Children Direct Care Services

The Children's division of the MHASCK provides advocacy, education and service to severely emotionally disabled youth under the age of 18 who live within Sedgwick County. Parent support and education in accessing services is offered as well.

These services include:

Attendant Care, Individual Community Support
Psychosocial Groups
Family Services/Parent Support and Education
Support groups for parents
Case Management
Pathways

Youth/Families participating in our programs are part of treatment planning. Treatment goals are individualized but do follow State outlined objectives to keep the youth in the least restrictive environment in which s(he) can succeed.

Children's Attendant Care/Psychsocial Rehabilitation -Individual

Children’s Attendant Care provides direct services to children with a Severe Emotional Disorder (SED). In a one-on-one relationship, trained providers assist in skill building, behavioral redirection and emotional support. Services are provided in the school, home, or community and focus on therapeutic goals as outlined in a Plan of Care. Youth must meet eligibility criteria and must be referred by a community mental health case manager.

The Children’s Attendant Care office hours are 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday-Friday, yet services are provided seven days a week, between 8:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m.

Focus Areas include:

Skill building
Problem-solving
Behavioral Redirection
Social/Emotional Support

For more information contact: 685-1821, ext 270

Children's Psychosocial Groups

Youth are assisted in a peer group setting with improving social skills, positive peer relationships, problem solving skills, promotion of health, and leisure time skills. Through group participation, much of the time in a community setting, youth are assisted to work on these skills to gain social competencies. The transitional age youth of this program work on these skills with a focus on independent living. A component of the program for this age group is volunteering at community businesses with a focus on working on social skills needed in a business environment.

Parent Advocacy and Support Services (PASS)

Trained parent advocates assist parents who have children with emotional/behavioral problems or other disabilities by:

Helping them access evaluation and treatment services for the child/youth
Providing them education on parenting children with special needs
Conducting culturally sensitive support groups of parent peers
Clarifying parent rights and due process procedures in special education
Facilitating parent networking and self-advocacy efforts
Referring them to community resource organizations/agencies.

Parent training classes/support groups are held at MHA on Tuesday evenings 6:30pm - 8:00pm and Wednesday afternoons 12:00 Noon - 1:30pm.

Call 316-685-1821, ext. 479 for more information.

Children's Case Management

Case Managers assist youth who meet criteria for a Serious Emotional Disturbance (SED). They work collaboratively with the youth's parents to develop treatment goals and interventions needed to best assist the youth's mental health needs. Case Managers have two primary responsibilities:

Working one-on-one with the youth to assist with symptom management and skill building.
Working on behalf of the youth by collaborating with all important people involved in the youth's life to assist with their mental health needs; and making additional referrals as needed with continued monitoring of the progress with each respective referral.

A specialized component of this program is a collaboration with Adult Case Management in providing transitional age case management for 16-30 year olds, known as the Transition to Independence Program (TIP). The mission of TIP is to empower young adults by utilizing their strengths to achieve goals and having them self-direct their plans for the future.

Focus Areas:

One-on-one support to youth in the community
Coordination of Services for child or youth
Problem solving skills
Development in managing behaviors

For more information contact: 685-1821, ext. 243

Pathways

Pathways is a program designed to help children that live or have lived in an environment where drug and/or alcohol use is prevalent. The program focuses on issues such as:

Anger management
Self-esteem and confidence
Chemical dependency, risks and choices
Communications skills
Developing problem-solving techniques

Children aged 5-17 meet in a Pathways group once a week for approximately twelve weeks. Each meeting lasts about one hour. Call 685-1821 ext. 478 to discuss locations and times of different Pathways groups.

Reducing Anger In Pre-School (RAP) and I Can Problem Solve (ICPS)

RAP and ICPS are programs designed for 3-5 year olds that are attending pre-school. Children learn how to problem-solve and manage their angry feelings.

Groups are currently going on at selected pre-schools in the area. Each RAP and ICPS session takes only 10-15 minutes, but occurs on a daily basis (Monday through Friday). Children learn how to recognize problems, generate multiple solutions and understand the possible consequences that follow each solution, with the goal of improving social behavior in school, family and other group settings.

Teachers and parents report gains in reducing impulsivity and disruptive behaviors from children enrolled in the program. RAP/ICPS continues for approximately 3 months at each preschool.

For more information contact: 685-1821 ext.282

PATHS for Kids:

A 12-session early intervention and violence prevention program targeted at children ages 5-11 that are at risk of juvenile delinquency, expulsion and/or suspension from elementary school. Promoting Alternative Thinking Strategies (PATHS) is an evidence-based program for promoting emotional and social competencies as well as for reducing aggression and acting-out behaviors in elementary-age children. The curriculum covers five areas of social and emotional development including self-control, emotional understanding, self-esteem, peer relations and interpersonal problem-solving skills. The sessions are held at elementary Title 1 schools within Sedgwick County during lunch period, after-school or as otherwise scheduled. Please call 685-1821 ext 478 for more information or to schedule a program at your school.