CSA/FAPT
New: Family Assessment and Planning Team Tip-Sheet for Remote Meetings
Children’s Services Act (CSA)
This program, which is mandated by state law, prevents adverse consequences from the inappropriate care of young people, including youth from dysfunctional families and youth with severe emotional and behavioral problems. The program provides services to strengthen the family and, when necessary, to provide care for children outside their homes.
The CSA is a Virginia law designed to help troubled youths and their families with specific challenges.
The CSA creates a collaborative system of services and funding that is:
- Child-centered
- Family-focused
- Community-based
- Cost-effective
Family Assessment and Planning Team
Arlington’s local CSA team is called the Family Assessment and Planning Team (FAPT).
The FAPT is a multidisciplinary team that considers the needs and strengths of youths and families, identifies and reviews the service plan, and makes recommendations to ensure the plan builds on the family’s strengths and needs.
The FAPT consists of parent representatives, private providers, and staff from the Department of Human Services (DHS) (includes behavioral health, health and social services), court service units and schools.
Eligibility
The program serves youth who are Arlington residents under the age of 18 and:
- Have serious emotional or behavioral challenges
- Need resources beyond normal agency services
- Require special education through private day schools as determined through the youth’s Individualized Education Program (IEP)
- Require foster care services or services to prevent foster care placement
- Are supervised by Arlington Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court
- Are wards of the Department of Juvenile Justice
Referral to FAPT
A case manager begins the referral process. Families can receive assistance with choosing a case manager from any agency (DHS, courts, schools) with which the youth is already connected.
FAPT Meetings
Joining with the parents, the treatment team presents information and recommendations to support the family’s needs. Parent participation is required. Parents may bring any person to the meeting who they believe will provide support to the youth and family.
All information provided to FAPT members is confidential.
Program Cost
Services are assessed on a sliding fee scale. Families are not denied services based on the inability to pay.
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FAPT Values
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Family focused
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Ensure families and caretakers are partners in decision-making on the assessment, design, delivery and management of services. |
| Strength based |
Ensure that the design and provision of services respond to the unique and diverse strengths, needs and potential of children and their families, and build upon natural family and community supports. |
| Continuum of care |
Provide access to a continuum of assessment, early intervention, treatment, and transition services and supports in communities. |
| Community based |
Provide appropriate services in the least restrictive environment, striving to preserve and strengthen families, and enabling children to remain in their homes and communities, balanced with the need to protect the welfare of children and maintain public safety. |
| Integrated care |
Provide integrated services and funding for children and their families with designated care management to ensure multiple services are coordinated across agencies and evolve over time to meet the changing strengths and needs of children and their families. |
| Culturally & linguistically responsive |
Provide services and supports that are responsive to the culture and language of the child and family. |
| Collaborative |
Support open communication, active participation, and collaboration among CSA stakeholders across all sectors and at all levels on program and fiscal policy development, service delivery and management. Encourage public-private partnerships in service delivery. |
| Strong state leadership |
Ensure policies, uniform guidelines, services, funding and practices support systems of care in communities that can be tailored to meet the unique strengths, resources, and needs of children, families and communities. |
| Flexible funds |
Provide communities flexible funds, authorize them to make decisions and to be accountable for providing services in concert with the CSA. |
| Fiscally accountable |
Ensure funds are spent effectively, efficiently and equitably, maximizing the use of all federal, state, local and private funding streams. |
| Outcome & quality improvement |
Improve program quality using customer feedback, child and family outcomes, and program and fiscal data. |