Children and Youth Investment Team

About the Program

Category: Children and Youth (Best in Category)

Year: 2014

The Children and Youth Investment Team (CAY-IT) of the Department of Social Services seeks to streamline the process for finding permanent placements for children in foster care, resulting in less trauma for the child and faster decisions. CAY-IT brings together professionals from several different governmental units to work collaboratively in planning for permanent placements for foster children who have been in care longer than average. Planning for CAY-IT began in October 2013, and implementation began in January 2014. The state's goal is for children to remain in foster care no longer than one year. In March 2014, the department cared for 201 foster children. Twenty of them had been in care 36 months or more, and 45 more had been in care more than 24 but less than 36 months. Mental health and legal issues are often the reasons for longer-than-average placement times for these children. The CAY-IT team meets every other month and includes social workers, social work supervisors, guardians ad litem for the children, mental health professionals, and residential care professionals. The CAY-IT approach is already yielding cross-disciplinary discussions, which help the team move more quickly toward the best outcome for each child.