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Programs & Services

Staffed Residential Treatment Homes

Program Model:  Secret Harbor’s Staffed Residential Homes add a critical component to the agency’s overall continuum of care.  Children and youth reside in family-like living environments in homes in the community that have no more than six youth per home.  By definition, these environments are residential homes that are richly staffed to support youth in their progression toward permanency in foster care, with their family or living independently.

The principles of Youth-Guided Care are paramount to each home in the planning and support of youth obtaining skills and learning to regulate their own emotions.  Each child or youth enters a home voluntarily and a meeting is held with the youth, their family and caseworker to identify issues and strengths for development of a behavior support plan.  Each plan is highly individualized focusing on what supports can be put into place by staff and other peers to help each youth regulate his emotions and behaviors on a daily basis.  These behavior support plans identify the kinds of interventions that help each child self regulate their behaviors in order to move to other less restrictive settings.  The interventions identified are targeted for use in school, at the home and in the child’s family home as well. Behavior support plans are reviewed weekly in staff meetings and are formally updated at least every 90 days in care meetings with the youth, family members, community workers and staff.  Goals developed with the future in mind focus on the positive and lead to active youth and family engagement.  Focusing on the future encourages an emphasis on the youth’s strengths rather than deficits.

The principles of Family-Driven Care are also critical to the successful transition of youth both into our homes and also into their next setting.  It is our goal to engage family members and welcome them to their child’s temporary home whenever it is convenient for them, both for visits and for planning meetings.  Family Driven—Youth-Guided Care was well described by Anne Kuppinger in a 2008 conference presentation, “The goal is to empower and support both youth and families to direct their experiences and experience success.  Youth will assume greater decision-making roles as they mature, but must begin to cultivate this skill early.  Family members can only be a source of support during transition if they have been meaningfully engaged since admission and throughout the process and supported in their changing role.” 

Day to Day Life:   With only six youth per home, day to day life can focus on the development of healthy skills for life.  Youth will have the opportunity to assist staff in preparing meals, shopping, and overall upkeep of the home.  Weekly chores will be shared among staff and youth and a weekly allowance will be available to each youth, along with opportunities to earn additional money for special events and, hopefully, a savings account.  Staff members transport students to public school settings and are available to help out in the school settings both on a formal and informal basis, depending on what has been developed with the local School District.  After school staff are available to help youth with their homework, enjoy recreation activities and facilitate group meetings.  Youth with specific counseling or support activities (A.A., N.A. etc) are able to participate in community settings as their individual supervision plan indicates.  Weekends are set for formal recreation activities that are planned by youth and staff during the week.  Time for relaxing and helping out around the house are integrated into the weekend times as well.  Families are encouraged to participate with staff and youth in some activities and are always welcome at the dinner table.