Who is ORCAS?

ORCAS is a health research organization in Eugene, Oregon, that creates interactive multimedia programs to help people live healthier lives. Website: www.orcasinc.com.

What is the Blues Blaster project?

ORCAS received funding from the National Institute of Mental Health to create a web-based program to help parents prevent depression in their 11 to 14 year olds.

What will participants receive?

• Families will receive up to $300 for their time ($25 for youth and $50 for parents for each assessment).
• Families will learn about depression and skills to prevent depression, and have a chance to give feedback about what they like or don’t like about the program.

What will be included in the Blues Blaster program?

• Interactive modules to teach parents and youth about depression, mood and activity tracking, the importance of engaging in pleasant activities, and increasing positive thinking.
• Additional resources on positive parenting, relaxation, problem solving, and social skills.

Who can participate?

We are seeking 11 – 14 year olds who are experiencing depressive symptoms and their parents to evaluate our program.

What will participants do?

• Interested parents fill out an online survey and their children will talk to project staff by phone to determine their eligibility.
• Qualified families will learn about the project and be asked to sign a consent form before participating.
• Families will be randomly assigned to either the Blues Blaster program or to a control group that will receive the program at the end of the study.
• Parents and youth will be assessed by online surveys and by phone interviews several times throughout the study. They will be asked about their depressive symptoms, negative thoughts, pleasant activities, knowledge about depression, and satisfaction with the program.
• Families will be able to participate in the study from any computer(s) to which they have regular access.

What happens to participant’s information?

• The information that youth and parents share with project staff during phone interviews and in the online program will be kept completely confidential. Our internet site is secure, and each participant will be assigned an ID code to keep their information separate from their name.
• ORCAS project staff are trained to protect confidentiality and have many safeguards in place to keep each participant’s information secure.

Who do I contact if I have questions?

Feel free to contact ORCAS project staff by phone at 1-866-822-0226 ext 2 or via email at bluesblaster@orcasinc.com.

More Information:

ELC is a nonprofit legal advocacy and educational organization in Pennsylvania.  ELC focuses on helping to improve educational opportunities for children facing the greatest barriers in school — students with disabilities, learning English, living in poverty, or in the foster care or juvenile justice systems. ELC provides limited direct legal representation of children through mostly class action cases.  It also collaborates with many citizens and organizations to advance its agenda.

Website: www.elc-pa.org

Pennsylvania had representation in this effort and contributed the knowledge and products developed through the Family Involvement Committee of the Chief’s Council in the last six years. Kudos to everyone who has supported the PA Family Involvement (FI) work, especially the FI Committee members and our supporters- the PA Council of Chief Juvenile Probation Officers, the Juvenile Court Judges Commission, and the PA Commission on Crime and Delinquency/Juvenile Justice Delinquency Prevention Committee. It is heartening that the dedicated and sincere efforts of so many different stakeholders are now impacting a national dialogue.

The CJJR Family Engagement Recommendations arose from a symposium and published paper of the same name. Federal participants in the Symposium were the U. S. Department of Health and Human Services: Administration for Children and Families, Children’s Bureau, Department of Education (DOE), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), and the U.S. Department of Justice: Office of Juvenile Justice & Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) with regard to family engagement. These agencies identified the need for a collaborative approach among all agencies in addressing this issue. As a result, CJJR convened a meeting in September 2011. The meeting brought together federal agency representatives, community and professional organizations, parents, and alumni of the systems to create a set of recommendations for improving collaboration in how federal agencies support family engagement policies and practices at the federal, tribal, state, and local levels. The recommendations revolved around the following three areas of focus:

I. Creating and embedding family-focused and strength-based policies and practices within each agency to institutionalize the active and meaningful involvement of family members in their youth’s care;

II. Building a systemic infrastructure that formally includes families in the development and implementation of agency/system policies and practices; and

III. Supporting families to become more effective external advocates and assisting them in having their voice heard in improving policies and practices involving the engagement of families.

