RESIDENTIAL TREATMENT: RESIDENTIAL SERVICES

Description of Services
Residential Services provides assessment and treatment to children and youth who experience severe emotional, social and/or behavioural difficulties at home, school and/or in the community.

The following residential services are available at Children's Centre - Thunder Bay :

Short Term Assessment and Treatment (STAT) Unit
The STAT Unit provides a comprehensive assessment and individualized short term treatment in a safe and responsive environment. This residential program is available through Children's Centre Thunder Bay as one of a range of children's mental health services offered to our community. It is designed to serve children/youth (age 6 to 17 inclusive) who exhibit severe social, emotional and behavioural difficulties, and their families. This program, which includes a Section 23 treatment classroom, is accessed only after less intrusive services have been provided to the youth and family.

Intensive Child and Family Intervention Program
The Intensive Child and Family Intervention Program (ICFI Program) is a short term, strategic, and voluntary home-based service for families in the City of Thunder Bay who are experiencing difficulty in family and community functioning. The purpose of the program is to provide interventions that enhance parenting and child management skills, promote positive growth and development with both children and parents. The ages of the children we serve are from infancy to sixteen years of age.

Our services are designed to educate, support, guide and “coach” parents and other care providers to achieve their desired goals while maintaining their child at home. Intensive Child and Family Workers provide intensive intervention to families through regular home and community based visits for up to 6 hours a week and at times that are identified to be difficult and in need of assistance (e.g. mornings, after school, meal times, bed times and weekends). The duration of involvement of families is up to three months. Intervention is individualized, client driven, skill oriented, and designed to strengthen the family unit by empowering, encouraging and assisting parents in their parenting role.

There is an additional, out-of-home (residential) component of the ICFI Program which is offered to children, youth and families requiring more intensive intervention than can be provided by the home-based treatment model. The intent of the out-of-home program is to provide an intensive therapeutic environment that assists children and youth to develop skills that will enable them to function more successfully at home, school, and in the community. This extended service is provided seven days a week - after school and on weekends. Treatment is delivered concurrently within the residence and the family home.

Lansdowne Long Term Residential Treatment Program
The Lansdowne Long Term Treatment Program provides a fee-for-service placement for youth ages 10-16. Youth referred experience severe and long-standing social, emotional and behavioural difficulties. These youth are unable to manage at home or in a foster-home setting and would benefit from a long-term residential placement in a safe and structured home-like environment. All youth are required to attend school while they are in the program. A specialized school program is offered through Residential Services and is supported by the Child and Youth Workers. Youth receive individualized educational programming. Efforts are made to reintegrate youth back to a community school.

Clinical Support (see also web page )
Clinical support, including assessment, consultation, counseling and treatment is provided to children/youth and families involved in the Short Term Assessment and Treatment (S.T.A.T.) Unit, Intensive Child and Family Intervention Program, and the Lansdowne Long Term Residential Treatment Program. The Clinical Support Team involves many multidisciplinary systems such as psychiatry, psychology, paediatrics, nursing, family therapy, case management and child and family work. This team is complimented by a variety of medical and specialized consultants in the community. In partnership with youth and families, these professionals share their views and knowledge through the multi-disciplinary process to conduct assessments, as well as develop individualized treatment plans.

Referral Source
Referrals are accepted from families, youth (over 12 years of age) and a variety of professional sources in Thunder Bay as well as communities in the District of Thunder Bay (i.e., Agency waiting list, emergency referrals, physicians, child welfare agencies, Boards of Education). In addition to these sources, referrals to the Lansdowne Long term Residential Program may also be made by the youth justice system and community mental health agencies

Admission Criteria

Short Term Assessment and Treatment Unit

Children/youth admitted to the Program shall/are:

• exhibit behavioural and emotional difficulties and are unsafe to themselves or to others;
• reacting to stress and conflict with depression; in acute family crisis;
• exhibit serious behaviour management problems, typically of an aggressive or self-destructive nature; and/or
• expressing psychiatric difficulties but do not meet the criteria for a form 1 admission to an institution.

Intensive Child and Family Intervention Program

Child/youth admitted to the Program shall:

• be able to function at or above the borderline range of intelligence;
• manifest a clinical picture assessed as moderate to severe in degree of disturbance;
• demonstrate evidence of potential to change within the resources available; and
• have an intact family (biological, adoptive, foster) to work as part of the treatment team and be willing to participate in in-home intervention with Child and Youth Workers.
• to be admitted to the out-of-home (residential) program, youth must have a clinical assessment which indicates that the identified problems can best be dealt with by temporary removal from the family system

Lansdowne Long Term Residential Program

Appropriate referrals will be received for youth who:

• are between the ages of 10-16;
• have experienced multiple placement breakdowns;
• are experiencing a break down in family relationships;
• have chronic, significant, social, behavioural and emotional difficulties;
• have chronic school and academic struggles;
• are at risk of engaging in self-destructive behaviour;
• may be involved in the Youth Justice System;
• may exhibit psychiatric difficulties;
• agree to the placement if over 12-years of age.

Discharge Criteria for Residential Services

Consideration for discharge is based on the following:

• the multidisciplinary team in conjunction with the child/youth and legal guardian have determined that the treatment goals have been achieved and the child/youth is ready to return home or to a designated placement;
• the child/youth and legal guardian refuse or choose not to follow the treatment program; and/or,
• the child/youth is determined to be inappropriate for the residence and requires treatment in another facility.