Devereux Advanced Behavioral Health Massachusetts & Rhode Island
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Devereux National

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Follow Along/After Care Services

Devereux provides intensive home-based family interventions and supports to youth and families in Massachusetts in preparation for their return to their home or community. These services can begin 30 days prior to discharge, and continue for three months after discharge, to ensure a successful transition into the community.

Goals

Follow-along/after-care services are designed to:

  • Support families in caring for their children at home through intensive training, skill-building and family therapy
  • Assist in identifying community-based services and recreational activities
  • Help with transitioning individual and group treatment to community providers
  • Assist in communicating and advocating with schools
  • Ensure that discharge planning and recommendations are carried out
  • Offer respite care and crisis services if needed

Services

While the child is still living in the residential or group home, intensive home-based treatment will take place during homes visits (one to three sessions per week). Follow-along services, which begin with preparing the child for the transition, address any barriers to reunification, and help translate what worked well in the residential or group home program to what will work well in the community.
After the child has moved home, services continue with home visits by our professional staff for up to three months.

  • Initially, four visits per week can be scheduled, and then gradually, the number of visits will decrease over time.
  • Access to groups and activities in the residential or group home program may continue during this time (DBT, PAYA, skills groups).
  • Collaboration with school districts and school personnel will focus on highlighting the student’s strengths and creating behavior and incentive plans. Devereux staff also may attend individualized education plan meetings.
  • Parent training, psycho-education and solution-based family therapy will continue.
  • Individualized safety plans are developed, based on the needs of the youth and family.
  • Assistance with coordination of, and transportation to and from, appointments will be provided.
  • At discharge, the Child and Adolescent Needs and Strengths Assessment (CANS) will be completed.

24/7 Professional Support

Devereux’s professional staff in Massachusetts are available for assistance 24/7 during the follow-along service period. The professional team consists of:

  • An experienced, master’s level clinician
  • A bachelor’s level direct care staff

Continuity of Care

Follow-along planning begins at the onset of placement. In order to ensure continuity of care, the follow-along team is integrated into the residential and/or group home services, and is familiar with the youth and family. This team will continue to work with the youth and family in their transition back into the community.