Families To Be Offered Home and Community Service Options to Avoid Out of Home Placement for Children With Severe Emotional Disturbances
The South Carolina Medicaid program will begin a special project for children up to age 19 who have severe emotional disturbances. Services will be offered in their home and community instead of a residential psychiatric treatment facility.
Families and youth will have a choice of services and supports to help keep their child at home or return from a treatment facility.
The child must have an assessment from a list of professionals that will be given to the family. If the child needs the level of care that would be provided in a treatment facility and they meet the Medicaid requirements based on the child’s income, they will qualify for Waiver services.
This project will begin in March 2008 in Richland, Lexington and Fairfield counties. These services will be provided to 50 children in the first year. Each year new counties will be added and services will be provided for up to 150 children. The program will be statewide by 2011.
Services included are:
- Case Management: to assist the family with identifying and receiving services.
- Psychiatric Medical Assessment: to meet with the child and family to determine medication needs, obtain current information on child’s functioning and decide if the child needs the level of services offered through this project.
- Community Based and Wraparound Services such as … Respite care services to aid the family with taking care of their child.
- Caregiver peer support- a support specialist who has training to help the family understand the project and help them learn coping skills.
- Youth Peer Support, support to help the youth with coping skills and working with them to use and benefit from the services offered.
- Prevocational Services will help a youth learn skills to help them become more independent.
- Diagnostic and Therapeutic Services, could include other assessments, individual therapy, family therapy, group therapy, information on medication and the child’s needs and crisis services when the family needs help with the child.
Families and youth will be given a list of providers who they can choose to provide these services.
Participation in this project is voluntary and will not affect any other Medicaid benefits that your child qualifies for.
FOR INFORMATION AND ASSISTANCE PLEASE CONTACT
The Federation of Families of South Carolina, a family organization, can help families with the first steps to applying for their child to receive services under this special project.
In Columbia and surrounding areas call (803) 779-0402
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Statewide, toll-free 1-866-779-0402
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Email the federation at info@fedfamsc.org