What is SPOA? (Click here for SPOA brochure)

The Single Point of Access (SPOA) process brings representatives from important county service providers together with families to provide support and assistance to families with children in distress. The primary goals of SPOA is to:

1. Maintain children in the community and reduce out of home placement
2. Help transition children in placement back into the community
3. Increase access to community resources

These goals are accomplished by connecting children and their families to mental health resources, case management services, parent advocates, and social service prevention programs, to name a few.

Making a SPOA Referral:

A SPOA referral can come from a variety of different sources: mental health, school, case management, social services, etc. The referral packet consists of three parts:

1. A Referral Form: (Click here for the SPOA Referral Form)
2. A signed Consent Form: (Click here for the SPOA Consent Form)
3. A completed CANS Form: (see below)

Anyone making a SPOA referral must include the Child and Adolescent Needs and Strengths (CANS-MH, 1/5/08). The scoring sheet and the manual that accompanies the scoring sheet can be found at this website: http://www.praedfoundation.org. Anyone who is completing a CANS form must be trained to use the form. An on-line training program can be found at this web site: http://www.communimetrics.com/CansCentralNewYork/. Create a free account and find the CANS Training for New York. Any questions on the CANS process, please contact Doug Engel, SPOA Coordinator, at 622-9163 xt 109.

Please send all 3 completed forms to:

Greene County Mental Health Center

Attn: Sylvia Jorgensen

905 County Office Building

Cairo, NY 12413

Once you get a call back with your SPOA date it is the responsibility of the referring party to contact the family, the school and any other participants that should attend the SPOA.

SPOA Reviews:

Service providers who are assigned to send in a Service Providers Report Form can find the form here.  This form needs to be sent in to the SPOA Coordinator by the date agreed to at the initial SPOA.

Service Providers Report (Click Here for Form)

Contact Information: The SPOA Coordinator for Greene County is Doug Engel, Clinical Coordinator - Children’s Services, Greene County Mental Health (622-9163 x 109) or dengel@discovergreene.com