Important Phone Numbers:
Children’s Crisis Response: 651-774-7000
Project ASSIST/Early Intervention Services: 651-266-4042/266-4045
Case Management Intake: 651-266-4500
Ramsey County offers a variety of services to children, youth and their families to support young people dealing with mental health issues. Services are provided directly by Ramsey County or through collaborations with community agencies. Services include:
- Crisis Intervention
- Early Intervention Services
- Case Management
- Case Services for youth involved with the Court System
CHILDREN'S CRISIS RESPONSE
Contact Information: 651-774-7000
Program Description: Children’s Crisis response offers on-site response to children in homes, schools, or institutions. Services are available 24 hours per day, every day in Ramsey County.
- Services include de-escalation and crisis intervention; a thorough mental health assessment to determine any mental health issues; and development of an initial crisis plan
- Follow-up short term care of up to two weeks following the crisis, including transition to ongoing treatment, and crisis recurrence reduction strategies
- Over 90% of home-based crisis calls have been stabilized with the child remaining at home
Spanish and Hmong language supports are available
- Services are provided by licensed mental health professionals or mental health practitioners under the supervision of a mental health professional
- Ramsey County is partnering with St. Paul Youth Service Bureau to provide the Children’s Crisis Response team
Eligibility: All crisis services are available to anyone regardless of ability to pay or insurance type.
PROJECT ASSIST/EARLY INTERVENTION
Contact Information: 651-266-4042 or 651-266-4045
Program Description: The primary focus of this program is to provide culturally competent, comprehensive mental health assessments that will help parents and families access the correct interventions and supports to improve a young person’s mental health functioning at home, school and in the community.
- Project Assist provides home-based mental health assessments and brief case management to infants, toddlers, and school age youth
- Referrals are accepted from Child Protective Services, Juvenile Justice, schools, and other community resources that work with children
- Staff provide consultation to Child Protection and Juvenile Probation to improve the quality of mental health services to high risk children and youth
- Both Ramsey County staff and contracted staff from community agencies provide culturally specific mental health services
- All staff are either licensed mental health professionals or mental health practitioners under the supervision of a mental health professional
Eligibility: Mental health screening – a brief set of questions usually completed by either a parent or a youth - helps to determine eligibility for services. (All services are provided at no cost, although insurance information is collected when available).
Links to several mental health screening instruments are below:
Pediatric Symptom Checklist (Massachusetts General Hospital)
Strength & Difficulties Questionnaire
Ages & Stages Questionnaires: Social-Emotional (ASQ:SE)
PROJECT ENHANCE
Contact Information: To inquire about this service, please contact your child’s school social worker, or school psychologist or call 651-639-4016.
Program Description: Enhance staff work with small caseloads of SED children from suburban Ramsey County school districts. They assess, plan, arrange and monitor mental health services and supports for children and their families. They provide individual, group and family interventions in schools, homes and the community.
Eligibility: In order to qualify for Project Enhance services, a student must:
- Have a current SED (Severe Emotional Disturbance) diagnosis. (Children who likely meet SED criteria but do not have a diagnostic assessment must be assessed by either Enhance intake or a community mental health provider within 30 days of the beginning of services)
- Have the voluntary consent of their parents or legal guardian to participate
- Be referred through a school liaison and/or the Ramsey County CMH Intake Unit and be accepted by Enhance intake, in consultation with the child’s school district
- Secondary or middle school children must be in the Oak Grove, 916, or NETS programs at time of referral
- Elementary age children must be a resident of Ramsey County and reside in one of the four suburban school districts
CHILDREN'S MENTAL HEALTH CASE MANAGEMENT
Contact Information: To access this service, call 651-266-4500. For information on intake criteria, call 651-266-4492.
Program Description: Case Management is designed to serve families with children who have severe emotional and behavioral disturbances. In a culturally sensitive manner, case managers help families:
- Develop a treatment plan and a crisis plan
- Provide information about and referral to community resources
- Create a supportive team of family, professionals, and community members
- Assist parents in advocating for their child’s mental health needs
- Access respite care and other supports
Eligibility: In order to receive case management services:
- A child must have a current SED diagnosis
- The child must reside in Ramsey County
- The child’s family must request or consent to services
JUVENILE DELINQUENCY SERVICES
Program Description: Juvenile delinquency social workers provide casework services to children that are on probation under the jurisdiction of Ramsey County Juvenile Court due to being charged and convicted of committing an illegal offense. Delinquency services are given only when ordered by the court. The social workers in the delinquency unit work collaboratively with other children’s service programs, law enforcement, community service providers, the county attorney’s office, community corrections, and school staff. Together they ensure that the child’s physical, emotional and educational needs are being met, the child remains law abiding and the public safety concerns are met.
Steps in this process are as follows:
- When a child commits a crime, the county attorney files a petition in juvenile court (except for runaway petitions that are initiated by a social worker)
- When a child is placed on probation the social worker in the delinquency unit assesses the child’s situation, evaluates the child’s needs and makes recommendations to the court as to the conditions of probation the child must abide by while under the supervision of the court.
- The court may order a child be put on probation supervision, be given community service hours to complete, pay restitution, be held in the juvenile detention center or placed out of the home for a specified length of time.
- The social worker monitors the child’s progress and compliance with court orders and reports these findings to the court. The social worker will facilitate the services the child needs to fulfill the conditions of their probation until the child is no longer under the court’s jurisdiction.
- When a child is released from the court’s supervision the social worker will close the case.
Other Resources:
Ramsey County Community Corrections Juvenile Services
Children's Therapeutic Services
180 Degrees Organization
State of Minnesota Corrections Association
MN Department of Corrections
Ramsey County Multi-Collaborative Access Team (MCAT) Community Resource Directory
Ramsey County Children's Therapeutic Support Services (CTSS) Statewide Providers
Minnesota Department of Human Services
Ramsey County Children's Mental Health Collaborative
National Allianace on Mental Illness-Minnesota
Minnesota Association for Children’s Mental Health
How are the Children Initiative
