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Crisis Stabilization for Children
and Youth
The goal of the program is to provide stabilization
services to children in crisis that will assist them to return to a
pre-crisis level of functioning. The unit assists children and their
families in resolving issues that may have precipitated the crisis. An
additional goal is to provide linkage with community services in order
to facilitate an increase in community tenure.
Red Rock’s Crisis Unit is a 15 bed, locked, secure
psychiatric crisis care program that operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a
week, 365 days a year. The target population is children and youth
between the ages of 10 – 18. It has the capability of providing service
to children who are admitted either voluntarily or involuntarily.
Services are provided in the least restrictive setting possible when
other community resources have been inadequate to meet the needs of the
child. Every effort is made to avoid hospitalization and return the
child to her/his home and family.
As with the Adult Crisis Unit, the unit for
children and youth is staffed daily by a multi-disciplinary team of
professionals. Following assessment, an individualized crisis plan is
developed, utilizing strengths and abilities, needs and preferences,
natural supports and community resources. Discharge planning begins at
the onset of service and is continuously evaluated to ensure a
continuity of care and to minimize the likelihood of readmission.
Primary goals of the unit are to minimize the
trauma associated with out-of-home relocation, particularly when law
enforcement is involved, by providing a close-to-home child-friendly
environment. The hope is to divert children, youth and families from a
pattern of multiple hospitalizations to a path of community-based
supports and to provide timely access and linkage to other necessary
resources.
Linkage services are provided to communicate and
coordinate with other service providers to assure appropriate referrals
to the follow up services. Referral to Systems of Care is the primary
course of action for children meeting criteria for such services. A
System of Care Coordinator is based at the stabilization center to
facilitate such referrals.
The expected length of stay is decided on an
individual level, but typically does not exceed 5 days. During the first
2 months of operation, the average length of stay was 4.5 days.
Red Rock’s main location in Oklahoma City has the
agency’s only Children’s Crisis Unit.
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