August General Meeting
Date: Friday August 21st, noon-2:00PM
Topic: Reducing barriers for children and teens to receive specialized treatment for sexual behavior issues
Description: KCSARC (as an organization that provides both legal advocacy as well as treatment) has an insider's view regarding youth who have sexually acted out. Their staff are concerned over how many of these youth are identified, but ultimately are unable to obtain services to address their treatment needs. Early intervention is key to preventing future victims. The goal is to brainstorm and create an action plan regarding how to reduce the barriers for these youth and their families to receive services. KCSARC and Harborview have offered some services to children under 12 (because there are no potential legal issues that would create a conflict with their legal advocacy) but that may be changing.
One of the primary barriers to getting kids treatment appears to be related to the cost of treatment and the lack of providers who are willing to accept state insurance for payment. Related to this issue is a reluctance on the part of community agencies which accept state insurance to offer these services due to a lack of training and experience. Another issue relates to youth who may have pending legal issues which compete with the family's need to address the issue immediately. Finally there may be general issues with there not being enough SOTPs trained to work with children and teens.
We would like to encourage interested stakeholders who work with youth, and especially SOTPs, to attend. While SOTPs with adult-focused practices may not feel they have useful input, we feel you can offer a unique perspective on how early intervention may have interrupted the sexual acting out trajectory of their adult clients.
Discussion Leaders: KCSARC treatment providers and advocates, Dan Knoepfler (SOTP), invited guests who are stakeholders in this system (to be announced)
Location: Go To Meeting virtual platform
This WATSA meeting will be held online. Please be on the lookout for an email with more specific directions.
1.5 CEUs will be available for attendance.
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