. Reactive

Juvenile Firesetting

Local Planning Councils

Port ChesterNetwork

Mt. VernonNetwork

NewRochelle Network

Ossining/TarrytownNetwork

CentralWestchester

Network

YonkersNetwork

PeekskillNetwork

BedfordCentralNetwork

LakelandNetwork

Mt. Vernon Family Ties

Sound Shore Family Ties

Central WestchesterFamily Ties

YonkersFamily Ties

PeekskillFamily Ties

YouthForum

Respite Universal Referral Form

FamilyMatters

WaiverChildren’s

ICM

FamilyBased

Treatment

CommunityResidence

ResidentialTreatmentFacilities

Aging-OutPrograms

Partnership Project

Early Childhood

SafetyNet

Dept H

EastchesterNetwork

Mt. Kisco Family Ties

Ossining Family Ties

Positive Behavioral

Interventions & Supports

What is Network?

Community Organization Model

Community empowerment & leadership

Community supporting families in keeping their children safely at home

Meeting the changing needs of the community

Community Network for Children & Families

aChild

&Family

CommunityAgencies Social

Services

MentalHealthHealth

Schools

Drug &Alcohol

Police/Fire

MentalRetardation/

DevelopmentalDisabilities

Recreation

JuvenileJustice


Tier II Sub-Committees

Sexually Aggressive/Reactive Youth Juveniles with Fire-setting Behavior Co-Occurring Developmental

Disabilities & Serious Emotional Disturbances

Early Childhood Transition/Aging-Out Planning

Committee Alianza Latina


Single Point of Entry (SPOE): A Cross System Approach to Residential

Placement

County level decision makers/gatekeepers of residential services

Review community based alternatives to placement

Support Wraparound Plan & Needs Emphasis on non-traditional approaches When placement is unavoidable, group

determines the most appropriate, least restrictive, and briefest treatment that is clinically appropriate


Single Point of Return (SPOR): A Cross System Approach to Transitional

Planning From Out-of-Home Services

Cross-system county agencies and school districts Children returning from residential services in and

out of state Process begins three months prior to discharge Network meeting in residential facilities connected to

community network Child with SED is referred for services through

Universal Referral Process Aging-out Youth are connected to Youth Forum


Family Ties: Grassroots Family Support and Advocacy

Parent support organization serving families of children with social, emotional, behavioral difficulties

Founded on the premise that families are best served in their own communities and access to family support should not be tied to any one agency or program

Provides the “parent to parent” orientation Establishment of family resource centers Part of a greater state and national network of

family support and advocacy


Family Ties Staff and membersact as agents of change in what has been recognized as a broad based Social Justice Movement to ensure that all children, no matter what difficulties they face, can reach their full potential.


Family Ties of Westchester (Family Support) Resource Centers Parent Support Groups Fathers’ Support

Groups Grandparents’ Groups Sibling Groups Respite/Retreats Individual Advocacy Training

Community Networks

Local Policy Development

NY State/National Policy Development

System of Care Committees

Leadership Councils


Youth Forum Peer run support and leadership for older

adolescents and young adults

Youth are “veterans” of the system and experts on special education, residential placement, and mental health services

Provides socialization, recreation, peer support, spokesperson training, and advocacy

Young people present on “what helps and what harms” to parents, legislators, and professionals

Integral part of local, county, and state planning groups, advisory councils and Networks

Co-facilitate Transition/Aging-Out Networks


Network Development & Wraparound Training Team

System of Care Orientation

Facilitator Training (English & Spanish)

Spokesperson Training

Leadership Training Respite

Curriculum/Training Positive Behavioral

Intervention & Supports

Sexually Aggressive/Reactive Youth

Juvenile Fire-Setting Risk Assessment

Cross-System MR/DD-SED Training


Identification of Systems Issues•Family Ties•Case Management•Network•Youth Forum

Children’s Core Advisory Council (Governance Body)

On-going Sub-committee•Planning group

Hard Services/Programs

Training

Information To Action: Westchester Model For Change

Examples:•Residential•MR-DD/SED•Juvenile Sex. Offenders•Early Childhood•Clinic Waiting List•Juvenile Fire-setters

Form a Sub-Committee(Data Collection)

Evaluation


New & Emerging Issues

Growing Latino Population Younger Children Clinic Waiting Lists Use of Research/Evidence-Based

Practices in SOC (e.g., MST, FFT, Common Sense Parenting)

Budget Challenges


Suspended/Expelled

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%

40%

45%

50%

Baseline(N=221)

6 Months(N=129)

12 Months(N=102)

18 Months(N=82)

24 Months(N=65)

Total Females Males

Child Psychiatric Epidemiology Group: Columbia University – MSPH/NYSPI


Residential Placement and Psychiatric Hospitalization

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%

40%

45%

50%

Baseline(n=253)

6 Months(n=178)

12 Months(n=144)

18 Months(n=104)

24 Months(n=72)

All Residential Psych Hospital Only

Child Psychiatric Epidemiology Group: Columbia University – MSPH/NYSPI


For additional information

Myra AlfredsTel. (914) 995-5250

Email: [email protected]

System of Care Website:

www.westchestercommunitynetwork.com

mailto:[email protected]

http://www.westchestercommunitynetwork.com/

westchester community network westchester county, new york myra alfreds, msw

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