Across New Hampshire, many children, youth, and families coping with serious emotional disturbances struggle with daily life and are moved out of their homes. Too often they are placed in residential treatment facilities, psychiatric hospitals, juvenile justice facilities, or daytime programs that pull them away from their schools and communities. Even with the dedication of families and providers, services remain hard to navigate and are split across uncoordinated systems.
Families and Systems Together
New Hampshire has begun to make big strides to address these challenges with a new approach. The FAST Forward program – Families and Systems Together – is designed to serve youth with serious emotional disturbances and their families, whose needs aren’t met by traditional service streams and programs.
What the FAST Forward Program Offers
- Coordinating care through a team-based wraparound process
- Delivering unconditional support and flexible, individualized programming with a “do what it takes” approach
- Offering an expanded range of services, including short-term respite care, with mobile crisis teams coming soon
- Applying a “system of care” approach that is family driven, youth guided, community based, and culturally and linguistically competent
- Ensuring youth facing the toughest emotional and substance use challenges are linked to the right supports in their own community
Family and Youth Driven
Family sits at the heart of FAST Forward’s work. Family members have a voice in describing their needs and strengths and a choice in selecting services and supports. Families also take a leadership role in their own care and in policy, planning, and evaluation of the broader system.
Youth voice is both needed and valued, and young people are full participants in planning their own care.
Community Based & Culturally Competent
Services are delivered at home and in the community, with a priority on keeping youth in their homes and schools.
FAST Forward honors the culture and beliefs of each family served through this program.
Federally-Funded
FAST Forward is pleased to have begun working with families in July 2014. In October of 2016, NFI North, Inc. (NFI), a subsidiary of North American Family Institute, Inc., assumed operations and expanded resources. NFI develops community-based services for children, youth, families, and adults. NFI's mission is to inspire and empower people to reach their full potential so they can live successfully within their home and community. NFI continues to provide the highest level of service to families and youth to ensure success.
Who Can Be Referred
- Are Medicaid eligible
- Are six or older, or young adults transitioning out of school, foster care, or state placements
- Face daily-life difficulties stemming from a diagnosis of serious emotional disturbance
- Are at risk of multi-agency involvement, including out-of-home placement in a residential treatment facility, psychiatric hospital, or juvenile justice facility
FAST Forward staff and partners are trained in the nationally recognized, evidence-supported NH Wraparound Practice and are working to grow the network of wraparound partners.
Our vision is a comprehensive statewide system of care that supports children and youth in their homes, schools, and communities.
For more information please contact Daryll Tenney of the Bureau for Children's Behavioral Health at 603-271-5075.
