Our care coordinators provide education and one-on-one support for members and their families. GuidedCare is uniquely designed to help members currently or formerly connected to the child welfare system. Each care coordinator:

• Builds comprehensive care plans, helping families set short- and long-term goals
• Assesses the youth’s whole health including medical, developmental, and behavioral health needs
• Provides referrals to specialists and healthcare facilities
• Connects families with community resources

More to know about our GuidedCare team:

• Care managers support youth with high and complex medical or behavioral health needs.
• Nurse care managers are registered nurses (RNs) and behavioral healthcare managers hold full clinical licensure (e.g., LCSW, LCPC).
• Care coordinators receive specialized training in Child Welfare, Trauma-Informed Care, and much more.
• The team demonstrates multicultural sensitivity and effective communication skills with children and families.
• Motivational Interviewing serves as a foundation of our care management clinical training and practice.
• Our care coordinators are regionally based, with direct knowledge of local healthcare services and community-based organizations.
• Our hyper-localized approach fosters strong relationships with regional child welfare organizations and enables face-to-face contact with youth as clinically appropriate.

We have a dedicated team to respond to all emails within 24 hours. The team is there to assist members with issues such as prescription questions, referral questions, follow-ups, and more.

Our dedicated call center assists members and families Monday through Friday, from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. On average, calls are answered within 30 seconds or less. We also provide 24/7 access through our Nurse Advice Care line. 

We have dedicated care managers who work with residential treatment facilities throughout Illinois. This partnership streamlines access to care. Each care manager has trusted relationships with their assigned residential facility and is well-versed in nearby specialized medical, dental, and behavioral health services. The care managers also offer face-to-face visits with youth and residential staff.

YouthCare offers one-on-one health coaching programs to help members manage certain conditions. There’s no cost for members to participate. Each youth enrolled in these programs gets a coach. That’s added support on top of the care coordination all members receive. Each health coach participates in specialized training. Some are respiratory therapists. Others are dietitians, nurses, or diabetes specialists. And some can help a member quit smoking.

Young adulthood is a time of major transition, and even more so for youth currently or formerly in foster care. Our a2A program provides dedicated care coordination to adolescents and young adults as they prepare for adulthood. Each teen takes a specialized assessment that identifies their strengths and areas where assistance is needed such as healthcare and socioemotional, as well as Health-Related Social Needs (HRSN). The intent is to provide tools to help teens have a successful transition into adulthood, particularly in the context of navigating their medical and behavioral healthcare needs independently.

The program starts at age 17 and continues until age 21.

• 54% of youth are engaged in the a2A program at age 20
• 74% of youth with moderate, high, and complex acuities are engaged in the a2A program at age 20

Our team includes dedicated care coordinators who help DCFS when youth are admitted as inpatients for a prolonged period find care and living options. YouthCare works collaboratively with all stakeholders to preemptively identify barriers and support a safe discharge plan for our most medically and psychiatrically complex situations.

Our IDD program provides specialized care coordination to meet the unique behavioral and physical health needs of members with intellectual and developmental disabilities, including youth with autism spectrum disorders.

We develop and routinely update a vetted list of in-network IDD providers. And we connect members to specialized providers, offering caregiver education on numerous systems, such as early intervention and special education. Additionally, we have developed reporting to ensure youth with IDD diagnoses have higher levels of care coordination.

Starting in early adolescence, our IDD care coordination team assists with transitions to adult services, including referrals to the Illinois Prioritization of Urgency Need for Services (PUNS), which serves as the primary point of entry for adult IDD services.

This grant provides short-term funding to help those enrolled in YouthCare pay for certain licensed therapy services (like occupational, physical, or behavior therapy, or caregiver coaching) when services are delayed, unavailable, or not covered. A licensed medical provider must order the service, and the grant pays licensed providers directly (not families) and does not cover unlicensed services, equipment/supplies, or recreational activities.

Our specialized team ensures LGBTQIA+ youth have access to affirming care for their medical, behavioral health, and psychosocial needs. We meet regularly with DCFS LGBTQIA+ stakeholders to review at-risk youth and improve workflows. Additionally, we hold annual, specialized LGBTQIA+ affirming care training for all care coordinators.

Our team includes specialty trained care coordinators for youth identified as at-risk or with a prior history of human trafficking. They ensure case sensitivity for complex issues like identification of at-risk youth, elopement, substance abuse, and other high-risk behaviors. Also, the care coordinators provide regular education to our entire Care Management department to ensure the team is well-versed in local resources, specialized providers, and evidence-based interventions for youth affected by trafficking.

