Undiagnosed  or untreated mental illness or substance use disorders can be a key barrier to youth being successful in school or work.  Getting youth to connect to treatment has often meant long waiting lists, and multiple trips to multiple agencies.  Many youth are overwhelmed by the process, or find there are no openings for services at the time they are ready to engage in treatment.  This often leads to youth simply abandoning their efforts to get the treatment they need.

Carroll County Youth Service Bureau is the largest mental health outpatient clinic in the county and offers both mental health and substance use assessment and treatment.

Dedicated time slots for both mental health and substance use treatment will be made available at the Youth Service Bureau to ensure that youth are able to engage in treatment as soon as they are ready to do so.

Data is collected as referrals are made to the intake coordinator at the Youth Service Bureau, as well as through youth who self report seeking mental health or substance use treatment.  Data is also shared between the engagement manager and clinical case manager so each is aware of what servcies youth are participating in.

A barrier assessment  has been created to identify and prioritize which barriers youth can and should be addressing first, as they begin the process of connecting to work or school.