ResourcesPurpose
Georgia’s KidsNet Project is designed to support the transformation of the State’s children behavioral health system by strengthening and enhancing the capacity to develop, expand and sustain behavioral health services across all child-serving agencies for children and adolescents experiencing Serious Emotional Disturbance (SED), substance abuse and/or co-occurring disorders (COD) and their families. The Project is supported by federal grants, the Child and Adolescent State Infrastructure Grant (CASIG) and the State Adolescent Coordination (SAC) Grant, which are joined together to make the KidsNet Project possible.
Federal Support for KidsNet Georgia
In October 2004, Georgia was one of seven states awarded the CASIG by the Substance Abuse Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) to strengthen the system of service delivery for children and adolescents with SED, SA and COD and their families. The CASIG grant is funded over a 5-year period.
In October 2005, Georgia was one of sixteen states awarded the SAC grant from SAMHSA to enhance capacity to provide effective, accessible and affordable services to youth with SED, SA and COD and their families. SAC grant funded over a 3-year period.
In April 2006, the Division of Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities and Addictive Diseases (DMHDDAD) was granted permission to combine the two grants to improve mechanisms that support behavioral health services delivery system. Georgia is one of three states to be awarded both CASIG and SAC grants.
KidsNet Georgia was adopted in May 2007 as the name of the combined CASIG/SAC Grant Project
Goals and Objectives
The KidsNet Georgia Project seeks to facilitate and support the process of a coordinated and integrated comprehensive system of care. The design of a system of care for behavioral health service delivery should be consistent with identified or emerging, promising and evidence-based practices and include interagency service models.
The primary goals and objectives of the KidsNet Georgia (CASIG/SAC Integrated Project):
Develop a shared vision/strategic plan for the development of an integrated statewide system across child-serving agencies for the delivery of behavioral health services to children/adolescents who experience Serious Emotional Disturbance (SED), substance abuse (SA) and co-occurring disorders (COD).
Develop funding strategies to coordinate, improve and maximize capacity of statewide interagency child service systems.
Develop and expand specially trained workforce with specialty knowledge in working with children/adolescents experiencing SED, SA and COD.
Promote youth/family outreach and engagement in the design and implementation of the behavioral health service delivery system.
Develop policy and practice guidelines that eliminate barriers, promote and support behavioral health service system improvements.
Participate in and actively share learning with other state agencies/stakeholders and other States to leverage training, support, dissemination, intervention adoption and evaluation/research to improve the treatment system for youth and their families.
Organization
First Lady’s Children’s Cabinet (FLCC):
The First Lady’s Children’s Cabinet (FLCC) is the oversight body for the KidsNet Georgia Project. The FLCC is comprised of State child-serving agency heads at the Department and Division levels and provides state level support and guidance for grant initiatives.
KidsNet Georgia (CASIG/SAC) Collaborative:
The KidsNet Georgia (CASIG/SAC) Collaborative serves as the operational body of the project’s governance. The Collaborative consists of representatives of the major child serving agencies, local Systems of Care (SOCs), stakeholders, advocates, providers, and family and youth. The chair of the Collaborative is Elaine DeCostanzo of the Governor’s Office of Planning and Budget.
Steering Committee of the Collaborative:
The Steering Committee is a smaller group of key Collaborative members that provides leadership and oversight of the Collaborative and its Workgroups.
Collaborative Workgroups
The implementation of the tasks/activities of the Project is assigned to one of four Workgroups. Some of there tasks overlap and in these situations Workgroup chairs and members work together:
Youth & Family Involvement Workgroup:
This workgroup has the responsibility to educate and inform the Collaborative process as it progresses towards appropriately and consistently including families and youth in the behavioral health service system process; to promote and coordinate the effort to increase advocacy and support for families and youth experiencing mental health, substance abuse and co-occurring disorders and to serve as monitors and guides as Georgia moves towards inclusiveness of families and youth. Family and youth will also participate on other workgroups.
Workforce Development Workgroup:
This workgroup has the responsibility to assess workforce shortages; workforce training needs; to define Evidence Based Practices and Promising Practices for youth with serious emotional disturbances, substance abuse and co-occurring disorders and to assess and enhance cultural and linguistic competencies within the behavioral health service system. This workgroup with input from the Interagency Collaboration Workgroup will develop and recommend, based on workforce assessment analysis, a coordinated training strategy.
Interagency Collaboration Workgroup:
This workgroup has the responsibility to bring together representatives of the various agencies and interest groups represented in the Collaborative and in the state child serving system with family and youth representatives to plan and implement the coordinated and integrated strategies that address the project’s goals and objectives.
Financing Workgroup:
This workgroup is responsible for the analysis of behavioral health expenditures and utilization for children and adolescents and the development of funding strategies to coordinate, improve and maximize the capacity of the state’s child serving system. Based on the financial mapping analysis, the Workgroup will make recommendations for changes across child serving agencies in the spending and utilization to support the development of an effective system of care for children and youth with behavioral health disorders and their families.
|