Many states and communities are working to better integrate the systems that serve children and youth with behavioral health needs and their families, by creating comprehensive “systems of care.” The system of care approach seeks to ensure that all needed services and supports are available to children and families in their homes and communities, and that care is coordinated, individualized, family-driven, and culturally and linguistically competent.

The national Technical Assistance Network for Children’s Behavioral Health (TA Network) assists states and communities in supporting systems of care through direct technical assistance to grantees of SAMHSA’s Community Mental Health Services for Children and Their Families Program and the development of technical assistance resources. This series of resources – developed by CHCS in its role as a core partner in the TA Network – provides states and communities with guidance around how to improve care for children and youth with behavioral health needs through a system of care approach.

• Providing Youth and Young Adult Peer Support through Medicaid (August 2016) – Across child and adult serving systems, there is interest among communities and organizations to provide transitional support to young adults with a strong focus on youth peer support (YPS). This brief explores the role of Medicaid in financing YPS and offers key considerations for offering these services. It also provides point-in-time snapshots of states and communities leveraging Medicaid to fund YPS.

• New Jersey’s Strategies to Support Youth With Serious Behavioral Health Needs Through a Care Management Entity Approach (January 2015) – In Burlington County, New Jersey, two state-contracted, nonprofit agencies are partnering to help youth and families address behavioral health issues. This article highlights their model, an example of New Jersey’s care management entity approach for children and youth with serious behavioral health needs.

• Taking Wraparound to Scale: Moving Beyond Grant Funding (January 2015) – Many states and communities across the country have implemented the wraparound care planning process for children and youth with serious behavioral health challenges on a relatively small scale, using time-limited grant funding. This article outlines how states can take these programs to scale using sustainable funding sources.

• Intensive Care Coordination Using High-Quality Wraparound Fact Sheets (January 2015) – Intensive care coordination using high-quality wraparound is an approach to care that has shown promising outcomes for children with serious behavioral health needs and their families. CHCS conducted a national scan of states and communities using this approach. These three fact sheets summarize findings:

Care Coordinator to Child and Family Ratios – Provides a snapshot of the care coordinator to child and family ratios in select programs across the country.

Supervisor to Care Coordinator Ratios – Provides a snapshot of the supervisor-to-care coordinator ratios in select programs across the country.

Rates and Billing Structure – Highlights the billing structure and rates for care coordination and wraparound services and provides a reference for understanding the variety of reimbursement strategies being used.