|
|
|
Referrals can be made to any of our office locations:
Jeffersonville – 812-282-8479
Madison – 812-273-2932
Evansville – 812-422-4741
Philosophies of Service
When Regional Youth Services, Inc. was established in 1972, the goal was to provide services for children in a setting that was family-based and within which the child could maintain contact with his/her own family. This remains a core belief within the agency.
Regional Youth Services also believes that change occurs best in an atmosphere of respect. Throughout the practices and procedures within the agency, Regional Youth Services places an emphasis on respecting the individuals and families with whom we work.
Regional Youth Services, Inc. also believes that treatment should be client-driven and that all clients have the ability to change. Clients, whether they are considered the children in care or their families, have the resources to overcome the barriers that led to the child’s entering care.
Clients Best Served
Through its Specialized Foster Care Program Regional Youth Services, provides foster homes to children of any age, from birth to age eighteen. A child is referred to Regional Youth Services when he or she has been identified by the court as a child in need of services (CHINS) or as a delinquent child. Children are identified as CHINS when they are the victims of alleged or substantiated abuse or neglect.
Case workers for the various counties’ Department of Children Services and juvenile probation officers make the referrals for specialized foster care when they perceive that the child and his/her family will benefit from the child’s placement in a foster home and from the therapy that the child and family will receive through Regional Youth Services.
Regional Youth Services, Inc. best serves children who are appropriate for a family-based placement. Regional Youth Services has foster homes that are appropriate for children who are multiracial, pregnant teens or teen moms, medically fragile infants, sibling groups, and youth with mild disabilities. Regional Youth Services also has selected homes to provide care for youth referred to the Juvenile Sexual Offender Program.
Children referred to Regional Youth Services are assessed to determine appropriateness to this level of care and to find a foster home that matches well with that child. Admission criteria to the Specialized Foster Care Program include:
- No or very low risk of harm to self at time of placement.
- No or very low risk of harm to others at time of placement.
- Not actively using drugs at the time of interview or emergency placement.
For placement to occur, Regional Youth Services needs information about the reason for intervention with the child/family, the child’s history of previous involvement with the courts and previous placements, and adequate information to develop a social history. It is also necessary to provide copies of the child’s court order into care, a signed copy of the Regional Youth Services placement agreement, medical card (or other insurance information), birth certificate, social security card, immunization record, and school records.
Program Activities
Assessment
Each child referred for care will be interviewed using a psychosocial questionnaire. This interview as well as reviews of background information plays a role in determining the child’s appropriateness for care.
| Placement
After the assessment is completed and the child is determined to be appropriate for care, potential foster homes are reviewed. Culture, special needs, need for proximity with biological family and level of supervision are reviewed in selecting a foster home. | Individualized Treatment Planning
Regional Youth Services utilizes a team approach in developing a treatment plan tailored to the specific areas that are to be resolved in the treatment process.
| Case Reviews
The Department of Child Services and Regional Youth Services provides case reviews for each child every six months while he or she is in care. Progress is reported in relation to the treatment plan.
| Monthly Reports
Therapists provide monthly reports for each child detailing progress and/or changes in the following areas: foster care placement, education/employment, family involvement, and therapy. The monthly reports facilitate communication between Regional Youth Services, the referral source, and the court system.
| Foster Home Supervision
As part of case management, each child’s therapist provides support, information, and guidance to the foster home and ensures that the foster parents are a part of the team working toward the stated goals of the child.
| Individual, Family, Group Therapy
Regional Youth Services therapists see the child weekly or bi-weekly for individual or family therapy. Some children in care attend group therapy for specific goals.
| Discharge Planning/Referrals
When a child is approaching release from care with Regional Youth Services, the therapist will work with the referral source and family to plan for transitional or support services. Regional Youth Services will also assist in referring to other programs when it is determined a child is no longer appropriate for this level of care.
| Emergency Placements
Regional Youth Services provides short-term, foster home placements for children in need of temporary housing, such as when a CPS investigation is occurring. This service is provided for children who are not in need of a more restrictive environment.
| 24-hour On Call
A therapist is on call after office hours each workday and on weekends to cover all emergencies. All therapists provide updates to the on-call therapist regarding areas in which emergancies may arise.
|
Expected Results
It is expected that the staff, foster parents, referral source, and client(s) will work together as a team toward reunification, independent living, or other permanency planning. The referral source/court determines the long-term goal for each child. Each individual and family is unique and the treatment plan for each child will reflect both the stated goal and the family’s uniqueness. A successful outcome is considered to be one in which the child moves toward reunification, independence, or a less-restrictive level of care.
It is also Regional Youth Services expectation that the child, his/her family, and the referral source are satisfied with the services provided. Comments and suggestions are welcome and contribute to the agency’s quality improvement process.
|
|
