The long and winding road leading to residential treatment

Objectives: The debate about residential treatment and group care being a last resort or a treatment of choice continues. Part of this debate results from the brief time frame with which success is viewed. A focus on the... [ view full abstract ]

Objectives: The debate about residential treatment and group care being a last resort or a treatment of choice continues. Part of this debate results from the brief time frame with which success is viewed. A focus on the broader context of residential care is needed to understand which children and youth do better for what types of previous experiences, presenting concerns, forms of treatment, and duration of care. This presentation will examine case studies of several youth who accessed a number of programs within Wood’s Homes’ continuum of services over several years and highlight successful outcomes that become apparent over time.

Methods: Using a mixed-methods approach, the presentation will review each youth’s journey through treatment, highlighting qualitative and quantitative data gained from interviews, outcome measures, file history analysis, and critical debate.

Results: This presentation will examine the journey of youth and their success and challenges in residential treatment within the larger context of their extensive histories of child welfare involvement, maltreatment, trauma, and history of placement moves.

Conclusions: It is critical to situate client experiences in residential treatment within the larger context of their child welfare involvement, maltreatment, trauma, and history of placement moves. Findings will inform best practice for children and youth in residential and group care.