Youth Empowerment Services (YES) is Idaho’s system of care for children’s mental health. It provides options for families who need care for their children with serious emotional disturbance (SED). YES is strengths-based and family-centered, and it incorporates a team approach that focuses on providing individualized care for children.
The Department of Health and Welfare, State Department of Education and Idaho Department of Juvenile Corrections worked together to build a system that communicates a child’s treatment goals between providers and agencies to reduce duplicated efforts and conflicting treatment plans. This coordinated care system allows providers and agencies to focus on the same goals for the child and family.
To learn more about YES, open the links below.
| YES FAQs |
A system of care is a comprehensive array of mental health services and supports that are organized into a coordinated network to meet the changing needs of youth with serious emotional disturbance (SED) and their families.
YES is a strengths-based and family-centered system of care that incorporates a teaming approach to provide individualized care for youth. This means the youth and their family drive the decisions for their care and work with a team to develop a plan that is designed to meet the child’s and family’s needs with appropriate services and supports located in the youth’s community.
Some of the most important concepts in YES include:
- Child and Family Teams
- Principles of Care
- Practice Model
- Coordinated Care Plans
You can learn more about these concepts in the Guide to YES: A Practice Manual.
The following partners developed the YES system of care:
- The Idaho Department of Health and Welfare including the Divisions of Behavioral Health, Family and Community Services, and Medicaid.
- The Idaho State Department of Education
- The Idaho Department of Juvenile Corrections
- Parent and Youth Partners
- Mental health providers
YES provides access to mental health services and supports for youth under the age of 18 who have serious emotional disturbance (SED). SED is a mental health diagnosis combined with a functional impairment.
Youth and families are the primary decision makers in their care. They, along with their mental health provider and the rest of their Child and Family Team (CFT), set goals, develop plans, and determine services and supports.