Youth Empowerment Services (YES) Waiver Program
The Child & Family team works with children and youth at risk of out-of-home placement, using a family-centered, wraparound approach to create a personalized treatment plan. We work with the family to convene a team, which meets monthly, and may consist of family, friends, neighbors, professionals, and others who are important to the youth and family.
This service model allows Child & Family to maintain our program goals to:
Reduce out-of-home placements and decrease inpatient hospitalizations
Provide a more complete continuum of community-based services and supports
Ensure families have access to parent partners & support services
Prevent entry into the foster care system or relinquishment of parental custody
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Non-traditional services that provide alternative and creative forms of therapy to help improve the youth’s health, welfare, and functioning in their community, including:
Animal Assisted Therapy
Art Therapy
Music Therapy
Recreational Therapy
Nutritional Counseling
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Help families adjust to special challenges related to the youth’s mental health needs by using proven practices and strategies.
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Connect family members with others who can support them by sharing similar lived experienced.
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Help youth find a job and be successful in it.
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Help with stressful situations through coaching and mentoring.
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Allow families and caretakers to take a temporary break from caring for youth enrolled in YES.
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Take youth to YES Waiver services when no other transportation is available.
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Provide support and model healthy interactions for the whole family while the youth temporarily lives in a therapeutic home.
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Supplement YES services with medically necessary supports to prevent out-of-home placement.
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Support the youth’s ability to function independently at home and in the community.
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Help with the costs associated with a youth moving into their own home.
Services are provided in the following counties: Dallas, Ellis, Hunt, Kaufman, Navarro, and Rockwall. For eligibility for services, a child or adolescent should meet the following criteria:
Must be ages 3-18
Must reside with legal guardian
Qualify for inpatient care
Current mental health diagnosis
Child or adolescent must also have serious functional impairments that include:
Risk of harm to self or others
Disruptive/ aggressive behavior
Poor school behavior
Youth must be eligible for Medicaid (parent income does not apply)
Enrollment
For more information or to request an evaluation please contact Child & Family Guidance Center at the following number: (866) 501-6535 (YES Inquiry Line)