CCF-NYS Council on Children and Families-CCSI Related Links

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Initiative Links

CCSI

Child Welfare

The Child Welfare System, Step by Step— The path a child takes through a State child welfare system can be confusing for those unfamiliar with it. The Pew Commission on Children in Foster Care has recently developed an online resource, "A Child’s Journey Through the Child Welfare System," that provides a step-by-step flow chart of the process. Users can click on any part of the flow chart and be linked to text that describes that key decision point, or they can read a text overview of the entire system.
Foundations of Successful Youth Mentoring: A Guidebook for Program Development— Mentoring has become a popular strategy for helping youth stay on track, but setting up and sustaining a successful program takes some thought and know-how, according to this new guidebook from the national mentoring center. The manual includes checklists to gauge the strength of your efforts, and a timeline for setting up new programs.

Education

A Report to the Governor and the Legislature on the Educational Status of the State's Schools— Chapter 655 of the Laws of 1987 (which amended Section 215-a of State Education Law) requires the Board of Regents and the State Education Department to submit an annual report to the Governor and the Legislature with respect to "enrollment trends; indicators of student achievement in reading, writing, mathematics, science, and vocational courses; graduation, college attendance and employment rates; . . . (and) information concerning teacher and administrator preparation, turnover, in-service education and performance." The complete report is printed in two volumes. The first volume is titled New York, the State of Learning: Statewide Profile of the Educational System and is a 200 page book in six chapters, with illustrative figures, charts, and tables. The second volume is titled New York, the State of Learning: Statistical Profiles of Public School Districts and is a book with more than 300 pages containing tabular presentations of these data by school district within each county.
The Alliance Project— The Alliance Project is funded by the federal Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP). A major emphasis of the Alliance Project is to increase the success rate of special education and related services departments in acquiring grants from the OSEP Division of Personnel Preparation. Alliance engages in technical assistance and information services for the preparation of DPP grant proposals and for Institutional Development. Activities include: Grant Writing Workshops, Mentorships and Best Practice Seminars.
Center for Health and Health Care in Schools Mental Health Page— Mental health services in schools background info, financing issues, and state and local initiatives.
Community Resource Mapping: A Strategy for Promoting Successful Transition for Youth with Disabilities — Community mapping can help put a community's resources in the neighborhoods where they are most needed. This National Center on Secondary Education and Transition brief includes a detailed explanation of Community Resource Mapping, a list of the benefits of mapping for youth with disabilities, examples of mapping efforts, and related contacts and resources.
The Council for Exceptional Children — The Council for Exceptional Children is the "largest international professional organization dedicated to improving educational outcomes for individuals with exceptionalities, students with disabilities, and/or the gifted." Site includes ERIC clearinghouse on disabilities and gifted education; links to the ERIC database and to Exceptional child Education Resources; digests, fact sheets and frequently asked questions; public policy and legislative information.
Families and Advocates Partnership for Education— The Families and Advocates Partnership for Education (FAPE) project is a strong partnership that aims to improve the educational outcomes for children with disabilities. It links families, advocates, and self-advocates to communicate the new focus of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). The project represents the needs of 6 million children with disabilities. FAPE created the guide listed below:
- Integrating Mental Health in Schools: Issue Brief— This brief background paper explores why integrated efforts are important, what is involved, and how to do it. The presentation covers: Integrating mental health activity to maximize resource use and effectiveness; developing mechanisms to promote integration and address challenges; creating an integrated continuum; and some key references
- National Coalition for Parent Involvement in Education— NCPIE was founded in 1980, at the initiative of what was then the National School Volunteer Program (now National Association for Partners in Education), with funding from the Ford Foundation and Union Carbide. From the outset, the participating organizations included parent organizations and advocacy groups as well as national education organizations representing teachers and administrators. The group meets monthly to monitor legislation, initiate projects, and share information and ideas about research, programs, and policies.
- UCLA Center for Mental Health in Schools— The School Mental Health Project was established in 1986 in the Department of Psychology at UCLA to pursue theory, research, practice, and training related to addressing mental health and psychosocial concerns through school-based interventions.
Federal Office of Special Education Programs — The Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS) provides a wide array of supports to parents and individuals, school districts and states in three main areas: special education, vocational rehabilitation and research.
Idea— A site containing a wealth of information for parents, attorneys, advocates, and educators on special education law and regulations pertaining to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).
Impartial Hearing Process for Students with Disabilities— An impartial hearing is a more formal process to resolve disputes. This document should assist all parties to understand their responsibilities relating to impartial hearings so that disputes over special education services are resolved in a timely manner. Effective September 2001, the Regulations of the Commissioner of Education were amended relating to impartial hearings to address the qualifications of impartial hearing officers, ensure school districts initiate an impartial hearing in a timely manner, and ensure impartial hearings are completed within the required time periods. The State Education Department is monitoring the impartial hearing system through impartial hearing officer training, the ongoing collection and review of hearing data, quality assurance reviews and complaint investigations so that timely hearing decisions are rendered.
Learning Disabilities Online — This website provides families, teachers and other concerned adults with information on a variety of learning disabilities that affect young people. This is an excellent site for parents to become more educated on the issues that may affect their children.
Mental Health, Schools and Working Together for All Children and Youth: Toward a Shared Agenda— A concept paper from the National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors and The Policymaker Partnership for Implementing IDEA at the National Association of State Directors of Special Education.
National Center on Secondary Education and Transition (NCSET)— Coordinates national resources, offers technical assistance, and disseminates information related to secondary education and transition for youth with disabilities in order to create opportunities for youth to achieve successful futures. The site has many useful subdivisions, including:

