What is the Assessment Homes pilot?

• Assessment Foster Homes are homes that have been designated by their region to provide short term (maximum of 30 days) supervision and support to children who may require an additional period of observation and assessment to effectively determine the most appropriate service level and placement setting to meet their needs while in DCS custody.
• Children and youth who enter custody for the first time with no history and minimal information, and children and youth who have had several foster home placements without a good understanding as to why the placements are not working out are excellent candidates for the program.
• After 30 days, children will move to a more permanent placement with the support of coaching from Harmony staff for the first six months or a collaborative handoff of the identified needs and recommendations to a higher level of care.

What does the pilot include?

• Placement staff from each DCS region provide the referrals to Harmony staff.
• Harmony staff then complete an NMT assessment and recommendations within the first two weeks of placement in an Assessment Foster Home. Harmony staff can assist with the CANS assessment if needed and provide an alcohol and drug assessment when needed.
  • The goal of these additional assessments includes providing a more comprehensive picture of the child’s behavioral, relational, and mental health needs will allow for better placement matches and hopefully, decrease the number of moves for children served through the pilot.
  • Providing practical interventions that can be carried out by foster parents, community members, school staff, etc. can begin to meet the child’s needs for healing without the wait time and logistics of multiple services being set up. Although, individual and family therapy are still often recommended as a support.
  • Coaching support will increase the likelihood of interventions being implemented throughout the pilot program. Coaching support can continue for up to 6 months after the child enters the pilot.

If you have questions regarding the Assessment Homes pilot program, please contact Rebecca Lehmicke at rebecca@harmonyfamilycenter.org.