SMART Team

SMART Team

There were 1288 young people under the supervision of Massachusetts Department of Youth Services in 2011 and about 3000 juvenile offenders were detained in that same year. In addition, there are also a significant number of youthful offenders coming out of local jails and prisons. Much of this population is insured or in the care of DCF or DYS and significant public dollars are allocated for their care. SMART Team seeks to provide essential clincial services to this proven risk population. Our team is comprised of seasoned social workers with many years of clincial and programmatic experience.

SMART Team has establishe a significant presence in the Boston- Metro Area as a clinical social work team working out of the South End Community Health Center. Our plan is to eventually expand into other parts of the Commonwealth. Our approach will be to meet with young people in the places where they can be found; their homes, schools, detention centers, DYS facilities, jails and prisons. We provide confidential clinical services that places the needs of the young person at the fore of our practice.

We seek to provide clinical social work services to these youth impacted by criminal and or juvenile justice systems. The focus of our services will be three fold: advocacy, case management and clinical services. Taking a youth centered approach we help young people and their families in maximizing their mandated relationships with State providers. With our experience and credentialed masters level clinical social workers we navigate the complex systems this population often faces. We will ensure that case conferences and conversations between systems are happening so that our clients have appropriate treatment plans in place. In additional, we will provide a trauma based clinical approach base on the proven results of our founder’s experience with the Youth Service Providers Network.

Our model relies on revenues generated through third-party reimbursements from insurers and contracted services through the state of Massachusetts. Our founder’s extensive knowledge of the community resources that appropriately address the particular needs of these system involved young people will facilitate our clinical services and case management efforts. Proven risk young people frequently have a long history of broken relationships that ended because of homicide or other unexpected losses. Therefore a lasting therapeutic relationship with a caring adult is an essential component of their healing. Through this relationship we intend to address the young persons comprehensive needs beginning with mental health. Our partnership with a community based health center will enable us to offer a full complement of health services as well.

All of our clinicians will be trained in current trauma based counseling models. In addition our social workers understand the unique balance of public safety and and the needs of this traumatized population. These young people impact the safety of their neighbors and most affect the safety of their peers in their communities. Given this challenge it is essential that a strong and trusting relationship with local law enforcement and State providers be in place.