More Information:

• Family Involvement Committee, PA Council of Chief Juvenile Probation Officers, Co-chair- Wendy Luckenbill – email:  wluckenbill@mhapa.org
• PA’s Family Involvement in Juvenile Justice Work Gets National Recognition
• Center for Juvenile Justice Reform, Georgetown University

In Pennsylvania 30 county governments fund this service (see Advocacy Resources for list).  Allegheny Family Network (AFN) provides this support to families in Allegheny county. AFN has adopted the motto “Do For, Do With, Cheer On.” It is a “Family Organization,” meaning that all staff are family members who have raised or are raising a child with mental health and/or emotional needs.  AFN is supported by the Allegheny County Department of Human Services and Community Care Behavioral Health.

AFN provides a broad range of services:

AFN Chat Line (1-888-273-2361)
The Chat Line offers a confidential support line for families rearing children who have mental health and emotional needs. It connects families with community services and offers “peer” support.

Allegheny County Community Program (ACCP)
AFN provides Family Support Partners to support families rearing children ages birth to 21 years old with mental health challenges. Partners help families develop the skills and find information needed to help  their children. The ACCP collaborates with Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic and Allegheny Children’s Initiative to provide Service Coordination.

Family Support Groups
AFN offers twelve monthly support groups located in various communities in Allegheny County. The groups are facilitated by AFN Family Support Partners and parents. The agendas are developed by participants. Participation in Family Support Groups is open to any parent raising a child with mental health issues. Three of the support groups are specialized groups designed for specific parent populations:
• Golden Girls and Guys (for Grandparents)
• Diva Discussions (for Moms)
• Fathers Involved Now (for Fathers)
See More Information below for calendar and locations.

Agents of Transformation Trainings
Agents of Transformation is a training offered for parents on advocacy roles at all levels, including supporting other parents. Participants are identified from Allegheny Family Network Programs and are typically parents who have graduated from one of our programs and have the desire to learn how to further their advocacy skills. The training covers how to negotiate the service systems. It also covers how to represent of needs of families and communities to stakeholders and service systems.

High Fidelity Wraparound Program (HFWP)
Pennsylvania is enhancing its Wraparound program (see New Website for PA Wraparound Enhancement). HFWP is a strength-based and family driven program that offers individualized supports to families. AFN provides High Fidelity Wraparound Services with five licensed provider agencies. AFN provides Family Support Partners and the five collaborating agencies provide the Facilitators. Families eligible for this service have a child with a significant history of mental health issues that is currently in a Residential Treatment Facilities or at risk of a second removal from their home. Referrals are made through the Allegheny County CYF, Allegheny Children’s Initiative, Family Resources, Gwen’s Girls RTF, or Human Services Administrative Organization.

More Information
Visit www.alleghenyfamilynetwork.org or call 1-888-273-2361 for information on AFN and its services, including meeting dates and locations.

Names should be submitted to Cindy Judy, ODR Legal Assistant, at cjudy@odr-pa.org or to her attention at ODR, 6340 Flank Drive, Harrisburg, PA  17112-2764.  The deadline for submission is December 1, 2011.

The Youth and Family Institute has launched a comprehensive website to give the public information on Pennsylvania’s efforts to improve Wraparound practice for children. Visit the website.

The Youth and Family Institute is contracted with the Department of Welfare to develop High Fidelity Wraparound (HFW) in PA counties.  The website provides information on counties currently implementing this enhanced process, background information on HFW, opportunities to participate in the roll-out.  Unlike current “Wraparound” in PA, which is a group of services, HFW is a process to improve planning for children with complex emotional needs.

Current “Wraparound” Services in PA

Pennsylvania has had “Wraparound” services for children with emotional disorders (and later Autism Spectrum Disorders) since the early 1990s.  These services were designed to provide clinical care to children in their homes and communities, preventing placement in Psychiatric Residential Facilities (PRTFs).  The service began as a plan developed by an interagency team that included the family and used strengths and natural supports to address behavioral needs of a child.  For example, a child with poor social skills would be linked to a social group that could help them make friends by choosing a group engaged in something the child did well in, such as sports, drama, or art.

