Core Principles of CASSP Pennsylvania

Child And Adolescent Service System Program Pennsylvania (CASSP)

1. Child-centered - Services are planned to meet the individual needs of the child, rather than to fit the child into an existing service. Services should be developmentally appropriate and child-specific, and should also build on the strengths of the child and family to meet the mental health, social and physical needs of the child

2. Family-focused - Services recognize that the family is the primary support system for the child. The family participates as a full partner in all stages of the decision-making and treatment planning process, including implementation, monitoring and evaluation. A family may include biological, adoptive and foster parents, siblings, grandparents and other relatives, and other adults who are committed to the child. The development of mental health policy at state and local levels should include family representation.

3. Community-based - Whenever possible, services should be delivered in the child's home community, drawing on formal and informal resources to promote the child's successful participation the community. Community resources include not only mental health professionals and provider agencies, but also social, religious and cultural organizations and other natural community support networks.

4. Multi-system - Services should be planned in collaboration with all the child-serving systems involved in the child's life. Representatives from all these systems and the family should collaborate to define the goals for the child, develop a service plan, develop the necessary resources to implement the plan, and provide appropriate support to the child and family

5. Culturally competent - Culture determines our world view and provides a general design for living and patterns for interpreting reality that are reflected in our behavior. There services that are culturally competent are provided by individuals who have the skills to recognize and respect the behavior, ideas, attitudes, values, beliefs, customs, language rituals, ceremonies and practices characteristic of a particular group of people.

6. Least restrictive/least intrusive - Services should take place in settings that are the most appropriate and natural for the child and family and are the least restrictive and intrusive available to meet the needs of the child.