What is Circles of Care?

Circles of Care is a federally funded program that supports American Indian communities that are planning or developing health service systems for children experiencing emotional or behavioral difficulties.

What is the difference between "Circles of Care" and "Systems of Care"?

Circles of Care are grants funded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) to tribes and Indian organizations to plan for a system of care to meet the mental/behavioral health needs of youth. Systems of Care are grants funded by SAMHSA to implement the comprehensive service system that has been developed for your community.

Why doesn't Circles of Care provide services?

It is important that the community be thoughtful about the planning work so that we can put into action a comprehensive, quality system of providing mental/behavioral health services to youth and their families that will be around for seven generations. Taking time to ensure that the system meets the right needs, allows for easy access and provides quality services will be key for a successful model.

Who is the "community"?

Parents, grandparents, youth, aunts, uncles, cousins, elders, tribes, community leaders, healers, clergy, service providers, child-serving agencies, teachers, judges, attorneys, legislators and all other individuals that are committed to improving the lives of our children.

How can I help?

Although Indian Health Care Resource Center operates the Circles of Care project, the project is community-owned. In other words, the community will make important decisions and contributions to lead to the Tulsa Indian Youth System of Care. There are several ways that you can participate:

• Serve on an Advisory Council or specific Planning Team.
• Complete confidential surveys that provide knowledge about youth issues, barriers to accessing behavioral health services, how acceptable current services are for American Indian youth and their families and various beliefs about mental health.
• Volunteer to help promote knowledge by working with Circles of Care staff on evaluation and presentation activities.
• Be a Circles of Care advocate by providing support to youth and their families in your community!

Why are Circles of Care needed?

• Children in need of mental health treatment often "fall between the cracks"
• Services are often provided in settings that restrict the child's freedom and are located far from the child's community
• Few mental/behavioral health services are offered in the community in which the child lives (such as school-based services)
• Service providers rarely work together
• Families are rarely given the opportunity to be adequately involved in the decision making for their child's care
• Cultural differences are rarely considered in treatment

Circles of Care Vision

The vision of the "Strengthening Our Children" project is for the community to create a circle around our children and their families to promote strength and provide support to youth that are at-risk or experiencing emotional or behavioral difficulties.

Circles of Care Values and Principles

• Mental/behavioral health services are tailored to the needs of the youth and their family
• Families and youth have a voice in all aspects of services and providers create partnerships with families
• Services are provided in the community and allow youth as much freedom as possible to learn and grow
• Services can be easily accessed and are culturally appropriate
• Agencies communicate and work together to coordinate services
• Agencies are held responsible for providing good quality services
• Prevention and early intervention are key

Circles of Care Goal

The goal of the "Strengthening Our Children" project is to develop a Tulsa Indian youth system of care model for serving American Indian children in Tulsa who are at-risk for or currently experiencing emotional or behavioral difficulties.

Circles of Care Strategies

• Create an American Indian Advisory Council to guide planning efforts
• Assess the needs of Tulsa Indian youth
• Create a map of available services
• Develop a plan to put into practice an overall comprehensive system of care for mental/behavioral health that will last for seven generations
• Build community understanding of Circles of Care and increase community involvement/support
• Develop partnerships among community members/agencies
• Increase public knowledge about emotional or behavioral difficulties, available treatments, and the strengths of American Indian communities

Expected Outcomes

• Ensure that the needed mental/behavioral health services are available
• Increase families access to these services
• Improve quality of these services so that they are acceptable to American Indian youth and their families
• Promote knowledge of youth issues and community strengths
• Support the building of a strong urban Indian community that can offer natural support to youth and families