With the implementation of the Families First Preservation and Services Act (FFPSA), family engagement is one of the critical components of improving care. This element is primarily focused in a congregate or residential setting. This type of placement, known as a Qualified Residential Treatment Program (QRTP), needs more family involvement. Approaches exist that point agency in the right direction to improve their strategies.
Yet, despite these methods, agencies still have difficulty increasing family engagement. As indicated in our article on Child and Family Team participation, agencies have challenges getting parents and extended family members to participate in treatment. If the FFPSA requires more families to take part in their child's treatment without new or modified approaches, it will not occur.
One way to re-think family engagement is to borrow a page from the "Active Efforts" concept used in the Indian Child Welfare Act. According to the Judicial Council of California, “Active efforts are described in the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) as important steps in providing remedial services and rehabilitative programs to prevent the breakup of the Indian family.” The rationale for going beyond the conventional approaches in working with family members of Indian families was that the families felt shame and guilt and were afraid to participate. They did not want to, at times, admit their heritage or even bother to get themselves help. This hesitation was for many reasons, including isolation and historical trauma. The Bureau of Indian Affairs provides examples of these efforts.
Translated to the residential facility, other illustrations of these active efforts from a residential facility’s perspective are finding ways to get family members to the facility to participate in care, removing barriers to their participation, using Zoom and other approaches to help families meet with the youth, helping the family with their needs such as counseling or parenting classes, and general education about the process.
The one significant barrier for parents in family engagement is their guilt about their child being in care. Parents tend not to participate because they do not want the finger pointed at them as the "bad parent." Active efforts such as education, resources for the parent, and simply listening to the parents' needs make a difference in their receptiveness to care. To make parents feel more comfortable, the agency staff needs to have a "whatever it takes" approach rather than an "I tried, but it didn't work" mentality.
Using ICWA philosophy to help families may improve their understanding of care, remove their resistance to helping their child, and lead to better outcomes for all.
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PRAXES is a nationwide behavioral health software, consulting, and training company. No one in the behavioral health industry has a better reputation, and if you give us the chance, we’ll show you why! At PRAXES, our services improve the efficiency and structure of behavioral health agencies serving children and families nationwide. PRAXES brings over 45 years of administrative and clinical expertise. With more than 100 client companies nationwide, we offer the expertise to advance the quality of behavioral health services. We accomplish these goals through our new clinical decision software, our training of best practices, and helping companies meet regulatory standards. At PRAXES, we believe in being creative and fostering new ways to serve children and their families. Our vision is to empower the families our agencies serve with skills that not only improve their functioning, but help them to thrive in their everyday lives. When you give us the chance, you’ll be connected directly to our friendly staff, so you can expect immediate attention to your inquiry. So, don’t wait, call now!
Dan Thorne has unique perspectives on the field of mental health. As a clinician, he has had over 40 years of experience working with clients in the Southern California area. After obtaining his Bachelor’s degree from the University of California at Irvine, he worked with children in the Orange County Juvenile Hall. Here he honed his earliest techniques on at-risk children. After that, he obtained his Master’s degree in Counseling from California State University, Fullerton.
In the 1990’s, Dan turned his attention to the clinical and administrative side of behavioral health organizations. For three years, he was the Assistant Administrator of Starting Point, a chemical dependency facility in Costa Mesa, CA. In 2001, he took an opportunity to be the Director of Harbor View Community Services Center in Long Beach. When he arrived, the Center had only 80 clients and 13 staff. When he left, there were over 400 clients and 75 staff. Dan created several programs through their contract with the Los Angeles County Departments of Mental Health and Child and Family Services. Under his guidance, Harbor View became one of the leading providers of children’s services in Los Angeles County.
While improving the results of the client’s parents at the Center, Dan reflected on his experiences as a parent. His children themselves had special needs such as mental and intellectual challenges, and Dan knew the toll it takes on the parent. In order to help the child, the parent has to be healthy. From this concept, he created his parenting program. After years of refining it, teaching it to his staff at the Center, and then taking the results and comments from these efforts, he became the developer of the current PRAXES program. It is a culmination of Dan’s personal trials and tribulations as a parent along with empirical results and research of over 40 parenting programs.
Our vision at PRAXES is to advance the strength of parents and caregivers of children with special needs (mental health, intellectual, or physical) through education, support, and empowerment. Thus, they can live healthy and functional lives while caring for the child.
Apogee is a clinical decision software designed to help behavioral health practitioners with their treatment and patient engagement. It provides evidence-based and research-based components. Not only do they consist of elements from such practices as Cognitive Behavior Therapy, Seeking Safety, Dialectical Behavior Therapy, Motivational Interviewing, Functional Behavior Analysis, but also the Intensive Models for Parents, Youth, and Children.
PRAXES has over 30 years of accreditation experience. We know what it takes to get your organization accredited. Whether it’s Joint Commission, CARF, or COA, our team can provide an evaluation of your current status and review the standards which need improvements. We will assist you with the policies, documentation, and training required to be accredited.
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