Youth and Family Services
Our Youth and Family Services provide a critical safety net in Lane County—we strengthen and empower families with youth (ages 0-25) living with a disability. Our dedicated staff:
Help families understand, access, and coordinate services and supports to meet basic needs including food, housing, medical care, respite, and job placement.
Provide encouragement, emotional support, and continuity to reduce isolation and help families feel more in control of their lives.
Arrange and attend (if necessary) school, medical, mental health, and other important meetings with families to ensure their voice is heard and promote cost-saving collaboration across providers.
Ensure youth and family needs are met in a timely manner, without duplication and confusion, and before more expensive services are required.
Our Intake and Outreach team works with families to identify
the program and level of care that best meets their needs.
Education Team
Our Education Team has over 20 years of experience working with youth and families in the educational setting. They understand the rights of parents and caregivers within the school system and work to collaborate with educational teams with the youth's success as the focus. Many of the families we support have a youth (ages 0-23) with an education plan (IEP/504), behavioral challenges, neurologically diverse, complex medical needs, or special education services. This team can assist with education-based questions or concerns, resource navigation, meeting preparations, and call-in consultations.
They help to…
Empower individuals to know their rights within special education.
Foster positive communication and collaboration between schools and families.
Answer specific questions regarding a youth's education.
Support families to access services and supports in educational settings.
Wraparound Facilitation
Wraparound Facilitation is a long-term, intensive planning process that follows a series of steps to help youth and their families realize their hopes and dreams. A Wraparound Facilitator and Wraparound Partner are assigned to each family. Our team members…
Serve youth, ages 0-17, in Lane County with significant behavioral and emotional needs.
Spend time getting to know each family and their story.
Build a team around the youth, including professionals and natural supports. They lead monthly team meetings and provide resources and support along the way.
Introduction to Wraparound Planning Process
This video from the System of Care Institute at Portland State University—the technical assistance providers for Wraparound in Oregon.
IMPORTANT: When watching, please note the video talks about “Wraparound Care Coordinators.” In Lane County, these positions are known as Wraparound Facilitators.
Peer Support
Peer Support provides an individual with lived experience to work alongside youth, young adults, and families to support them in achieving individualized goals.
Youth and Young Adult Peer Support (Healthy Transitions)
Healthy Transitions positively impacts transition-age youth, ages 16-25, who live in Lane County. We improve access to supports and community opportunities for youth who experience mental health challenges, may be outside traditional settings, are marginalized, or are at risk of disconnection from services.
Healthy Transitions develops supportive relationships, improves life trajectories, promotes self-discovery and independence, and empowers youth and young adults to reach their goals. Services include:
Peer Support Specialists
Support Groups
Resource Navigation
Youth Empowerment and Leadership Opportunities
Wraparound Youth Partner
The Direction Service Youth and Family Services program receives generous funding from United Way of Lane County and other partners.