I imagine there will always be a need for residential treatment centers. As long as there is a need, Louisiana United Methodist Children and Family Services is committed to providing excellent care for children who are unable to live in less intensive settings.
But wouldn’t it be great to live in a world where families were helped to stay together. Imagine a world where early intervention and focused prevention efforts helped families remain intact. What a beautiful world that would be!
Here’s a clip from the latest President’s Message, “Children Should Live with Their Families” …
Twenty years ago, when I worked as the Director of Admissions, I talked frequently with parents who were trying to place their children into Louisiana Methodist Children’s Home. At the time, we were a first point of contact for many families who had reached the end of their proverbial rope. We referred most families to community resources where they existed and along the way, to meet the needs of families, we created our Family Plus program which puts clinical and therapeutic resources closer to families.
It’s really simple. Children should be with their families. Even better than providing excellent residential care for children, would be to prevent the child from needing out-of-home care.
It’s not always possible, but if we can take advantage of opportunities created by Louisiana’s Coordinated System of Care to put intervention resources into a family’s home, I believe we will be able to prevent more out-of-home placements and help families remain intact.
Expect to see Louisiana United Methodist Children and Family Services expand and create new “in homes” and community-based services to intervene early in family crises. I’ll say it again: whenever possible, children should be with their families. Our mission is “Guiding children and families home to experience God’s love by following the teaching of Christ”. If it’s their home it’s even better!
Read the complete President’s Message, “Children Should Live with Their Families” …
