Local Care Team Administration (Carroll County) Annual

• Mandated Partner Agencies
• Department of Juvenile Services
• Department of Social Services
• DORS
• DDA
• Carroll County Public School
• Local Management Board
• Local Behavioral Health Authority
• Carroll County Community Partners
• Maryland Coalition of Families
• BERC (American Job Center)
• Carroll County  Youth Service Bureau
• Rise Up Community Center/TogetherWeOwnIt
• Potomac Case Management Services
• Life Renewal Services
• Get Connected Family Resource Center
• Local Behavioral Health Authority
• Catastrophic Health Planners
• E-SMART early childhood mental health System of Care
•  Carroll County Health Department Bureau of Nursing
•  Carroll Hospital Center Behavioral Health Navigation
• Carroll County Local Management Board
• Access Carroll

The Local Care Team is an inter-agency workgroup that meets with families who are experiencing multiple and intensive behavioral health challenges with their children.  The LCT listens to each family's unique situation and helps them connect to community resources and supports.  Each family participates in the creation of an Action Plan, which details specific next steps for both the family and identified community agencies.  The Local Care Team Coordinator follows up on each case, to ensure that both the family and the agencies are able to engage in the recommended services. The Local Care Team also convenes to discuss requests for Voluntary Placements.  The VPA process is facilitated by DSS, once a parent or guardian makes a request.  The Care Team meets with the family to review and discuss all available community supports, and to review the process for a possible out-of-home placement.

The Local Care Team is able to provide families with a detailed plan to address the challenging and intensive needs they are faced with.  Families meet in person with many agencies, eliminating the need to schedule and attend multiple appointments.  Many times, families have attempted to engage in services, but quickly become overwhelmed due to significant barriers.  LCT is able to strategize with and stabilize families, assisting them with addressing their barriers, and providing them a path forward.  Ultimately, many children and youth who are being considered for an out-of-home placement are able to be maintained safely in their homes, once a family has participated in a Local Care Team meeting.

Under Maryland Code (Human Services §8-407) a Local Care Team shall: 

1) be a forum for: 

    a) families of children with intensive needs to receive assistance with the identification of individual needs and potential resources to meet identified                 needs; and 

    b) interagency discussions and problem solving for individual child and family needs and systemic needs; 

2) refer children and families to: 

    a) care management entities when appropriate; and 

    b) available local and community resources; 

3) provide training and technical assistance to local agency and community partners; 

4) identify and share resource development needs and communicate with the care management entity, local core service agencies, provider networks, local management boards, and other local care teams in surrounding jurisdictions; and 

5) discuss a request for a voluntary placement agreement for a child with a developmental disability or a mental illness under § 5-525 of the Family Law Article.