IEP & Transition Planning— Information on developing a student's Individual Education Plan (IEP) and transition plan, including frequently asked questions, related research, emerging practices, Web sites, and additional resources.

National IDEA Data— This web site provides public access to the most recent data about children with disabilities served under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). These data are collected annually by the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs in accordance with Section 618 of IDEA
NYS Education System Residential Placement Process— A description of the process, as well as a flow chart that summarizes the steps required for special education placements in New York State.
PACER Center Parent Advocacy Coalition for Educational Rights— The mission of PACER Center is to expand opportunities and enhance the quality of life of children and young adults with disabilities and their families, based on the concept of parents helping parents.
SERI: Special Education Resources on the Internet: "A collection of Internet accessible information resources of interest to those involved in the fields related to Special Education." Comprehensive in its links to resources and information.
Special Education in New York State for Children Ages 3–21: A Parent’s Guide— This document provides information for parents, guardians and other family members about laws, regulations and policies affecting special education programs and services.
Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports(PBIS)–Office of Special Education Programs— The Technical Assistance Center on Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) has been established by the Office of Special Education Programs, US Department of Education to give schools capacity-building information and technical assistance for identifying, adapting, and sustaining effective school-wide disciplinary practices.
VESID— The Office of Vocational and Educational Services for Individuals with Disabilities (VESID) within the State Education Department (SED) is charged with meeting the needs of people with disabilities from early childhood through adulthood and into the workplace. VESID oversees special education services for students, ages 3-21, in public and private schools and the vocational rehabilitation services for individuals, beginning at age 16 through adulthood.
Wright’s Law – Special Education Resources— Up-to-date information about special education law and advocacy for children with disabilities.

Evidence-based Resources

Center for Effective Collaboration and Practice— Improving services for children and youth with emotional and behavioral problems through creating effective schools and supporting local, state and national level collaborations.
Also see the Center’s Section on Wraparound Planning.
The Center for Evidence-Based Practice: Young Children with Challenging Behavior— A great source for resources and links.
Child Trends DataBank — The DataBank has “What Works" information as well as youth well-being indicators. Based on Child Trends' reviews of evaluation research on programs using academic achievement, mentoring, civic engagement, and employment-related strategies, the DataBank now provides organized online access to programs that do and do not work in affecting a wide range of outcomes for youth. "What Works" information is provided for more than 40 indicators on the DataBank.
Guide to Effective Programs for Children and Youth— Over the past several years, Child Trends has built an extensive knowledge base about programs that "work" to enhance children's development. This Guide offers a way of presenting this knowledge in a user-friendly format for policy makers, program designers, and funders. Based on conversations with these groups, we have developed a visual representation of the stages of childhood and paired these stages with effective programs. This approach is built on the concept that child development is a cumulative process that begins before birth and continues into young adulthood. This "life course" model visually shows that varied program approaches can contribute to children's development, that different approaches are appropriate at different ages, and that developmental inputs build on one another over time, as a child grows. The model also illustrates that development unfolds over time and benefits from investment at all ages. Thus, there is no one "critical stage" where development is set. The Guide was built with the understanding that most program providers and funders face a concrete challenge - such as a need to prepare preschoolers for elementary school or a need to improve the physical fitness of middle school children. The electronic Guide to Effective Programs for Children and Youth provides users with an easy reference for programs that work, influencing a variety of outcomes over a child's life.

Federal Grant Planning Guides

Critical Issues Discussion Guide — This guide explores several of the guiding principles that underlie Systems of Care development. These principles include family partnership, cultural competence, inter-agency collaboration, community investment, and individualized care.
Technical Assistance Plan Worksheet—The worksheet is organized by the guiding principles of a System of Care and designed to capture their relationship to the process of building a System of Care, e.g. infrastructure development, evaluation, information management, etc. The worksheet asks you to brainstorm ways in which technical assistance could help you operationalize the principles into the daily work of systems reform.

