What to Expect
Once a child has been referred by PerformCare to Ocean Partnership for
Children (OPC), a Care Manager will make arrangements to meet with the family.
During this meeting, the early stages of a plan will develop which will
take into account the family's strengths, values, culture and preferences.
A Care Manager will facilitate regular meetings called Child and Family
Team Meetings. Care Managers also coordinate service providers and resources
for the child and family as needed, modifying the plan to improve its effectiveness
over time to help the child and family reach their vision.
Crisis and safety plans will be developed which outline interventions and
supports that the family and other team members can use during a crisis.
OPC offers 24/7 Crisis on-call service to our children and families.
The Child and Family Team & the Care
Manager
The Care Manager will work with a family to help build a team consisting
of individuals who know the child and family best, and who are willing to
make a commitment to do whatever it takes to help them achieve positive
outcomes.
This team will consist of the child's Caregiver, the Care Manager, formal
service providers such as therapists and in-community providers, and natural
or informal supports. A Child and Family Team (CFT) will change and evolve
over time and as the needs of the child and family change.
One of the first accomplishments of the Care Manager working with this CFT
will be to create a Crisis Plan. A Crisis Plan is a plan specifically tailored
to the types of crisis experienced in the past by the child and family,
and will contain interventions and supports for handling a child in crisis.
These plans are often readdressed as time goes by and the child and family
changes.
The next important step is the development of the Individual Service Plan,
or the ISP. Using “Wraparound values” and our skills in strength-based
planning, a service plan with sound, structured goals will be created using
input from all team members. These plans are designed to be family-friendly
and will change to meet the needs of the family. At each CFT meeting, which
will occur about every sixty days, the ISP will be updated and the goals
and services will be reviewed with all team members. Plans will be made
to help a family achieve independence by moving to more “normal” community
linkages whenever possible.
The Care Manager will be responsible for coordinating all care needed for
the child and family. Care Managers do not do therapy; they facilitate and
coordinate the CFT process. Care Managers will guide a family through their
journey with the CMO with respect, competency and dedication.
Community Resources
Using the creativity and input from the Child and Family Team, informal
community supports and services will be identified for the family. Ocean
Partnership has a staff dedicated to seeking out both traditional and non-traditional
resources to help a family become more strongly connected to their community
and move toward independence.
Natural and informal supports are those who work with a child and family
as volunteers or as caring community members. Examples of these individuals
can be coaches, teachers, faith-based representatives, Big Brothers or Big
Sisters, neighbors, relatives, friends, or others key individuals.
The Community Resource Development staff at OPC develops and maintains a
database of resources where families can locate basic needs such as food,
clothing, healthcare, recreation and assistance with other quality of life
issues. This can be found at the following website: http://www.oceanresourcenet.org
Eligibility
Ocean Partnership for Children, Inc. serves children primarily between the
ages of 4 and 18 years of age, or up to 21 if the youth is in the DCBHS
system before their 21st birthday. Generally, children deemed appropriate
for CMO level of services are “multi-system” involved, meaning
that they have been involved with two or more system partners which can
include the Division of Youth and Family Services, Juvenile Justice system
or the mental health system.
Children who are at risk of losing their current placement at home or in
foster care, or those who have not benefited from traditional care in the
past despite various approaches are also candidates if they have an Axis
I (mental health) diagnosis.
If there is a child you believe to be a candidate for a CMO, call for
assessment: PerformCare: 1-877-652-7624.
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