PROGRAMS & SERVICES
Abbott House operates two facilities: a residential treatment facility and a foster home. A former school building was renovated in 1991 and serves as the residential treatment facility. Forty-four girls receive care and treatment in three living units. This main building meets the needs of the current population, but lacks the space to provide offices for additional clinical staff or future community-based services. The girls live in small groups of six to eight. Girls are divided into living groups by age: nine to twelve-year olds, thirteen to fifteen-year olds, sixteen and seventeen-year-olds. Girls typically spend nine to twelve months at Abbott House.
Since 2002, Abbott House has operated a foster home for nine young women in a house adjacent to the main building. These girls no longer require residential psychiatric treatment but lack the skills necessary to live independently. A salaried couple serves as the parental figures for six foster children. Many of the girls are former residents of Abbott House but are considered difficult to place in regular foster homes because of age or behavioral problems. This house provides a transitional experience before the girls move into adulthood. Each resident of the foster home has her own bedroom, attends school and holds a summer job. Abbott House sees this home as an investment toward independence and personal responsibility.
Abbott House operates under the Living and Learning Model. Teaching is the primary focus of the program. This Model demonstrates the principle that new behaviors can be learned to replace old behaviors. Teaching occurs within clearly defined teaching interactions that emphasize observable and measurable actions. The program is implemented based on:
- Structured positive reinforcement by verbal praise and practice rewards
- Continuous reinforcement following a desired behavior
- Shaping basic skills and then combining skills with successive desired skills
- Generalizing of skills learned to similar situations in the community
- Discrimination of skills from one circumstance to another
The overriding benefit of this approach is that (1) There is absolutely no punishment associated with this model, and (2) It is clearly measurable and sustainable.
Abbott House’s Living and Learning Model has two focuses: Process Feelings group and Interaction Motivation. The Process Feelings group models effective communication techniques. The Interaction Motivation program is comprised of over 160 different social skills and stresses a cost-response approach to help youth learn new behaviors.
While at Abbott House girls attend an on-campus school. Each girl has an Individual Education Plan developed, which results in individualized curriculum based upon their needs in areas of grade placement, skill level, and behavioral goals. The educational program makes adaptations to address the individual circumstances of each girl. The teaching staff closely monitors and evaluates each student’s performance and testing is used to assure that the girl’s achievement level is increasing. This unique school is in session 250 days each year, thereby extending the opportunities for learning and increasing the chances of successful academic performance after the girls leave. If a girl has progressed far enough in her treatment program, she may have the opportunity to attend school off-campus at one of Mitchell’s schools.
Girls at Abbott House receive regular psychological evaluations; have access to psychiatric services, group and family therapy, and therapeutic services. Therapeutic groups and outside counselors are used to support the treatment. Girls also receive a full range of medical services.
All youth participate in volunteer community service and local resources are used for many recreational activities. In the past the girls have visited residents in a local nursing home, helped at the Salvation Army, and delivered Meals on Wheels. At higher levels of performance, some residents hold jobs in the community and others attend public schools off grounds.
The therapeutic services that Abbott House offers are varied and cater to individual needs:
- Sexual Abuse Group for girls who have experienced intra-familial or extra-familial sexual abuse
- Mood Management Group for girls that experience depression as a persistent problem in their lives
- Anger Control Training that helps girls identify emotional triggers and teaches strategies for anger management.
- Children of Alcoholics groups focus on the experience of a child in an alcoholic home and the role that they themselves play in alcoholism.
- Intensive Chemical Dependency Treatment provides the girl that is diagnosed with a substance abuse problem with treatment for her recovery.
Once a girl turns eighteen, she is no longer able to access the services that Abbott House provides. To support the work currently being done in the foster home and to ease the girls’ transition to adulthood, Abbott House is looking to provide transitional independent living services for youth between the ages of 18 to 21.
DEMAND FOR SERVICES
Since 1973, Abbott House has served more that 5,000 female youth and adolescents.
Abbott House has experienced a growth in demand for services. Since 2001:
- Referrals have increased by nearly 25 percent.
- The number of youth served has increased more than 80 percent.
- The number of Native American youth served has increased nearly 80 percent, representing expansion of services to a new constituency.
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In 2004, approximately 872,000 children were to be victims of child abuse or neglect, which equals a maltreatment rate of 11.9 per 1,000 children (Child Maltreatment 2004; National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System).
According to the Child Welfare League of America (CWLA), abuse and neglect of children is on the rise in South Dakota:
- In 2003, 4,338 children were substantiated or indicated as abused or neglected in South Dakota, a rate of 22.2 per 1,000 children. This compares to a national rate of 12.4 per 1,000 children in 2003.
- In 2002, 3,7980 children were substantiated or indicated as abused or neglected in South Dakota, a rate of 20.2 per 1,000 children.
The number of children living in out-of-home care is also on the rise. The CWLA also reports the following:
- On September 30, 2003, 1,580 children in South Dakota lived apart from their families in out-of-home care, compared with 1,396 children on September 30, 2002.
- In 2003, the median length of stay in out-of-home care was 12.6 months.
- Of the 1,580 children in out-of-home care on September 30, 2003, 79 children (5 percent) were living with relatives while in care, and 221 or 14 percent were waiting to be adopted.
Abbott House’s ability to meet these needs is reported by trends in program data from 2001 to 2004:
- A strong need for services provided by Abbott House is underscored by an increase of 19 percent in referrals over the four year period.
- The state’s efforts to minimize the length of time youth spend in residential care is reflected in the decrease in the average amount of time youth spend in residential care.
- An increase of 44 percent in the number of Native American youth served during this period indicates successful marketing to this audience. It also indicates that Abbott House is a trusted placement in the eyes of the Native American social services offices.
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