Westchester Community Network Westchester County, New York Myra Alfreds, MSW

1. Positive Systems of Care:Stories of Success: Effective Community Responses for Children and FamiliesOctober 27, 2004Waterloo, Ontario Westchester Community Network Westchester County, New York Myra Alfreds, MSW Director, Children’s Mental Health Services Project Director Westchester Community Network

2. Westchester County NY • North of New York City • Population under 1 million • Diverse Population (Growing Latino Population) • 46 School Districts Westchester Community Network

3. Population Aged 9-17:United States, New York State and Westchester County(1999 Census Estimates) WHITE BLACK LATINO* OTHER % % % % U.S.A. 78.2 15.8 14.0 6.0 N. Y. State 72.2 22.0 16.7 5.8 Westchester 73.0 19.8 14.7 7.2 *Any Race Westchester Community Network

4. Individualized Family Centered Strength Based Culturally Competent Team Developed & Supported Needs Driven Flexible Unconditional Community Based Outcome Focused CORE VALUES & PRINCIPLES Westchester Community Network

5. Westchester Community Network Objective Transforming the Child-Serving System to create one System of Care in Westchester County Westchester Community Network

6. 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 Westchester Community Network

7. County Partners • Mental Health • Child Welfare • Juvenile Justice • Youth Bureau • Alcohol/Substance Abuse • Developmental Disabilities • Health Westchester Community Network

8. Westchester’s Coordinated Children’s Services Tier IIIState Level Dept H OMRDD OMH OASAS OCFS SED DPCA CCF Family Support IntegratedServicesPlanning Tier II-County LevelChildren’s Core ServicesAdvisory Council SPOE/SPOR Positive Behavioral Interventions & Supports Transitioning Age Early Childhood Sex. Reactive Juvenile Firesetting Local Planning Councils Tier ILocal Level LakelandNetwork Port ChesterNetwork Mt. VernonNetwork NewRochelle Network Ossining/TarrytownNetwork CentralWestchesterNetwork YonkersNetwork PeekskillNetwork BedfordCentralNetwork EastchesterNetwork Ossining Family Ties Mt. Kisco Family Ties Mt. Vernon Family Ties Sound Shore Family Ties Central WestchesterFamily Ties YonkersFamily Ties PeekskillFamily Ties YouthForum Universal Referral Form Respite Early Childhood Partnership Project FamilyMatters Waiver Children’sICM FamilyBasedTreatment CommunityResidence ResidentialTreatmentFacilities Aging-OutPrograms SafetyNet

9. 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

10. CommunityAgencies SocialServices Schools a Family Support Family, Friends, Community, Advocacy, Clergy, MentalHealth Child&Family Health MentalRetardation/DevelopmentalDisabilities JuvenileJustice Peer Support Recreation Police/Fire Drug &Alcohol Community Network for Children & Families

11. 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 Westchester Community Network

12. 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 Westchester Community Network

13. 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 Westchester Community Network

14. 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 Westchester Community Network

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

16. 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 Family Ties of Westchester (Family Support) Westchester Community Network

17. 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 Westchester Community Network

18. 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 Network Development & Wraparound Training Team Westchester Community Network

19. Information To Action: Westchester Model For Change • Identification of Systems Issues • Family Ties • Case Management • Network • Youth Forum • Examples: • Residential • MR-DD/SED • Juvenile Sex. Offenders • Early Childhood • Clinic Waiting List • Juvenile Fire-setters Children’s Core Advisory Council (Governance Body) Form a Sub-Committee (Data Collection) • On-going Sub-committee • Planning group Training Hard Services/ Programs Evaluation Westchester Community Network

20. 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 Westchester Community Network

21. Suspended/Expelled Westchester Community Network Child Psychiatric Epidemiology Group: Columbia University – MSPH/NYSPI

22. Residential Placement and Psychiatric Hospitalization Westchester Community Network Child Psychiatric Epidemiology Group: Columbia University – MSPH/NYSPI

23. For additional information Myra Alfreds Tel. (914) 995-5250 Email: mvv4@westchestergov.com System of Care Website: www.westchestercommunitynetwork.com Westchester Community Network