LOUISIANA Community Mental Health Services Block Grant ...

through formal and informal networks of support. There continues to be an increased effort to
ensure that family voices are empowered and educated about services and supports available for
both themselves and their children/families. It is the goal that more programs will become available
for family members throughout the state as the recovery modalities are continuing to be developed
and implemented.
OBH places a priority on family support and services that keep children and youth in their natural or
foster home setting. In addition to supports and services discussed in the previous sections on
employment, housing, and rehabilitation services, parents of children and youth with an emotional
or behavioral disturbance are also supported through three state-wide organizations providing
assistance to families: Federation of Families, Families Helping Families, and NAMI-LA. The
Federation of Families‟ parent mentoring program, developed and operated through a contract with
OBH, links parents who have experience with working with their own emotionally or behaviorally
disturbed child to other similar parents with support and advocacy activities. These early
intervention services are inherent to Goal 4 of the President’s New Freedom Commission Report
which specifically advocates for services for children and ultimately their families before a crisis
stage is reached.
The following are specific examples of support services occurring within the state:
In the Orleans area, MHSD works with the Children‟s Bureau who offers family preservation
school monitoring and advocacy. Consumer Care resources and Cash Subsidy programs are also
available. Gulf Coast Teaching Families offers therapeutic respite/personal care attendant services.
Additionally, services have been expanded to include support for MST teams in the area and are
being expanded to include assessment services for justice involved youth. Training for Dialectical
Behavioral Therapy has been instituted in this area and in other regions. CAHSD provides support
for in-home, intensive therapy by a multi-disciplinary team (ACT); respite; crisis services; intensive
behavior management services; consumer care resources; and flexible funds. These are utilized to
enhance family functioning; family preservation; and in-home family intervention services. Region
3 offers FINS, a pre-delinquency intervention program that provides interagency services to assist
families in identifying risk factors in lieu of court adjudication; its goal is to halt problematic
behaviors; LA Federation of Families - Family Mentoring Services; CART Crisis Intervention
Services; and therapeutic respite. In Region 4, there is mental health rehabilitation which provides
intensive therapeutic and case management services including medication management; consumer
care emergency funds for youth‟s basic or special needs, to enhance their recovery or prevent
decompensation; and the Extra Mile that provides therapy services for adoptive/foster children.
In Region V, the Educational and Treatment Council, Inc. provides crisis intervention services to
children, youth, and their families in crisis to prevent or reduce the need for hospitalization. These
services include after-hours crisis systems coordination, face-to-face screenings, in-home crisis
stabilization services, and out-of-home crisis respite services. Education and Treatment Council,
Inc. provides services for children and adolescents, using a team approach (family, doctor, therapist,
and outreach worker) with OBH via three clinics. The focus is to provide more intensive treatment
services in the home, school, and community, which should reduce the need for hospitalization;
provide supports; and ease the re-entry of hospitalized children/adolescents into their home
community. Respite Services provides family support in the form of planned respite and out-ofhome
crisis respite services; transportation for respite services is provided; summer day camps; and
various recreational outings. In addition, Volunteers of America provides a wide range of
instructional and intervention services to assist EBD children/youth and their families in obtaining
PART C LOUISIANA FY 2011 PAGE 213
SECTION III: CHILD/ YOUTH PLAN – CRITERION 1
COMPREHENSIVE COMMUNITY-BASED MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES -- SYSTEM OF CARE & AVAILABLE SERVICES