Interdepartmental Protocol Agreement for Children/Adolescents with Severe to Profound Emotional/Behavioral Disorders. Information Package

This information packet presents guidelines developed collaboratively by the Manitoba (Canada) Ministries of Education and Training, Family Services, Health, and Justice for the coordination of services for children/adolescents with severe to profound emotional/behavioral disorders. The protocol mandates a shared interdepartmental multisystem case management approach to delivering services to this population. An interdepartmental pilot project evaluated the effectiveness of providing coordinated multisystem services for these children and concluded that cases using the multisystem approach were more likely to have positive service outcomes. Individual sections of this protocol agreement address: development of the protocol; the target population; a rationale for establishing a System of Care; principles of a System of Care; implementing the multisystem case management approach; and the Provincial Coordination of Services Committee. Appended are the full text of the protocol agreement itself, guidelines for the referral process to the Interdepartmental Crisis Resource Committee, and a listing of factors either impeding or facilitating positive service outcomes. (DB)