We have a passion for being involved in the lives of young people. We help them reach their goals and prepare them for their future. It helps to have someone on your side when things get a little tough and the world is hard to navigate. This page is for social workers and support workers who maintain therapeutic supports via contracted services of the Department of Children and Families.
Therapeutic Support Staff
This is a service designed to address the individualized needs of a child or youth with complex behavioral health needs. These children or youth have a current diagnosable behavioral health condition that results in moderate to acute functional impairment which substantially interferes with, or limits the child’s or youth’s role or functioning in family, school, or community activities. This service is intended for children or youth whose level of functioning puts them at risk of entering a residential level of care, disrupting from their home or foster placement, or for children or youth who are being discharged from residential treatment or a more acute level of care. These individualized supports are provided by paid, trained and supervised individuals. This service is provided for up to eight (8) hours per week per child or youth and includes a combination of structured and enrichment activities consistent with identified treatment plan objectives. For children or youth discharging from residential treatment/congregate care, the service is provided for up to two (2) visits for no more than one (1) hour per visit prior to discharge.
Support Staff
This is a service designed to address the individualized needs of a child or youth in the community who may be exhibiting mild to moderately challenging behaviors in the home, in school or in the community. This service provides a range of life supports focused on making positive decisions and behavioral choices; assisting with attaining social and emotional gains; connecting with positive peer and other community supports and reinforcing success in school. These individualized supports are provided by paid, trained and supervised individuals. This service is provided for up to five (5) hours per week per child or youth and includes a combination of structured and enrichment activities consistent with identified treatment plan objectives.
Community Based Life Skills
CBLS are a set of skills learned by teaching or by direct experience. These skills are used to handle problems and questions commonly encountered in daily life from adolescence through adulthood. A community-based services model focuses on the development and enhancement of the participant’s knowledge of essential life skills to promote preparation for adulthood and self-sufficiency. Through program design and content, the model goal is to support and maintain a youth’s connection with the community as the youth mature.
This service, through the use of the DCF approved Learning Inventory of Skills Training (L.I.S.T.) assessment tool and experiential learning approaches, provides youth with a set of skills necessary to assist in their transition from DCF care to self-sufficiency. This service includes an individual life skills assessment, followed by individualized and small group experiential learning opportunities.
Supervised Visitation/Parent Advisement
This is a service dedicated to supporting parents who are under mandated supervised visitation in the home or in the community. Supervised visitation staff offer interactional feedback to biological parents or other participants while identifying strengths and recommendations for improvement for the benefit of the family.
The goal is to maintain a positive family connection and an atmosphere of learning with an opportunity for parent and child growth through safe interactions.