Illinois Children’s Healthcare Foundation, Building Systems of Care Symposium. December 6, 2018.

1. An initiative of the

2. Project SUN
(Strengthening and Unifying our
Network)
A family-driven system of care offering all Kankakee
County youth (0-21) and their families multiple access
points to a comprehensive, integrated mental health
network aimed at meeting the needs of the whole
child.

3. Integrating services provided in multiple community-based systems

4. Supporting Youth & Families
• Build the infrastructure required to support a youth- and
family-driven integrated system of care aimed at helping
children flourish.
• Facilitate multiple points of access to the system of care and
to information about available community resources by
enhancing the KAN-I HELP Information Network website.
• Provide training and information to both formal and informal
information givers, such as school and law enforcement
personnel, faith and civic group leaders, and other human
service providers to facilitate referrals.

5. Providing professional
development
• Provide professional development and training
opportunities for existing personnel to better
implement a youth- and family-driven integrated
system of care.

6. Promoting workforce
development
• Promote workforce development efforts to meet
the mental health needs of children and youth in
the community, including efforts to encourage
youth of color and Spanish-speaking youth to
pursue careers in social-emotional development
and mental health related fields.

7. Educating youth & the public
• Develop and disseminate public education
materials to promote wellness, as well as inform
youth and families about how they can access the
system of care when needed.

8. Assisting service providers
• Assist service providers with efforts to maximize
their ability to secure third-party payments from
public and private insurance programs for services
provided to youth and their families.

9. Sustaining our system of care
• Put policies and mechanisms in place to sustain the
youth- and family-driven integrated system of care
after the ILCHF funding ends.

10. Contact Us
Nicole Smolkvich
Executive Director
Community Foundation of
Kankakee River Valley
nicole@cfkrv.org
Jackie Haas
President & CEO
Helen Wheeler Center
hwcjackie@ameritech.net
Community Planning Team Co-Facilitators
Project Director
Deb Baron
debra@cfkrv.org