Population Served
The Child and Adolescent Service System Program (CASSP) serves children and adolescents ages infant-18 with serious emotional disorders or mental illness who are receiving services from two or more child-serving agencies including schools in the Franklin and Fulton county area.
About CASSP
The Child and Adolescent Service System Program (CASSP) in Franklin and Fulton counties will coordinate services for children and adolescents between child-serving systems by improving the working relationship among public and private agencies for the common goal of improved child-caring services.
It is best to contact the CASSP coordinator to ensure than a referral is appropriate and that CASSP is not currently involved. Referrals are required by agency staff, school personnel, family members or concerned persons in order to begin a CASSP support.
Releases from parents and individuals over age 14 are required to get the process moving and to share information.
Involvement in CASSP is voluntary.
In addition to CASSP meetings coordinated by the CASSP coordinator, CASSP will sometimes be asked to get involved by the managed care company when a child is recommended for a higher level of care, when there are multiple agencies involved, or when there is a need for help with a transition back to the community (discharge planning).
High-profile cases are often referred to CASSP for coordination and collaboration.
CASSP meetings can be:
- One-time only meetings
- Problem-solving meetings or for times when the team is unsure what to do or has differences of opinions regarding services and/or treatment needs
- For a child who is at risk of out-of-home placement
- On-going, regularly scheduled review meetings for high-profile cases
- Discharge-planning meetings for transitioning back to the community, etc.
- Transition-planning meetings for youth who are aging out of the children’s services system and into the adult system
Some benefits of CASSP are:
- Sharing and communication of information among the interagency team
- Problem solving and brainstorming
- Offers support for the family and agencies involved
- Finding other services and programs that could be beneficial
- Helps to look at the big picture and the future
- Discussing and working through systems issues
