Local Care Teams
Local Care Teams
Local Care Teams (LCTs) are intended to support families in accessing services and supports when there is no identified lead agency, or a family does not meet eligibility for a particular service.
Local Care Teams include representatives of the local/regional child- and family-serving agencies, such as the local Core Service Agency, the Local School System, Juvenile Services, Social Services, Developmental Disabilities, and Addictions Services, as well as representatives of family members and youth.
Families may self-refer to the LCT. LCTs do not have funding, but serve as a place where families can get information from all of the agencies to see if there are possible community resources, services, or supports to help their child. It is an opportunity to have all of the agencies in one place and ask questions in a family-friendly environment.
Among other responsibilities, the LCT is to:
- Be a forum for:
- Families of children with intensive needs to receive assistance with the identification of individual needs and potential resources to meet those needs;
- Interagency discussion and problem solving for individual child, family, and systemic needs;
- Refer children and families to:
- Care Management Entities (CMEs), when appropriate;
- Available local and community resources;
- Discuss a request for a Voluntary Placement Agreement for a child with a developmental disability or a mental illness.
Because the legislation that created Local Care Teams took effect on July 1, 2011, many jurisdictions are still deciding how their LCT will operate since the legislation did not include funding to staff the LCT. At this time, we are waiting for a list of contacts for each jurisdiction for the LCTs.
