Philadelphia Community Services for Children and Adolescents

XI. Special Services for Children and Adolescents

This chapter contains resources for children and adolescents with special needs. We have not listed every resource in the Philadelphia area for each category, but have given you a place to start. If they cannot meet your needs, most agencies will refer you to the appropriate services. If you have a child with special needs, it is most helpful to have a professional who will help you coordinate all the services your child needs. This person can be the case manager at your community MH/MR center, a pediatrician, or a child psychiatrist.

The resources provided in this chapter will address the following topics: general mental health information, sexual health, autistic children, drug and alcohol abuse, eating disorders, hearing impairments, learning disabilities, mental retardation, services for non-English speaking people, adolescent pregnancy and parenting, preschool services, child sexual abuse, the juvenile probation system, grief support, and other services available to parents and children.

A. General Information And Referral

B. Sexual Health

C. Resources For Autistic Children

D. Drug And Alcohol Abuse

If you are worried about your child and the possibility or reality of drug and/or alcohol abuse, there are many places to turn for help in the Philadelphia area. We are not able to list them all here. Listing of Drug and Alcohol Abuse facilities.

In Philadelphia, many agencies will interact with CODAAP, a part of the city's Behavioral Health System (BHS). See listing for CODAAP at Drug and Alcohol Abuse.

Through contracts with a network of community providers, CODAAP offers an array of prevention and treatment services, including:

Intensive outpatient substance abuse treatment services
Drug-free and methadone maintenance services
Detoxification
Residential services
Recovery housing
Case management

CODAAP also offers persons in recovery a range of core social service supports, such as: life skills training, domestic violence counseling, parenting skills, recreation therapy, sexual abuse counseling, literacy training, and nutrition education.

1. Prevention And Early Intervention Services

2. Outpatient Treatment

Some Philadelphia Community MH/MR Centers provide outpatient drug and alcohol services. Other agencies are included as well. List of resources for Outpatient Treatment.

3. Residential Treatment

Call the following organizations for more information on ages accepted, financial information, etc. List of resources for Residential Treatment.

4. Legal Assistance when Seeking Treatment

The Pennsylvania Health Law Project (PHLP) has begun a new project intended to increase both access to and quality of drug and alcohol treatment programs for juveniles (under age 21) who are from low-income families. If you are having difficulty getting treatment for your son or daughter and think your child might be eligible for Pennsylvania's CHIP (Children's Health Insurance Plan) or MA (Medical Assistance) programs.

Contact: Legal Assistance when Seeking Treatment

E. Resources For Children And Adolescents With Eating Disorders

For more information about inpatient units, see Inpatient Hospitalization.

F. Mental Health Resources For Children with Hearing Impairments

G. Resources For Children With Learning Disabilities

H. Resources For Children With Mental Retardation And Emotional Disorders

For more resources for young children, see Preschool Services.

I. Mental Health And Related Services For Non-English Speaking Philadelphians

J. Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention And Teen Parents

Resources in this category include Health Services, Teen Parent Support Services, Prevention, and Education.

K. Preschool Services

If your child is too young for elementary school services but in need of mental health services, there are several different types of programs available. Mental Health Evaluation and Treatment, covers the first steps in getting help for your child.

1. Services From the MH/MR System Early Intervention Centers

Philadelphia County funds and operates early intervention programs for preschool children with special needs. This includes both children with emotional problems and children with developmental delays or mental retardation.

Your local community MH/MR center can assess your child's needs for early intervention services and set up a team to develop, with your participation, an individualized program plan (IPP) for your child. Sometimes the community MH/MR center will refer a child to a particular early intervention program and the IPP will be developed by a team there, also with your participation. Once the IPP has been developed, services should be provided to your child in accordance with it. View the map of community MH/MR center catchment areas to find the center serving you.

For additional information or to facilitate referrals for children in need of early intervention services/special needs:

ChildLink
Philadelphia Health Management Corp.
Intake Unit
260 S. Broad Street, 18th Floor
Philadelphia, PA 19102-3890
215-731-2110
ChildLink provides a single and centralized point of entry into the early intervention system for children from birth to school age. Through a single call, an Intake Coordinator will assist all callers to begin the process to determine eligibility and arrange for services, if appropriate. Families and professionals may refer directly to Childlink.

