|
The following criteria should be used to determine if
Cunningham Children's Home is an appropriate residential
treatment center for a child or youth based on his/her
clinical history. Cunningham intake staff members will
complete an assessment prior to the youth being admitted,
which will include a thorough review of written materials
and interviews with referring agencies, the potential
client and his/her parent(s).
Danger to Self
- Children with a history of suicidal or self-injurious
behaviors who have not demonstrated the behavior recently
(within the past 30 days).
- Children with recent but not acute suicidal ideation
or gestures and/or children who have demonstrated
self-injurious behavior without suicidal ideation
or intent recently or are currently.
- Children who currently and actively demonstrate
suicidal ideation and intent. These children may be
in and out of psychiatric hospitals but are able to
return to a residential setting.*
Danger to Others
- Children with a history of aggressive behavior
or verbal aggression towards people and animals.
- Children who demonstrate an occasional or moderate
level of aggression towards others.
Elopement
- Children with no recent history of running away
but express thoughts about escaping the present living
situation or treatment; and may occasionally threaten
to run away or have a lifetime history of running
away, but not in the past year.
- Children who have run away from home or a treatment
setting at least one time within the past year, including
those children who have run away to a parental or
relative home in the past year.
- Children who have a recent history of running away
and have been gone overnight two or more times in
the past 30 days.*
Sexually Inappropriate Behavior
- Children who demonstrate a mild level of sexually
inappropriate behavior beyond what would be considered
developmentally usual and expected, such as inappropriate
sexual touching. In some cases that behavior could
be trauma reactive (e.g., a reenactment of their own
victimization).
- Children with a moderate level of sexually inappropriate
behavior, such as frequent and extensive mutually
consensual sexual activity with same age peers and/or
chronic public masturbation. Such behavior is problematic
but not abusive since it does not involve coercion
or exploitation of power.
Social Behavior
- Children with problematic behavior that includes
occasional inappropriate comments to strangers or
unusual behavior in social settings.
- Children with problematic social behavior, such
as cursing in public.
Crime and Delinquency
- Children with a history of criminal or delinquent
behavior and who may have recent (i.e. within past
30 days) status offenses.
- Children who have participated in criminal activity
within the last 30 days, such as committing crimes
such as vandalism and shoplifting.
- Children who demonstrate a serious level of criminal
or delinquent activity within the last 30 days, such
as car theft, residential burglary, gang involvement,
etc.*
Fire Setting
- Children with a history of setting fires over one
year ago.*
Additional Acceptance Criteria
Cunningham Children's Home also admits children and
youth with the following traits or diagnoses:
- IQ in the 55-70 range* or higher.
- Occasional need for assistance with daily living
activities such as communication, hygiene, self-care,
recreation.
- Special education needs, including aggression at
school*
- History of substance abuse that requires treatment
and impairs but does not completely preclude functioning
in an unstructured setting.*Moderate depression/anxiety
- Severe oppositional defiance disorder (ODD)
- Disturbance in thought process who meet the DSM-IV
diagnostic criteria for psychosis, but whose psychosis
is not extreme.
- Moderately frequent and severe dissociate episodes
associated with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder that
do not significantly impair daily functioning.
- Borderline Personality Disorder.
Moderate and occasional episodes consistent with Conduct
Disorder, such as as planned aggression.
- Children with chronic physical or medical problems.*
* Youth who fit into this category must be evaluated
further by Intake/Admissions staff and Residential/Clinical
staff to determine their appropriateness for Cunningham
Children's Home.
Return to residential intake/admissions page
|
