For 12 years DCCCA has been a part of the social service community in Southeast Kansas. We provide outpatient addiction treatment services to adolescents and adults through Elm Acres Recovery Center, foster family recruitment and training with our Child Placing Agency, community coalition building for prevention with the Behavioral Health Technical Training and Assistance program and residential services to youth in custody of the Juvenile Justice Authority at the Youth Residential Center.
While our Recovery, Prevention, and CPA services remain the same, the State of Kansas’ juvenile justice reform initiative had a significant impact on future service delivery for our Youth Residential Center. Senate Bill 367, passed in the 2016 Kansas legislative session, reduced focus on out of home placement and service delivery. DCCCA used juvenile justice reform as an opportunity to redirect our resources to filling a gap in the child welfare system in partnership with KVC Health Systems.
Beginning July 1, 2016, we began providing residential care to 14 young men ages 12 – 18, designated CINC (Child In Need of Care) by the State of Kansas, in the North House. The South House will house 10 young women ages12-18 who have also been designated CINC. Adding girls to our campus is based on a need identified by KVC, the regional Child Welfare Contractor, as their need for YRC type services has increased.
Our Youth Residential Center provides a safe, structured, and supportive living environment for youth transitioning out of psychiatric treatment facilities, or whose history of multiple foster home placements makes it challenging for them to live in a family environment.
Our Residential team, in partnership with our Behavioral Health team and KVC staff, offer a trauma informed, cognitive behavioral approach to skill building, behavior self-regulation, and educational progress.
We are excited to be filling moving in this new direction that allows us to continue offering services that we believe are needed and meet our standards of best practice.