Family Preservation

Preserving Families for Children

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. Yet, there are many other families "on the edge." With the right help and support, these families 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.

Help When it's Needed ... Where it's Needed

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 seven days a week, 24 hours a day, for the duration of their treatment, which generally ranges from six to eight 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.

Referrals to Family Preservation

A family is generally referred to Beech Brook's Family Preservation Program when there is a child or children considered to be "at risk" in the home. This means that, if the situation does not improve, the child or children may be removed from the family's custody and placed in foster care or another out-of-home living arrangement.

The first consideration is the safety of the child and others living in the home. If it is decided that the child can be safely maintained in the home, a case manager whose skills are best suited to that family is assigned. Whenever possible, cultural considerations are part of this decision to provide the most effective treatment for the family.

Most families are referred through an agency such as the Cuyahoga County Department of Children and Family Services, the Positive Education Program, the Juvenile Court, HMO's and other mental health agencies in Cuyahoga and surrounding counties.

Special Help for Special Needs

There are many reasons why families may need the services of Beech Brook's Family Preservation Program. There may be substance abuse, domestic violence, physical or sexual abuse, severe behavior problems or mental illness.

Beech Brook also offers different types of Family Preservation to meet the unique needs of families experiencing:

• parent-teen conflict;
• reunification issues when a child is returning from foster or out-of-home care;
• issues surrounding adoption;
• problems between foster children and their foster families.
  
  

At the heart of Family Preservation is a belief that all families have strengths on which to build. All treatment plans are designed to help families grow stronger and healthier for the sake of their children.

For more information about the Family Preservation Program, contact:
familypreservation@beechbrook.org

For information about making a referral to Family Preservation, contact:
referral@beechbrook.org