We partner with community care support organizations to offer a high-fidelity, wraparound care coordination program for youth with complex behavioral health needs as part of the Pathways to Success program. The program is for Medicaid-enrolled children under the age of 21 who have complex behavioral health needs as determined by the Illinois Medicaid Comprehensive Assessment of Needs and Strengths. Pathways to Success provides access to an evidence-informed model of intensive care coordination and additional home and community-based services.

Our experts in adoption preservation services provide a higher level of specialized care coordination for adoptive families. This includes familiarity with the Family Support Program residential process and community-based resources to support the medical, behavioral health, and psychosocial needs of children and families.

There are more than 1,500 pharmacies in our network. Our pharmacy density in both rural and urban communities well exceeds the state requirements.

Our pharmacy team regularly reviews medication shortages to help members obtain their needed medication.

• For maintenance medications, members can obtain a 90-day supply at pharmacies to reduce back-and-forth trips.
• Psychotropic medications are available for youth with DCFS consent.
• We cover certain over-the-counter medications, such as acetaminophen, when prescribed by a physician.

We work with a number of telehealth providers to contract virtual healthcare services for our members. Members ages 13 and up can receive mental healthcare anywhere, anytime.

• Brave Health is a virtual behavioral health provider that offers individual psychotherapy, psychiatric medication management, and group therapy to youth 13 years and older. Brave Health specializes in complex mental health needs including anxiety, depression, trauma, substance use, as well as pregnancy and postpartum mood and anxiety disorders. It uses evidence-based models including Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR).
• Teladoc is a telehealth option for members age 18+. It offers individual psychotherapy and psychiatric medication management. Teladoc specializes in anxiety, depression, grief, and family stressors.
• Charlie Health is a virtual Intensive Outpatient Program that provides comprehensive, personalized therapy. The program combines curated groups, individual therapy, family therapy, psychiatry, and medication management.
• Equip Health is a virtual provider specialized in eating disorders. Equip links youth with behavioral health clinicians, peers, and medical doctors offering intensive, virtual outpatient treatment. Equip can serve as a bridge from inpatient eating disorder treatment to traditional outpatient psychotherapy services.
• Pyx Health is an application-based program that offers timely, meaningful help to reduce loneliness and improve well-being. Pyx links members ages 13 to 17 with virtual peer support and offers 24/7 wellness activities and resources.
• Somethings is a virtual program that connects teens with peer support mentors. Often, young people engage best when it’s with someone similar in age who has been through similar experiences.

We have a dedicated crisis care coordination team in addition to our primary care coordinators. Every youth is assigned a crisis coordinator after experiencing a behavioral health crisis event, such as a psychiatric emergency department visit. The crisis coordinator works directly with all statewide contracted Mobile Crisis Response providers to ensure youth receive timely crisis screening, referral to the appropriate level of care, and medication monitoring.

Our collaborative relationships with inpatient behavioral health facilities help us enable timely access to inpatient psychiatric care when needed. Crisis care coordinators continue to support the youth until appropriate psychiatric care is secured while the primary care coordinator provides continuing support.

• Choose Tomorrow, a suicide prevention program, connects youth with specialized care management services. Predictive modeling is used to identify youth at risk for suicide. Care managers provide expert assessment, safety planning, and coordination to care.
• Health Assistance, Linkage, and Outreach (HALO) is a substance use program that links youth with specialized care managers. HALO also uses predictive modeling to identify youth at risk for substance use disorders. Care managers utilize evidence-based models, including motivational interviewing, to partner with the youth and support their engagement in care.

This program is dedicated to youth and young adults who are within their first 18 months of experiencing symptoms of psychosis. Early detection and connection to the right services matters with these diagnoses. Using predictive modeling and population data, YouthCare connects with young people in need, and ensures connection to one of the statewide FIRST.IL programs across Illinois. These programs provide evidence-informed Coordinated Specialty Care services, including specialized therapy, family education, expert medication monitoring, supported employment and education and more.

Our dedicated Transition of Care (TOC) team has direct communication with inpatient psychiatric facilities throughout admission. The team collaborates with the primary care coordinator to ensure youth have all necessary behavioral health resources and medication at discharge. The TOC team completes an assessment with the youth and caregiver prior to discharge and provides a warm handoff to the behavioral health care manager when immediate needs are identified.

Our Start Smart for Your Baby maternal health program improves access to culturally appropriate, whole-health care, along with education and resources for young moms. Moms are assigned a dedicated care coordinator to guide them through pregnancy. They can also receive free baby gear, such as a cribette, stroller, or car seat. Moms can receive virtual or in-person mental health services and breastfeeding support, learn where to find diapers and how to sign up for the special supplemental nutrition program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) to access free, healthy food, and much more.

