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Navigator hired to monitor treatment to avoid kids falling through the cracks
YOUNGSTOWN
The Mahoning County Mental Health and Recovery Board has funded the Children’s Navigator Program, a pilot initiative to help keep kids with mental- health issues served by multiple social-service agencies from falling through the cracks.
“The mental health and recovery board is focusing a lot more on children. I think we have to work more closely with other social- service agencies to return children to their community and family, when possible,” said Duane J. Piccirilli, executive director of the board.
Children’s Navigator Program is administered by the Coalition for a Drug Free Mahoning County and its director, Angela McClellan, who will be paid up to $9,000 from Jan. 1 to June 30 to work up to 10 hours per week to monitor the service contracts for multisystem children and placements.
The social-services system is complicated, said Toni Notaro, mental health board compliance and evaluation director.
The navigator will focus on children’s needs and help guide parents to what’s best for their kids and ensure the agencies involved are each aware of what the other is doing, Notaro said.
McClellan, a certified prevention specialist, said she will provide oversight on youths who are on the radar of several agencies, including the mental health board.
“In a nutshell ... I want to make sure kids don’t fall through the cracks. One agency might think another agency is handling the care and visa versa. Some kids on my radar are in foster care and the juvenile justice system, and some have extraordinary mental health needs,” she said.
The goal is always reunification with family if that is appropriate, McClellan said.
“We’re not opposed to sending people outside the community treatment if we can’t provide it at home, but treatment in the community is preferred,” she said.
“Right now, I’ve got seven of these individuals on my radar. At this point, I’m not able to address how many others might be out there,” McClellan said.
They can have dual diagnoses of mental health and something else; have been placed in foster care; participated in activities that resulted in them being placed in the juvenile justice system; or there might not be a second diagnosis, but they definitely need help, she said.
McClellan said she reports to Piccirilli and William Carbonell, director of clinical programs and evaluation.
As a navigator, she said sthere is a growing preference of agencies and people to work as teams to meet the needs of the individual.
“We’re trying to emphasize services for children. Systems need to work together on this, and we need someone to monitor the client’s progress,” Piccirilli said.
“The ultimate goal is as much independence as a young person can achieve; but we also realize success means maintaining where they are at rather than regressing,” McClellan said.
“Some will always require a caregiver. But with treatment, most youth with mental health issues are able to live autonomously,” said McClellan, who volunteers for Engaging the New Generation to Achieve their Goals through Empowerment.
It is an Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services program to expand the system-of-care approach throughout the state for youth and young adultswith mental-health challenges and multisystem needs.
“I am very excited about this opportunity with the mental health and recovery board,” she said.