Family Preservation
Assertive Community Treatment (ACT)
Successful Alliance for Family Engagement (SAFE)
Early Childhood
Mentoring
Home Visiting Program
Homeless Prevention Program
Family Preservation
Few traumas can compare to that of children removed from their biological homes and families. There are times when there is no other choice for the child’s safety. However there are many other families that, with the right help and support, often can overcome their problems and keep their children safely in their homes.
When families are in crisis, Beech Brook’s Family Preservation program brings help, healing and hope to prevent the devastation of a shattered home.
Family Preservation is an intensive, short-term crisis intervention program that is provided to families in their own homes. The services are designed to stabilize the family through intensive intervention, improved parenting and communication skills, and linkages to vital community resources.
When a case is referred to Family Preservation, a case manager is available to work with that family in their home. The case manager is available 7 days a week, 24 hours a day, for the duration of their treatment, which generally ranges from 6–8 weeks. The case manager serves as an advocate for the family with schools and other agencies on behalf of the child and family, and as a link to other support systems.
Assertive Community Treatment (ACT)
Beech Brook’s ACT Team for Transitional Youth is the only one of its kind in Cleveland and one of the few nationwide that provide mental health treatment and support for individuals 16–22 and their families.
Making the transition from youth to adulthood can be difficult, even under the best circumstances. But for teens and young adults dealing with ongoing mental health issues, the challenges may be overwhelming at times. Beech Brook’s Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) Team functions like a “hospital without walls.” A multidisciplinary team works together to provide each individual with the right mix of treatment and support, 24/7. Teams include a project leader, psychiatrist, nurse, substance abuse specialist, vocational specialist, peer specialist and case managers. Most services are provided in the home or community.
Services include:
- Crisis assessment and intervention
- Symptom assessment and management
- Medication prescription, administration, monitoring and documentation
- Dual diagnosis substance abuse services
- Assistance with basic needs, such as housing, finances, education, vocational training or employment
- Social/interpersonal relationship and leisure skill training
- Peer support services
- Education, support and consultation to families and other major supports
- Assistance with brief inpatient stays, if needed
Research has shown that ACT Teams can significantly reduce the need for inpatient care and help individuals lead healthier, more independent lives by providing the support they need to hold jobs, complete their educations and remain safely in the community.
Successful Alliance for Family Engagement (SAFE)
Embracing a “do whatever it takes” philosophy, Beech Brook’s SAFE program helps families by linking them with community supports, as well as providing the therapeutic support they might need. The program is part of Cuyahoga County’s Tapestry System of Care—a new way to help prevent at-risk children from going into higher levels of care, i.e. detention homes or residential treatment.
SAFE care coordinators use a wraparound process to help meet the emotional and behavioral needs of each child. With a focus on family strengths, cultural competency and family “voice and choice,” care coordinators help families select the right services to get exactly what they need, when they need it, from both formal organizations and informal supports, such as neighbors. Flexible funding for creative solutions is a cornerstone of the program.
Early Childhood
Every child deserves the best possible start in life. The extraordinary learning that takes place in the early years paves the way for success in school, in families and in relationships throughout life. Beech Brook’s Early Childhood Services help young children from birth to age 6 with mental health or behavioral difficulties and/or autistic spectrum disorders.
The key to promoting healthy development is by identifying and addressing problems early—when children are most flexible and able to change. A child’s ability to control emotions, pay attention when learning, problem-solve and have healthy relationships in the future can be greatly impacted by early childhood experiences when the child’s brain is not fully developed.
Through direct service, screening and diagnostic assessment, consultation and training, and partnerships with early childhood providers, mental health agencies and schools, Beech Brook offers an array of services to meet the needs of young children:
Child Care Consultation and Training – Training and site-based consultation at child care centers to help identify children with behavioral problems and/or special developmental challenges and to develop specific recommendations for children at risk of losing a child care placement.
Mental Health Services – Outpatient mental health services for families with young children who have behavioral and/or developmental problems.
Behavior Screening and Assessment – Outpatient mental health services for families with young children who have behavioral, emotional and/or developmental problems.
Learning and Intervention for Families In Transition (LIFT) – Early intervention services for children ages 3–5 who are living in transitional housing shelters, under great stress and at risk of social-emotional developmental delays due to the crisis of homelessness.
Mentoring
Beech Brook’s youth mentoring program, STRIDE (Skill Building, Teaching, Role Modeling, Independence, Development, Empowerment), gives children and teens a little extra support to get them through the rough times.
Having a special person who will listen and spend time with them outside of home or school can make a world of difference. When kids are having trouble and family stress is growing, that’s the time to call Beech Brook to see if a youth mentor can help.
Mentors can play an important part in reducing the behaviors that threaten family stability, whether it’s a birth family, foster family or other out-of-home placement.
Although it may look like fun and games, it’s much more. Through mutually enjoyable activities, mentors act as positive role models, engaging the youth and building a trusting relationship. Once that bond has been established, mentors help kids experience their own “ah-ha” moment—finding positive, healthy interests they can continue to pursue on their own, once their mentoring time has ended.
Home Visiting Program
Staff in Beech Brook’s Home Visiting program visit Cuyahoga County families who are sanctioned from or have exhausted their cash benefits from the welfare system.
Home visitors provide information about local programs and vital resources, such as food pantries, shelter, medical help, job training, transportation and more to help these families locate the help they need during this critical time.
Homeless Prevention Program
The Homeless Prevention Program provides case management and referral services for families with children who live in Cleveland’s Park Village and Historic Newton low-income housing units. Both apartment complexes are managed by the Famicos Foundation—an organization that supports affordable housing and integrated social services.
It is well-known that housing difficulties exacerbate family problems, which in turn often contribute to housing instability. By helping families address issues that increase their risk for eviction, such as mental health challenges, addiction and financial problems, Beech Brook not only helps keep a roof over their heads, but also improves their emotional well-being and overall family functioning.
