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Post by zoey140 on May 10, 2010 9:41:27 GMT -6
I work in a residential treatment facility for adolescents. We have been full as long as the program has been around, almost 20 years. This summer we are looking at changing the population we serve as we have few residents and no one on the referral list. Are other areas experiencing this also?   |
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Post by Colorado on May 13, 2010 14:22:12 GMT -6
I worked in a residential facility for 11 years and during that time i saw a number of facilities slowly downsizing. The agency I worked with was very proative and progressive in terms of services but sadly I have just learned that they have decided to close the largest of their 3 facilities.
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Post by Cathy Deacon on May 13, 2010 16:44:44 GMT -6
Hi, I'm from Canada's north and I run a community based out-patient treatment program for sexually abusive youth. I started the progranm in 1994 and for the past 3 years we have seen a serious decline in numbers of sexually abusive youth. I'd only be guessing as to why...so what we did is we now accept referrals of high risk youth 12-17 years, who have committed other violent offenses. The violent youth are harder to treat as they are more overtly aggressive, get shorter sentences and have concurring problems like substance abuse, conduct disorders. My colleagues in British Columbia went through a time of low numbers as well. There still appears to be adult sex offenders if you read the newspapers so I don't know why this trend but the numbers aren't there like they used to.
Cathy
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Post by jaetling on May 16, 2010 20:28:38 GMT -6
The trend has moved toward outpatient treatment of juvenile offenders. The most obvious reason is financial. Community-based programs have been studied and appear to be as, if not more, successful than residential treatment. As someone who has worked in residential and community-based programs, I am concerned about the move toward treating more violent, serious offenders in the community. Many community programs lack the resources to treat violent offenders and continue to put the community at risk.
Certainly a benefit of treating offenders in the community is the opportunity for more intensive family therapy.
Well-trained clinicians in this area are needed. I do not anticipate a return to the days of full residential placements. Evidence-based programs are needed to address this population. More creative interventions and supervision strategies should be an important focus. The research, however, should concentrate on prevention issues ... any takers?
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