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Cortland County Coordinated Children’s Services Initiative 60 Central Ave. Cortland, New York 13045 Phone: [PHONE REDACTED] e-mail: [EMAIL REDACTED] Chris Driscoll, Coordinator Alma Johnson, Parent Partner The Coordinated Children’s Services Initiative CCSI is a statewide initiative that targets children that have complex emotional and behavioral service needs. Children referred to CCSI are at risk of placement in, or have already cycled through out-of-home placements. The target population for this program is children and youth ages 5 through 18 or under the age of 21 who have not completed secondary school whose service and support needs require a multi- agency approach. They are often identified as those most challenging to serve and who are often passed from one agency to another agency. Frequently, they receive services from two or more systems and there is a need for coordination amongst service providers. CCSI uses a family focused and strength- based approach to working with families across systems. The CCSI program is designed to bring community services providers together at one table in order to develop a service unified, family specific set of goals that will allow the family to be successful within our community. ~ CCSI incorporates a three-tiered approach: • Family-based Tier I teams are interagency teams assembled to work with a child and family to develop an individualized, strength-based family support plan and to coordinate interagency services. Team composition varies according to the needs of each child and family, but usually includes the child and family, a family support representative, and (as needed) representatives from mental hygiene, education, juvenile justice, probation, health, and other county child and family services systems. • Tier II includes county government service agency leaders, school officials, and parents. Tier II serves as the local over sight body for all CCSI activities and works toward implementation of goals and principles, facilitates linkages between service systems, addresses barriers to service delivery and assures continuation of funding locally. • Tier III is a statewide board made up of family representatives and officials from eight state agencies. Tier III meets regularly to review and implement systems change at the State level. The Coordinated Children’s Services Initiative is intended to be a three to six month process of assessment, wraparound meetings, and evaluation. The participants of the wraparound meeting review needs and of the family, a services plan is devised based upon those findings, and projected roles and responsibilities are outlined in this service plan. It is expected that the roles and responsibilities outlined in this service plan should begin being addressed within the three to six month time frame. To assure that this happens, follow up wraparound meetings are scheduled as needed through out this three to six month time frame. In this three to six month time frame, it is expected that: 1. Agency providers have had ongoing communication with the family. 2. Access to agency providers has simplified. 3. Agency providers have addressed all the families concerns and questions. 4. The family is receiving all the services outlined in the CCSI Service Plan. 5. The family is effectively accessing community resources and natural supports.