Now all our family style groups are gone and we operate on a business model. Each of the six group homes has an administrator who is responsible for running the group home. Each three group homes share a social worker who is responsible for individual therapy and group therapy.
The challenge was to keep the "homey" feel of the group home so the children felt not only well cared for and safe, but also loved and respected.
Our staff has worked hard to become educated, so that they are all up on the latest thinking and available knowledge for group home staff. The maintenance team has worked hard to get all our homes in top shape so that we can keep them well cared for.
We still get the same comments we got when we were a family model, . We often hear from professional people who come into our homes, "What do I have to do to be placed in this group home?"
The children have the hardest time with the change, and they still want someone in the group home to call, "Mom", or "Dad". We are trying to let them get used to to understanding and accepting the group home is not a place where you will find a family. The group home is a place where you correct behaviors and then find a family.
This is going to take some time, for both the staff and the children. However, if we teach the Five Needs, the Four Parts of Behavior, and the Daily Evaluation system, the outcome will be satisfactory for all.
To Christine
It wasn't that she was a mean child - she wasn't. It wasn't even that she didn't care, because she did. It's just that she thought she had time, that she would change later. She believed that she would party and have fun and do whatever she wanted while she was young. She thought she could always change later, when she wanted to "grow up".
She was just 23 years old. She had a 3 yr old daughter. She died a victim of her lifestyle. She just ran out of time.