• We participate in health fairs and member-only events to provide education and resources for expecting moms.
• We work with community partners to assist our pregnant youth, such as WIC and the Teen Parent Services Network, which exclusively serves pregnant and parenting youth in DCFS care and their children.​

Services includes 24-hour, virtual care access to providers for non-emergency health issues.

In 2025, our experts led 208 training sessions with nearly 4,800 behavioral health professionals, child welfare stakeholders, and caregivers in attendance. Topics included Positive Childhood Experiences and Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT), in addition to Empathy and Advocacy for LGBTQIA+ Youth and Families.

Youth in care in grades 1 through 5 can receive three free school uniforms each year. Members must complete a health risk screening and annual well-child visit, have up-to-date vaccinations, and complete a BMI measurement.

Members ages 16 to 21 are eligible to receive a membership to Fit & Active at-home exercise program free of charge.

We provide free YMCA memberships to all members. Youth must complete a health risk screening, annual wellness visit, and BMI measurement to be eligible. In addition, foster families can obtain free before and after school care through YMCA for qualifying youth between the ages of 6 and 18. A health risk screening and annual well-child visit are also required.

Members earn incentives for fulfilling health activities such as going to an annual wellness or dental exam or receiving immunizations. Rewards dollars are added to members’ My Health Pays debit card when they complete eligible activities.

YouthCare partners with SafeLink Wireless to help members stay connected. SafeLink is a federally funded program that provides free cell phones and service to people who qualify.

This benefit supports members who want to cover tattoos or scars connected to past trauma (e.g., human trafficking, domestic violence, or gang involvement). YouthCare partners with a tattoo artist to create a new design around the existing tattoo—helping members reflect a new beginning.

• Members’ dental coverage includes two free oral exams and teeth cleanings per year. We can help families find general pediatric dentists and dental specialists in-network, such as endodontists and sedated dentistry.
• Our Orthodontic Grant Program is a resource for youth that do not meet medical necessity for orthodontics/braces and may benefit from orthodontia to support their overall well-being.
• Members don’t need a PCP referral for routine eye care from an eye doctor. YouthCare covers vision care visits and the member’s choice of either glasses or contacts.

Members receive free rides to medical, behavioral health, dental, and vision appointments; family visits; cultural events; and Health-Related Social Needs activities, such as applying for WIC benefits, housing assistance program, or food pantries.

HealthWorks of Illinois is the medical case management program for children under age 21 who are in the custody of DCFS. HealthWorks partners with YouthCare to maintain a network of providers for initial health screenings, comprehensive health exams, in addition to primary care and specialty care.

New for 2026, YouthCare is partnering with Meridian for its Meridian at the Market events. YouthCare members get a $15 voucher to spend on fresh food at each market. YouthCare also offers members transportation to Meridian at the Market to help members access fresh foods.

We know holidays are a hectic time for many and can be especially hard for our members. YouthCare participates in holiday meal giveaways every season, offering foster families turkeys, hams, and other staple holiday meal items to help provide a warm and hearty meal.

We partner with SOS Children’s Villages, sponsoring events such as Easter egg hunts and family events at the Lockport Village, Chicago Village, and Roosevelt Square Village.

We support the UP program by hosting events that offer food, fun, and activities for youth in the program.

We send special care packages to youth staying in DCFS offices or to those who may be beyond medical necessity. Packages include journals, coloring books, hair and hygiene care, stuffed animals, and more.

We sponsor and support DFSS’ youth employment programs and events, including its One Summer Chicago program.

We host regular meetings with youth, families, community liaisons, DCFS, and other stakeholders. Attendees receive updates on health plan benefits, services, and activities. Most importantly, members and communities share invaluable feedback, which is addressed and followed up on.

• YouthCare Enrollee and Advisory Stakeholder Committee is held quarterly; attendees include youth, foster/adoptive parents, DCFS staff, and community partners. The meeting covers YouthCare benefits and opportunities to enhance health and wellness, such as childhood immunizations and health equity.
• Quality Management Committee (QMC) meets twice a year. Attendees include YouthCare members, foster parents, caregivers, foster families, and adoptive parents. QMC encourages member input on the approach and effectiveness of the health plan programs, policies, and services.
• Family Leadership Council (FLC) meets on a quarterly basis. Attendees include youth, foster/adoptive parents, stakeholders, and providers. FLC provides opportunities for families to engage and discuss children’s behavioral health services in Illinois.