Youth Mobile Crisis Response
Youth Crisis Mobile Response is a free, statewide mobile response program that connects children and families to supports in time of crisis. When a child displays a behavioral or mental health episode within the home, community, or school, a call to the Youth Crisis Mobile Response line by the child’s parent or caregiver can initiate needed services for the child’s immediate needs. As a resource parent, it is important for you to understand that you do not have to navigate these situations alone.
By calling 1-833-885-CARE (2273), a parent or caregiver is connected to a trained call specialist who will listen to determine immediate needs, assist to calm the situation, and assess the next steps. If your family or child needs more help, the call specialist will connect you to a mental health professional in the county where the child resides, who will respond within one to 24 hours. If a mental health professional is not available in the county where the child resides, the call specialist may contact law enforcement to assist or refer you to the closest emergency room.
After the crisis is de-escalated, the child can be linked to Wraparound services if they are not already receiving supportive mental health services from another agency. Wraparound services are provided through Systems of Care (SOC) and utilize a family-centered team to help you develop a plan on how best to understand the child’s needs and strengths to problem-solve as a family and community. These services and supports can help stabilize the child and maintain the child’s placement in your home.
Is Youth Crisis Mobile Response only for children in foster care?
No, this service is available to any child or youth in crisis who is 24 years of age and younger. This includes foster, adopted, or biological children, in addition to any child you are trying to support through a crisis. As a resource family, Child Welfare values the health and well-being of all members of your family.
How do I determine if a situation would benefit from contacting the Youth Crisis Mobile Response line?
If the child has an immediate behavioral or mental health need such as risk of harm to self or others, this is a situation you might address by contacting the Youth Mobile Crisis Response line. Examples include, but are not limited to:
- Becoming more violent towards others
- Starting fires, destroying property, or harming animals
- Threatening a person with a weapon
- Cutting or hurting themselves
- Expressing a desire to kill a person or group of people
- Planning or taking action to kill themselves
If the child has a non-immediate behavioral or mental health need, it should be addressed with the child’s mental health provider if the child currently receives these services. If the child does not have an established mental health provider, contact the child’s worker or the child’s primary care provider for a referral to mental health services. Behaviors or needs that are typically non-immediate include, but are not limited to:
| Younger Children | Older Youth |
|---|---|
| Frequent tantrums or are intensely irritable much of the time | Smoke, drink, use drugs, or engage in risky or destructive behavior alone or with friends |
| Complain about frequent stomachaches or headaches with no known medical cause | Periods of highly elevated energy and activity, and require much less sleep than usual |
| In constant motion and cannot sit quietly | Fear gaining weight, or diet or exercise excessively |
| Not interested in playing with other children or have difficulty making friends | Lost interest in things they used to enjoy |
| Sleep too much or too little, have frequent nightmares, or seem sleepy during the day | Spending more and more time alone, and avoid social activities with friends and family |
| Struggle academically or have experienced a recent decline in grades | Sleep too much or too little, or seem sleepy throughout the day |
Please make contact with the child’s worker and/or supervisor if the Youth Crisis Mobile Response is contacted for a child in OKDHS custody. In the event the situation continues to escalate, call 911 or go to your local emergency room.