Community & Home-Based

When a family is in crisis, they can't wait for help. Beech Brook brings the right kind of help when and where families need it.

Preserving a family or reunifying parents and children after the trauma of separation is the goal of Beech Brook’s in-home services.

Few traumas can compare to that of children who are removed from their families, and there are times when children must be placed in out-of-home care for their own or their family’s safety. But in other cases, with the right mix of therapy, support and community resources, families can be stabilized, keeping children safely in their homes and their family intact.

Connect© Parenting Groups

Adolescence is a challenging time for both teenagers and their parents. Teens strive for more independence but still need their parents' support and guidance. Parents often find it harder to "connect" with their teen during their push for autonomy.

If you've ever felt like it has been hard to connect with your pre-teen or teen, or that you lack influence over their choices or behavior, Beech Brook's Connect© Parenting Groups can help.

Connect© is a trauma-informed, research-based program that specifically helps parents of youth ages 8-18 on strengthening the bond between parent and child. Your relationship with your child matters, even when they seem to be pulling away and act as though they don't need you! In fact, research shows that strong relationships with parents protect youth from risk during adolescence and helps them make better choices.

Beech Brook's Connect© Parenting Classes, funded by The Ohio Children's Trust Fund, is a FREE, 10-week virtual series for parents of pre-teens or teens that helps teach skills to manage conflict with your kids in ways that can:

• Open communication
• Build trust
• Promote problem-solving
• Reduce difficult behaviors

Parents who participated in these classes report feeling less stress, more confident, more hopeful, and less alone.

Learn more about upcoming Connect© Parenting Groups

Family Preservation

For more than 30 years, Beech Brook’s Family Preservation program has helped prevent and heal the devastation of a shattered family.

Family Preservation is an in-home, intensive, short-term crisis intervention program. The program is designed to stabilize the family through therapeutic services, improved parenting and communication skills, and linkages to vital community resources.

When a case is referred to Family Preservation, a case manager is available 7 days a week, 24 hours a day, for the duration of their treatment plan, which typically ranges from 60-90 days. The case manager serves as an advocate with schools and other agencies on behalf of the child and family and as a link to other support systems.

Beech Brook's Family Preservation staff has expertise in managing family conflict, reunification issues, foster care/adoption support and more.

Referrals for Family Preservation services come through the Cuyahoga County Department of Children and Family Services. For more information or to make a referral, contact Bridgett Berry or call 216.391.4069.

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, in addition to providing therapeutic help. The program is part of Cuyahoga County’s Tapestry System of Care, designed to help prevent at-risk children from going into higher levels of care, such as 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 specific services they need, when they need them, from both formal organizations and informal supports, such as neighbors, in their own community. Flexible funding for creative solutions is a cornerstone of the program.

Referrals primarily come from the Cuyahoga Department of Children and Family Services and the Juvenile Court. For more information or to make a referral, contact Bridgett Berry or call 216.391.4069.

Respite Care Program

Designed to offer vital support to families with children under the age of 21 who are enrolled in OhioRISE and managing behavioral or mental health challenges, Beech Brook’s Respite Care Specialists and licensed foster care parents provide reliable and conscientious care, giving primary caregivers a necessary break. They coordinate and deliver respite care tailored to the needs of individual families by engaging with children at home or within the community, supporting their participation in daily activities, and providing transport as needed. This program not only helps alleviate the pressures on primary caregivers but also ensures that children receive attentive and supportive care.

Apply to become a Respite Care Specialist.

For more information about Beech Brook’s Respite Care Program, contact Kim Weltman at kweltman@beechbrook.org.

STRIDE (Skill Building, Teaching, Role Modeling, Independence, Development, Empowerment)

All kids need to feel that someone is there for them. STRIDE, Beech Brook's mentoring program, pairs a child or teenager with a staff member to provide a little extra support during particularly stressful times.

Having a special person who will listen and spend time outside of home or school can make a world of difference to a kid going through a hard time. When a family is under stress, Beech Brook mentors provide support where it's needed. That may be helping in school or with homework; encouraging the child to participate in positive activities and sports; helping a youth with autism feel safe in public spaces; supporting a pregnant teen; easing the transition into adoptive families; and much more.

Although it may look like fun and games, mentoring is much more than that. Through mutually enjoyable activities, mentors act as positive role models and begin to build a trusting relationship. Once that bond is created, mentors help kids find healthy and positive interests that they can pursue on their own once their mentoring time has ended.

Referrals come from United Way, the Positive Education Program, PASS adoption subsidies, and Cuyahoga County's Tapestry program.

Parenting Beyond the Screen

Are you concerned about the impact social media is having on your child? Are you anxious about keeping them safe from all the potential dangers that come with social media?

Whether we like it or not, screens and social media are big parts of our children's and teens' daily lives, and navigating through this new technology can be intimidating to parents.

But Beech Brook is here to help with our virtual Parenting series.

Learn how to guide your children safely through the digital landscape as they approach their teenage years - fostering safe, educational, and healthy online experiences in this new virtual Parenting series.

For more information about this series, contact Rachel Humphrey at rhumphrey@beechbrook.org.