The Professional Partner Program is designed to serve children and adolescents with serious emotional disorders and their families. specific eligibility criteria include:

A.The youth's age must be under the age of 21.

B. The youth must have a mental health disorder diagnosable under the current edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorder published by the American Psychiatric Association. If the parent chooses not to get a diagnosis, a diagnosis will need to be acquired within 90 days of enrollment and meet criteria A,C, D, and E.

C. The condition must be persistent in that it has existed for one year or longer, or is likely to endure for one year or longer.

D. The mental health disorder must result in functional impairments in two or more of the following areas:

1. Self-care at an appropriate developmental level
2. Developmentally appropriate perception and expressive language
3. Learning
4. Self-direction, including developmentally appropriate behavioral control, decision-making judgment, and value system.
5. Capacity for living in a family or family equivalent

E. The youth exhibits significant needs and risks in specific life domains.

F. The youth resides in natural home or long-term foster are (regular or agency based/therapeutic/treatment) or in the process of reunification and/or be at-risk of a more restrictive placement; the youth is involved in the child welfare system or at-risk of becoming a state ward.

G. The youth is involved in the juvenile justice system or at-risk of committing a criminal offense; or at-risk of school failure; dropping out of or being expelled from school due to behavior problems

H. Strong family and/or community commitment and participation is agreed to and demonstrated.

Click here for the Professional Partner Referral Form