Family Wellness Program Overview

Children with chronic conditions and/or behavioral needs require a lot of care—from many different places and providers. JCCA Family Wellness services provide individualized, flexible support to young people with Medicaid who have mental health, developmental, or medical challenges. JCCA Service Providers will work with you in your home or in your community, on your schedule, so that you can spend the most time doing what matters—caring for your family.

Your dedicated JCCA Care Manager will help you figure out which services you are eligible for and how they will benefit you. They will work with all your providers, your child’s school, and resources in your community to make sure you have everything you need to address your child’s diagnosis—and thrive!

Services

1 / Health Homes

2 / Other Licensed Practitioners

3 / Community Psychiatric Support & Treatment

4 / Psychosocial Rehabilitation Services

5 / Family Peer Support Services

6 / Youth Peer Support and Training

7 / Caregiver/Family Support Services

8 / Respite (Crisis & Planned)

9 / Habilitation

10 / Community Self-Advocacy Training and Supports (CSATS)

11 / Pre-Vocational Supported Employment

12 / Adaptive and Assistive Equipment

13 / Accessibility Modifications

Contact

Health Homes

Your JCCA Health Home is not a building! It’s a Behavioral Health and Wellness service for children with Medicaid to maximize your child’s well-being.

Children with chronic conditions require a lot of care. They may get medical care from one place and mental health services somewhere else. It can be hard to keep track of medical appointments, treatment plans, prescriptions, and other parts of your child’s care. That’s where we come in.

Your Care Manager can help schedule appointments, contact providers, or keep track of prescriptions, provide referrals, and even help you with housing and benefits—to make sure everything works for you. Most important, they will coordinate JCCA’s Family Wellness Services so you can receive individualized support for your child and family—and Managers will make sure services fit your schedule and unique needs.

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Other Licensed Practitioners

For children with mental health needs, therapy is critical to building healthy relationships and preventing problems in the future. But making behavioral health treatment work for you and your child requires flexibility. The therapists, counselors, and social workers who qualify as Other Licensed Practitioners work with your child or your family in your home or in the community—instead of a formal office setting. Professionals provide psychotherapy as well as family therapy, assessments, and referrals to other services.

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Community Psychiatric Support & Treatment

These services help your child function successfully at home and in the community in several different ways.

Treatment services assist your child with developing social and independent living skills, stabilize your child and family after a crisis, and help you effectively respond in situations that could trigger a crisis.

Support services work with you to plan your child’s treatment, educate your child on appropriate safety and self-care, and connect to resources. You will learn to identify your and your child’s individual strengths in order to develop strategies and goals tailored for your lifestyle and your child’s diagnosis.

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Psychosocial Rehabilitation Services

Psychosocial Rehabilitation Services are a flexible resource to address many of your child’s needs—and yours.

Service Providers can assist with study habits, coping skills, hygiene, daily living activities (like chores!), and socialization, all according to your child’s age, diagnosis, and goals. For a youth with mental health needs, they can address inappropriate behaviors, anger management, and coping mechanisms. Your child’s Service Provider will include you in the process so that you can assist your youngster in making progress toward goals.

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Family Peer Support Services

When you are caring for a child with special needs, you need support.

Your Family Peer Support Worker has personal experience in caring and receiving services for kids like yours. They’ve been there, so in addition to connecting you to the resources you need to support your child, they will listen. Your Family Peer Support Worker will even accompany you to appointments! They work with you to understand your child’s diagnosis and development: how it affects them, how it affects you, and how to make changes that benefit everyone.

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Youth Peer Support and Training

A Youth Peer Advocate is between the ages of 21-30 and has a similar background to you or your child. The Youth Peer Advocate will model healthy choices, coping skills, and
goal-setting. JCCA’s Youth Peer Advocate will assist young people who are experiencing social, medical, emotional, developmental, substance abuse and/or behavioral challenges in developing independent living skills with a focus on recovery and empowerment.

