Children & Family Services administers the Professional Partner Program, known as Family & Youth Investment (FYI). FYI utilizes the Wraparound approach, which relies on the natural support systems of the family in its community. The approach begins with the principle of ensuring “voice and choice,” which stipulates that the perspectives of the family—including the child—must be given primary importance during planning and other activities. Participants are provided a Professional Partner who coordinates services. Through a family-centered team effort, Professional Partners coordinate and facilitate formal and informal services and supports necessary to assist the youth and their families in meeting their established goals. Wraparound further requires that the planning process itself, as well as the services and supports provided, are individualized, family driven, culturally competent, and community based.
The FYI Program’s primary areas of focus are to:
- Avert children from becoming state wards, preventing expensive out-of-home placements or involvement in emergency services;
- Reduce juvenile crime or contact with adult criminal justice systems;
- Increase school performance; and
- Facilitate a seamless transition from the youth to the adult behavioral health system.
For more information on the FYI program or to request interpretation services, please call 402-441-4343.
FYI includes four program tracks. Families must meet financial and diagnostic program eligibility requirements to receive Professional Partner support at no cost. For families not meeting eligibility criteria, the option of paying a monthly rate for participation is available. Following are descriptions of the FYI tracks:
The Traditional track serves children up to age 21 with a serious emotional disturbance.
The Transition-Age Professional Partner (TAPP) track serves young adults ages 18-24 who have a serious mental illness and who are transitioning from the youth to the adult behavioral health system.
The Juvenile Justice Wraparound Support (JJ) serves youth under age 19 involved with the probation system. Youth identified will be struggling to meet their probation requirements, are at risk for being placed out of home/out of state, or are preparing to return from an out of home/state placement. Clinical criteria, which have been present for 6 months prior to referral/enrollment, includes the presence or suspicion of a mental, behavioral, emotional, and/or substance use diagnosis/concern, which is creating functional limitations.
The Prevention Professional Partner (PPP) track focuses on prevention, serving children under age 19 and their families who are at risk of formal juvenile justice and child welfare involvement and are in need of intensive (90 days) case management and service coordination. To be eligible, the youth must have a serious emotional disturbance or a serious mental illness.
How to Make a Referral to Our Program
Please click here to access a Word version of the referral form or here for a fillable Adobe version.
Anyone can refer a youth to FYI, including a family member.
We will contact the youth/family directly to determine their interest and eligibility.
You can submit the completed referral form as follows:
E-mail to: Shelly Noerrlinger at snoerrlinger@region5systems.net
Confidentially fax to: 402-441-4335
Mail to: Region V Systems
c/o Shelly Noerrlinger
1645 “N” Street
Lincoln, NE 68508
Questions? Call Shelly Noerrlinger at 402-441-4352
