Shelter Services
Juvenile Emergency Shelter Care: Forest Ridge Shelter provides a safe, nurturing environment where youth can deal with the current crisis in their life. This unique setting provides an opportunity for children to be away from the stresses of their lives in an environment that is also free from external intrusion. The small unit size helps to reduce the stress of living with others and provide time for youth to look at their lives. While in shelter, youth have 24-hour staff supervision, year-round school, BHIS, and Therapy opportunities.
Upon admission, the child, the child’s family, placing worker, and the shelter case worker collaborate in a service planning conference to develop an individualized service plan. The service plan will address the immediate needs of the child, including but not limited to, family and community connections, physical and mental health, education, and reintegration planning.
The child, child’s family, placing worker, and case worker will work together to identify goals for the child and treatment team to strive for while placed in shelter. These goals are individualized interventions and support that focus on the child’s safety, permanence and well-being that directly address the reason a child was placed in shelter. Goals may reflect short-term needs to address while in care and those needed for a successful transition back to the family home or next living arrangement.
HOPEs Initiative
Forest Ridge has committed to participate in the HOPEs initiative. It is recommended that a HOPE (Helping Optimize Permanency Experiences) Team be utilized in the Western Service Delivery Area to assist with case management decisions for youth who currently have extensive shelter placement, or who are at risk of lengthy shelter placement due to the complexity of their needs.
The Hope Team is a core group of committed members from the Western Service Delivery Area challenged to bring solutions for youth who are experiencing barriers to exiting shelter placement in a timely manner. The team will meet monthly to discuss cases facing barriers to a more appropriate placement and work with the referring worker to identify if altering the current reintegration plan would benefit the child and shorten their length of stay at shelter. The Forest Ridge HOPE team consist of an Attorney, DHS Supervisor, Juvenile Court Officer, Chief of Police, Admissions Director, Juvenile Court Supervisor, Registered Nurse, and Clinical Director.
During business hours, call 712-362-5608 ext 114
24/7 On-Call: 712-209-6345