18.1 Mandate and Rationale
The changing face of residential care for children has been swift and radical over the last several years. No longer is the population of children served only the homeless, dependent, or neglected. Seriously emotionally disturbed adolescents, children with learning difficulties, with behavioral disorders, and with developmental problems have become the standard rather than the exception. Many of the children now being cared for are often more aggressive, more assaultive, unable to function adequately within or be readily tolerated by the family, the school or the community. There are also a large and growing number (of abused and neglected children) whose environment has been detrimental to their functioning. This is due, in large part, to social and family stress and the need to enhance parental skills. Because of these different needs of children, new types of substitute care have emerged in order to respond to a variety of individual needs and requirements of children in care
Regardless of the reason a youth is in need of residential placement, the goal of all levels of treatment must be focused on stabilizing the youth’s behaviors so that he/she may be able to return to the community. The return to the community may not refer to return of physical custody to the youth’s parents, but must focus on a permanency plan as mandated by the Adoption and Safe Families Act. Therefore, discharge planning, or all the things that must be in place for the youth to return to the community, must be addressed at the time of placement. The placement needs must be addressed while the youth is receiving therapeutic services so that as the youth is able to change and control his/her behaviors, appropriate resources to meet his/her needs are being developed in the local community - to support the parents or substitute family - so that his/her physical, emotional, and therapeutic needs can be met within his/her home community, and in the least restrictive placement possible.