The Center for Health Policy, created by Indiana University School of Public and Environmental Affairs in 2006, collaborates with state and local government, as well as public and private health care organizations in health policy and program development to conduct high quality program evaluation and applied research on critical health policy-related issues. CHP faculty and staff serve as a bridge between academic health researchers and state and local government as well as health care organizations and community leaders.
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Press Conference Announcing Plan to Coordinate Marion County’s Youth-serving Agencies
Tuesday August 4, 2009 10:00 am
2451 N Keystone Ave
Following an extensive survey of agencies that serve Indianapolis’ youth, the Marion County Early Intervention Planning Council (EIPC) today announced an ambitious plan to coordinate youth services in Marion County and reduce the number of children entering the city’s child welfare and juvenile justice systems.
The plan centers around four major goals:
- Expand access to and improve the quality, coordination and range of early intervention programs.
- Provide in-depth training to primary care medical providers, childcare workers and teachers to help them recognize and assess childhood and adolescent risk factors and develop procedures for referring at-risk children, adolescents and families to the appropriate community services.
- Expand access to mental health services for children and families in need.
- Improve coordination of information and resources for children and adolescents entering the systems.
Last year, when the Indiana University Center for Health Policy surveyed Indianapolis’ child-serving agencies and programs, it found strong agreement that poor interagency cooperation was causing gaps in youth services in Marion County. Those surveyed also agreed that Indianapolis had no program comprehensive enough to accommodate all youth needs, and that the only way to accomplish each agency’s goals is to work together.
Currently, more than 3,000 children need services in Marion County. Of those now in the care of the Department of Child Services (DCS), approximately half are in foster care, with the remainder in residential care, relative care, in their own home or elsewhere. The Center for Health Policy’s research shows there are approximately 38,000 youth under age 25 who exhibit four or more risk factors for contact with either DCS or juvenile justice, suggesting a potential for significant growth in these systems in the future.
“While Indianapolis certainly has a number of strong programs and organizations in place to serve at-risk youth, our study found that poor coordination and integration among these programs was causing too many children to fall through the cracks,” said Dr. Eric Wright, director of the IU Center for Health Policy. “Communication, teamwork, and shared goals and philosophies are vital for the system to work effectively.”
To carry out the plan, the EIPC announced that the Marion County Commission on Youth (MCCOY) will serve as the central nonprofit coordinating agency for all youth services in Marion County. With funding from a federal Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant, MCCOY will be responsible for coordinating research, raising funds and evaluating youth-serving programs throughout Marion County. MCCOY will also serve as a liaison among agencies and will provide information for consumers on what services and programs best meet their needs.
“As a community of youth-serving entities, we want to work together to provide consistent and comprehensive care to the children and families who need our services most,” said John Brandon, president of MCCOY. ”Early intervention services that help prevent problems are a sound strategy for improving the lives of youth and families throughout our community.”
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