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Congregate care is a kind of residential child care community and a residential treatment center that consists of 24-hour supervision for children in highly structured settings such as group homes, residential treatment facilities, or maternity homes.
High-quality, customized congregate care can be lifesaving for children and youth with complex clinical or behavioral needs who require a short-term stay in a residential treatment facility. The 2018 Family First Prevention Services Act (FFPSA) reinforces appropriate use of congregate care through an emphasis on family-based placements and the development of qualified residential treatment ...
- Read this if:
- Learn more about:
- The Child Welfare Care Continuum
- Considerations for Future Planning
- New York
- Strategies
- Considerations
- Congregate Care in the Age of Family First Resources
- “Congregate Care in the Age of Family First: Trauma-Informed Care”
- Considerations for Future Planning
- Next Steps in Planning for Congregate Care
- Develop an Internal Implementation Team
- Convene a Stakeholder Group
- Examine the Data
- Explore Other States’ Approaches
- Create a Plan
- Conclusion
- Sample Qualified Residential Treatment Program Assessment
- State Examples
- Appendix B: Additional Resources
You are interested in learning more about steps states can take to ensure appropriate use of congregate care under the Family First Prevention Services Act (FFPSA).
Implementing FFPSA requirements Reducing congregate care usage Centering equity in implementation Exploring potential considerations and next steps for planning Assessing residential treatment programs Child welfare administrators, managers, and others working with children and youth in congregate care can use this brief to gain foundational infor...
Birth Families Targeted prevention programs & critical services to prevent removal Kinship Care Kinship Navigator, targeted prevention programs, & critical services Family Foster Care Community-based service array, including trauma treatment Theraputic Foster Care Trauma-informed treatment for complex health needs in a family-based setting Resident...
The following questions can help agencies apply FFPSA provisions on prevention of entry into care and think about the various ways that prevention services may impact congregate care usage: What type of data analysis is your state using to define candidacy for foster care? Has your state developed a profile of youth entering congregate care? Does t...
A public/private partnership between the New York Ofice of Children and Family Services and the Redlich Horwitz Foundation builds on results from county-based congregate care reduction projects. With funding from the Redlich Horwitz Foundation, several counties have successfully decreased congregate care use and improved access to safe and stable f...
Many successful state or local eforts to reduce congregate care have focused on family finding or other kin placement initiatives, as well as child-centered or targeted foster family recruitment. The most impactful approaches are those that find meaningful ways to engage youth and families in decision-making. Building efective and accessible suppor...
The following questions can help your agency apply the FFPSA’s provisions on family-based placements and reducing congregate care: Does your state engage in family finding or kin placement initiatives? Are youth involved in identifying family and fictive kin? How are families and youth involved in placement decisions? Does your state use targeted f...
Explore the Center’s companion publications for more information on authentic family engagement and trauma-informed care: “Congregate Care in the Age of Family First: Family Engagement”
youth should be approached and included as equal partners and drivers of decision-making. States have some flexibility in how they approach FFPSA congregate care provisions. A range of self-assessments and QRTP applications are being used by states to determine if congregate care programs meet QRTP requirements. A sample assessment and links to sta...
The following questions can help agencies apply the FFPSA’s congregate care provisions: What approach is your state considering for identifying Qualified Individuals? What type of functional assessments will be used? Are they valid and reliable instruments? Does the assessment process include gathering information from significant people in the chi...
Proactively and collaboratively planning for the appropriate use of congregate care will set the stage for success. Consider taking the steps listed below in moving forward with a collaborative and data-driven process.
When developing an internal implementation team to address changes to congregate care: Cultivate internal champions for team leaders and members Include members with direct service experience, as well as members with decision-making power across departments (e.g., human resources, IT, continuous quality improvement) Consider the need for external c...
While the implementation team identifies and implements internal approaches, successful changes to congregate care will require a cross-system, collaborative planning process. The internal team and the external stakeholder group should work together to identify and implement external reforms. When convening stakeholders: Consider critical stakehold...
In order to use data efectively in planning: Review disaggregated child welfare administrative data to understand risk factors for entry into child welfare, entry into foster care, and entry into congregate care; examine racial representation and disproportionality along the continuum Develop a profile of youth entering congregate care Survey commu...
Many states have begun successfully reducing congregate care. When beginning an exploration of successful strategies and lessons learned, give consideration to: Working with a Center for States capacity building team to understand successful approaches to congregate care reduction; visit the Child Welfare Capacity Building Collaborative Liaisons we...
When working collaboratively to develop an implementation plan: Use data analysis to determine gaps and resources, and determine where there are opportunities to build on successes and fill gaps Develop a collaborative plan with clear, measurable steps for implementation: consider the use of S.M.A.R.T. (Specific, Measurable, Assignable, Relevant, a...
An important goal of the FFPSA is to ensure each child and youth engaged with the child welfare system has a permanent connection to a safe, stable, and nurturing family. The FFPSA’s increased focus on prevention services is designed to keep children at home with their families and incentivize kinship care and family foster care when necessary. As ...
This sample assessment is intended to support state agency staf and residential treatment programs in planning and developing QRTPs that meet the requirements of the FFPSA. It uses information compiled from existing assessments and serves as an example but not oficial guidance. Each state and jurisdiction must determine which tool best meets their ...
Colorado QRTP Trauma-Informed Care Model Virginia QRTP Application Maine Qualified Residential Treatment Program (QRTP) Readiness Assessment Tool for Existing Residential Treatment Programs Kentucky Provider Readiness Assessment Survey
The following resources can help states as they work to build equitable child welfare systems and reduce disproportionality in congregate care. Child Welfare Information Gateway: Strategies for Reducing Inequity Achieving Race Equity: Child Welfare Policy Strategies to Improve Outcomes for Children of Color Center for the Study of Social Policy: “S...
Define Congregate Care. means a specialized program to serve participants with developmental disabilities whose health and medical conditions are stable and do not require continued nursing and medical care, and are served within a community group-living arrangement.
Aug 9, 2021 · Despite long-standing criticisms and the preference for less restrictive placement settings, congregate care remains an important component of the care continuum used to meet the complex behavioral and mental health needs of children and youth who cannot live at home (Dinges et al., 2008; Blau et al., 2014; Butler & McPherson, 2007; Whittaker et al., 2016).
Jul 24, 2020 · Congregate care, which occurs in Assisted Living, Family Care Homes and Secure Memory Care Facilities, comprises those who need assistance with Activities of Daily Living, medication ...
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Brief, therapeutic stays in congregate care facilities may be required to stabilize some children's and youth’s psychological, behavioral, or substance use treatment needs. The Family First Prevention Services Act of 2018 outlines requirements that nonfamily settings must meet to be designated as a qualified residential treatment program (QRTP).
