Harmony Youth Services

TREATMENT FOSTER CARE:
MIXED MODALITY SERVICE MODEL

Program Description

RATIONALE

A mixed modality model of treatment foster care is very unique, efficient and effective. This service model differs from both basic foster care and treatment foster care. It is important to know that the Treatment Foster Care: Mixed Modality Service Model is not simply treatment foster care nor a mixed modality model. Rather, when designed correctly, it possesses the best of both worlds plus much more. Rather than a child simply being placed in a bed, the child’s and parent’s support is a program.

Key aspects of the Treatment Foster Care: Mixed Modality Service Model include the specialized training of foster (house) parents, intensive support by the agency, inclusion of the child’s family in treatment (when appropriate), and compensation rates higher than traditional foster care but less than those in residential treatment. In general, this Model services children whose primary needs are emotional and behavioral, typically uses a behavioral, social learning, and/or systems/ecological treatment orientation. Nevertheless, the child remains in a community-based program with house (foster) parents rather than within a residential group setting.

SKELETAL MODEL

Harmony Youth Services is dedicated to providing quality, long term, specialized residential treatment for youth who have been labelled “hard to serve” ranging in age from 10-18 years. Each parent-model treatment home will accommodate up to four co-ed youths. In order to provide the best treatment, Harmony Youth Services will access all necessary services for each youth to achieve their full potential.
The Treatment Foster Care: Mixed Modality Service Model consists of an inner team comprised of the house parents (live-in) and a full-time youth worker (40 hours per week) within the home. Furthermore, this team is supported within the macro-management team of the agency, including clinical support and a supervisor. The team functions as a whole with treatment planning and processing being done together. Weekly (bi-weekly develops at some point within the process) clinical meetings ensure consistency, strong clinical treatment planning and ensuring the child’s best interests are being maintained. The CAS support worker will also be included at various levels (to be discussed) in this Model.

Within the Treatment Foster Care: Mixed Modality Service Model, clear role definitions are maintained while at the same time a crossover of roles within the team model exists. In essence, the house parent will maintain the day-to-day responsibilities within the home, including ensuring the physical presentation, food purchase and preparation, and monitoring the youth within the home; including homework and chores. Likewise, the house parents continue to implement the treatment plans of the youth that has been initiated by the youth worker. The youth worker is primarily responsible for networking with agencies, individual and group counselling and report writing. As noted above, each member of this inner team can, and will, assist the others with job expectations.

The budget for this Program will be maintained by the agency administration and funds will flow-through to the house parents. The house parents will receive a set per diem for items within the budget such as food, household goods, allowances, and other funds, which are variable according to the number of youth in the home at any particular time. Other funding items will be requisitioned to the administration by the house parents.

The Model will maintain a hierarchy of staff, with the house inner team being accountable to a House Supervisor. The Supervisor must oversee the consistency of the program, staff supervision and ensure the budget is maintained. Likewise, this Model would have a clinical consultant meeting with the team on alternate team meetings or when necessary.

Harmony Youth Services is committed to bringing a much needed service to London and its extended regions by providing quality specialized treatment foster care/mixed modality care.