Placing a Child in Residential Treatment #3

Once it has been determined that your child needs residential treatment, the HUGE question is: what facility?? I find the process to be rather like appying for college. In some senses, it is like picking a psychiatrist, support services agency etc. Research is required to make the best possible choice.

First, there are some things out of your control~~~which facilities, if any, will insurance pay for? Some facilities do not accept any type of insurance but are private pay only. Will the school district being paying for the school portion of the residential placement?

All facilities have 'addmission criteria' for the types of diagnoses and behaviors they will accept. For example, some will not accept children who are 'runners' (run away often); some will not accept a child who is involved in the justice system; some accept children who have sexually abused others; some do not accept children with cognitive disabilities while others take only children with a low IQ. Many facilities accept only young children or perhaps only teens.

The above factors will help develop a list of possible facilities before getting into other questions. Next you need to consider geographical setting. Are there any appropriate facilities near you? Are you willing to have your child far from home? If there are not any near you, are there any near other family?

Most states have lists of facilities in the state on their Department of Public Welfare web site or on their Department of Education site. In todays electronic world, facilities generally have a web site of their own as well. Using the information on these sites can help you narrow down the list of facilities to research.

A friend of mine who has 2 children with special needs and who has used residential facilities for them created a document of questions to ask facilities you are considering. This document is in the Parent Resource Section of Starfish. When we were choosing an rtc, I made multiple copies of the document and filled it in as I spoke with staff at various facilities. It helps to keep the information consistent. It also helps you from feeling overwhelmed by trying to remember which facility offers particular services.

Here is the link for the document: Residential Questions

Please post your question or comments. We have been through this process several times now. It is never easy, but I feel I have obtained a lot of experience I can use to help others.

Debbie aka johnsmom (though he has currently disowned us, says he is 'selling' us)