My live-In treatment experience working with vulnerable youth and their families

Abstract

This final report presents findings and analysis from my practicum experience at a twenty-four-hour treatment home concerning identifying best practices informed by a literature review, implementing a family-centred and collaborative approach, and applying an anti-carceral framework. The literature review examines the existing literature on twenty-four-hour treatment homes to identify evidence-based practices and strategies for effective intervention. The practicum description outlines my roles and responsibilities in the setting of a treatment home; these responsibilities include the integration of family-centred and collaborative approaches to service delivery. An anti-carceral framework is applied, prioritizing alternatives to punitive approaches and how the application addresses systemic problems. Critical analysis and reflection of this practicum is applied to consider the challenges and opportunities encountered in an anti-carceral framework implementation within a treatment home setting. Further, the impacts of adopting a family-centred and collaborative approach to client outcomes and staff dynamics are explored. This paper contributes to the ever-continuing discussions of best practices in residential treatment settings, providing insights and recommendations for improving and sustaining services offered to vulnerable populations.