Learn more about the System of Care in Loogootee tomorrow….

When a child is in need of mental health or behavioral services, families can become overwhelmed trying to navigate the many places they need to go in order to find help for their child. One way Indiana is working to simplify that process is by developing a System of Care. The System of Care is made up of state and localized partnerships that create a broad, integrated network for meeting families’ multiple needs.

The Indiana Youth Institute, Martin County Community Foundation and Martin County Nonprofit Roundtable are teaming up to host a training session that will help explain what a ‘System of Care’ strategy means and how it can help families. The event will run from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Tuesday, October 3 on the lower level of St. John Catholic Church Center, 408 Church Street in Loogootee.

Cassandra Brocksmith, the System of Care coordinator for Knox, Pike, Daviess and Martin counties, and Andrea Cole with Good Samaritan Hospital will speak at the event. They will help attendees understand what this relatively new system is, the advantages to having a county-level version and what is required to make that happen. Attendees will learn how to promote local collaboration to provide access to needed services and resources through one central access point, bring awareness to trauma informed care and the impact of trauma on children, and bridge service gaps between local agencies through communication and coordination.

As part of IYI’s Youth Worker Café program, the seminar and lunch are free, but reservations are required. RSVP at www.iyi.org/calendar. If you have trouble with the link, please contact IYI Statewide Outreach Manager Debbie Jones at djones@iyi.org. Attendees may reach out to IYI’s Southwest Indiana Outreach Manager, Joe Shrode, at jshrode@iyi.org for more information. Youth Worker Cafés are designed to bring together local youth workers to build relationships and inspire collaborations that will benefit children.