OverviewThe well-being of children and adolescents with serious emotional disturbance and/or substance use disorders and their families requires that all involved child/adolescent-serving systems and providers work intensively and collaboratively, in order to implement Pennsylvania's CASSP Principles. This means that both structures and practices at all levels are consistent with, and promote the six CASSP Principles, i.e. child-centered, family-focused, community-based, culturally competent, multi-system, and least restrictive/least intrusive. Given the Commonwealth's strong reliance on counties to develop policies and practices to meet the needs of its members and the historical partnership between counties and state government, it is especially important that CASSP Principles be understood and implemented at the county level.
What follows are performance expectations and recommended guidelines for the implementation of CASSP Principles and what is often referred to as the
