THE USE OF FLEXIBLE SERVICE DOLLARS IN RURAL COMMUNITY-BASED PROGRAMSFOR CHILDREN WITH SERIOUS EMOTIONAL DISTURBANCE AND THEIR FAMILIES

It is commonly agreed that flexible service dollars are a crucial aspe ct of tailoring services to meet the unique and changing needs of chil dren with serious emotional disturbance and their families. This is pa rticularly true in isolated rural areas. The need for a common termino logy that distinguishes among the philosophy of individualized care, t he programmatic components of such systems, and the types of flexible- funding mechanisms that facilitate such approaches are discussed. The uses of flexible service dollars in North Idaho and upstate New York, along with some case studies, are presented to highlight the similarit ies in the needs of families in both states; namely, economic supports , transportation, social-recreational, and respite services. Finally, the elements that contributed to successful use of service dollars are identified, and a call for additional research on outcomes associated with individualized care is made.