This monograph offers an introduction to providing an interagency "system of care" for meeting the needs of children and youth with emotional/behavioral disorders (E/BD). This approach focuses on meeting the individual needs of children with E/BD in their home communities and supporting family members as allies in the treatment process. Strategies such as wrap-around services, intensive family intervention, crisis intervention, day treatment programs, therapeutic foster care, respite care, and coordinated planning are often included in a system of care. After an introductory chapter, the guide: (1) provides a rationale for a system of care based on E/BD individuals' complexity of needs, current poor outcomes, and high costs and failure of current services; (2) traces the development of three models of service delivery: the system-of-care approach, the evolution of that approach into individualized strategies, and application of system-of-care principles to school-based services; (3) explores important components in providing individualized services including interagency collaboration, goals and commitment, case management, flexible funding, family-based planning, and evaluation; and (4) describes key strategies and considerations for developing a system of care in a local district, suggesting that barriers to interagency collaboration can be overcome by a strong child services coordinator and an interagency planning process that focuses on the needs of children and families. (Contains 88 references.) (DB)