Family Support Program (FSP)

​The Family Support Program (FSP) provides access to intensive mental health services and supports to youth with a severe emotional disturbance.  The goal of the FSP is to support eligible youth and their families by strengthening family stability, improving clinical outcomes, and promoting the use community-based services over out-of-home and institutional care.

Customers enrolled in FSP can receive all Community-based Behavioral Health Services (CBS) offered by Healthcare and Family Services, along with Individual Support Services, Therapeutic Support Services, and Residential Treatment Services.

HFS partners with Acentra Health to provide administrative and clinical support as the HFS Quality Improvement Organization/Peer Review Organization (QIO/PRO). Acentra Health reviews applications and requests for services, and makes eligibility, medical necessity, and utilization review determinations for FSP on behalf of HFS.

• The parent or guardian of the youth demonstrates residence in the State of Illinois;
• The youth is under the age of 18 at the time a completed application is submitted;
• The youth is not under the guardianship or in the legal custody of any unit of the federal, State or local government;
• The parent or guardian of the youth agrees to meet the terms of the Program’s Parent or Guardian Responsibilities outlined in the Family Support Program Application;
• The youth demonstrates a severe emotional disturbance;
• The youth demonstrates a severity of need indicating that his or her clinical needs are not being met through active participation in traditional outpatient mental health services;
• The youth demonstrates sufficient cognitive capacity to respond to psychiatric treatment and intervention;
• The youth’s history of mental health challenges and treatment efforts demonstrate a chronic condition rather than an acute episode; and
• The youth demonstrates behaviors or symptoms that are likely to respond to the treatment services available in the FSP.

Family Support Program funded residential treatment services are subject to medical necessity and utilization reviews in accordance with 89 Illinois Administrative Code 139.500. FSP coordinators are required to submit a Prior Authorization for Residential Treatment form to the Department’s QIO/PRO prior to seeking residential treatment services for FSP enrolled youth. FSP funded residential treatment services can only can only sought from providers enrolled for participation in the Department’s Medical Programs via the web-based Illinois Medicaid Program Advanced Cloud Technology (IMPACT) system

Facilities interested in enrolling to provide FSP residential treatment services must contact the Bureau of Behavioral Health at HFS.FSP@illinois.gov prior to beginning the process of enrolling to provide FSP residential treatment services. Bureau of Behavioral Health will discuss the requirements of FSP with the facility, including medical necessity and utilization review requirements, and the process of enrolling in the IMPACT system.

Bureau of Behavioral Health strongly suggests that prospective providers of FSP residential treatment services review the IMPACT Terms and Conditions for the requirements of participation in the Illinois Medical Assistance Program, as well as the requirements of a residential treatment services provider prior to outreaching to the Bureau of Behavioral Health.

• About the Family Support Program
• About the Family Support Program (Spanish)
• Acentra Health – Family Support Program Webpage
• Care Coordination and Support Organization listed by Designated Service Area (pdf)
• Family Support Program Application (pdf)  (Word)
• FSP Continued Enrollment Packet (pdf) (Word)
• FSP Prior Authorization for Residential Treatment (pdf) (Word)
• FSP Residential Admissions Packet (RAP) (pdf) (Word)
• FSP Residential Exception Request (Word) (pdf)​​
• Individual and Therapeutic Support Services (ISS & TSS) Prior Authorization Request (Word) (pdf)

• Bed Hold and Notification of Absence (Word) (pdf)​​​
• Continued Stay Request (pdf) (Word)
• Individual Support Days Prior Authorization Request (Word) (pdf)​​
• Unusual Incident Report (Word) (pdf)​​

If you or someone you know is experiencing a mental health crisis or you have concerns for their immediate safety, that they may harm themselves or worry that they may require inpatient psychiatric treatment, please contact the CARES line at 1-800-345-9049 to access mobile crisis response services. Services are available 24/7, 365 days a year.

If you need immediate assistance or are experiencing a medical emergency, please contact 911.