Implementation of Case Management with Dcf Committed Adolescent Females

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participate in her care. Often when the child enters the program the case manager notices that the previous assessments are often outdated or diagnoses are conflicting. It is up to the case managers to determine what information is accurate and what information they would like to reevaluate.

In the therapeutic group home the goal is to either prepare the child to either reunify with their families or to enter independent living. Once the case manager has received all information that they feel is pertinent to the client’s case they will determine how develop a treatment plan for reunification or self sufficiency. If the plan is to reunify the case manager has to assess the programs that will remove barriers to a cohesive family unit and strengthen bonds among family members. If it is decided the child will enter into college, a training program or independent apartment living the case manager will assess what tools will help the child integrate into society with ease. It is at this point the case manager will develop a care plan/ treatment plan.

IV. CARE PLAN/TREATMENT PLANNING

Due the type of program Noank Group Homes is all essential functions of the program are therapy based. All daily activities, services, and supports will be guided by an individualized treatment plan that will identify areas of strength to be built upon and the skills or capacities needed to overcome identified deficits. School, program activities, medical care, therapy, medication management, and support services will all be integrated and managed through a care coordinator/primary licensed clinician. It will be guided by a System of Care approach and wrap around philosophy. Furthermore, care will be informed by the following proposed core domains: Mental/Behavioral health, Social-Emotional, Health, Recreational and Spiritual, Educational/Vocational/Career,Life Skills/Daily Living (DCF, 2007). The treatment plan and supportive resources would be expected to address all of these components in a strength-based, outcome oriented manner, congruent with the child's age, development level, cultural and gender needs and other individual factors. As per DCF guidelines input from the client, group home staff and family as appropriate, would be expected to be sought to ensure their desires and wishes are considered in the treatment plan development and delivery.

At this point the case manager with the client will set realistic measurable goals; this will include short term and long term. Most short term goals can be enabling goals, often a series a short terms goals designed to help the client to achieve their long term goal. After each short term goal is achieved that goal can be replaced with another goal that is sequentially necessary for long term achievement. Other short term goals will not be related to clients long term goals such as keeping ones room clean for a week to attend the weekend all house activity; this type of goal would not be addressed in the initial treatment planning, it would often be addressed during reassessment.

Long term goal are taken about six months to a year to complete. Usually with this population the long term goal will be defined as Family Reunification or Independent Living; other long term goals can help the client achieve their ultimate goal such as setting the educational goal of completing high school for a high school senior so they can attend college . These goals can be reassessed to include more components or can be removed as the situation changes. If a client’s first goal is family reunification and event happens that would make that goal impossible the goal can be removed and replaced with another realistic goal.

V. SERVICE PLANNING/RESOURCE IDENTIFICATION

Service planning and resource identification are tantamount with one another. In order to have effective service planning case managers must be able to recognize the proper resources that will help their client to achieve their goals. At the Noank Group Homes resource identification is relatively easy due the agency’s long standing within the community. They currently have a rapport with many service providers enabling them a web of services to choose from. DCF states:

“The Department is interested in a therapeutic care model that seamlessly integrates a broad array of community based services, including faith-based and non-traditional supports, which can be wrapped around the child and their family. This linkage is desired to ensure that children in therapeutic level of care have expeditious access to a variety of needed and appropriate services (e.g., outpatient/child guidance clinics, enhanced care clinics, extended day treatment, mentoring, recreation, medication management, education, etc.). In addition, because a wraparound philosophy recognizes that a child and their families care needs are dynamic, the establishment of broad collaborations and partnerships is viewed to be critical to the effectiveness of the therapeutic care system.”

It is evident that Noank Group Homes are complying with DCF philosophy of integrating community providers as part of their service planning component. The agency currently has some residents partaking in art therapy and therapeutic horseback riding at high hopes as part of their treatment plan. The case manager had to assess the value of these programs for the specific client, once she determined that the client could benefit from the programs she had to appropriately match the client to the program. The case manager therefore, submitted external referrals for each client’s case.

Internal referrals and external referrals are a subset of Service Planning and Resource identification, the case manager needs to make the referrals within their agency (for programs that agency run) and to community providers so their client can have the optimal ability to receive wrap around services.

VI. MONITORING

Monitoring is an essential part of case management and program implementation at Noank Group Homes. Some of the performance measures that are used for program monitoring, and/or evaluation are as follows:

A. Child Related Indicators

- Increased stability of placement (disruption reduction)

- Child's Functional Improvement:

◊ Reduced emergency department contact

◊ Reduced hospitalizations

◊ Improved school attendance

◊ Improved school performance