System of Care Philosophy and Value Base

The Westchester design for policy, program development and service delivery was built on the following core principles:

• Families must be viewed as partners and colleagues;
• Children are best served in their own homes, schools, and communities;
• The support required by children with emotional, social and behavioral challenges should be found in the community;
• Child serving systems/agencies must collaborate to create a seamless system;
• Services must be individualized to meet the needs of each child and family;
• Services must focus on strengths and competencies, rather than of deficiencies;
• Services and care must be unconditional;
• Interventions and support must be available to "wrap services" around the child and family;
• Services must be culturally competent and respect differences of ethnicity, class, gender, and sexual orientation.