Section 302.390  Behavioral Health Services

a)         Behavioral health services are available to all children and youth for whom the Department has placement and care responsibility.

b)         The child's behavioral health needs shall be assessed as the child enters care as a part of the integrated assessment and on an ongoing basis through the Administrative Case Review or through the completion of the Child and Adolescent Needs and Strengths (CANS) assessment tool anytime a change in the level of service is considered.

c)         The behavioral health services provided shall be based on the child's needs and may be provided at the site of the program, residential facility, foster home or other appropriate place.  The placement provider shall assist in arranging for the child to receive the behavioral health services from an outside provider when those services are required to meet the child's clinical needs.

d)         Behavioral health services include, but are not limited to:

1)         Assessment is the evaluation of an individual's development, behavior, intellect, interests, personality, cognitive processes, emotional functioning and/or social functioning, for the purpose of identifying needs and developing recommendations for services and/or intervention.  Assessment methods include interviewing, systematic observation and/or psychometric testing.

2)         Evidence-based treatments, sometimes referred to as empirically validated treatments or empirically supported therapy, are clinical practices that have been clearly described and are supported by scientific research and evidence.

3)         Psychosocial rehabilitation addresses the specific needs of persons who have a severe mental illness or psychiatric disability.  The broad goals of psychosocial  rehabilitation are to improve the child's or youth's skills and functioning and to develop the environmental supports necessary to maintain the child or youth in a foster home, school and the community.

4)         Specialized foster care is a foster or adoptive home in which specialized services are provided to meet the emotional, behavioral, developmental or medical needs of a child placed in the home.  Children in specialized foster care may require a wheel chair or a feeding tube, have a severe visual or speech impairment, or have disorders such as compulsive behaviors, mental retardation, substance abuse problems or a mental illness.

5)         Transition planning services are the assessments, activities and support services needed to assist an adolescent in his or her preparation for self‑sufficiency in adulthood.  Transition planning services begin when the youth is age 14½ years and continues until the youth is discharged from the guardianship of DCFS.

6)         Transition planning for youth who have a developmental disability shall be based on an assessment of cognitive functioning, adaptive functioning and capacity for independent living.  Skill areas may include personal care, food preparation, safety precautions, use of public transportation, money management and vocational interests and abilities.

7)         Integrated assessment (IA) is a comprehensive interview and standardized clinical screening process with children and their parents/guardians, conducted immediately following the child's removal from the home.  The purpose of this assessment is early evaluation of the child's developmental, medical, educational, social-emotional, and mental health functioning and needs, to assess the child's response to trauma and to develop recommendations for services and interventions that support the child's need for safety, well-being and permanency.

8)         Early intervention (EI) means the developmental/educational, social and health services provided to infants and toddlers (0 to 3 year of age) designed to maximize their development.  Early intervention services include such services as speech and language services, occupational therapy, physical therapy, medical/health services, and psychological and social work services, Early intervention services are provided to children who are developmentally delayed, have conditions that typically result in delay, or are at risk of substantial developmental delay.

9)         Mental health services are treatment services for developmental, behavioral, emotional and mental disorders that may affect children and interfere with normal development and functioning.  Mental health services include, but are not limited to, examination, diagnosis, evaluation, treatment, pharmaceuticals and aftercare.

A)        Screening of children for whom the Department is legally responsible who are at risk for psychiatric hospitalization shall be provided in accordance with 59 Ill. Adm. Code 131 (Children's Program), and shall be based on a referral to the State's Crisis and Referral Entry Service (CARES) (see 59 Ill. Adm. Code 131.20).

B)        Community mental health services for children for whom the Department is legally responsible shall be provided in accordance with 59 Ill. Adm. Code 132 (Medicaid Community Mental Health Services Program).  These services shall be provided by entities certified by the Department, the Department of Human Services or the Department of Corrections to provide mental health services and that are enrolled in the Illinois Medical Assistance program pursuant to 89 Ill. Adm. Code 120.

10)       The Department's Early Childhood Program conducts developmental and social-emotional screenings of children in foster care, birth to age five years, to assess developmental, social-emotional and/or mental health needs.  Early childhood intervention provides support to caregivers to promote the child's development in key domains such as communication, attachment and mobility, to promote the child's coping and confidence, and to prevent the emergence of future problems.

11)       Substance abuse services are activities that are designed to reduce, defer or eliminate substance abuse and/or chemical dependency through the use of prevention, treatment and ongoing recovery programs.  Services provided by the Department include screening, referral, treatment, drug-testing and aftercare.  Substance abuse services are available to children and adults.

12)       Child and Adolescent Needs and Strengths (CANS) is an inventory that is used universally within the Department to evaluate a child's functioning and strengths in multiple domains.  CANS tool does not provide a clinical diagnosis, but rather a focus for treatment.  CANS is completed during the integrated assessment and at specified junctures during the child's or youth's time in care.

13)       Trauma treatment is comprised of a variety of therapeutic services and interventions, including the type of placement, that are provided within a Trauma-Informed System that recognizes that most children in the child welfare system have been exposed to significant traumatic experiences and require a broad range of individual and community supports and behavioral health services.  Trauma services provided by the Department are evidence-based and have been proven to facilitate recovery from trauma.

(Source:  Old Section repealed at 19 Ill. Reg. 9485, effective July 1, 1995; new Section added at 32 Ill. Reg. 11611, effective July 10, 2008)