2. Early Intervention Services and Special Needs Listings

For more information about early intervention, contact:

PA Protection & Advocacy
1414 North Cameron Street
Harrisburg, PA 17103
800-692-7443
www.ppainc.org

PA Protection & Advocacy
1315 Walnut Street, Suite 400
Philadelphia, PA 19107
800-583-6007
This organization provides information and advocacy services.

Parent Education Network (PEN)
2107 Industrial Highway
York, PA 17402
(800) 522-5827
www.parentednet.org
This organization provides information, training, and individual assistance to parents and children with special needs in order to insure access to appropriate educational programs.

3. Philadelphia School District Services

The School District offers programs for preschool children, including child care centers, parent cooperative nurseries, the Durham Child Development Center, Comprehensive Day Care Programs, and Prekindergarten Head Start.

4. Other Agencies Offering Services to Preschool Children

Additional evaluation and treatment programs are available in Mental Health Evaluations, Diagnosis and Treatment.

L. Child Sexual Abuse

For more information on child sexual abuse, including prevention, warning signs, and what to do if you think your child has been sexually abused, see Child Sexual Abuse.

There is a legal distinction between sexual abuse of children by a family member and sexual abuse by a person outside the family.

Caretaker Abuse occurs when a person who is responsible for the child is the abuser. In this case, the Child Protective Law is enacted and the incident must be reported, investigated, and assigned to a caseworker at the division. Then the child and his or her family may receive services through DHS contract agencies. You may also want to call one of the Legal Agencies since this type of abuse is a crime.

If a child is sexually assaulted by someone outside the family, who is not responsible for the child's welfare, the legal system should be contacted immediately.

We have included only the primary resources for both types of child sexual abuse. Each of the following agencies will refer you to the most appropriate resource(s) available in Philadelphia that can counsel and provide other services to victims of child sexual abuse by a caretaker and their families.

M. Juvenile Probation Department-Family Court-Serving Children and Families in Philadelphia

1. Juvenile Probation Department

The Juvenile Probation Department provides supervision and support to youth who have been found guilty of a delinquent act. While most of the youth receive regular supervision, there are specialized services for youth with emotional disturbance and/or mental health histories.

If your child is under probation supervision and may be in need of specialized community based or residential treatment, you can ask your child's probation officer to arrange for a psychiatric evaluation through the Court's Mental Health Unit.

If the evaluation suggests either wraparound services or placement in a residential treatment facility, the Court has a Dispositional Planning Unit (DPU) that can assist your child's Probation Officer in obtaining the necessary services. The Dispositional Planning Unit worker will involve you in the process, obtaining necessary information from you, your child and previous service providers and will participate with you and your child in any required interagency team meetings.

For more information about these units and their services, you may call:

Denise Ray, Deputy Chief, 215-686-4050
Richard Jones, Special Needs Assessment Unit, 215-686-7444
Sandra DeMuro, Mental Health Unit, 215-686-4276

2. Reasonable Efforts In Assessment, Access and Prevention Unit - (REAAP)

If your child is chronically truant, or is incorrigible, the Court REAAP Unit may be able to assist you in addressing the problem. Trained social workers and probation officers will meet with you and your child to complete an assessment and to assist you with various resources and referrals.

If your child is incorrigible, has a serious drug and alcohol problem, and he/she will not voluntarily accept treatment, the Court REAAP Unit may be able to help you to get services. Under Act 53, you can file a petition to request that the Court commit your child for involuntary outpatient or inpatient treatment. The Court will order a comprehensive drug and alcohol use assessment and can order that your child participate in treatment.

For more information about the Court's REAAP Unit, you may call: REAAP Intake, 215-686-8328

3. School District of Philadelphia

In order to improve attendance and reduce truancy, the District's Office of Instructional and Behavioral

Intervention works with individual schools and outside partners (including DHS, Juvenile Justice, Probation, and the Police Department) to address attendance issues, forward truancy cases to Family Court, and represent the District at truancy hearings. For more information, contact:

School District of Philadelphia
Office of Instructional & Behavioral Intervention
Administration Building
2120 Winter Street, Room 601
Philadelphia, PA 19103
215-299-7665
www.phila.k12.pa.us/ao/oibi
The Office of Instructional and Behavioral Intervention serves schools, Area Academic Offices, parents, and students when truancy and discipline issues arise. It seeks to work collaboratively with schools and outside partners to establish a continuum of services and to create individualized pathways that lead to a quality education for each student.