Assessment Services

An AFS Specialist is a licensed, Master’s level Child Mental Health Professional who is responsible for completing comprehensive, psychosocial and legally sustainable Social History Assessments on each youth and family referred to the AFS for Wayne County Department of Health, Veterans and Community Wellness (HVCW) for resources after adjudication. The detailed narrative and assessment includes a thorough interview with the youth and family in their home environment which provides opportunities for clinical restorative justice, as well as person-centered and culturally competent recommendations to the care management organization (CMO). Recommendations are based on the individual strengths, needs, abilities, preferences and risk indicators for each youth, combined with sound clinical protocols used to evaluate each youth, family and community environment.

Jurists know that by using the standardized AFS Assessment Report as a pre-dispositional evaluation for recommendations and identified needs of adjudicated youth, they will be aware of specific issues to monitor and are able to ensure that the CMOs prioritize needs, provide services and track youth appropriately. The two-page Dispositional Report, which includes summarized information from the AFS Social History Assessment and the AFS Psychological Evaluation Report, helps jurists to confirm that focused efforts were made and outcomes achieved which improve the potential for youths’ successful living and community participation.

Court JAC Services

The Court JAC located at Third Circuit Court, is the point of entry for Child Welfare-eligible treatment referrals, At-Risk or Prevention and Juvenile Justice assignment, eligibility and registration via Third Circuit Court Orders. All documentation is processed, including referrals, court orders, case intakes and court-order referrals for services. A service provider and/or Care Management Organization (CMO) assignment is made within 24 hours of receipt and review.

Customer focus and responsiveness is the primary guide for the Court JAC staff. Assuring that families understand what has and will occur, and that the Jurists are served timely and accurately with data entry and client information correct, is the primary function of the Court JAC. Careful attention to the Wayne County Juvenile Detention Facility population assures that youth are not detained unnecessarily and that there is available bed space for new admissions with appropriate transfers to private detention facilities, releases and alternative detention resources coordination.

Diversion Services
Assured Family Services Right TRAC (Taking Responsibility Accepting Consequences) Diversion Services Program is a collaborative effort of the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office, the Third Circuit Court and Wayne County Department of Health, Veterans and Community Wellness to provide early assessment and access to community based services that prevent further penetration into Juvenile Justice adjudication. Juveniles with first-time or low-risk offenses, that are not Petitioned or Dismissed by the Jurist with agreement of the Prosecutor, are then assigned to their local Youth Assistance Programs (YAP) for services. Through use of a unique psychometric, personalized computer interview called the Juvenile Inventory for Functioning (JIFF), the youths’ strengths and needs, as well as the caregivers’ perceptions about the youths’ strengths and needs, which can also include mental health needs, are assessed for treatment planning and service recommendations. The ten domains that are identified and addressed on the JIFF consist of:

• School / Your Job
• Family Life
• You and Your Neighborhood
• Dealing with Bad Feelings
• Thinking
• Home
• You and Your Friends
• Your Feelings
• Alcohol and Drugs
• Your Health

AFS Right TRAC Diversion Services Program assures that youth with significant mental health concerns, substance use, unsafe environments and special situations have access to more intensive services without being adjudicated. All youth and families referred receive local, accessible services concluding with a post JIFF assessment to measure outcomes and progress.

AFS Right TRAC Diversion Services Program also coordinates with the AFS Substance Abuse Services Program to administer drug screens, as required. The JIFF report is utilized by the assigned YAP for appropriate treatment planning and service delivery and if needed, more intensive services that include: SED mental health services and C.H.O.I.C.E.S. in-home counseling.

AFS continues to be nationally recognized for its advancement in assessment administration and positive outcomes, with presentations made in several locations nationwide. Within the diversion program is a structured process for Disproportionate Minority Contact Reduction in the Juvenile Justice System. These youth receive services and data is specifically tracked for outcomes and successful non-entry into further Juvenile Justice System penetration.

Electronic Monitoring/Tether Services

The AFS Electronic Monitoring and Tether Program / Detention Alternative Unit (DAU) is used to reduce a youth’s length of stay in a detention facility and provides structure and accountability to assist returning juveniles to make safe and thoughtful decisions about various offending behaviors. Daily monitoring by care management organizations (CMOs) ensures that any necessary supports concerning the juvenile’s well-being and his/her caretakers are addressed. The AFS Tether Services Unit is operated out of the Wayne County Juvenile Detention Facility (WCJDF).

AFS DAU staff are responsible for processing all documentation required in the Tether process; coordinating the transition and deployment of new equipment; providing regular training on changes and/or upgrades in equipment, software or policy to ensure proficiency; assisting with the development and adherence to policy; providing technical assistance and troubleshooting; and monitoring provider responsiveness to assist youth in successful completion of the Wayne County Tether Program

ICBS

The Integrated Community Based Services (ICBS) program is an integrated approach to service delivery for multi-system involved youth. ICBS staff provide a variety of supportive mental health services to youth involved in the CMOs who are having problems coping in their environment (i.e., dealing with traumatic stressful events and/or changes: behavioral problems at home or school; and/or experiencing symptoms of mental illness). Services are based on each individual child and family’s specific needs, issues and goals assessed and identified in the plan. Services provided include psychiatric consultation, nursing services, group, family and individual therapy using evidence based practices, cognitive behavioral therapy, parent management training, and family support groups. Services are coordinated thorough the continuum of care providers within the Detroit Wayne Integrated Health Network (DWIHN) service system and ICBS staff are deployed into each of the five CMO partner agencies.

ICBS Key Program Components:

• Comprehensive Evaluation
• Early Period Screening and Diagnostic and Treatment (EPSDT)
• Integrated Treatment Teams
• Care Coordination Plan
• Progress Summary
• Community Based Services
• At Risk (Trauma) Checklist
• Service Category Classification

Utilization Review

The AFS Utilization Review and Rate Band Monitoring Program is accountable for the review and monitoring of accuracy as it relates to the Wayne County Department of Health, Veterans and Community Wellness policy adherence, level of care, service intensity and timelines allowed for juveniles and their families, and implemented by the Care Management Organizations (CMOs).

Consistent review and oversight of each youth’s records ensure accurate and timely service delivery, treatment duration and reporting analysis related to legal determinations and treatment needs. This process also ensures transparency for payment, CMO service documentation, requirements per policy and that all assigned youth are accounted for and receiving the most appropriate level of care per security level, documentation of such provision and legal status of the youth. It measures the length of stay, reduces detention stays, and ensures treatment begins rapidly and that unnecessary costs are not approved.

The Wayne County “Preferred Provider Network” (PPN) is comprised of licensed residential vendors that have been selected for their expertise, quality of services, experience with the Wayne County juvenile services system and cost effectiveness. The PPN offers a continuum of residential care services and a specific scope of service and rate structure that has been tailored to the unique design of the Wayne County juvenile services system. All out-of-home placements must be initially processed through the PPN.

The AFS PPN department manages access to vendors in the PPN and is responsible for review of CMO referrals for access to bed space in the PPN; ensuring that a CMO referral request is consistent with a juvenile’s security level on a JCAR, the AFS’s Social History Assessment Report, and any Court ordered requirements. The PPN department additionally maintains census and provider bed availability reports and tracks youth data received from provider census reports.