Children's Mental Health Services

Wraparound differs from many service delivery strategies in that it provides a comprehensive, holistic, youth and family-driven way of responding when children or youth experience serious mental health or behavioral challenges. Wraparound puts the child or youth and family at the center. With support from a team of professionals and natural supports, the family’s ideas and perspectives about what they need and what will be helpful drive all of the work in Wraparound.

The young person and their family members work with a Wraparound facilitator to build their Wraparound team, which can include the family’s friends and people from the wider community, as well as providers of services and supports.

With the help of the team, the family and young person take the lead in deciding team vision and goals, and in developing creative and individualized services and supports that will help them achieve the goals and vision. Team members work together to put the plan into action, monitor how well it’s working, and change it as needed.

The National Wraparound Initiative have developed a variety of resources designed to help families, researchers, practitioners and policy makers understand Wraparound.

More resources:

• Principles of Wraparound
• The Wraparound Process User’s Guide – A Handbook for Families

Referrals for Placer County Wraparound are received from Placer County Probation, Child Welfare, the Children’s Mental Health Team, and from other system partners. If a family wants to discuss their eligibility for Wraparound, they can speak to their child’s worker, or they can click here for Eligibility for Services.

Information contained on this page was borrowed from National Wraparound Initiative.

Teams or community contractors have been certified to assess children and youth who may be a danger to self, danger to others, or disabled due to a mental disorder. These staff then consult with medical doctors who have the authority to admit children to certified or licensed psychiatric facilities to ensure safety.

Therapeutic Behavior Analysts and Behavior Specialists, and other professional staff, will provide one-on-one assessment and intervention services to children and families whose behaviors put them at risk for school or placement failure. These intensive services are individualized to meet the unique needs of each child. Therapeutic Behavioral Services has strict eligibility requirements.  If a family wants to discuss their eligibility for Therapeutic Behavioral Services, they can speak to their child’s worker, or they can click here for Eligibility for Services.

Placer currently has contracts with Child and Adolescent facilities in the region. Placer ensures indigent, under insured, as well as Medi-Cal youth have access to inpatient care. Children's System of Care provides immediate case management services in many cases.

To access Placer County Children’s Mental Health services, a parent or legal guardian can call into our intake line at 916-872-6549 and ask to make a Behavioral Health Referral. We will verify your child’s Medi-Cal coverage and managed care plan options and ask you a list of questions to help us assess the needed level of services based on the intensity of the symptoms your child is experiencing. If you have private insurance, you may be referred back to your insurance company to access those mental health benefits. Placer County Children’s Mental Health does not have the jurisdiction to place children in Residential Treatment Facilities, but we can provide outpatient services delivered either in your home or in an office location.

Once a referral is called in, it is screened by a Senior Clinician. Children requiring less intensive mental health services will be referred to their managed care plan for outpatient mental health services. If more intensive outpatient services are deemed clinically appropriate the child will be scheduled for a Biopsychosocial Assessment. If deemed appropriate, the child will be referred to one of many services such as individual and/or family therapy, psychiatry, Therapeutic Behavioral Services, or Wraparound. Other services include a Trauma Informed Care program for pre-school aged children, Family Support Counselors and Parent/Family Advocates.

To ensure timely access to specialty mental health services for foster children who are placed in a county other than the one in which jurisdiction is held, Assembly Bill 1299 (Ridley-Thomas, Chapter 603, Statutes 2016) was enacted to establish presumptive transfer. Presumptive transfer means a prompt transfer of the responsibility for the provision of, or arranging and payment from the county of original jurisdiction to the county in which the foster child resides.

To notify the mental health professional in Placer County of a presumptive transfer case, please complete the county presumptive transfer form (PDF) and send the completed form to [email protected].

If you have questions please email [email protected].

FFT is a short-term, evidenced based intervention program for youth whose families have been referred by juvenile justice, mental health, school, community members or child welfare systems. FFT focuses on assessment and intervention to address family conflict, parenting difficulties, relationship stress between family members, communication problems, family reunification and stress due to mental health concerns. FFT strives to help families to recognize their strengths which they can build on to manage present and future challenges. A weekly family commitment of three to five months is required for optimal success.

Note: the Placer County FFT services are also available in English and Spanish. Interpreters are available for any other languages and hearing impaired individuals.

If you have any questions or require additional information about this program, contact 530-889-6700 and ask to speak to the FFT Supervisor or one of the FFT Practitioners.