How We Help Youth & Families
Youth is assigned a Care Manager
When youth are referred to Partners, they are assigned a Care Manager, who will act as the main point of contact with our agency. As we begin our work with youth and families, our first job is to listen to them, to hear their story, help identify needs to be addressed, and acknowledge their strengths.
Crisis Plan is Developed
One of the initial activities we need to complete with a youth and family is developing a Crisis Plan. The Crisis Plan is a document which details how to respond when a crisis occurs. It defines a crisis for the youth and family; identifies areas that lead to a crisis; describes strategies to deal with the crisis; and lists community resources to be used for further assistance. If a youth and family needs help to deal with a crisis after hours, on weekends, or holidays, Partners has on-call coverage.
In order to access the on-call system, please call the Partners office number at 609-518-6800 or 800-390-9268.
Building a Child-Family Team
The Care Manager will work with the youth and family to help them develop their Child-Family Team. The Child-Family Team is made up of people who know the youth and family best. The team is a balance of formal supports (for example, a therapist, probation officer, Family Support Organization, or teacher) and natural supports (for example, other family members, friends, neighbors). All decision making is done through the Child-Family Team.
Creating an Individual Service Plan (ISP)
The Child-Family Team meets regularly to create an Individual Service Plan (ISP). The ISP addresses various life domains including mental health, safety, family, education, vocational, legal, financial, housing, and other relevant areas. It identifies the youth/family’s long term goals, also known as the family vision, their strengths, and their needs. The ISP then describes specific strategies for how the child-family team will address those needs. It also becomes the way for the youth/family to access services and supports.
Ongoing Contact
The Child-Family Team will continue to meet on an ongoing basis to review the success of the Individual Service Plan (ISP) and change it as needed. In between team meetings, the Care Manager will have contact with the youth and family and other members of the team. Examples of contact could include face to face meetings in the family’s home, visits to the youth’s school, or phone calls with a service provider on the Child-Family Team.
Transition
Even during the initial phases of our work with a youth and family, we are focused on transition planning. Transition from Partners for Kids and Families would occur for any of the following reasons: The Child-Family Team has assisted the family in reaching their family vision and they no longer need the intensity of support of the Care Management Organization (CMO). The youth and/or family has moved out of Burlington County, NJ. The family communicates they no longer wish to have involvement with Partners for Kids and Families. There is no contact with the youth and family for two months despite active efforts to engage them.
Regardless of the reason for transition, we would provide the youth and family with information on how to access future services and, whenever possible, assist in referring to those services.