Selecting Appropriate Services

Selecting Appropriate Services

There are several major departments that work with young children in the welfare system that can link to programs and services available to children with developmental delays and challenges.

• • Health and Human Services: HHS (Medical)

    • • Principal agency for protecting the health of all Americans and providing essential human services. Includes more than 300 programs including:

        • • Supporting Military Families, Health, Financial Assistance , Health Insurance, Safety

  • Department of Child and Family Services: DCFS (Child Welfare)

    • • The Department of Children and Family Services with public, private, and community partners, provides quality child welfare services and supports so children grow up safe, healthy, educated and with permanent families.

• • Department of Mental Health: DMH (Mental Health)

    • • The Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health (DMH) is the largest county mental health department in the country. DMH contracts with approximately 1,000 providers who provide a spectrum of mental health services to people of all ages to support hope, wellness and recovery.

      • Mental health services provided include assessments, case management, crisis intervention, medication support, peer support and other rehabilitative services. Services are provided in multiple settings including residential facilities, clinics, schools, hospitals, county jails, juvenile halls and camps, mental health courts, board and care homes, in the field and in people’s homes.

• • Multidisciplinary Assessment Team: MAT Assessment through DMH

    • • Multidisciplinary Assessment Teams (MAT) is a collaborative effort between the Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS), the Department of Mental Health (DMH), and other community providers. It is designed to ensure the immediate and comprehensive assessment of children and youth entering out-of-home placement. When a child is detained, he/she is eligible to receive a Multidisciplinary Assessment Team (MAT) assessment through DCFS. This assessment is meant to help a family meet the special needs children may have. The information gathered by this assessment will be used to determine what services are most needed.

• • Child Care and Education (i.e. Head start / pre-school)

    • • Head Start is a federal program that promotes the school readiness of children ages birth to 5 from low-income families by enhancing their cognitive, social and emotional development. Local Head Start services are delivered by about 1,700 public and private nonprofit and for-profit agencies. These agencies receive grants from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Head Start if for Three- and 4-year-old preschoolers . Early Head Start serves pregnant women, infants, and toddlers until the child turns 3 years old and is ready to transition into Head Start or another pre-K program.

• • California Children’s Services: CCS

    • • The CCS program provides diagnostic and treatment services, medical case management, and physical and occupational therapy services to children under age 21 with CCS-eligible medical conditions. Examples of CCS-eligible conditions include, but are not limited to, chronic medical conditions such as cystic fibrosis, hemophilia, cerebral palsy, heart disease, cancer, traumatic injuries, and infectious diseases. CCS also provides medical therapy services that are delivered at public schools.

• • Regional Center & Department of Developmental Services (Intervention)

    • • Regional centers are nonprofit corporations that contract with the Department of Developmental Services to provide or coordinate services and supports for individuals with developmental disabilities. They have offices throughout California to provide a local resource to help find and access the many services available to individuals and their families.

See Module 4, Handout 4: Agencies Working with Children for more details

• • Mental Health services

    • Most foster children are eligible for Medi-Cal, which provides a full spectrum of care, including mental health service for eligible children up to age 21. Medic-cal mental health services are provided through a mental health managed care system. EPSDT mental health services are Medi-Cal services that correct or improve mental health problems. These problems may be sadness, depression, nervousness, behavior problems or anger that make life difficult.

  • Some of the EPSDT services you can get from your county mental health department are:

    • · Individual therapy

    • · Group therapy

    • · Family therapy

    • · Crisis counseling

    • · Case management

    • · Special day programs

    • · Medication for your mental health

    • · EPSDT treat alcohol and drug problems that affect mental health

    • · Therapeutic Behavioral Services (TBS)

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