NCJ Number
35047
Date Published
1976
Length
23 pages
Annotation
THIS BOOKLET PROVIDES AN OVERVIEW OF THE PROCEDURES AND RESULTS OF A FOLLOW UP EVALUATION OF TWO BOSTON PROGRAMS FOR RUNAWAY YOUTHS - PROJECT PLACE AND BRIDGE OVER TROUBLED WATERS.
Abstract
THESE TWO PROGRAMS AGREED IN 1974 TO JOINTLY PARTICIPATE IN A NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF MENTAL HEALTH DEMONSTRATION PROJECT. THE FOLLOW-UP STUDY WAS CONDUCTED IN TWO MAJOR PHASES: A STUDY OF THE TYPE (AND FREQUENCY) OF CONTACTS BETWEEN FORMER PARTICIPANTS IN THE 'BRIDGE' AND 'PLACE' PROGRAMS AND THE STAFF OF THOSE RESPECTIVE PROJECTS, AND FOLLOW-UP INTERVIEWS WITH FORMER PARTICIPANTS TO DETERMINE THEIR EVALUATIONS OF THE PROGRAMS. THE ANALYSIS OF CONTACTS SHOWED THAT OF THE RUNAWAYS STUDIED, MORE THAN HALF HAD PERSONAL MEETINGS WITH COUNSELORS AFTER THEIR TERMINATION FROM THE PROJECTS. SEVERAL HAD ONGOING CONTACTS. FINALLY, IT WAS FOUND THAT IN NEARLY ONE-HALF THE CASES WHERE POST-PROGRAM CONTACTS WERE MADE, THE YOUTHS WERE THE ONES WHO PROMOTED THE CONVERSATION. FOLLOW-UP TELEPHONE INTERVIEWS WERE CONDUCTED WITH 85 FORMER PARTICIPANTS. IT WAS FOUND THAT A MAJORITY OF THE YOUTHS SURVEYED FOUND THE PROGRAMS HELPFUL, WOULD CONTACT THE PROGRAMS AGAIN IF THEY NEEDED HELP, AND WOULD RECOMMEND THE PROJECTS TO A FRIEND. COMMENTS ON THE GOOD AND BAD FEATURES OF EACH PROGRAM WERE SOLICITED, AND ARE REPRINTED IN THIS BOOKLET. IN GENERAL, YOUTHS' RATINGS OF THE PROGRAMS WERE EXTREMELY HIGH. IT WAS NOTED THAT WHILE APPROXIMATELY 30 PERCENT OF THE PROGRAM PARTICIPANTS SAMPLED WERE FOUND TO HAVE RUN AWAY AGAIN, 43 PERCENT OF THE SAMPLE HAD REMAINED IN THEIR HOME OR FOSTER HOME PLACEMENT.