What is SOCC & How It Works

System of Care Chicago works to support youth with behavioral, emotional or social challenges and their families by forming partnerships among the family, caregivers, mental health professionals, community, service agencies and educators and schools to ensure our children receive the best services available. System of Care Chicago works to ensure children get to the right services quickly and that whenever possible, children are treated in their own homes and communities.

SOCC is currently available in eight Chicago Public Schools; Coles, Dixon, William Gladstone, Lozano, Randolph Reavis and Stockton Elementary and Richard Milburn High School. These schools were selected because of their use of Positive Behavior Interventions Supports (PBIS). PBIS is a school-tested approach to creating positive school environments. It prevents problem behaviors by bringing parents and staff together to establish clear rules and expectations to implement appropriate strategies and to recognize and reward good behavior. SOCC enhances PBIS be providing schools with family resource developers and community mental health professionals who are able to link children and families to a wide variety of beneficial social, medical and other services.

SOCC strives to form collaborations and to create a broad array of coordinated services. Care coordinators and family representatives (family resource developers or FRD’s) work together in the schools to help families and youth access the best services available within the mental health and other social service systems. SOCC works to improve school performance, reduce violations of the law, reduce the number of costly hospitalizations, and provide services to more children and families in need. SOCC also aims, at all times, to be culturally inclusive and responsive to the particular customs and traditions of families taking part in the program.

Hallmarks of a System of Care are:
  • Family Driven - Families are the focus of our efforts and are key partners iin everything we do
  • Community Based - We believe children are best served when they remain in their home communities while undergoing treatment
  • Team Supported - Families and service providers operate as a team to meet the needs of a child and the management of services are built on mu;ti-agency collaboration.
  • Strength Based - We start our work by focusing on the strengths that families bring
  • Individualized Care - We focus on meeting the specific needs of each child and his or her family
  • Culturally Competent - We strive to ensure that services are delivered with an understanding of the individuals, the culture of a family, as well as the family's ethnic, social and environmental framework
  • Never Give Up - We believe that if a plan is not working it must be changed. It's the responsibility of the service team to adapt to the needs of the family
How SOCC Works:
Every effort Is made to build on the personal strengths of each child, family and community. Resources available to children and families through their extended family, neighborhoods, and the broader community are recognized as Important and enduring sources of family support. At the same time, It Is equally Important to establish an array of more formalized services to help children and their family. SOCC accomplishes this through the use of the Child and Family Team.

Child and Family Teams are the way that children and their families get the help and assistance they need to plan their services, have them delivered, In a confidential way - constantly assess what is working and what is not working and changing the plan as needed to best meet the needs of the child and family over time.
When a child needs SOCC services, a "Child and Family Team" will be convened with the consent and full involvement of the child's family or guardian. The team is the family and the people the family feels can help their child, coming together to create a plan of support, so everyone can do their best.

A Child and Family Team:
  • Has a team leader - your Care Coordinator, to get the team going and to keep them on track
  • Has a Family Resource Developer to support the family
  • Arrange a series of planning meetings
  • Bring service providers and families together to formulate the best solutions for each family
  • Facilitates better communications by ensuring that all service providers involved talk with each other and with the families at the same time
Who attends the Child and Family Team Meetings:
  • The Family/caregivers/legal guardian
  • Service providers who can help the child
  • Parent and youth advocates who have had similar experiences and who can help guide the families through the process
  • Anyone else the families believe would be helpful, such as a friend, relative, neighbor, religious leader, or a teacher
Why this Family Driven Partnership Approach Works:
SOCC's approach works because it gets everyone on the same page and it is focused on clear changes and outcomes. Under SOCC, everyone shares responsibility for the team efforts and successes. It uses information to make decisions and if a strategy does not work, it will try another. Most Important, SOCC tailors things for each child and family so it will work for them!SOCC is comprised of the following individuals and organizations:

The Administrative Team – comprised of the school principals from the eight participating Chicago Public Schools, directors of the social service agencies and SOCC staff members. The SOCC staff members includes the Co-Principal Investigators, who oversee the administration of SOCC and offer their expertise in the areas of children’s mental health and education; The Project Director, Karen Douglass, Psy. D., who is in charge of the daily operations of SOCC; the Clinical Director who helps to coordinate the practitioners involved in SOCC and offers an expertise in the field of children’s mental health; Director of Consumer Division, Darnell Cunningham works to integrate families and parents and SOCC to assure the program is serving their needs; Lead Parent, Madelyn Cunningham, who serves as a resource for the family resource developers and other family members; Youth Coordinator, Raphaelle Richardson, who serves as a resource for students in SOCC by developing and implementing youth oriented programs and a Youth Advisory Council; Administrative Coordinator, Catrina McFarland, who coordinates all activities and the flow of information; the social marketing team, Imani Nia; the Comprehensive Care Coordinators at each school; and the Family Resource Developers, also at each of the participating schools.

The Clinical Services Team – comprised of supervisors from our eight partnering social service agencies along with SOCC staff members.

Comprehensive Care Coordinators (CCC’s) and Family Resource Developers (FRD’s) – the CCC’s, trained social workers and FRD’s individuals trained to work with the families impacted by mental health issues work directly with parents, students, teachers and others in the school setting. The CCCs’ and the FRD’s help to develop the wraparound team approach that provides the backbone of support for families addressing mental health issues.

Metropolitan Interagency Council (MIC) – comprised of representative partner agencies, including the Chicago Public Schools, the Juvenile Justice System, Department of Child and Family Services, Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office – Juvenile Division, City of Chicago Department of Youth Services and Illinois mental health experts. The MIC serves as the governing board of SOCC.