Gepubliceerd in:
01-08-2007 | Editorial
Is Residential Treatment Misunderstood?
Auteurs:
Linda S. Butler, Peter M. McPherson
Gepubliceerd in:
Journal of Child and Family Studies
|
Uitgave 4/2007
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Excerpt
Residential treatment is suffering greatly from a misperception of definition. For those outside of the field, it is still widely perceived as an antiquated provision of care that does little more than warehouse children. For those working in the field, there is a lack of consensus about what constitutes residential treatment. Efficacy literature is hindered not only by the difficulties inherent in performing intervention studies, but particularly by the lack of a clear definition of subtypes of residential treatment and what they provide. Most unfortunate, however, is that these misperceptions allow for the idiosyncratic use of the term, residential treatment, and the personal assessment of its effectiveness. This has resulted in national and state funding reductions for a provision of care that is absolutely necessary in the continuum of services for individuals with behavioral and mental health challenges. Recognition of a more specific definition of residential treatment would provide a basis for systematic research and increase residential treatment's viability and effectiveness. This would allow for an improvement in residential treatment's reputation, and subsequently reduce ill-informed funding and policy decisions that now limit access to a much needed service for many children and families. …