NCJ Number
240259
Journal
Alaska Justice Forum Volume: 29 Issue: 2 Dated: Summer 2012 Pages: 2-8
Date Published
2012
Length
7 pages
Annotation
This article reviews the history of Alaska's Bring the Kids Home (BTKH) Initiative and describes the program's response to the increase in out-of-State residential psychiatric treatment center placements, along with current strategies and goals for addressing remaining challenges.
Abstract
For a long time, children and youth in Alaska with severe emotional disturbances (SED) and challenging behaviors had few in-State options for treatment. They were most often sent to a residential psychiatric treatment facility (RPTC) outside of Alaska. The situation improved significantly with the advent of the Alaska Youth Initiative (AYI) in the 1980s and the creation of more community-based services in the State. By the late 1990s, however, the number of children sent out of State for treatment was increasing due to a variety of circumstances. The BTKH was launched in 2004 to address these circumstances while developing a more cohesive system of in-State services. Services improved under BTKH I leadership, and the number of children sent out of the State for treatment declined significantly. BTKH's goal was to develop and use community-based services so that children could remain in their homes, or as close to their own homes as possible. The program was a success, and the number of residential placements both in-State and out-of-State declined from 965 in fiscal year 2004 to 605 in fiscal year 2010, only to begin increasing again in late 2010. BTKH's emphasis shifted to developing services for families of these children, not just the individual child. In fiscal years 2012-2014, family services will be a major focus of the BTKH. This article outlines seven components of this strategy, and funding for this effort is discussed. 4 tables, 4 figures, and a listing of 7 resources