The Assessment Center program is a congregate care placement array licensed by DCF for children in out-of-home care under the care and supervision of DMCPS. The program will provide short-term out-of-home care placement for children with placements lasting less than 60 days. DMCPS data shows that many of the youth placed in facilities for assessment and stabilization are youth of color and may come from backgrounds with trauma. Services are expected to be trauma informed and culturally sensitive to the youth who need placement under this contract. The goal of the Assessment Center program is to assess children’s needs and strengths and to provide children with stabilizing services while a long-term placement is located. To achieve this goal, the Assessment Center program provide the following components. Program intakes Assessments of children placed for longer than 5 business days Stabilization services Clinical services Peer support/mentorship After care services for 60 days for children placed for longer than 5 business days Should the Assessment Center program reach its DCF licensing capacity, it would not be expected to accept additional referrals. If at any point during the program, child abuse or maltreatment is suspected, the Proposer is required to follow Mandated Child and Neglect Reporters requirements and must also cooperate with any child protective services assessment regarding allegations of abuse or neglect for a child in their care.
