SSBC is a specialty calendar for parents that have children zero (0) to eighteen (18)
months old and currently have an open case on the DCYF calendar. These DCYF cases are
typically related to:

• DCYF involvement as a juvenile;
• Mental health;
• Housing issues;
• Domestic violence; and/or
• Previously terminated rights with older children.

When you are referred to the SSBC, you are assigned a SSBC social worker to help support you
through your DCYF case and the court process. The SSBC calendar meets more often than the
regular DCYF calendar in order to monitor your progress more frequently. The goal of SSBC is
to promote additional support with the hope of increasing your ability to reunify with your
child(ren) and close your DCYF case sooner than on the regular DCYF calendar.

Often, participants are referred to the SSBC by a judicial officer or their lawyer.
However, anyone, including yourself, can make a referral to the SSBC. Referrals have been
made by Women & Infants Hospital, Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA), and providers
such as Healthy Families America.

Yes, you must have an open DCYF case to join the SSBC, however, you can schedule
a Clinical Intake Assessment before the birth of your child. Scheduling a clinical intake
assessment, especially before the birth of your child, will allow you to be more informed if you
believe you will have an open DCYF case in the future.

Contact SSBC By:

Phone: (401) 458-3420

Or Email: Director of Family/Women’s Services: Amanda Venturino at [email protected]

You will either be contacted by the SSBC social worker assigned to your case or you
may also contact the Director of Family/Women’s Services Amanda Venturino Email: [email protected].

You will then be scheduled for a Women’s Services Department Clinical Intake Assessment. The
purpose of the assessment is to gather more information about you and determine your SSBC
eligibility. Your assigned SSBC social worker will contact your DCYF worker and attorney to
share their recommendation and then submit a letter to the court sharing this recommendation. If
you are determined to eligible for SSBC, your attorney should review the SSBC Contract and
Release of Confidential Information with you before your next court date. If you are interested in
joining this program and the judicial officer agrees to your eligibility, you will join the SSBC on
the record with your attorney.

Clinical intake assessments may be in-person at the courthouse on the 3rd floor in the
Women’s Services Department in Providence or by telephone.
During the assessment, we complete screenings for both of our specialty calendars, the SSBC
and the Family Treatment Drug Calendar. We also will provide you with information related to
both specialty calendars and answer any questions you may have about the court process. This is
done to determine the potential participant’s appropriateness for the program that will best serve
the participant’s needs.
Please note, the information provided during the clinical intake assessments is confidential. The
intake coordinator will not disclose this information to the court or DCYF.

You will have the additional support of an assigned SSBC social worker to help with
DCYF and your attorney and to provide coordination and communication when needed. Your
SSBC social worker will reach out to all providers to obtain court letters that share your progress
and level of engagement with services. These letters are gathered and combined with a progress
report that are given to the judicial officer, your DCYF worker, your attorney, and the assigned
guardian ad litem.

Another benefit of becoming a SSBC participant is an increase in visitation. When you
officially enter the SSBC, the judicial officer typically orders three (3) visits per week with your
child(ren). 

There are several requirements that participants must meet.

1. Participants must attend court hearings.
2. Participants must admit to dependency as a condition of joining the SSBC. This will be
   discussed at your intake appointment and by your attorney before you join the program.
3. If deemed necessary, you and your child will attend a parent/child assessment through the
   Brown Center for the Study of Children at Risk.

 If you complete a Clinical Intake Assessment with the Women’s Service Department
and are determined to be eligible for the SSBC and want to participate, your attorney can request
that the current judicial officer transfer the case to the SSBC. If the current judicial officer
agrees with this recommendation, you will be given a next date on the SSBC.

All SSBC eligibility cases are reviewed on a case-by-case basis.