	Youth Independent Living Services

Introduction

Administration and Management

Service Delivery Administration Standards

Service Standards

YIL 5: Service Plan

The youth and worker develop a plan that promotes safe and stable living and establishes priorities and goals, achievable timeframes for service activities consistent with the youth’s developmental needs, an educational plan, and expected outcomes.

Interpretation: In some settings, the service plan may be referred to as a plan, a service agreement, or treatment plan.

YIL 5.01

Each young person participates in developing a timely initial service plan, with clearly stated preliminary goals and services that will advance his or her opportunities and self-sufficiency, based on a systematic assessment of:

strengths;
current level of peer group and community involvement;
involvement in challenging, interesting activities;
number and kind of family connections, and relationships with other responsible adults;
life skills;
educational status and progress toward achieving an age-appropriate educational level or school completion;
housing;
physical health and medical health care needs; and
emotional and social development.

Interpretation: When the organization is authorized to obtain records for a young person to develop a service plan requests should be made within 30 days of program entry.

Research Note: A strong finding from a longitudinal study of youth transitioning from adolescence to adulthood, derived from the National Adolescent and Child Treatment Study, is the contribution of improved adaptive (strengths-based) behavior to better overall outcomes. The authors conclude that traditional mental health treatment focused soley on reducing behavior and emotional problems does not necessarily produce improvements in pro-social skills associated with successful adult outcomes.

YIL 5.02

An assessment-based service plan is developed with the full participation of the youth, and includes:

service goals, desired outcomes, and timeframes for achieving them;
services and supports to be provided, by whom; and
the young person’s signature.

Research Note: An evaluation of two multi-service youth empowerment programs compared results obtained when two different styles of goal setting, progress monitoring, and performance feedback were used: one traditional, clinical and open ended; the other directly engaging youth in setting goals and evaluating their progress. A difference found in service provider goals for youth, and goals espoused by youth, suggests that whereas one approach focused on subjective, internal indicators, the other focused on measureable performance, such as improving grades in school; similarly, whereas measures of program success for counselors can be service availability or activity level, for youth jobs or pay can mean success. Systematic involvement of youth in outcome assessment procedure is recommended, as is a continuous comparison between provider and service recipient goals.

YIL 5.03

Family members and significant others, as appropriate and with the consent of the youth, are advised of ongoing progress and invited to participate in case conferences.

Interpretation: The organization facilitates participation through inclusion of family members and significant others through, for example, mutual scheduling decisions and arranging transportation, unless contraindicated in the client record.

YIL 5.04

The youth and worker review the independent living plan according to established timeframes and, at each review, the youth’s strengths and needs are reassessed in relationship to goals, services delivered, and desired outcomes.

Interpretation: Significant revisions to the service plan are signed by the youth or legal guardian.

YIL 5.05

The worker and a supervisor, or a clinical, service, or peer team, review the case quarterly to assess:

service plan implementation;
progress toward achieving service goals and desired outcomes; and
the need to change agreed upon goals.

Interpretation: Experienced workers may conduct reviews of their own cases. In such cases, the worker's supervisor reviews a sample of the worker's evaluations as per the requirements of the standard.

Timeframes for the review should be adjusted depending upon issues and needs of persons receiving services, and frequency and intensity of services provided.

QUICK JUMP TO


	PURPOSE: Young adults who receive Independent Living Services obtain safe and stable housing, develop life skills and competencies including work readiness, achieve educational and financial growth goals, and establish healthy, supportive adult and peer relationships.

RELATED FILES


	SERVICE One or more organization-operated programs or activities that have a common general objective and deploy the organization's material and human resources in a planned and systematic manner. An organization that publicly promotes or identifies itself in writing as offering a service, is licensed to deliver a service, assigns personnel and/or space to a service, or allocates financial resources to a service is considered to offer that service.


	SERVICE PLAN A written plan of action based on the assessment of consumer needs and strengths that identifies problems, sets goals, and describes a strategy for achieving those goals and engaging in joint problem solving with the consumer. Also known as a "treatment plan".


	ASSESSMENT An evaluation, which utilizes professional expertise and skills in the collection and analysis of data to understand and describe the nature of service needs of an individual, family, or group. Assessment, as in needs assessment, is also used to determine priorities of program planning and service development for the organization as a whole. See also DIAGNOSIS.


	COMMUNITY A specific group of people living in the same locality and who may share a common culture, values, and norms. Communities can also be defined by race, religion, ethnicity, age, occupation, political status, tribal affiliation, interest in particular problems or outcomes, or other common bonds. The term "community" encompasses worksites, schools, tribes, residential neighborhoods, business districts, recreational areas, and health and human service sites.


	FAMILY Two or more people who consider themselves family and who assume obligations, functions, and responsibilities generally essential to healthy family life. Child care and child socialization, income support, long-term care, and other caregiving are among the functions of family life. The definition of "family" will rest with an individual's indication of who plays a family member role, including current or former foster family, adoptive family, extended family members, fictive kin, or significant others. Organizations that believe family is the central constellation in a child's life, and that family attachments are of primary importance for human development, will strive to work with professional staff to develop a common understanding of "family."


	PROGRAM A system of services offered by an organization. For example, an organization providing a mental health service may offer several mental health programs to different populations, e.g., a mental health program for adolescent teens. The word "program" can be used interchangeably with the word "service" or to describe specific programs.


	SERVICE GOALS Broad, issue-oriented statements that reflect the realistic achievements to be accomplished in the short or long term. Goals are achieved through the accomplishment of specific quantifiable objectives.


	EVALUATION The review and assessment of organizational operations, programs and services.


	EMPOWERMENT The process of helping individuals, families, groups, or communities to increase their personal, interpersonal, political, social, and/or economic strength or position and to develop influence that may impact their circumstances.


	MONITORING An evaluation involving a periodic review of consumer services, organizational activities, or conduct. Specifically, monitoring is an activity of case coordination, whereas more broadly, monitoring is an evaluation technique used in overall quality assurance.


	TREATMENT PLAN See SERVICE PLAN


	PERFORMANCE A measure of how well an organizational system provides services to consumers. Performance is often based on key indicators, such as rates of service, cost per consumer, degree of satisfaction with services, and extent of consumer access to services.


	INDICATOR A described activity, event, outcome, or benchmark used for measurement in monitoring the quality and outcome(s) of service.


	SERVICE RECIPIENT The individuals, groups, organizations, or communities that use, receive, or benefit from programs and services. Service recipients can include consumers, patients, family members, legal guardians, advocates, public/private organizations, employers, and purchasers. All are regarded as significant stakeholders served in a variety of agencies and practice settings.


	CLINICAL The study, assessment, and diagnosis of the client situation followed by direct treatment to help the client achieve prescribed goals.


	CASE A general term used to designate clients (including individuals, families, and groups) served by an organization for purposes of monitoring the provision of services. A foster care case is generally based on the placement of an individual child, although casework for the child may include services to the child's family. A child protective services case is based on an entire family household if a family assessment model is used; otherwise a case is defined as a child.


	LEGAL GUARDIAN A person who has legal responsibility for the care and management of a person incapable of administering his/her own affairs. In the case of a minor child, the guardian is charged with the legal responsibility for the care and management of the child and of the minor child's estate.


	SAMPLE A portion or representative percentage of a greater whole.