Connecticut Department of Children and Families Presentation Substance Abuse Connecticut Adolescent

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Connecticut Department of Children and Families
PresentationSubstance Abuse Connecticut
Adolescent Substance Abuse Coordination Project
March 2007
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Connecticut Adolescent Substance Abuse
Coordination (CASAC) Project

• Purpose To develop and improve Connecticuts
  policies, laws, practices and programs that
  positively impact treatment and support services
  for adolescents with substance abuse and mental
  health disorders

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Connecticut Overview

• Connecticut DCF is an integrated childrens
  agency with legislative mandates for child
  welfare, juvenile justice, childrens mental
  health, adolescent substance abuse treatment and
  prevention services
• CTs population for children under 18 is 865,000
  
  
• Connecticut has no county level government other
  than the Court system
  
• DCF and DSS have just started a Behavioral Health
  Partnership with a carve out of behavioral health
  services with an ASO
  

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CASAC Collaborators

• Family Advocates
• Youth Advisory Groups
• State Agencies
• Department of Children and Families
• Department of Mental Health and Addiction
• Department of Social Services
• Department of Corrections
• Judicial Branch
• State Department Education
• Department of Public Health
• Providers
• Academic Partners (Yale Child Study and
  University of Connecticut)
  
• Connecticut Center for Effective Practices
  (Policy)
  

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2007 CASAC and Connecticut Alcohol and Drug
Policy Recommendations to the Governor and
Legislator on Adolescent Substance Abuse Treatment

• Develop stronger partnerships with families to
  build a coordinated adolescent substance abuse
  treatment system that supports youth and
  families.
• Increase access to treatment for youth and their
  families.
  
• Accelerate recovery by bridging the gap between
  science and service to deliver excellent
  treatment to youth and families.
  

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What Weve Learned

• Keeping Substance-Abusing Kids Safe and with
  their families, communities and schools advances
  their development and reduces recidivism rates
  and treatment costs
• Delivering Services Collaboratively, rather than
  in isolation, is essential when substance-abusing
  kids are involved with multiple agencies. Inhome
  services have successfully engaged high-risk
  youth, and children of substance abusing parents
  involved in multiple service systems.
• Project SAFE, a DCF/DMHAS collaborative project
  for adult substance abuse services for families
  in the child welfare system, is creating new
  family-centered models
• Hartford Youth Project Family SOC (HYP),
  engagement specialists help families navigate the
  treatment system, and provide case management and
  outreach services to engage those who would
  otherwise fall through the cracks.
• The Age of Jurisdiction for 16 and 17 year-olds
  is an issue of key importance. Stronger
  coordination between the judicial system and
  families is critical.

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DCF Behavioral Health Data From Adolescent
Substance Abuse Evaluations April 2003 through
August 2004
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DCF Hartford Youth Project Mental Health
IssuesJuvenile Justice vs. Community Referrals
All also have Substance Abuse issues
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DCF Hartford Youth Environmental Risk Profile
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Goals of DCF Behavioral Health

• Reduction of Residential Placements
• Expansion of Community Based Service System
• Increased Role of Families in System Design
• Enhanced Support to the System of Care
• Promotion of Evidence-Based Practices
• Integration of Behavioral Health, Substance Abuse
  Services, Juvenile Justice, CPS
  
• Improved Management of Resources

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DCF Expansion of Community Based Service System -
Highlights

• Significant increases in funding for in-Home
  substance abuse treatment funding (MST, MDFT,
  BSFT and FFT)
  
• Implementing evidenced based practices with
  fidelity
  
• DCF implementing the Global Appraisal for
  Individual Needs (GAIN) for adolescent SA
  
• Cross training and service integration with
  childrens in-home psychiatric services (Yale
  Child Study Center, ICAPS, Family Support Teams,
  Family Based Recovery)
• Creation of Family Advocates Groups
  collaborating
  

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Early Results of Some In-Home SA Co-occurring
Models(MST and MDFT, 660 Cases Discharged)

• 71 Remained in the community and home
• 80 Are enrolled in school
• 71 Reduced substance use significantly
• 63 Abstained from alcohol and drugs 30 days
  prior to discharge
  
• 70 Had a mean length of stay of more than 90
  days
  
• 80 Were not rearrested during treatment
• Improvements in parent and child functioning
  (Ohio scales)
  

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• Thank You
• Peter Panzarella, Director of DCF
• Substance Abuse Services
• 505 Hudson Street
• Hartford, Connecticut 06106
• peter.panzarella_at_ct.gov