Administrative tools for operationalizing a continuum of care for children and youth with severe emotional disturbance.

Critical administrative functions in operationalizing a system of care approach to service delivery include: defining and selecting clients to be served, planning and developing responsive services, and ensuring that services are provided in the most therapeutic and least restrictive family and community-based environments. This article presents an overview of several administrative strategies and mechanisms developed by the Continuum of Care for Emotionally Disturbed Children in South Carolina to carry out these functions. Administrative tools are described, as well as the assumptions underlying their development. Evaluation methods, which include analyzing existing client data, surveying parents, and conducting research within a public/academic partnership, are also briefly described.