General Resources

Georgetown University Center for Child and Human Development— The Georgetown University Center for Child and Human Development was established over four decades ago to improve the quality of life for all children and youth, especially those with, or at risk for, special needs and their families. Includes the:

National Technical Assistance Center for Children's Mental Health — Special areas of emphasis and expertise include strategic planning, leadership development, evaluation, interagency MIS, interagency collaboration, cultural competence, family partnerships, policy development, prevention and early intervention, managed care and financing. And:

National Information Center for Children and Youth with Disabilities— NICHCY is the national information center that provides information on disabilities and disability-related issues. On-line information about: Special education and related services for children in school; Individualized education programs; Parent materials; Disability organizations; Professional associations; Education rights and what the law requires; Early intervention services for infants and toddlers; Transition to adult life.
Promising Practices Network — Highlights programs and practices that credible research indicates are effective in improving outcomes for children, youth, and families. The information offered is organized around three major areas: Proven and Promising Programs, Research in Brief, and Strengthening Service Delivery.
Research and Training Center for Children's Mental Health (Tampa, FL)— The Research and Training Center for Children's Mental Health at USF's Louis de la Parte Florida Mental Health Institute was initiated in 1984 to address the need for improved services and outcomes for children with serious emotional/behavioral disabilities and their families. The Center’s eight integrated field research projects focus on enhancing our understanding of policy development and implementation as it pertains to improving outcomes for children with emotional disturbances and their families.
Research and Training Center on Family Support and Children's Mental Health (Portland, OR)— The Research and Training Center on Family Support and Children's Mental Health was established in 1984 at Portland State University, Portland, Oregon. The Center is dedicated to promoting effective community-based, culturally competent, family-centered services for families and their children who are, or may be affected by mental, emotional or behavioral disorders.
Respite Resources— ARCH National Respite Network and Resource Center site has many publications to choose from in the area of respite work.
SAMHSA (Federal) Children’s Mental Health Services Site— The Child, Adolescent, and Family Branch of the Federal Center for Mental Health Services promotes and ensures that the mental health needs of children and their families are met within the context of community-based systems of care. Systems of care are developed on the premise that the mental health needs of children, adolescents, and their families can be met within their home, school, and community environments.
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration — SAMHSA is the Federal agency charged with improving the quality and availability of prevention, treatment, and rehabilitative services in order to reduce illness, death, disability, and cost to society resulting from substance abuse and mental illnesses. There are a variety of publications that can be obtained on mental health and substance abuse issues that effect children, adolescents and adults. The issues covered range from A.D.D. to bipolar disorder. This in an excellent site for families to learn about mental health and substance abuse problems that affect their loved ones.
Technical Assistance Partnership for Child and Family Mental Health—The Technical Assistance Partnership for Child and Family Mental Health (TA Partnership) provides technical assistance to system of care communities that are currently funded through the Comprehensive Community Mental Health Services for Children and their Families Program.

Juvenile Justice

Effective Family Programs for Prevention of Delinquency— U.S. Department of Justice,Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention
Involving Families of Youth Who Are in Contact with the Juvenile Justice System— A Research brief prepared by FFCMH Staff, (Trina Osher & Pat Hunt) for National Center for Mental Health and Juvenile Justice, (NCMHJJ)
National Center for Mental Health and Juvenile Justice— As attention to the issue of youth with mental disorders in the juvenile justice system has increased in the past decade, a number of approaches have emerged to assist the field in identifying and responding to their mental health needs. One of the most important advances is the development of demonstrated effective interventions for treating youth. These demonstrated interventions are commonly referred to as evidence-based practices: interventions that involve standardized treatment and that have been shown through controlled research to result in improved outcomes across multiple research groups. The following resources and links provide information and descriptions about evidence-based practices from these different populations.
National Council on Disability— Addressing the Needs of Youth with Disabilities in the Juvenile Justice System: The Current Status of Evidence-Based Research. Over the past several years, NCD has recognized that children and youth with disabilities have increasingly become over represented in the juvenile justice system. A significant proportion of youth in the juvenile justice system has education-related disabilities and is eligible for special education and related services under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Factors associated with the disproportionate representation of youth with disabilities in juvenile corrections are complex—but the available information suggests that school failure, poorly developed social skills, and inadequate school and community supports greatly increase the risks for arrest and incarceration. NCD believes, therefore, that delinquency prevention is a critical feature of any service or support system that is used to address the needs of all youth, especially youth with disabilities and special education needs.
The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP)— OJJDP is responsible for administering the Juvenile Accountability Incentive Block Grants (JAIBG) program, made possible by Public Law 105–119 and subsequent appropriations acts. This Bulletin, which is the overview of OJJDP’s JAIBG Best Practices Series, discusses key aspects of adolescent development, documents examples of developmentally appropriate accountability, provides an overview of the underlying legislation, and highlights best practices as reported in other Bulletins in this series.