The advocate is a valuable mentor and guide for teens(ages 14+) navigating the transition to adulthood, helping to empower youth to advocate for themselves, develop independent living skills, and connect to community resources.

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Caregiver/Family Support Services

Your Caregiver/Family Support Worker is there for your whole family—and for whomever is part of your family. Working with you, they will help you to understand your child’s diagnosis and development: how it affects them, how it affects you, and how to make changes that benefit everyone. In addition, they can connect you with resources and attend appointments with you such as IEP meetings, court, and public assistance. They provide support to your whole household to help you be the best caregiver you can be.

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Respite (Crisis & Planned)

Caring for a youth with mental health needs is challenging—sometimes you need a break.

You can use Planned Respite for up to five hours per week so that you can have time to yourself. While you run errands, socialize, or just rest, your worker will spend one-on-one time with your child at home or in the community.

The Respite worker understands your youth’s diagnosis, goals, and interests, and will plan outings and activities that build socialization skills and expose them to different resources in the city.

With Crisis Respite, you have access to a professional during, or shortly after, a difficult moment.

Call the 24/7 Crisis Response Services anytime you need them—professionals are available to help you manage urgent situations. In person or over the phone, they will coach you through the crisis, and, if necessary, accompany you to the hospital. Afterward, they will make follow up visits to help you figure out how to avoid future incidents.

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Habilitation

This service is for children and adolescents who have developmental disabilities.

An experienced provider will work one-on-one with your child to set goals and master the skills they need at home and in the community. Your provider also works with your child’s school so that daily living skills learned in the school environment can be worked on at home, too. They can assist with hygiene, coping skills, daily living activities (like chores and budgeting), getting around the community, and socialization—all tailored to your child’s diagnosis and age. As a caregiver, you will receive support and coaching so you can maintain and strengthen your youngster’s progress going forward.

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Community Self-Advocacy Training and Supports (CSATS)

Community Self-Advocacy Training and Supports help you advocate for services in school and in your community. A worker may accompany you to IEP meetings and help you advocate for transportation, one-to-one (para) help, smaller classes, counseling and therapy, testing accommodations, and more. They will check in regularly and attend school meetings with you to make sure your educational partners are all working together towards your child’s IEP goals. In addition to teaching you how to advocate for yourself and your family, they can connect you to educational supports in the community, like tutoring, camps, and after-school programs, or help your child apply the services they need (college, benefits, housing) as they transition to adult life.

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Pre-Vocational/Supported Employment

These services help youth with disabilities prepare for adulthood and employment.

Pre-Vocational services teach your teen (age 14+) about topics such as proper work habits, problem solving, resume preparation, and interviewing.

Supported Employment services provide teens, 14 and older, with a job coach and help in finding a job or vocational opportunities. When appropriate, the coach can also work with an employer in order to make the experience rewarding for everyone involved.

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Adaptive and Assistive Equipment

This service can source and provide a variety of special aids, appliances, and equipment your special-needs child may require. While this service is primarily focused on Medically Fragile (MedF) and Developmentally Disabled (DD) Waiver clients, some Serious Emotional Disturbance (SED) clients may also be eligible. Our team, including our medical specialist, reviews the request, and the Office of Children & Family Services approves it.

Examples of equipment financed by this service include:

– Physical aids

– Wheelchairs

– Hearing aids and spectacles

– Communication devices for non-verbal clients

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Accessibility Modifications

Sometimes your child may need physical modifications in the home to improve their mobility and independence. While this service is primarily focused on Medically Fragile (MedF) and Developmentally Disabled (DD) Waiver clients, some Serious Emotional Disturbance (SED) clients may also be eligible. Our team, including our medical specialist, reviews the request, and the Office of Children & Family Services approves it.

Examples of equipment financed by this service include:

– Wheelchair ramps

– Grab bars

– Allergen Controls

– Widening of doors and hallways

– Modification of bathroom facilities

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