June 1994 — Features

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CARAS: A School-Based, Case Management System for At-Risk Students

More often than not, referrals include "problem" children who are sent for special services because classroom teachers are unable or unwilling to deal with their behaviors or special needs. Additionally, many students are not referred at all, either because they are perceived as not being at risk, or not at risk "enough" to warrant a regular referral. These include students who are having problems outside of class (unbeknownst to school personnel), yet show signs of being shy or withdrawn. CARAS addresses issues such as these, incorporating prioritized risk indicators. For example, CARAS screens contain specific categories pertaining to school- and family-based problems. This includes categories that school staff might otherwise not think of as risk factors, such as the shy or withdrawn behavior mentioned above. In addition, case managers can utilize the CARAS needs assessment component (discussed below) to identify at-risk students and the underlying reasons. As implementation of the C-STARS model of school-based interprofessional case management progressed, it became apparent that case managers and their teams needed a way to systematically manage and evaluate coordinated service delivery -- in short, a means of gathering and organizing data. Since the data had to be collected and reported for various audiences anyway (C-STARS, school administrators, social and health agencies, etc.), a database system was developed to include intake, case management, monitoring and follow-up components plus reporting capabilities.
Components In Detail The following sections describe each component of the CARAS system in detail, offering readers insight into the functions and design of this comprehensive program. Intake The student intake component of CARAS is assisted by software developed to help perform needs assessment. The Needs Assessment and Monitoring System (NAMS) enables a user to identify students at risk.