Legal

Child Welfare and the Courts— A general overview of court participation in the Child Welfare system and the general processes they follow.
Strategies for Court Collaboration with Service Communities— Review of the “Models of Effective Court-Based Service Delivery for Children and Their Families Project” by the Bureau of Justice Assistance.

Medical Health

ACT for Youth Upstate Center for Excellence— ACT for Youth—Assets Coming Together for Youth—aims to strengthen community partnerships that promote positive youth development and prevent risky and unhealthy behaviors among young people, aged 10 to 19. The ACT for Youth initiative is a project of the New York State Department of Health, and was developed in cooperation with the Partners for Children, a collaboration of public and private sector organizations committed to improving the health and education of children and adolescents throughout New York State.
The Children's Health Fund —The Children’s Health Fund is committed to providing health care to the nation’s most medically underserved children and their families through the development and support of innovative primary care medical programs, response to public health crises, and the promotion of guaranteed access to appropriate health care for all children.
Family Check-Up— Virginia Cooperative Extension’s site to provide a better understanding of family health with respect to family life, finances, and nutrition and food safety.
MedicareSolutions—Contains a large array of information and resources focused on assisting individuals with a variety of disabilities.

Mental Health

Children’s Defense Fund’s Children’s Mental Health Resource Kit— “Please use this resource kit to educate yourself and others about the mental health care needs of children and to learn about opportunities for improving access to mental health screens and assessments for children through Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). If you share the Children’s Defense Fund’s vision for improved access to mental health care for children, please use this resource kit to work toward this goal in your community and state.”
The Finance Project — A comprehensive clearinghouse of information and technical assistance resources to support decision-making that produces and sustains good results for children, families, and communities.
Local Collaborative Assessment of Capacity Instrument— Assessment tool to help localities identify the strengths and weaknesses of their local collaborative efforts.

Diagnosis Specific

American Academy of Family Physicians Series
Child & Adolescent Bipolar Foundation — Early intervention and treatment offers the best chance for children with bipolar disorder to achieve stability, gain the best possible level of wellness, and grow up to enjoy their gifts and build upon their strengths. Proper treatment can minimize the adverse effects of the illness on their lives and the lives of those who love them." ....from "About early-onset bipolar disorder"
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) brochures and information sheets, reports, press releases, fact sheets, and other educational materials.
Teens with Problems— This web site offers you some solutions and guidelines on how to deal with an adolescent who is having severe problems, including those diagnosed with attention deficit disorder (ADD), attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), oppositional defiant disorder (ODD), conduct disorder and bipolar disorder.
Volume I—Wraparound: Stories From The Field — Explores the ever-burgeoning conviction in a growing community of providers, advocates, and families that Wraparound is a simply better, cheaper, and more humane than conventional service delivery processes for families with children with serious emotional disturbance. Through the stories of six families who have received individualized services and supports through a Wraparound process, we see— how this process worked to support their strengths and meet their needs.

New York State Resources

CCSI Partner Agencies

Additional New York Resources

Kids’ Well-being Indicators Clearinghouse— The New York State Council on Children and Families is pleased to present children's health, education and well-being indicators as a means to help assess needs, design and improve programs, and sharpen the focus on outcomes. KWIC uses the Touchstones framework that provides expectations about the future as well as snapshots of the status of children and families.
New York State Citizens' Coalition for Children — Incorporated in 1975, the Coalition is an organization of concerned citizens and 150 volunteer adoptive and foster parent groups in every region of New York State. Guided by a belief in the right of every child to a permanent, loving family, the Coalition's goals are to: improve services available to children at risk of or in out of home care; increase citizen involvement in local service planning and delivery; require greater public accountability of the NYS Office of Children and Family Services, & other systems providing out of home care for children, including local agencies; represent the citizen's viewpoint in advocating for improved adoption and foster care services. The Coalition is concerned primarily with system-change advocacy and individuals taking responsibility for influencing and changing the systems affecting their lives and the lives of their children.
NYS Home and Community Based Waivers and Contact
NYS Home and Community Based Waivers: Descriptions— Documents that explain the various HCBS waiver programs in New York.
NYS Medicaid Services – Benefits, Populations and Reimbursement— Table (with additional web links) describing the services, eligibility, and payment structures of New York’s Medicaid program.
New York Yellow Pages for Kids with Disabilities— Includes many resources - government programs, grassroots organizations, and parent support groups. They will be adding evaluators, educational consultants, academic tutors, advocates, attorneys, and others who help parents get services for their children.
Parent to Parent of NYS— Matches parents of children with disabilities and children with special health care needs with volunteer support parents for emotional support; recruits and trains support parent volunteers; provides educational resources, on a variety of disability related issues, to professionals, parent groups, organizations and the larger community.
Regional Matrix of State Agencies— A chart that show the regions of child and family-serving agencies in NYS.