system of care for rhode island's children, youth and families

state and local agency resources (see Chapter 2). Included among these resources are those
that meet the basic physical, emotional, developmental and educational needs of all children,
as well as special resources to meet the individual needs of children with disabilities and
social, emotional, and behavioral disorders; children who have been abused and/or neglected;
and youth involved with the juvenile justice system.
SYSTEM STRATEGY #1 - CHILDREN’S CABINET’S LEAD SYSTEM ROLE
In this Ideal System, the Children’s Cabinet provides the state leadership necessary to assist
each community in organizing new or strengthening existing collaborations (see Chapter 2).
These Community Prevention Partnerships (CPP’s) are composed of all key stakeholders
including, but not limited to, families, community based organizations, Local Coordinating
Councils for Children’s Behavioral Health (LCC’s), schools, law enforcement, faith
organizations, business leaders, and mental health and social service providers. These teams
have the responsibility, authority, and resources to develop, implement, and measure the
results of local strategic plans for enhancing prevention programming and identifying
community, strengths, risks, and needs in relation to children and their families across the
system of care. The Children’s Cabinet state agencies support these entities in collaboration
with local government and view these teams as the voice of the community in relation to
funding decision-making (i.e., Comprehensive Children’s Services pilot regulations) 1 .
SYSTEM STRATEGY #2- COMMUNITY OWNERSHIP SUPPORTED BY STATE AID
In embracing these outcomes, the Ideal System is one which recognizes that communities
bear the primary responsibility for helping children and families succeed, while ensuring that
limited state resources are effectively mobilized to aid communities with this challenge (see
Chapter 2). Built on the concept of family-centered practice (see Appendix B) and the
principles of the Child and Adolescent Services System Program (CASSP; see Appendix
D), this system recognizes and endorses the belief that the most effective path to success is
for communities to take responsibility for - “to own” - all of their children and families,
especially those viewed as the most challenging. All facets of the community, especially
schools, accept their responsibility in supporting all children and families and ensuring that
services are provided either in the community or as proximate to the community as possible.
This support is particularly critical when an individual returns from placement outside of the
community, including residential programs, psychiatric hospitals, the RI Training School and
the Adult Correctional System.
1
These regulations were collaboratively developed by DCYF , RIDE and DHS as required by RIGL 42-72.7,
and allow for a process which accomplishes two major goals: (a) to improve collaborative planning,
comprehensive services and outcomes for children with complex special needs and their families; and (2) to
establish a new system of service funding that utilizes current state level funding but establishes a funding
system that provides for locally determined and family centered decision-making about the best utilization of
that funding for locally-based residential treatment services and wraparound services as an alternative to out-ofregion
or out-of-state residential treatment services for children in the pilot service areas of Pawtucket/Central
Falls and Washington County.
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