	Social Development and Enrichment Services for Children and Youth

Introduction

Administration and Management

Service Delivery Administration Standards

Service Standards

SDE 2: Screening and Assessment

The organization screens and assesses children and youth promptly and responsively to identify needs and direct individuals to appropriate services.

SDE 2.01

Children and youth are screened and informed about:

how well their needs and interests match the organization's services; and
what services will be available and when.

Interpretation: The organization should inform children and youth, and their parents or legal guardians, about any behaviors that might result in involuntary discharge from the program. If an enrolled child or youth is considered inappropriate for the program, the agency should: (1) initiate a conversation with both the child or youth and his/her parent or legal guardian, and (2) make every effort to ensure that the child or youth is linked with appropriate services.

NA Another organization is responsible for screening.

SDE 2.02

Prompt, responsive screening practices:

ensure equitable treatment;
support timely initiation of services; and
provide for placement on a waiting list, if desired.

NA Another organization is responsible for screening.

SDE 2.03

Individuals who cannot be served, or cannot be served promptly, are referred or connected to appropriate resources.

NA The organization: (1) accepts all clients, or (2) only receives clients by referral, and is requried by contract to accept all referrals.

SDE 2.04

Children and youth complete an assessment within a timeframe established by the organization.

Interpretation: The information gathered for assessments is limited to material pertinent for meeting service requests and objectives.

Note: Refer to the Assessment Matrix for assessment criteria. The elements of the matrix can be tailored according to the needs of specific individuals or service design.

SDE 2.05

Personnel who conduct assessments are qualified by relevant training, skill, and experience, and can recognize children and youth with special needs.

QUICK JUMP TO


	PURPOSE: Children and youth who participate in Social Development and Enrichment Services gain the personal and social abilities and attitudes needed to form positive identities, build skills, navigate challenging situations, avoid negative behaviors, assume leadership roles, embrace diversity, and establish healthy connections with others in the community.

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.


	LEADERSHIP A nonprofit organization's leadership consists of its governing body, chief executive officer, and may also include its senior management. In a public agency the term refers to the agency head and administration team. The term "leadership" is not generally applied to for-profit organizations. With respect to COA standards, in for-profit organizations the term leadership applies to the owner and board of directors if one exists.


	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.


	SCREEN A preliminary test administered to a client to determine whether he/she meets eligibility criteria for the services offered by an organization.


	PARENTS Parents can include: birth, foster, kinship, and adoptive parents. Please see service standards for more specific information about use of this term.


	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.


	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.


	LINKED The means by which individuals access services that may or may not be provided by the organization itself. These terms are used interchangeably when individuals are linked to services either directly or by referral. See also CONNECTED.


	PRACTICE Established actions or ways of proceeding in the regular performance of organizational duties. Policies and procedures often guide practice.


	CONNECTED The means by which individuals access services that may or may not be provided by the organization itself. These terms are used interchangeably when individuals are connected to services either directly or by referral. See also LINKED.


	DISCHARGE See CASE CLOSING


	CLIENT See service recipient.


	CONTRACT A formal written agreement between two or more parties that specifies the services, space, or products to be provided in exchange for some form of compensation. Also known as "purchase of service arrangement."


	REFERRALS Resource suggestions provided to consumers to address problems or needs that are beyond the scope of the organization's mission.


	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.


	OBJECTIVE A sub-goal stated in operational terms, i.e., a statement that makes clear what expected results are to be measured or assessed.


	PERSONNEL The body of employees and/or volunteers that carries out the organization's tasks under the organization's administration and/or supervision. This definition does not include foster parents who are specifically referenced in relevant standards


	TRAINING Instruction so as to make fit, qualified, or proficient in a skill or body of knowledge.


	SPECIAL NEEDS A designation used in reference to conditions or characteristics of a person that reflect a need for special care, services, or treatment. When the term is used in the context of adoption services, special needs refers to conditions that make a child harder to place for adoption. This includes children who are members of sibling groups, older children, children with disabilities, children of certain racial /ethnic backgrounds, etc. When the term is used in the context of foster care it refers to the need for a higher degree of specialized case services and attention due to mental and physical disabilities. When the term is used in the context of out-of-school time services, a child or youth may have special physical, behavioral, medical, emotional, or cognitive needs that should be addressed or accommodated. The term is also used in other contexts. See also DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES.