Safe at Home
What is Safe at Home West Virginia?:
Safe at Home West Virginia is a state funded program providing temporary support to:
- Reduce reliance on out-of-home settings and prevent re-entries into them
- Ensure youth remain in (or return to) their community settings whenever safely possible
- Reduce the number of children in placements out-of-state
Safe at Home West Virginia empowers families by utilizing an innovative Wraparound planning process including:
- Trauma-informed assessments and planning focused on needs
- Wraparound services that are individualized and coordinated
- Evidence-based services and supports to improve long-term outcomes
FY22 Safe at Home Eligibility Definition:
Qualifying Criteria: System involved youth, age 9 to 18 years of age either in foster care placement or at imminent risk of foster care entry; or, for a child aged 5 and older who is an adopted child or is in a legal guardianship arrangement which is at risk of disruption.
AND
The applicant demonstrates dysfunctional p atterns of behavior due to exposure to trauma as indicated in the Child and Adolescent Needs and Strengths (CANS) assessment tool.
AND
The family/caregiver demonstrates significant need(s) in at least one of the following areas, as indicated in the CANS assessment tool:
- Knowledge of needs and service options;
- Discipline; or
- Family stress
How does Safe at Home West Virginia work?:
- Referrals are made to BCF Workers and can be made by a variety of community members, which may include BCF staff, members of the judicial system, healthcare providers, educators, probation agencies, and law enforcement
- BCF Regional Program Managers determine eligibility and refer eligible cases to a Local Coordinating Agency (LCA) providing SAH wraparound services
- The LCA assigns a Wraparound Facilitator, who quickly begins coordination with the family, the Multi-Disciplinary Team (MDT), the Child and Family Team, and community partners
- The Wraparound Facilitator works with the family to create an individualized Crisis Plan and Wraparound Plan, which are actively followed through regular contact
- Formal and informal services and supports are arranged after a thoughtful planning process based on the family’s specific needs
- As the family becomes increasingly successful over the course of approximately 9 months, formal supports and services are replaced with informal (community-based and family) supports.