Education's Role in the System of Care: Student/Family Outcomes.

This conference paper discusses the highlights of a 3-year evaluation of an Illinois program designed to provide community-based supports and services for youth with emotional and behavioral disabilities. Five sites were funded and information was collected on 215 youth and their families. All sites received training and technical assistance on implementing a system of care approaches. Application of the wraparound process was a prioritized intervention at all sites. Results of the study indicate: (1) 29 percent of the families reported income of less than $10,000 and poverty was a risk factor for 23 percent of the families; (2) families reported not having enough money to meet basic needs such as a phone and clothing; (3) teacher rating of emotional/behavioral functioning was more closely related to restrictiveness of school placement and parent report of emotional/behavioral functioning seemed to drive out-of-home placements; (4) teachers and clinicians agreed with each other on the clinical functioning of youth more frequently than they agreed with parents; and (5) although youth were described as having significant emotional/behavioral needs and high rates of instability in learning environments at times of referral, improvements in functioning were noted by families, clinicians, and teachers. (Contains 10 references.) (CR)