Achievement Place - The Teaching-Family Treatment Model in a Group Home Setting

• NCJ Number: 78276
• Author(s): J L Levitt; T M Young; D M Pappenfort
• Date Published: 1981
• Length: 62 pages
• Grant Number(s): 77-JN-99-0002
• Sponsoring Agency: US Securities and Exchange Cmssn
• Corporate Author: University of Chicago
• Sale Source: National Institute of Justice/
• Publication Type: Program/Project Evaluation
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: Reports of the National Juvenile Justice Assessment Centers.

Annotation

This report describes the teaching family model used at Achievement Place, a community-based group home for juvenile offenders in Lawrence, Kans., and summarizes program evaluations which focused on direct effects of treatment, longer range outcomes, and costs.

Abstract

The teaching family model was originally developed at the University of Kansas in 1968 to teach juveniles appropriate social behaviors in a family-like setting. An overview summarizes the characteristics of the boys who first entered Achievement Place and discusses preliminary assessments. Major components of the model include a complex token economy which awarded or deducted points for all behaviors, a social reinforcement system, and self-government. The responsibilities of and training for the professional staff, called the teaching parents, are detailed. Following an explanation of the ABAB reversal design that has been used frequently to evaluate Achievement Place, the report reviews studies which assessed the treatment effects. Principal concerns were the use of treatment tools such as the point system in other settings and whether changed behavior endured when reinforcements were not present. The studies that examined juveniles' performance in the community after completing the Achievement Place program are presented. Outcome measures have included institutionalization, police and court contacts, and school performance. Comparisons of the costs for Achievement Place for 1969 and 1971 with estimates of costs for institutions have shown that the teaching family model was less expensive to establish and maintain. While Achievement Place and its replications have changed many behaviors of youths living at the group homes, additional evaluations on this intervention method are needed. Suggested research topics include the impact of the program on different types of juveniles, its place in the juvenile justice system, and any unexpected or unfavorable effects. Footnotes, figures, tables, and a bibliography of approximately 150 references are provided.