Monroe County program works to preserve families
Guest column to The Herald-Times
May 6, 2006
This guest column was submitted by Brier Frasier, Monroe County Family Preservation Program coordinator.
Submitted by Linda Brady, District 7

For many years, Monroe County has strained to meet the rising costs of out-of-home placements for children referred by the court.

It has been a shared goal of county officials and taxpayers to reduce these placement costs while continuing to provide the necessary services to our local children. Aside from cost, it has long been a common desire of families, service providers, educators and government representatives to keep our children in our community with their families whenever possible.

In 1993, the Monroe Circuit Court Probation Department and the Monroe County Office of Family and Children began an innovative collaboration to achieve these shared aspirations. The Office of Family and Children (recently renamed Department of Child Services) entered into a contract with the Probation Department to institute a Family Preservation Program, to be operated through the Juvenile Division of the Probation Department. Juveniles who are facing delinquency charges who the judge refers to the program are eligible for family preservation services. Participation in the program is ordered by the court as part of the disposition in the juvenile delinquency case. Family preservation officers provide home-based services to the family and assume the supervision of the child's terms of probation.

The Family Preservation Program serves families of juveniles who are at imminent risk for out-of-home placement. This population includes: 1) juveniles who are court-ordered into out-of-home placement; 2) juveniles who are returning home from placement; and 3) juveniles who are placed in the program to avoid placement. Family preservation officers have limited caseload sizes (maximum of 12 children). The officers provide intensive home-based services which are determined by the family's needs. These services routinely include: parenting skills instruction; anger management; substance abuse and mental health assessment and referral to treatment; financial management; and safety planning. In addition to providing services to the juvenile (delinquent), early intervention and prevention services are also targeted toward younger siblings who may otherwise also be at risk for placement in the future. Additionally, when placement is needed for specialized treatment, the Family Preservation Program provides transitional services to the family to help prepare for a successful reunification with the child, often shortening the length of the placement. In such cases, the child's treatment progress is reinforced by a family environment which has changed in ways that correspond with the changes made by the child.

The original 1993 contract funded one family preservation officer. The Family Preservation Program has proved so successful in terms of saving taxpayers' money as well as providing a successful alternative to out-of-home placement that the contract has expanded in scope. The probation department now has four family preservation probation officers.

The probation department is proud to be part of such innovative programming. The local community values the efforts as well. A few highlights of the program:

• During 2004, Monroe County spent about $180,000 to fund the Family Preservation Program while the program provided a potential net savings in per diem costs of $1,045,000 to the county's taxpayers.
• The Family Preservation Program completed its 12th year of operation in 2005. In these 12 years of operation, it is estimated that the county has realized a net savings in placement per diem costs of over $7 million.
The success of the program does not begin and end with money. The positive effect the program has had on troubled youth and their families over the years cannot be measured in terms of dollars and cents.
The program will continue to expand. In 2005, the Monroe Circuit Court judges began to utilize the Family Preservation Program to provide services to children who are not involved in delinquency court, rather who are identified as being at imminent risk for placement under other types of cases such as divorce, CHINS and paternity.

For more about the program, go to www.co.monroe.in.us/probation.

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