Treating Youth in Residential Settings

Following the placement of youth into custody by a court, the first step in the residential placement process is assessment. The Probation and Parole Officer (PPO) completes a SAVRY (Structured Assessment of Violence Risk in Youth) social history. The PPO may schedule a psychological or mental health evaluation in the absence of a current evaluation. After information is gathered from the evaluations, an appropriate residential placement is sought by the PPO. The parent/guardian and referring court are notified of this placement.

Once the youth is placed, an Individual Service Plan (ISP) is completed. The service plan must be signed by the youth and parents/guardian. A copy of the completed service plan is mailed to the parent, facility and judge.

The PPO must:  

1. conduct monthly face-to-face visits with youth
2. contact facility staff at least once a month to monitor the client’s progress
3. contact the parent or guardian at least monthly regarding youth’s progress
4. review the Individual Service Plan with youth and facility staff during monthly contacts and update as needed.

The youth’s progress in the program will be monitored by the PPO who will keep the court informed of their progress in treatment and make changes in placement as deemed necessary.