Since the mid-1990's a total of 27 American Indians/Alaska Native and urban Indian communities have experienced positive outcomes at all levels in both planning and implementing a system of care approach. Since the work is funded by the Center for Mental Health Services and is written as specifically for children with severe emotional disturbance, the lead programs in these efforts tend to be the tribal childrens mental health programs. However other child serving agencies such as child welfare, education, or juvenile justice can easily apply the values and principals to efforts leading to system change. The vision and commitment of a critical mass of community members can indeed begin the process of change and transformation of a community's way of serving children with emotional challenges and their families. Core values of system of care, (1.) Child-centered and Family Based. (2.) Community Based. (3.) Culturally Competent. In addition, Stroul (2004) clarifies the 10 key principles that system of care communities adhere to: (1) Comprehensive - a broad array of services (both formal and informal) (2) Individualized - not a cookie cutter approach, but based on strengths (3) Least Restrictive setting - Least restrictive, most normalized appropriate setting (4) Family Involvement - at the system and service delivery levels (5) Service Integration - System level coordination (6) Case Management - service delivery level coordination (7) Early Identification - Intervention at earlier stages and at early ages (8) Smooth Transitions - For youth in transition to adulthood (9) Rights Protection and Advocacy (10) Non discrimination. While these values and principles were written for mainstream audiences, they have been adopted and adapted by a growing number of Indian communities who are attempting to change the way services are delivered to their children. Since the mid-1990's, many of those Indian communities have discovered the "system of care" approach is very much like the way that tribes traditionally helped children and families: Namely, the idea of everyone in the community working together to help a child or family that is experiencing troubled times. Many have felt that the purpose of the Community Mental Health system, system of care funding has been a good complement to traditional Indian values and has provided them with genuine opportunities to systematically change the way children receive services in the communities.

Contact info: Association for Childrens Mental Health 2465 Woodlake Circle,Suite 140 Okemose,MI.48864 517-381-5125 1-888-226-4543/Parents Line 517-347-6329/fax