Admission Requirements

Young adults who are eligible for admission into the Carrie Bell Center Supervised Independent Living Program are those that meet the following eligibility criteria:

• Must be a male or female with a signed extended foster care agreement;
• Must be between the ages of 18 and 22;
• Must be enrolled in a high school, trade school, and/or post-secondary education program; or full-time employment

Ineligibility

The Carrie Bell Center will consider young adults to be ineligible for admission if:

• Under the age of 18;
• Acts on predatory sexual tendencies;
• Currently chemical-dependent;
• Currently psychotic;
• Has attempted suicide;
• Has ever expressed and acted on homicidal tendencies; and/or
• Has set fires within the last year.

However, the Carrie Bell Center will review all referrals and make exceptions as necessary after reviewing all available information.

Services Offered

• Support services to each participant;
• Attend to basic physical, medical and emotional needs;
• Monthly stipend will be given for personal necessities;
• A cellphone will be issued for each resident;
• Life Skills Assessment to assess strengths and needs in life skills to develop the Individual Plan (IP);
• Life skills programming such as workshops and ongoing psycho-educational groups related to personal finance, opening a checking account, interviewing skills, housing, decision-making and problem-solving, sexual development and education, housekeeping and laundry skills, personal hygiene, general healthcare, general safety and fire safety practices, food preparation and nutrition, transportation skills, health and safety, child development, and accessing and utilizing community resources;
• Transitional Living Allowance (TLA) up to $1000 (distributed in increments up to $500 per month for youth who participate in PAL Life Skills training, to help youth with initial    start-up costs in adult living);
• Teen conferences;
• Leadership development activities;
• Specialized therapy services including individual and group therapy;
• Sexual education services (reproductive health, healthy romantic relationships, being sexually responsible, sexually transmitted diseases, pregnancy prevention, etc.; and
• Additional supportive services, based on need and availability of funds, such as mentoring services and driver’s education.

Extended Case Management Services

The Carrie Bell Center is equipped and ready to provide ECM services to residents that will need those services. The Carrie Bel Center will determine at the time of accepting placement if the resident will require ECM services. The services that will be provided under ECM will include but not be limited to:

a. Ensuring the resident is scheduling, obtaining, and maintaining all medical appointments to include medication management appointments and ensuring the medications are being taken as prescribed.

b. Educational enrollment and all facets of ensuring the education is completed.

c. Ensuring employment searches and once employment is gained, the case manager assigned will ensure that all tools needed to ensure success on her job is made available to the resident.

d. The ECM case manager will ensure that a plan is created within the first 15 days of placement that encompasses a medication management plan so that the resident understands the importance of the outcome and expectation that she would eventually complete these activities on her own.

e. The resident will be assisted with money management, daily life, and living skills such as cooking, grocery shopping, meal preparation, properly cleaning, and utilizing public transportation. If any other skills will need to be added the resident and the case manager will make the necessary adjustments.

f. The ECM case manager will meet with the resident at least two times a week face to face during the first 30 days. The face to face visits will decrease to weekly contact as the resident develops the skills needed to increase self-sufficiency.

g. The case manager that is responsible for the residents enrolled in this service will have daily contact with the case manager via email or text and any other communication established and discussed upon with the resident.

h. The ECM case manager will report to DFPS the resident's progress and ability to complete the SIL the program successfully and have an appropriate plan to successfully discharge from the program. This will be fluid and will be documented and during the review planning meetings.

A completed service plan will be provided to the residents DFPS caseworker no later than the 30th day of placement and any updates and progress that is made will be documented in the review of the service plan. The service plan will be reviewed every 90 days. During the review, the need to continue or discontinue the extended case management service will be discussed.