UIC Department of Psychiatry

Director, Michael W. Naylor, M.D.
Associate Director, Alan Morris, Psy. D.

The Comprehensive Assessment and Response Training System (CARTS) was developed to improve the quality of psychiatric care provided to DCFS wards in residential and group home placements and to enhance placement permanence.  Specific objectives included: 

1. helping DCFS develop policies and procedures to guide the mental health care of foster children with severe emotional, behavioral, and psychiatric disturbances;
2. providing inpatient diagnostic services, psychiatric care and extensive treatment planning services to foster children with the most severe emotional disturbances; and
3. providing consultation and technical assistance to agencies that provide residential and group home services to these youth.

The CARTS Program consists of two components, the Comprehensive Assessment and Treatment Unit (CATU), a nine-bed psychiatric inpatient unit, and the Response Training System (RTS), a mobile consultation team that provides consultation and technical assistance to residential treatment centers and group homes.