Each plan was approved individually by the state Office of Medical Assistance Programs clinical staff.  Eventually, to speed approval a process was created which included three different “fee schedules” for three clinical services: Mobile Therapist, Behavioral Therapist, and the Therapeutic Staff Support (TSS).  These services were provided in the home and community.  For example, a Mobile Therapist could meet with the child in the setting where the child had difficulty, and teach adults working with the child (teachers or parents) how to help the child learn healthier behaviors. These three services are now called Behavioral Health Rehabilitation Services (BHRS) and will remain part of Pennsylvania’s Behavioral Health system for children, although they are currently undergoing review to assure quality and appropriate use.

History of Wraparound

The quality of these three services has varied significantly over the years.  It was challenging to assure that the therapists had the skills and supervision they needed, because this was a service being created as it was being delivered.  Additionally, other services using just natural supports, which are a key part of the original Wraparound model, were neglected because there was no ability to bill for the planning needed to design and monitor them.  You can read more of the Wraparound process history at: http://cecp.air.org/wraparound/history.html

Please use the “Comment” feature at the beginning of this article to give your thoughts, concerns, or recommendations on Wraparound for children in Pennsylvania.

2-1-1 serves as a vital connection for those needing help, as well as for those wanting to give help. In the past, when people were looking for help they called five to eight different phone numbers searching for the right information. There was not a centralized source of information.

2-1-1 centers are staffed by trained specialists who assess the callers’ needs and refer them to the help they seek. In addition, the call center specialists facilitate calls and questions from those interested in volunteering or donating items, such as food and clothing.

2-1-1 provides better access to human services, creates efficiencies, complements emergency systems, and creates an “information utility” that would provide data on an estimated 1 million calls in Pennsylvania for needed services.

For more information on how you can be a part of bringing 2-1-1 to all of Pennsylvania, please visit www.211.org.  As of October 2011, 2-1-1 serves more than 260 million Americans (86.6% of the entire population) in all 50 states (including 37 states with 90%+ coverage), plus Washington DC and Puerto Rico. Every few weeks, these coverage numbers increase.

All survey responses will be kept strictly confidential.  Participants will be entered in a raffle for a chance to win one of ten $10 gift cards.

To take the survey, please click on the link here.

Interested youth are encouraged to take the survey as soon as possible. The Survey is expected to close in early November. Anyone having trouble completing the survey should contact:

Michelle Baugh, MBA
Communications Training Technical Assistance Coordinator
Pennsylvania System of Care Partnership
Cell: 717.303.7025
Email: baughm@upmc.edu

More Information on the PA System of Care Partnership:

The Pennsylvania System of Care (PA SOC) Partnership is a United States Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) grant to the PA Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (OMHSAS). The goal of the PA SOC Partnership is to facilitate the integration of child serving systems using a structured, youth driven, and family driven approach aligned with the System of Care values and principles. Our population of focus is youth ages 8-18 that have complex mental health challenges, involvement in the Child Welfare and/or Juvenile Justice systems, and are in, or at risk of, an out-of-home placement.

PA System of Care Partnership

Mission

The youth, family, and system leaders of Pennsylvania will work as equal and trusted partners in creating sustainable change which will empower youth, families and all youth serving systems to be responsible and accountable for outcomes that lead to the fulfillment of hopes and dreams.

Vision

Every youth and family in Pennsylvania will be able to access and navigate a unified network of effective services and supports that are structured in adherence to SOC Values and Principles.

Values & Principles

• Family-driven and youth guided
• Home and community based
• Strengths-based and individualized
• Culturally and linguistically competent
• Integrated across systems
• Connected to natural helping networks
• Data-driven, outcomes oriented