During the evaluation phase of admissions, the treatment team makes recommendations regarding the most appropriate course of treatment and care to referring agencies and for the development of the treatment plan. The D&E unit has the capacity for (11) clients. When children are admitted to this level of care, they are in need of 24 hour residential services, supervision, and must have a battery of tests and assessments to determine the most appropriate level of care.
Children are assigned to the D&E program for a period of thirty to forty-five days. During this time, the following evaluative techniques are employed:
- A home evaluation and interview with the child’s parent or guardian
- An interview with the child
- A psychiatric evaluation
- A psychological evaluation
- An educational evaluation
- A medical summary
- A behavioral adjustment summary
- A drug and alcohol evaluation (if needed)
- An inappropriate sexual behavior or sexual offender evaluation (if needed)
- Other assessments may be completed as needed, such as: self esteem and suicide inventories
Following the completion of the above evaluations, the D&E Treatment Team makes a recommendation as to the appropriate level of care for the child based on the compiled information. This recommendation is shared with the child, agency, and family at a Planning Conference conducted at St. Michael’s School. The recommendation can be one of three alternatives: for the child to remain in an appropriate program at St. Michael’s, for the child to be transferred to another facility, or for the child to be returned to his home or community environment with appropriate resources.