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Children's Homebased
Intensive Family Services
Children's Homebased
Intensive Family Services provide assessment and/or linkage to services
for eligible individuals in need, as well as facilitating immediate
stabilization of acute symptoms of mental illness and/or emotional
distress. The goal is to foster and support the family unity while
maintaining the utmost safety of every adult and child while addressing
the issues that have put the children at risk of removal by the
Department of Human Services-Child Welfare.
The values include the belief that the family of origin is the
best place for a child to be as long as their safety and well-being is
assured, and that the family unit should only be disrupted in extreme
cases when that safety and well-being of the child is at risk.
The conceptual basis of the CHBS
approach is family focused, child-centered in-home services where the
child, family, and community are a part of a dynamic system. This comprehensive, integrative approach explores key
dimensions (e.g., safety, social functioning, health, education, mental
health, parent education/training, employment/vocational training, and
recreation) that impact normative functioning of the family.
In both the Comprehensive Home-Based
Service (CHBS) and Independent Living service (ILS) programs, all
referrals come from the Department of Human Service, Child Welfare (DHS/CW)
services. In both programs
every child referred must have an open Child welfare Case.
A child is never denied services due to legal status or
involvement with OJA. For
an ILS case, the child must be in the custody of DHS; however this is
not required for a CHBS case.
The large majority of clients served
(well over 90%) present with issues related to mental health only.
In about 10% of the cases, substance abuse is identified as an
issue. This is determined
by the DHS/CW worker and is reflected on the referral.
In these cases, we refer to a community provider for substance
abuse assessment/counseling. We do provide substance abuse education for parents in
coordination with outpatient counseling and our treatment plan will
reflect this.
Coordination, as needed, with
outside providers (i.e. schools, doctors, employers and other
providers/community agencies) is maintained to assure quality of
services.
This program accepts referrals on
children new born to 18 years of age.
There may also be times in the ILS program, the age limit is
extended to 21 years of age.
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