is clearly defined and includes assignment of staff responsibility;
begins at intake; and
involves service recipients, family members or a legal guardian, and others, as appropriate.

PA-MH 9.02

Upon case closing, the agency notifies any collaborating service providers, including the courts, as appropriate.

PA-MH 9.03

When a person's third-party benefits or payments end, the agency determines its responsibility to provide services until appropriate arrangements are made, and, if termination or withdrawal of service is probable due to non-payment, the agency works with the person or family to identify other service options.

Interpretation: The agency must determine on a case-by-case basis its responsibility to continue providing services to persons whose third-party benefits have ended and who are in critical situations.

NA The agency does not receive third-party benefits or payments for service.

PA-MH 9.04

If an individual is asked to leave the program, the agency makes every effort to link the person with appropriate services.

PA-MH 9.05

The agency that has an interagency agreement informs the collaborating agency of the case closing evaluation findings and assessment of unmet needs, in writing, as appropriate to the agreement and with the permission of the person or legal guardian.

NA The agency does not have a relevant agreement.

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	PURPOSE: Individuals who receive Outpatient Mental Health Services that target goal-directed interventions for diagnosable conditions make gains in symptom reduction, improved self-management, and restored or enhanced daily functioning.

RELATED FILES

PA-MH Reference List.pdf
PA_MH Template.doc
NA Request.doc
PA-INT.Final.06.2012.pdf


	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.


	CASE CLOSING A voluntary or involuntary process which occurs when an organization no longer assumes responsibility for providing services to a particular individual, group, or family. Also known as "termination" or "discharge."


	PLANNING The process of specifying objectives, evaluating the means for their achievement, and exercising deliberate decision making about appropriate courses of action.


	INTAKE The client's entry point for services at which eligibility is assessed against established criteria and a preliminary evaluation of the presenting problem occurs.


	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.


	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."


	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.


	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.


	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.


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


	MANAGEMENT See ADMINISTRATION


	TERMINATION See CASE CLOSING


	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.