Residentially-Based Services Pilot Program

About the Program

Category: Children and Youth (Best in Category)

Year: 2012

Residentially-Based Services Pilot Program San Bernardino County, CA Population: 1,963,535 San Bernardino County’s Department of Behavioral Health, Child and Family Services and Probation partnered to create the Residentially-Based Services (RBS) Pilot Program for seriously emotionally disturbed high needs youth. These children are traditionally served out-of-state of out-of-count but RBS serves to place these children in a placement facility that incorporates trauma informed practices and emphasizes the value of “voice and choice”. The program’s objectives are to serve youth involved in either probation or county welfare who are so seriously impaired by mental health issues that hospitalization or out-of-state/county placement would be required, reduce the number of youth residing in out-of state/county placements, reduce the number of psychiatric hospital administration days utilized by dependants and facilitate the transition of the youth to a home or Intensive Foster Care (ITF) home and stop the long-term institutionalization of this population. Youth enter into the RBS agreement when they enter the homes, one for males and one for females, each having six beds. The team involved in their care emphasizes the youth’s voice in creating goals, accessing services and involvement in their community. The RBS model works with the youth on three levels: Ground Level Provision and Coordination by the Care Coordination Team, Visionary Level/Obstacle Removal by the RBS Oversight Committee and Program Championing and Monitoring by the RBS Steering Committee. The support of various departments such as Environmental Interventions, Probable Intensive Treatment Interventions, Parallel Community Services and Family Involvement is what has made RBS a success. These departments cater to the youth in the homes creating plans to tend to their needs. The Pilot season of this program resulted in great success. The number of out-of-state youth placed in residential treatment was 10-12 per year. After the first year of the RBS operation in 10’-11’, there were 0 out-of-state patients. Psychiatric hospital administration for these patients commonly cost $70,000-$100,000. RBS brought these costs down to zero with no youth in need of administration days. Children in the RBS program showed a 54.7% reduction in hospitalization. Three of the 15 youth in RBS who have completed one year have moved into guardian homes or Intensive Treatment Foster Care homes. The Residentially-Based Services program allows youth an opportunity to be taken care of within their county, with their voices heard and with many services available to devise a reconstruction plan for their lives.