Children's Crisis Residence

Program Overview

We provide youth with a safe, nurturing, and home-like environment where they can take a break, reflect, and develop new coping skills. It provides emotional support, stability, and guidance, helping them process challenges and build resilience.

Right now, children and families experiencing mental health crises in our region have nowhere to go except the emergency room.

This is a home where youth are given space and tools to help them learn skills, recover from crisis, learn to manage life’s challenges, build family relationships, and successfully return to home, school and their community. They will be connected to community resources that can continue to support them once they return home. ICAN is a proven, trusted mental and behavioral health agency with over 20 programs and a 95% success rate in keeping children and families together.

Admission Criteria

• Youth is experiencing a significant psychological or emotional crisis that causes distress beyond what their support system can manage.
  
  
• Youth is exhibiting disruptions in mood, thoughts, or behavior affecting home, school, or the community.
  
  
• Behavior may be escalating, potentially requiring more intensive services.
  
  
• Intervention is needed to assess, stabilize, and support them in successfully returning home.
  

The Process

Youth are screened before admission to assess their current needs and identify what support the child and family needs to navigate the current crisis. This process moves quickly to determine the immediate needs and develop a comprehensive care plan.

Once admitted, youth are invited into our home-like setting where they will be surrounded by support in a structured and stable environment. Children and teens can gain tools during their stay to help them cope and succeed day-to-day and also long term, and hopefully prevent additional emergency room or hospital admissions.

While They Are With Us

The crisis residence is a short term stabilization program. Length of stay is determined by individual needs.

During their time with us, disruptions to their daily lives are kept to a minimum – youth will attend school and extracurricular activities and continue treatment  with their health and mental health providers.

Family Involvement

Family involvement is vital for a child’s stabilization and long-term success. It includes active participation in care planning, education on crisis management, and maintaining connection through visits and communication. Families also receive support in discharge planning to ensure a smooth transition and continued stability at home.

Details of our program and our house:

• 24/7 staff
• 3,800 square feet 
• 8 single bedrooms, 4 bathrooms
• Located in a residential neighborhood
• Common areas – living room and dining room, kitchen with laundry; outdoor recreation space

Benefits:

• Youth receive immediate care and treatment
• Decreases emergency room visits and stays in inpatient psychiatric facilities
• Staffed by a multidisciplinary team of mental health professionals, a licensed social worker, nurse, and residence caseworkers

Services 

Children’s Crisis Residence offers a diverse range of services tailored to meet the unique needs of each child, provided by our staff and/or connections to resources throughout our community. 

Youth can be provided with:

Therapeutic Services:

• Individualized treatment planning
• Individual and group therapy
• Family therapy and support
• Recreational and expressive activities (art, music, play therapy) 

Medical Services:

• Medication management
• Coordination of care with primary healthcare providers

 Educational Support:

• Liaison with schools to ensure continuity of education
• Educational assessments and tutoring as needed
• Transportation to attend school and extracurricular activities

Crisis Intervention:

• Immediate response to behavioral health crises
• Crisis de-escalation
• Development of crisis prevention and management plan 

Family Involvement:

• Regular family meetings and therapy sessions
• Education and support for families to manage their child’s challenges

Recreational Activities:

• Community outings 
• Therapeutic activities 
• Recreational activities
• Independent living skills
• Psychoeducational groups
• Wellness activities

 

Outcomes

The primary goals of the Children’s Crisis Residence are to stabilize children in crisis, reduce mental health symptoms, and improve overall functioning. Specific outcomes we aim to achieve include:

Short-Term Goals:

• Immediate reduction of psychiatric symptoms
• Safe and supportive environment for crisis stabilization
• Development of a comprehensive, individualized treatment plan

Long-Term Goals:

• Improved emotional and behavioral functioning
• Successful reintegration into home, school, and community settings
• Strengthen family relationships and support systems
• Reduce risk of future psychiatric crises and hospitalizations

Measurable Outcomes:

• Reduced crisis visits to the emergency room
• Increased satisfaction reported by children and families
• Improved scores on standardized behavioral health assessments
• Higher rates of school attendance and positive academic performance post-discharge

We are committed to providing high-quality, compassionate care to children and their families during times of crisis. Through our comprehensive services and dedicated staff, we strive to achieve the best possible outcomes for each child we serve.