FWSN-advisorybd-repo.. - The Connecticut Juvenile Justice Alliance

Providers include private for fee (usually paid by a family’s private insurance), Youth
Service Bureaus, services available through the DCF Community Collaborative/ System
of Care, 14 and CSSD and DCF funded in-home services.
Examples of services include:
• mental health and family counseling and treatment
• crisis intervention
• substance abuse assessments and treatment
• alternative education programs
• vocational education
• family mediation
• support groups for parents
• recreation programs
• positive youth development
• alternative living situations, such as foster homes and respite care
As of October 1, 2007, if a family is referred to a community-based program or service
provider and that program or service determines that the family can no longer benefit
from its services, the juvenile probation officer will conduct another assessment. After
consultation with the Juvenile Probation Supervisor, the juvenile probation officer may
either refer the family to a Family Support Center for additional services or determine
whether or not to file a petition with the court.
• Family Support Center (FSC)
The Family Support Center is a multi-service “one-stop” for high risk/needs FWSNreferred
children assessed as high risk and in need of intensive services. Public Act 07-
04 requires that every juvenile district court, after assessment by a probation officer,
divert children and families assessed as high risk/needs to a FSC. However, in 2007, the
legislature only provided funding for four centers, now located in Hartford, Waterbury,
Bridgeport and New Haven. The purpose of the FSC is to assess services and/or
treatment needs of children and families who exhibit behaviors that require an immediate
response (high risk/needs) and offer access to appropriate and effective services and
interventions.
14 A Community Collaborative or System of Care is a group of children’s behavioral health and community
service providers, parents and advocates who meet on a regular basis to improve the way behavioral health
services are delivered in a local community. A close working relationship between school personnel and
the local Community Collaborative greatly enhances efficiency and clarity of the referral process. Each
Collaborative operates in a slightly different fashion, but all remain committed to helping children with
serious emotional disorders succeed in their homes and/or communities. The Collaboratives consist of a
variety of mental health and social service agencies plus parents and community providers who comprise
the network that helps develop comprehensive treatment plans for individual children and families.
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