Utilization Management

Utilization Management Unit

Rhode Island’s Department of Children Youth and Families (DCYF) is committed to connecting children and families to quality services appropriate to their changing levels of need. With this goal in mind, DCYF established a utilization management (UM) capacity in July of 2017 to ensure accountability for consistent and high-quality practice and services. The UM unit is responsible for performing reviews to ensure continued congregate care placement reflects level of need, assess service quality and effectiveness towards clinical and functional goals and reinforce progress towards timely permanence for children. This will be based on information collected from the youth, providers, workers, and others, using a modified version of the Child and Adolescent Needs and Strengths (CANS), a nationally-validated assessment tool. Depending on the youth’s current level of need, the UM staff will assist in taking steps to ensure the youth remains in or moves towards placement and supports appropriate to their needs.