Seriously emotionally disturbed children and adolescents in need of out-of-home placement may be unnecessarily placed in psychiatric hospitals or residential treatment facilities because community based alternatives are unavailable. These placements often separate the youth from their family, school, and neighborhood. The development of a community based, family-centered system of care for such children and adolescents depends upon the availability of a full array of residential and non-residential services.
Family to Family, a family based treatment program (FBTP) under the Office of Mental Health adds an essential component to the continuum of care for seriously emotionally disturbed children and adolescents in New York State.
Family to Family provides an economic and effective alternative to residential treatment. It offers as normal and non-restrictive an out-of-home option as possible since it is community based and built around a family as the major focus for treatment. The purpose of this program model is to train surrogate families (Host Parents) to maintain and treat seriously emotionally disturbed youth in their homes. The model includes strong supportive backup for the families as well as extensive treatment and contact with the biological family/guardian. By both families working together, the ultimate goal is to return the child to their own family environment.
Family to Family Goals
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To treat seriously emotionally disturbed children and adolescents in a therapeutic, home-like environment.
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The establishment of a flexible, effective environment through the development of a sound core of Host Parents.
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To promote either the successful return of youth to the family where appropriate, or the improvement of relationships between the youth and family.
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To prevent the placement of youths in an unnecessarily restrictive and/or expensive program beyond that level determined necessary for the child's functioning and need.
The service element that separates Family to Family from traditional foster care is the support the program provides its Host Parents in their work with the child. The service is provided by a Family Specialist who is professionally trained and experienced in adapting behavior management to the family setting. The Family Specialist works with five family systems to allow ample time for behavior management, support, and supervision for the youth, Host Parents, and the child's parent or guardian. In addition to providing this much needed assistance, the Family Specialist provides the Host Parents with continuous "on-the-job" in-service training. Participation in monthly training is also required of the Host Parents and the child's family.
Host Parents and the youth will meet once a week with the Family Specialist. They are encouraged to call with questions or for assistance at any time. There is a 24-hour emergency backup system in place that is available to Host Parents, youth, and the child's family or guardian after "regular" business hours, weekends and holidays.
Host Parents of the Family to Family program receive reimbursement at a higher rate than traditional foster homes. This is because of the intense level of involvement required of the Host Parent. Referrals are accepted from Cayuga and Onondaga counties. Referrals come from the Department of Health and Human Services, psychiatric and residential treatment facilities, school systems, child and adolescent group homes, and occasionally from private sources. Children and adolescents ages 5-18 with a mental health diagnosis are appropriate for referral.
Family to Family is not appropriate for children who are currently considered dangerous to themselves, others, or the community at large. Older adolescents who strongly desire to be on their own and are resistant to the notion of living in a family may not adjust successfully to family based treatment.
Program Staff
The program staff consists of a Program Coordinator, Supervisor, Family Specialists and Family Counselor. Family to Family operates under clinical direction from Cayuga Counseling Services, Inc. "Host Parents" are carefully screened to determine if they meet certification standards of the Office of Mental Health. They are required to attend a 30-hour Parents Skills Training Program developed specifically to assist them in working with children who have emotional problems.
