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It is the goal of Child & Family Services (C&FS) to provide
quality mental health services to children, adolescents and their
families, who reside in Travis County and who are eligible for assistance.
This page contains information on: Eligibility;
Medicaid and Insurance; Outpatient
Counseling; Infant Parent Program; Family
Preservation Program; Pre-School Skills
Group; Group Therapy; Juvenile
Court; Service Coordination; Care
Coordination; Psychiatric Services; and
Citizens' Planning Advisory Committee.
Click to Visit the Children's Managed
Service Organzation (MSO) portion of the website.
To be eligible for services a child must meet the “priority
population” requirements set by the state of Texas:
- Be under the age of 18;
- Have a mental health diagnosis;
- Have serious problems in daily life functioning due to that
mental health diagnosis.
In addition, a child is eligible for services, if:
- Their mental health problems put them at risk of being removed
from their preferred living or child care environment.
- The child in enrolled in a school special education program
because of serious emotional problems.
C&FS accepts Medicaid and Children's Health Insurance Program
(CHIP) insurance. For children who have no health care coverage,
fees will be assessed on the basis of their family’s income.
Parents are given assistance in applying for all healthcare coverage
for which the child is eligible. The C&FS Benefits Specialist
will assist any family in discovering whether their child is eligible
for C&FS services. In addition, families will also be given
assistance by the Consumer Benefits Specialist in completing applications
for Medicaid and CHIP insurance.
C&FS provides a variety of counseling programs to address the
needs of children referred for services. The level and type of services
will depend upon the child’s mental health diagnosis and the
seriousness of that diagnosis.
Outpatient Counseling, including family, individual
and group therapy is provided. These services are primarily offered
in an office or school setting, but in some instances can be provided
in the home.
Infant Parent Program
The Infant Parent Program (IPP) offers Early Childhood
Intervention (ECI) services to families within a designated zip
code area who have children (birth to age 3) experiencing developmental
delays. The family is the main focus of all services.
Family choices and differences are respected and encouraged. Families
assist in determining the plan of services. Significantly, IPP understands
that children are best understood within the context of their families.
Therefore, services are interwoven into the child's daily life and
routine.
Services address self-help skills, cognitive, global, medical,
physical/motor, social/emotional, speech/language, and vision/hearing
delays.
Family Preservation Program provides intensive
counseling services to children, adolescents and their families.
Due to intensive involvement of the therapist with the family, these
services are provided in the home setting. Counseling may be provided
several times a week for six to nine months, depending upon need.
Pre-School Skills Group for children ages, 3 to
6, is offered in a setting similar to a kindergarten classroom.
Children in these groups have already been identified as children
who will have problems relating in a structured school setting.
Social skills, following directions, respecting boundaries, verbal
expression of feelings and other skills necessary for success in
the classroom are emphasized in the pre-school group.
Group Therapy for teenage girls and boys is provided
based on need. Group therapy provides an excellent way for a teen
to relate his/her experiences to others in the same age group. Groups
focus on improved communication skills, anger management, school
performance, and improved social interactions.
Family Preservation Program-Juvenile Court provides
intensive family counseling services in the home, to youth who are
involved in the Juvenile Justice System, and are usually on probation
or deferred adjudication.
Service Coordination provides supportive services
to children and their families. The Service Coordinator assists
the family in locating and connecting to services in the community
that the family may need.
Care Coordination implements the “wraparound”
model of service, to high-risk youth who are in danger of being
placed in a facility away from their family and community. The Care
Coordinator works in close partnership with the family to develop
a plan of care that will prevent the youth from being removed from
the family.
Psychiatric Services are provided to evaluate
the need for prescription medications used for mental health disorders.
These services also include follow-up medication appointments and
refills for prescribed medication. Children who are receiving psychiatric
services must also receive supportive services from a C&FS Therapist
or a C&FS Service Coordinator.
Citizens' Planning Advisory Committee
The Citizens' Planning Advisory Committee serves as a resource
to the Board of Trustees and to ATCMHMR staff. Citizens' Planning Advisory Committee members make recommendations to the Board
on the local service delivery system in the following areas: planning;
needs and priorities for the service area and the Center; budget;
contract issues; and implementation of plans and contracts.
The primary functions of the Citizens' Planning Advisory
Committees are the following:
- Participate in local planning and the development of the Center’s
Strategic Plan.
- Identify needs and priorities for the service area and the
Center.
- Make recommendations regarding budget priorities.
- Make recommendations regarding implementation of the Center’s
Strategic Plan and contracts.
- Review programs and contracts on an ongoing basis and make
recommendations to the Board of Trustees regarding performance
and quality improvement issues.
The Citizens' Planning Advisory Committee meets on the 2nd
Thursday of each month from noon-2pm in Training Room 1 of 1700
South Lamar Blvd. For additional information please click
the link to send an email or call (512) 445-7739.
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