ABOUT US
STARS for Children’s Mental Health
System Transformation of Area Resources and Services
In 2005, a partnership was created in Central Minnesota to improve mental health services for children and their families. Providers and families throughout Benton, Sherburne, Stearns and Wright counties wanted to provide a comprehensive, coordinated, seamless "system of care" that is individualized, family driven, youth guided, culturally competent and community-based. This partnership is called STARS (System Transformation of Area Resources and Services) for Children’s Mental Health.
System of Care
A system of care is created when the agencies and organizations serving children work together in the best interests of the child and family. Because families know their children best, their input is key in directing their children’s care. The child’s voice must also be heard. This melding of voices and partnership creates a system of care that is "family-driven" and "youth-guided."
Transforming the Children’s Mental Health System
The growing network of families and providers within STARS is working to create a mental health system that is consistent across the four counties by filling service gaps, strengthening and coordinating existing resources and creating crucial resources where none existed before.
STARS Decision-making Process
STARS Organizational Chart
Educating the Community
The STARS network coordinates, co-sponsors and promotes training and education for parents, youth, providers and educators throughout the four-county region. Training is developed based on our partners’ and service area’s current needs and challenges.
Mental Health Awareness
Stigma is the use of negative labels used to identify someone with a mental illness. Stigma is also a major barrier discouraging individuals and their families from getting the help they need. STARS accepts the challenge of reducing stigma so that all children and their families can get the help they need. By coordinating community-wide mental health awareness campaigns and working with area youth to create campaigns in their schools, STARS strives to make stigma obsolete—one community, one organization, one child at a time.
Evaluation
STARS conducts various research and evaluation projects to study the impact of children’s mental health system transformation. STARS evaluation:
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Describes characteristics of children receiving system of care services
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Examines changes over time in children and families who receive services
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Assesses costs relating to services received
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Measures families’ satisfaction with services
Parent and Youth Empowerment
STARS’ network of providers involves parents and youth in their own care, including the design and delivery of services, and policy and funding decisions. Parents and youth can participate on STARS committees receive training on leadership and advocacy skills and attend special events for families affected by mental health issues.
Cultural and Linguistic Competence
Cultural and linguistic competence is a developmental process that evolves over an extended period of time. It is achieved by person-to-person relationships that help identify and understand the needs and help-seeking behaviors of individuals and families. STARS works with communities and mental health service providers to address the cultural and linguistic barriers to children’s mental health services by underserved populations.
Funding
STARS is a six-year cooperative agreement first funded in 2005 by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). This funding is made possible through the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Child, Adolescent and Family Branch of the Comprehensive Community Mental Health Services for Children and Their Families program.
STARS Funded Activities - 2009
