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Children’s Mental Health Initiative

  • DCS
  • Current: Children’s Mental Health Initiative

Objectives:

  • To allow families access to needed services so that children do not enter the child welfare or probation system for the sole purpose of accessing services
  • To make sure families do not get bounced from agency to agency trying to access services
  • To ensure that children are receiving services in the appropriate system
  • To build community collaborations through examining current practices and cross-educating community stakeholders on available resources
  • To construct a multiagency approach for all children within communities in order for best outcomes and service conditions

Eligibility:

  • DSM-IV-TR Diagnosis- Youth meets criteria for two (2) or more diagnoses
  • CANS 4, 5, or 6 and DMHA/DCS Project Algorithm must be a 1
  • Child or adolescent age six through the age of 17
  • Youth who are experiencing significant emotional and/or functional impairments that impact their level of functioning at home or in the community (e.g., Seriously Emotionally Disturbed classification)
  • Not Medicaid Eligible/Lack funding for service array
  • Other children who have been approved by DCS to receive services under the Children’s Mental Health Initiative because they are a danger to themselves or others

**Note: The Children’s Mental Health Initiative is a voluntary service. The caregiver must be engaged in order to access services.

CMHI Protocol

Access:

  • Children are sent to the local Access Site for an Intake/Assessment
    See Access Sites  
    Wrap Agencies by County
  • Meet Eligibility Criteria-CMHI
    – Service Array includes: wraparound services, community based skill building and therapeutic services, clinic based services, and residential services
  • If they do not meet eligibility criteria, they are provided other such services and resources within their local community, Community Partners for Child Safety referral, post adoption services, and/or other services within the CMHC to meet the needs of the family appropriately

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