Youth Empowerment Services (YES) Waiver
Youth Empowerment Services (YES) Waiver
Mission and Vision
To ensure that Texas children with serious emotional disturbances have access to a robust array of community-based services and supports.
YES Waiver services for youth are family-centered, coordinated and effective at preventing out-of-home placement and promoting lifelong independence and self-defined success.
YES Waiver Info and Overview
The Youth Empowerment Services Waiver is a 1915(c) Medicaid program that helps children and youth with serious mental, emotional and behavioral difficulties.
The YES Waiver provides intensive services delivered within a strengths-based team planning process called Wraparound. Wraparound builds on family and community support and uses YES services to help build a family’s natural support network and connection with their community.
A Wraparound facilitator will meet with youth and families weekly to develop a Wraparound plan specifically for each child.
The Wraparound plan is also made with help from a child and family team, which meets once a month. The team includes the legally authorized representative/parent, the youth and people who are important in the youth’s life. This can be professionals, family, friends, coaches/mentors or teachers who want to help the youth meet their goals.
Together the team develops a plan of care to meet the specific needs and goals of the youth and family using YES services, community resources and family strengths.
YES Waiver Goals
- Reduce inpatient psychiatric treatment and out-of-home placements by all youth-serving agencies.
- Ensure families have access to non-traditional support services identified in a family-centered planning process.
- Prevent relinquishment of parental custody.
- Improve the clinical and functional outcomes of youth with serious mental, emotional, and behavioral difficulties.
Required Trainings
Crisis Planning Training Series
This eLearning training consists of 3 modules: Defining Crisis and Safety; The Crisis Cycle; and Creating and Implementing Crisis Plans. At the completion of the training series, learners will have an enhanced understanding of what a crisis is, how people experience and define crisis, when and how we can intervene to help people in crisis, and how to create a plan that is both proactive and reactive to crises. This series meets the training requirement for Crisis and Safety Planning that all YES Waiver staff are required to take prior to providing services to YES Waiver youth and families. Upon successful completion of this eLearning training, you will receive a certificate of completion, but no continuing education is offered. This training is required one time.
Critical Incident Reporting (CIR)
This eLearning training consists of 3 modules: Key aspects of Critical Incident Reporting (CIR); Types of Critical Incidents; and Critical Incident Reporting Requirements & Responsible Parties. The CIR training is not meant to be the final authority on critical incident reporting. There are varying expectations and requirements that differ between agencies and are subject to change over time. Thus, this training is meant to serve as a generalized guide to critical incident reporting. The final decision-making process related to critical incident reporting is subject to each individual’s agency of oversight. Upon successful completion of this eLearning training, you will receive a certificate of completion, but no continuing education is offered. This training is required annually.
YES Waiver 101 Training
This training contains 1 module and is estimated to take 25 minutes to complete. This training is broken down into four chapters. Chapter 1 will teach you about YES Waiver goals, the history of the program, and eligibility requirements. Chapter 2 covers service delivery, provider selection, the participant enrollment process, and important resources for successful implementation. Chapter 3 explores each service included in the YES Waiver service array. Chapter 4 walks through what the program looks like for youth and families and explores your role in the process. You’ll be reviewing these chapters in order. Upon successful completion of the course, you will earn a certificate of completion, but no continuing education credit is offered. This training is required one time.
Additional Required Trainings available on other websites
All staff, including direct service staff, as well as all layers of leadership with oversight of the YES Waiver program at a WPO, CWP, or subcontractor agency must complete the trainings listed below. For more information, see the Required Training section in the YES Policy Manual.
Additional YES Waiver Training Requirements may include:
- One-time Service Documentation
- Annual Restraint and Restrictive Interventions
- Bi-annual First Aid and CPR Certification
Please review the YES Policy Manual for current training requirements.