• Carson Valley School services are designed to strengthen children and families and reduce the impact of problems faced by them.
• Services are designed to promote mental, emotional and physical well-being and improved social functioning.
• Services are designed to prevent future problems through early intervention.
• Children deserve to live and grow in nurturing families.
• The family setting is the first focus for treatment for the child. Out-of-home placement or hospitalization is a last alternative.
• Children's needs for security, permanency and cultural ties in family relationships pervade all planning.
• The primary responsibility for the child remains with the family and local community.
• Families and children are included as fully as possible in the planning and decision-making process regarding the services they receive.
• Carson Valley School works to involve families in the care of their children in the fullest and most meaningful ways throughout their time with the agency.
• People receiving services are given full and early information about those services and about their rights and responsibilities. The uniqueness and dignity of the child and family governs all service decisions.
• Carson Valley School shall provide a nurturing, caring environment and a home-like atmosphere in all settings where children are cared for.
• Each child's and adolescent's age-appropriate physical, emotional, social, educational/vocational and recreational needs are provided for with attention to their developmental maturity.
• Every effort is made to ensure children's safety in all settings where they are cared for.
• Children and families receive services without regard to race, religion, color, ethnicity, martial status, national origin, sex, age, sexual orientation, economic status, medical condition or disability.
• Services shall be sensitive and responsive to cultural, ethnic and special needs.
• When the agency provides services to people who have physical, language or other disabilities, every effort is made to ensure they are able to take the fullest advantage possible of the services.
• Carson Valley School plans and provides services in response to the expressed needs of persons served and the community.
• Input and information about needs, problems or concerns are sought from person served, staff and the community in both formal and informal ways.
• Carson Valley School works to provide a continuum of services for children and their families so that alternatives to out-of-home placement are available.
• Services that may be provided include but are not limited to home-based services, parent support groups, day treatment facilities, crisis centers and respite care.
• Case management is provided to assure that services are delivered in a coordinated, time-limited and therapeutic manner.
• Carson Valley School conducts a program of public information and participates in and promotes inter-system collaboration.
• Community understanding of the agency's population and their needs:
  1) Early referral for services
  2) Joint planning efforts
  3) Cooperative service delivery

• Carson Valley School participates in advocacy efforts on behalf of the children and families in its case and on behalf of the communities it serves.

ServiceNet Inc. is an alliance of seven established, Pennsylvania non-profit agencies providing an array of services to children and families in the Greater Philadelphia Area.

The Agencies are:

• Carson Valley School, Flourtown and Mt.Airy
• Children's Aid Society, Norristown, Landsdale and Logan/Olney
• Children's Home of Easton, Easton
• Presbyterian Children's Village Services, Rosemont and Southwest Philadelphia
• Southern Home Services, Philadelphia
• Tabor Children's Services, Doylestown and Philadelphia
• Women's Christian Alliance, Philadelphia

These seven agencies together bring to the partnership

• More than 900 collective years of experience in child welfare.
• Combined expertise of more than 1,000 staff members.
• Client access to a comprehensive continuum of services, including foster and kinship care, adoption, group home and residential placement, emergency shelter care, in-home assistance to children and their families, supervised independent living, professional therapy, a charter school and geographically based family centers.

The Bass (Better Access to Seamless Services) Project

ServiceNet Inc. agencies cooperate with each other to care for children and give the Philadelphia Department of Human Services access to all their programs. The participants facilitate the smooth transfer of children from one agency to another when necessary.

Nudimensions

ServiceNet Inc. agencies have cooperated in creating this new treatment foster care program for children who are ready to live in homes rather than institutions, but require specialized behavior management.