The Fourth in a Series of Seven Stories

Although here for only three months, J.B. participated well in group and individual therapy, per her therapist’s discharge summary. She made use of the opportunities here to explore art, music, dance and other expressive media. This helped her develop healthy, constructive outlets to address issues of abandonment and loss.

First admitted to Hillsides 6/28/07 and discharged to her aunt on 8/24/07. J was discharged by LA DCFS against our advice as she was extremely unstable. The aunt lived in Sacramento and refused to accept any offers for services that we recommended. She was with her aunt for a very brief time before being admitted to another like agency. She was readmitted to Hillsides on 9/10/08. It is unclear why she left the other agency for Hillsides, but it seems to have been a decision of the LA DCFS CSW, not the agency.

REFLECTION
1. Hillsides should have insisted on better joint planning.
2. If the aunt was a viable placement, the County and Hillsides should have made Wraparound or some wrap like services a condition of placement with the aunt. (Wraparound is a program where the process of creating safe places for a child includes wrapping support services around the child and the entire family to increase the possibility of successful outcomes).

CONCLUSION
1. Family involvement in the treatment process is a key factor.
2. A plan for discharge agreed by all parties, Hillsides, LA DCFS, the child and the family is necessary for a successful transition. (A plan is not going to work if the child or the receiving party is saying they are not ready.)
3. We should consider mandatory supportive services in the home.
4. Once a plan has been agreed upon, there should be some benchmarks set to determine the move-in date.
5. As a general rule, the residential treatment agency should provide Wraparound services to the receiving family where ever possible, since they are the ones who know the child and the family. (This would entail an exception to the Service Provider Areas (SPA) specific structure of the Wraparound program, since most residential treatment centers do not have Wraparound programs in all the SPAs.)