Running head: Field Placement Setting

Kathleen Wallace
Wayne State University
Field Placement Setting

Field Placement Setting

Mission/purpose of the agency

Family and Youth Interventions is a residential program for youths up to 18 years old
seeing shelter due to homelessness or from running away from home. Family and Youth
Intervention is open 24 hours a day; assessing clients and taking phone calls at all hours the day
and night. The main goal of this program is to empower teenagers by teaching them the essential
skills to become self-sufficient adults. Hence, Family and Youth Interventions not only provides
shelter to this population but also offers supportive services, skills training, and coping
mechanisms for adolescents to use after they have finished the program to continue their
transformation.

Overview of the population served

Family and Youth Interventions serve adolescents between 12 and 18 years of age. Once
an individual reaches 18 years old, they are no longer eligible for this program; yet, they can
apply to the Transitional Living Program that works hand-in-hand with Family and Youth
Interventions. The Transitional Living Program takes individuals aged from 18 to 20 years of
age. Family and Youth Interventions serve a diverse population from all different ethnicities.
Also, this program houses both males and female; however, their sleeping arrangements are
separate and there is constant supervision to ensure there is no sexual activity. Typically, the
population served at this program is suffering from problems in the home or school, leading the
child to run away and come to our facility or parents and legal guardians entering the child into
the program. Also, often times, school advisors or probation officers refer clients to this program
because of behavioral issues.

Field Placement Setting

Your role within the agency

My role within the agency involves working one-on-one with adolescents by way of
facilitating life skills and hands-on activities. On a typical day at the agency, the first objective is
creating a schedule with the client to designate times for their activities, study hours, and breaks.
This enables the adolescent to have the freedom to choose when he/she would like to have
certain activities. However, I must review the schedule to ensure the required activities are
scheduled. Another aspect of my role within the agency is to cook lunch with the client and work
together cleaning the kitchen and dining room once the meal is finished. Study hour is an
important part of my role as well because if clients have school work they are struggling with, it
is my responsibility to assist the client in completing their work.

Other disciplines represented within the organization and your (or social work) interaction with
each discipline
Other disciplines represented within Family and Youth Interventions is a counselor,
program director, human service specialist and intervention specialist. The human service
specialist, Lindsey, is whom I have worked with the most. Lindsey is typically the individual that
works one-on-one with the child most of the day, facilitating activities, assisting the clients with
issues they are struggling with, and supervising the well-being of the clients. There is a frequent
interaction with the counselor, Tammy, because she will take the client for therapy sessions
during the day; yet, sessions are arranged at times that consider Tammys availability and the
schedule Lindsey has made with the client for that day. Jane, the agencys program director, is

Field Placement Setting

also on staff scheduling assessments, answering phone calls, resolving issues, and making sure
the day is running smoothly. I do not interact with Jolyne, the programs intervention specialist,
frequently because she is constantly in and out handling business conflictions and attending
meetings to promote the program. However, Jolyne plays an important role because during
weekly staff meetings Jolyne ensures objectives are being met and issues are being handled
professionally and ethically with clients and staff.

How clients access/enter the system, eligibility, intake policies, and procedures, etc.
Clients enter the system voluntary, typically because of homelessness or referral.
However, a legal guardian must sign for the client in order for the youth to be admitted. Family
and Youth Interventions will not allow clients to be admitted if they are over 17 years of age. The
first step of joining the program is to have an assessment with a staff member, as well as review
and fill out the necessary paperwork. Once the paper work is discussed and understood, the staff
member must receive a signature from both the youth and legal guardian in agreement to the
services provided and the policies of the agency that must be followed. If the client wishes to
leave the facility at any time, staff is not allowed to force the client to stay. It is up to the client
rather they wish to continue treatment or leave the program. However, if the client does leave the
program early, they will typically be ineligible to enter the program a second time.

How clients progress through the system

Field Placement Setting

The clients progress through the system by learning effective life skills and coping
mechanisms for their behaviors. The goal of the program is to teach the clients new ways to deal
with internal conflict, how to handle issues from different environments, and to create positive
goals. We aim to improve anger management and how to work through the triggers that initiate
behavioral outbursts. Likewise, we enforce the clients to take on responsibilities such as meal
preparation, scheduling, and house cleaning to instill accountability. Also, there is a therapist on
staff that provides intensive individual therapy sessions as well as family sessions. This enables
progress for the client individually and for the environments outside the program such as
conflicts at home.

How clients leave/terminate the system

Clients can leave the system at any time. Family and Youth Interventions do not have the
authority to make a client stay against their will. However, there are circumstances in which the
client can be terminated from the program. If a client is engaging in sexual behavior with another
individual while residing in the program they will be terminated from the system. Likewise, if a
client sneaks in alcohol, illegal drugs, or weapons they will be dismissed from services. Violence
and being noncompliant after staff has tried to work with the client can result in termination. If
there is an open CPS case for the client, they will be asked to leave because it is believed to be
double dipping in the funding the government grants for both services. If a child runs away
from the facility, staff is required to contact law enforcement and report the client as a runaway.

Field Placement Setting

Discuss the agencys commitment to the community and surrounding areas it serves and
examples of how this is achieved
The agency is committed to helping adolescents struggling with emotional and behavioral
issues, as well as providing shelter for youths that have run away or are homeless. Family and
Youth Interventions provides services for school districts and the juvenile justice system by
working together to inform such facilities about our program, to aid adolescents deemed
problematic within these systems. Members of the agency will meet with supervisors of different
school districts and pass out informational brochures to inform the community of the services
this agency provides. Family and Youth Interventions is committed to reunifying families by
offering family therapy and teaching both youths and families proper coping mechanisms and
skills to promote self-awareness and conflict resolution.