Coyle and Pinkerton identify gaps in the care leaving system in Northern Ireland regarding social work training and meeting the challenges of transitioning from care. The primary focus of this article is to provide a perspective of care and leaving care which could contribute to social work education and practice in these areas. Framed within a…

Youths in residential care have likely experienced trauma as they have had atypical and disruptive events occur in their lives that has contributed to their out-of-home placement. For people who have been traumatized, the regulation of emotions is an important feature of their recovery. This article presents a model that traces phases from…

Everyone experiences stress and needs extra help at times. Often this involves informal support, but in certain circumstances, help comes in the form of therapy. Sometimes there is a negative impression about "needing" therapy. But when the going gets tough, sometimes the tough go to therapy. With a wide range of factors working against them,…

This article applies the tenets of Bernard's in "Counselor Edu Supervision" 19:60-68, (1979) discrimination model of clinical supervision to the supervision needs of those who provide direct care to adolescents in residential treatment due to abuse, neglect, behavioral, or emotional problems. The article focuses on three areas…

Emphasis on neuropsychiatric frameworks of conceptualizing troubled youth is increasing. This focus leads to more biologically-based interventions. As such, the use of psychotropic medications is skyrocketing, while the utilization of psychosocial strategies is diminishing. Yet overall outcomes seem to be faltering. Admissions to outpatient,…

Emotional pain which manifests itself in problem behaviours is, for many children and youth, a part of their everyday struggle through life. Kids growing up in residential care or in a dysfunctional family or setting suffer this pain. Connecting with kids in pain, the primary task for youth workers, is made all the more difficult, the greater the…

By examining specific examples of how teachers at an adolescent treatment centre interpret the day to day challenges that shape the lives of their students, insights can be gained about how schools can effectively re-connect even the most difficult students to a school environment. This article describes a story about an adolescent treatment…

This article describes the process that youth in a large residential out-of-home care program complete as they prepare for the transition into adulthood. This process is geared toward preparing these young people through a series of structured real-life activities and lessons. Results from a separate 5-year follow-up study indicate that those who…

Noting that resurgence of the "orphanage" controversy has recently brought public attention to the child welfare system in Minnesota, this report notes that the child welfare system is not well understood and focuses debate on the needs of children who cannot live at home. Following introductory remarks and highlights from the text, the…

Describes one of the units of the children's home operated by the Borough of Knowsley, England. This unit, which serves adolescents with emotional and social problems, is based on six models that address attachment, environment, education, responses to stress, and grief. The unit's key functions are to support children, investigate children's…

This practicum sought to elevate the morale level of direct-care staff in a residential group care setting providing residential care to dependent, neglected, and/or abused children ages 7 through 17. Four solution strategies were attempted that addressed the areas of staff support, communication, and recognition. A representative of a top…

Offers recommendations to help advocates of the team approach in group care facilities for children and adolescents overcome some of the problems they may have with implementing team models according to their own designs. (NH)

Describes model licensing proposals for residential services for pregnant and parenting adolescents. Developed from a federally funded project, these proposals highlight licensing rules in four areas: (1) staff and training; (2) staff-client ratio; (3) program and health requirements; and (4) services to fathers. The rules represent baseline…

Cross-cultural residential placement of children and adolescents requires careful attention to the youth's culture of origin, so that the delivery of the treatment service is respectful of his or her way of life. Cultural protection in treatment facilities, as a principle, ensures that the traditions, symbols, values, norms, and the worldview, as…

This paper explores historical and recent trends in the delivery of residential adolescent substance abuse treatment, looking specifically at the impact of managed care on the service delivery system. Three historical eras are conceptualized by the authors: (1) an era prior to managed care in which services were provided on a fee for service basis…