Areas of Work

Welcome to the . . .
The ENGAGE Initiatives

• The Children's Plan
  • What's Happening?
  • Promising Practices
• The Commissioners' Committee on Cross-systems Services for Children and Youth
• Coordinated Children's Services Initiative (CCSI)
• Building Systems of Care
  
• ENGAGE Resources

ENGAGE

ENGAGE brands the desire, commitment and vision of the Commissioners' Cross-systems Committee to support services that build upon families' strengths and abilities to raise their children. ENGAGE also symbolizes opportunities to cultivate and sustain cooperative, cross-systems relations among state agencies, develop meaningful connections with young people and their families, and deliver needed supports through collaborative service designs. The Commissioners embrace the concept that family engagement, support and youth voice play essential roles in developing the social and emotional learning, health and well-being of children.

CASSP Core Principles

The Child and Adolescent Service System Program (CASSP) principles are core to The Children’s Plan and ENGAGE initiatives. CASSP is based on a well-defined set of values aimed at advancing the emotional and social health and well being of children and adolescents with or at risk of developing severe emotional disorders while supporting their families.

The principles can be summarized in the following six core statements:

• Child-centered: Services meet the individual needs of the child, consider the child's family and community contexts, and are developmentally appropriate, strengths-based and child-specific.
• Family-focused: Services recognize that the family is the primary support system for the child and participates as a full partner in all stages of the decision-making and treatment planning process.
• Community-based: Whenever possible, services are delivered in the child's home community, drawing on formal and informal resources to promote the child's successful participation in the community.
• Multi-system: Services are planned in collaboration with all the child-serving systems involved in the child's life.
• Culturally competent: Services recognize and respect the behavior, ideas, attitudes, values, beliefs, customs, language, rituals, ceremonies and practices characteristic of the child's and family's ethnic group or identification.
• Least restrictive/least intrusive: Services 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 and family.

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ENGAGE Communications

One of the most common themes communicated to the Council from local and regional staff is the need for better communication. This need has been addressed by implementing the following:

• Creation of the ENGAGE Calendar providing information on cross-systems events.
• Development of the ENGAGE e-Newsletter and e-Blasts to keep interested parties informed of our cross-systems work.
• Modification and use of the ENGAGE logo as a brand for the four related cross-systems initiatives.
• Creation of this ENGAGE web portal page for easy access to the four ENGAGE initiatives with a URL of www.ENGAGE.ccf.ny.gov.
• Creation of the interactive ENGAGE mailbox at: ENGAGE@ccf.ny.gov facilitating an easy way for people to communicate with ENGAGE staff.

Stay informed about valuable, up-to-date information on cross-systems collaboration throughout New York State and subscribe to ENGAGE News/e-Blasts today!

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