What is a System of Care?
A system of care is a coordinated network of services and supports that helps children, youth, young adults, and families get the right help, at the right time, close to home. It connects healthcare, schools, community programs, and public systems so people do not have to start over at every door.
System of Care core values
From roots to canopy. How our values grow in practice.
Family driven and youth guided
Care plans co-designed with families and youth.
Family driven and youth guided
Care plans co-designed with families and youth.
Community based and easy to access
Help delivered in homes, schools, and neighborhood clinics.
Culturally and linguistically responsive
Care in your language with culturally matched providers.
Evidence informed and outcomes focused
Attuned to what’s working, with transparent shared results.
Equitable by design
No wrong door to individualized supportive care.
Why it matters
Connected, easy-to-navigate services mean earlier help, better outcomes, and lower crisis demand.
Only 52%
of Washington State’s youth and young adults who are on medicaid and need mental health treatment receive it.
75% of lifetime mental illness
emerges by age 24
1 in 6 youths
experience substance use disorder
What a System of Care Does
A System of Care makes help easier to reach, better coordinated, and centered on families and young people.
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Care close to home
Offers help in the community, close to home, wherever possible.
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Cross-program coordination
Coordinates across different programs.
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Real partnership
Partners with families and young people in real ways.
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Culturally & linguistically responsive
Meets cultural and language needs and preferences.
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Full continuum of care
Focuses on early identification and prevention while ensuring intensive services remain coordinated and community-focused when needed.
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Thriving in daily life
Helps young people thrive at home, school, and in their communities.
Why Build a System of Care?
Washington’s current behavioral health supports for young people are fragmented—rules differ by agency, funding streams don’t align, and data systems don’t connect—making care slower, harder to access, and less effective. A unified System of Care coordinates leadership, funding, data, and services so families get the right help at the right time.
Fix the fragmentation
Align policies, simplify processes, and cut administrative burden so providers can focus on care— not paperwork. Families shouldn’t navigate multiple disconnected doors to get help.
Build a true continuum
Offer connected supports across the spectrum—education and prevention, early identification and intervention, treatment at multiple intensities, and ongoing wellness—so needs are met early and well.
Center people & community
Put youth, families, and communities at the center. Coordinate across settings they already use— home, school, primary care, and community spaces—with culturally responsive, equitable practices.
What it enables
- Faster access and simpler pathways to services
- Coordinated care plans that follow families across settings
- Fewer crises, hospitalizations, and out-of-home placements
- Better outcomes families can feel—continuity, equity, and trust
Our System of Care
The System of Care envisioned by Washington Thriving builds upon existing frameworks from other states. At its center is the concept of supporting individuals at every stage of early life, along with their families and the people and communities who care for them.
