What kind of kids do you take?

We take boys ages 8-18 in our group home.  We accept kids with lower functioning levels but they must be verbal and able to take care of personal needs and attend school.  We take kids with sexual offenses and sexually reactive behavior, physical aggression and history of aggression, and with multi diagnoses


What is your per diem?

We have 3 daily rates based on the child's previous issues and the level of care and supervision they will need. Rates are determined by the director prior to admission.


How long do youth stay in your program?

In order to make change in our youth they need to stay in our home for at least a year.  Many youth stay longer and are able to graduate and emancipate or move to adult living situations.


What do you to to help the youth in placement?

The biggest thing we do is build relationships with our boys.  We get to know them, who they are, how they think, where they came from and who they want to be.  We do this day in and day out in the home, on outings, before school, after school, on weekends, after talking to family, before going on a visit, after getting good or bad news, when looking at adoptive families, on birthdays, on holidays....you get the picture.  We seek to understand what their life was like before they came to us and help them start to shape themselves and their way of doing things to ways that will help them have what they need to have a fulfilling life after they leave us.  We tell the truth, we accept the, we discipline, we teach, we love them.  We actually tell them we love them regularly and they usually love us too!


What tools do you use that make your program therapeutic?

We use a combination of teaching-interactions from the Teaching-family model,  daily point sheet, motivational system, family meetings, social skills instructions, independent living instruction,  schedule and routine, individualized treatment plans and incentives, family style meals and activities, individual therapy.


Do the youth stay in the home all the time?

Yes.  This is a full time residential program. This is their home for while they are in placement.


Where do the youth go when they leave?

Our boys live here until they either grow up and move to an independent living situation or on to live with family.  Some youth transition to adult services if they have significant disabilities or mental health concerns.  Some youth are moved by their placing agency to a different type of placement.  Some youth move to adoptive homes.


What do agencies that place kids with you like most about RTH?

Many caseworkers and adoption workers as well as CASAs and family members say that they like the family style environment we create with our given population.  They like that our kids bond with our Teaching-parents and feel safe and cared for.  They like that we take difficult kids that may otherwise be in a residential facility and take care of them in a house in a neighborhood in the community.


What about family visits?

Family members that are approved by the legal guardian and/or placing agency may visit at the group home initially until community visits or home visits are recommended and approved.  Youth may call approved family members frequently as agreed upon with the case manager.  RTH will provide supervision and guidance to in house family visits.  We have board games, movies, and other things for families to do together.


Do you help get kids ready for adoption?

We work closely with the youth, adoption worker, caseworker, prospective adoptive parents and the youth's therapist to help youth prepare and transition to the appropriate adoptive home.  We are available to meet with all of the people involved in the process and help them understand how the youth is responding as we make recommendations.  We like to help bridge relationships to the new family and remain supportive throughout the process.  We are available to accompany our youth to visit prospective adoptive parents and will host them in the group home and community as well.