STARS for Children's Mental Health

History

In 2005, STARS for Children's Mental Health was funded by the Substance Abuse Mental Health Service Administration (SAMHSA) as a system of care, designed to transform and enhance the children's mental health system in Benton, Sherburne, Stearns and Wright Counties. STARS stood for System Transformation of Area Resources and Services - representing the reason for its creation.

During the years of 2005 to 2011, STARS planned for and implemented services and supports to:

• Eliminate gaps and fragmentation in the continuum of services available to all children and families
• Improve access to community based services and supports
• Improve clinical competence and effectiveness of service providers
• Empower families and youth and enhance their advocacy skills for themselves and others
• Improve provider's ability to be culturally and linguistically responsive
• Reduce stigma associated with receiving services for mental health concerns
• Raise community awareness of the importance of mental health
• Monitor and improve other areas of the system of care as the needs presented themselves

STARS Philosophy

• Services to children with mental health concerns are delivered in the context of family. Parents and caregivers know their children best.
• Children with mental health challenges and their families can and do get better and have productive and meaning-filled lives in the community.
• Early identification and early intervention works best for children and their families. We have a focus on resilience and recovery.
• Clinical interventions and practices should be delivered with information and evidence that shows them to be effective and deliver positive outcomes for families and children. Decisions should be based on the best available data.
• Services and supports should be:
  • Coordinated between home, school and community,
  • Individualized based on the child and family's strengths and unique culture, and
  • Accessible and based in the communities where families live and delivered in the least restrictive and least intrusive manner possible.
  • Continually monitored and adjusted based on outcome data.
• Caregivers/parents and youth have a primary role in determining their treatment and care. Families should also have a primary role in developing and improving services and supports, policies and procedures, and monitoring the quality, outcomes and effectiveness. This is known as Family-Driven and Youth Guided.
• Providers of services and supports should be culturally and linguistically responsive. Interventions should be adapted for racially and ethnically underserved populations.

The STARS Network

Beyond October 2011 and without federal funds, the STARS Network continues its commitment to integrated and effective services to improve outcomes for children and families. Members are committed to a philosophy of how care for children with mental health concerns and their families should be delivered. The STARS Network is dedicated to continuing parent-professional partnerships and sharing of power and ideas to create a community culture of innovation, continuous learning and improvement.

The STARS Network is a partnership of child serving agencies, organizations, parents and youth in the Central Minnesota Counties of Benton, Stearns, Sherburne and Wright. STARS Network Partners Include:

• Parents
• Youth
• Catholic Charities
• Lutheran Social Service
• MN Department of Human Services
• Central MN Mental Health Center
• Stearns County Human Services
• Benton County Human Services
• Sherburne County Health & Human Services
• Wright County Human Services
• St. Cloud Area THRIVE
• Village Family Services
• Parent Voices of NAMI
• Arc Midstate
• 26 School Districts
• CommUNITY Project
• Child Care Choices
• Medica Behavioral Health
• Super STARS Youth Advisory Board (Stearns/Benton)
• The YOUTH Advisory Board (Sherburne/Wright)

Four County Children's Mental Health Workgroup

The STARS Network will meet at 9am on the second Wednesday of odd-numbered months to:

• Serve as an advisory group to the Central Minnesota Mental Health Center;
• Maintain system of care values within the four counties;
• Provide a venue for ongoing cooperation and collaboration between the Central Minnesota Mental Health Center, the four counties and other mental health agencies that serve the four county area;
• Provide oversight for the children's sections of the four-county mental health website; and
• Coordinate training that addresses mental health issues.

Become Involved/Contact Us

You may contact any STARS Partner though email to Jerry Rondeau jerryrondeau@qwestoffice.net who will forward to an appropriate representative.