Children’s Transitional Residence
PISCATAWAY
SERVICE
The Children’s Transitional Residence (CTR) is a residential
treatment program for eight seriously psychiatrically impaired
children five to ten year of age. Primary goals are to provide
a safe, nurturing residential treatment program for children who
have been previously hospitalized, and to develop and facilitate
meaningful disposition plans. Maximum length of stay is six months.
The CTR is a 24-hour, seven-day a week program located in its
own, specially designed facility on the UMDNJ campus.
ADMISSION CRITERIA
All children admitted to the CTR no longer require the level
of security and supervision provided by an inpatient unit. All
continue to require intensive treatment. Children admitted to
the CTR fall into one of the following categories: the dispositional
plan calls for long-term residential care that is not immediately
available to the child; the child continues to require intensive
treatment and/or medication adjustment that requires a level of
care greater than outpatient but does not require a full hospital
setting; or the child’s family requires additional intervention
or support in order to function adequately once the child returns
home. The custodial parent or the Division of Youth and Family
Services, in instances where they retain custody, must agree to
the placement. The family is expected to participate in treatment
as clinically indicated. Children are not appropriate for admission
if they are severely developmentally disabled or if they cannot
be safely treated outside an inpatient unit.
ACCESS 1.800.969.5300
Referrals come from the University Behavioral HealthCare (UBHC)
inpatient unit or from other child inpatient units. Recommendations
for transfer from the inpatient unit are made in the treatment
planning meetings of that unit. The clinician supervisor of the
CTR or his/her designee attends these meetings. The clinician
supervisor of the CTR will make an admission decision within one
week. It is the responsibility of the inpatient unit to notify
the involved family and agencies, obtain consent forms, and provide
a physical examination. Whenever possible, a pre-admission visit
is arranged for the child and family prior to the transfer to
the CTR. Joyce Clark-Addison is the contact person. This
program receives referrals from children’s In Patient Mental
Health units and also accepts referrals from community agencies.
Callers should be directed to 732-235-4300.
ASSESSMENT
Children are referred directly from inpatient psychiatric units
where they have received comprehensive psychiatric and psychosocial
evaluations. In a pre-admission interview, the child and family
are introduced to the CTR and are interviewed by the clinician
supervisor and program mental health clinician. After admission
they are interviewed by the program psychiatrist and are evaluated
by the education department. The clinician supervisor, the program
clinician, the program psychiatrist, and the psychiatric nurse
review all data. At a comprehensive case conference, the data
is reviewed for all staff and a treatment plan is developed. Prior
to admission, while the child is an inpatient, problems are defined
and initial treatment and dispositional goals are formulated.
The tentative length of stay is projected upon admission.
CARE
The CTR provides the following services: therapeutic services
including individual, family, group, and milieu therapy; special
education services on both a group and individual bases; basic
care and supervision; ongoing clinical evaluation; ongoing psychiatric
evaluation and psychotropic medication as indicated; age-appropriate
recreational activities and outings; case management and discharge
planning, including consultation with the Division of Youth and
Family Services, child-study teams, outpatient mental health offices
and other community agencies, and basic medical and dental care
through scheduling and transportation to community-based practitioners.
Treatment goals and progress, discharge criteria, and treatment
projections are reviewed and revised throughout the course of
residential treatment.
While home visits of varying duration may be part of the child’s
treatment, he/she may be returned to the program at any time.
When necessary, children may be re-admitted to the inpatient unit.
In emergency situations the CTR staff notify security and/or Acute
Psychiatric Services, depending upon the nature of the emergency.
The clinician supervisor of the CTR is a senior clinician, who
reports directly to the clinician administrator for Child and
Adolescent Services, is responsible for the overall unit functions.
DISCHARGE
Discharge planning begins at the moment of referral to the CTR.
The main objective is to either assist the child and/or family
sufficiently so that the child may be discharged to the family
with community services in place or provide treatment services
for the child awaiting long-term residential treatment. The program’s
mental health clinician carries out discharge planning under the
supervision of the clinician supervisor. Discharge planning is
part of every treatment team meeting during which the child’s
case is reviewed. Each case is reviewed at least twice monthly.
|
