Referrals to Youth Shelter
«Home»This section discusses policies concerning who can be admitted to the Shelter program and procedures for how staff are to handle requests for admission. Also included in this section is information about how staff should handle requests for other kinds of help.
Policies and General Information
Re: Referrals for Admission
who is eligible for referral admission
Any youth between the ages of 8 and 17 who needs emergency shelter and who can function in an open setting is eligible for referral to the Youth Shelter. Youth may be self-, parent- or agency-placed. The shelter program does not accept youth who are actively suicidal or intoxicated, have an IQ below 70 or a threat to the welfare of others. Youth who are sex offenders, have expressed suicidal ideation, are chemically dependent or have a history of violence are carefully evaluated before a decision to admit is made.
Requests for admission are assessed by telephone or in person by the agency counselor, on-call staff, Care Coordinator, or the Residential Coordinator on duty. (Procedures are detailed below, under the Types of Referrals.) Youth can be admitted as soon as the assessment indicates that they are appropriate candidates for admission, with the following exceptions:
- Shelter resident population is at 15: The Shelter license restricts our capacity to 15. We must always have a bed for a runaway youth who is in danger. The Assistant Director must approve the admission of the 16th resident. However, RCs can admit to the 16th bed any youth brought in by the police if that resident will be released in a few hours to his/her parents.
- The Youth is a Recidivist: Admission is granted unless the previous case manager wrote specific recommendations or stipulations for any further intakes for that recidivist. If restrictions are recorded, the RC must contact the on-call counselor before the intake can occur.
- Some Youth Referred by Parents: Parental referrals are assessed to determine the urgency of the need for placement. Unless there appears to be an immediate threat to someone's physical safety or a timely interview cannot be scheduled, the family should meet with the agency counselor before a decision about admission is made.
- Youth At Risk of Hurting Themselves or Others: Youth who present a risk of harming themselves or others based upon information received during the brief services must be assessed by the on-call counselor. If it is determined that the youth is at imminent risk or hurting themselves or poses a threat to others, the Assistant Director must be contacted regarding placement approval/denial. This includes youth who have a history of sexual perpetration, who have a communicable disease, including head or body lice and those who are intoxicated at the time of intake.
- Youth with Developmental Challenges: Youth must have an IQ of 70 or above in order to successfully participate in the Shelter behavioral modification program. Admission for youth with questionable developmental challenges must be assessed by an on-call counselor and approved by the Assistant Director.
protocol for referring inquiries to shelter staff
When questions arise about the appropriateness of a Shelter placement or inquiries are made about other YSB services, calls should be referred to the administrative staff as follows:
- During regular office hours (Mon. – Friday, 9:00 am – 5:00 pm) – the designated Counselor of the Day.
- Weekends or After Hours Non-Emergency - The on-call counselor for questionable intakes. All other inquiries about other YSB services should be referred to Clinical Coordinator’s voicemail.
- Weekends or After Hours Emergency – The on-call counselor
- The Assistant Director acts as the back-up when a counselor or the Clinical Coordinator is unavailable.
waiting list for admissions to the shelter
When the Shelter has 15 residents, a waiting list will be maintained. The following are guidelines for admitting youth and maintaining a waiting list when we are near capacity:
- Only runaway or homeless youth or a youth in immediate physical danger will be admitted to the 16th bed.
- When the Shelter has 15 residents:
- Monroe County OFC, CPS or probation placements have first priority.
- Monroe County parental placements or self-referrals will be assessed according to immediacy of needs.
- Out-of-county parental placements will be exited first to make room for incoming placement EXCEPT when the child has no safe place to return upon discharge.
- Monroe County parental placements may be asked to exit according to the length of stay in the Shelter or immediacy of needs.
- Youth on the waiting list will be admitted to the Shelter in the following order:
- Runaway or homeless youth.
- Youth at significant risk of physical abuse.
- Monroe County agency placement requests
- Other Monroe County youth according to the date of their referral to the Shelter.
- Out-of-county referrals.
assessment interview
The staff member who handles a referral for admission should conduct an assessment interview. YSB refers to this interview as a Brief Service. In general, the RC is the direct care staff doing the Brief Service. The main purpose of this interview is to determine if the youth who is being referred is eligible for admission to the Shelter. The interview is also used to gather other pertinent information concerning the youth. The interview will usually be conducted on the telephone. The staff should gather the following information as part of the interview. The following information is covered on the brief service form:
- Youth's name and age.
- Who is asking for placement - youth, parent, or agency personnel? If agency, the name of the agency and the county or location of the agency.
- Who is the legal guardian?
- The presenting problem, addressing the frequency, urgency and history of the problem.
- Is youth a recidivist or current client of any of the agency's programs?
- Is or was the youth involved in the Juvenile Justice System - details regarding current or past charges?
- Is or was the youth engaging in violent behavior (including sexual misconduct) - details regarding the nature of the behavior, and the timeline for such behaviors.
- Is the youth currently engaging in suicidal behavior, such as expressing ideation or making attempts; does youth have a history of engaging in suicidal behavior? If so, the timeline for these behaviors.
- Youth's current or past drug and/or alcohol use, including timeline.
- During the school year, the youth's school status; is youth in regular or special education classes.
- Youth health condition and current medical needs, e.g. diabetic, pregnant, etc. Also included in this information would be medication that the youth is taking.
- Has youth been in any other out of home placements. If yes, when and where.
- Depending on the information gathered, the staff may also want to gather information concerning the youth's family dynamics, or other area relevant to assessing youth's appropriateness for placement in the Shelter.
- If staff will need to consult with the On-Call before allowing the request for admission, a phone number should be taken to allow for prompt reply to the inquiring person.
types of referrals
Although inquiries about admissions can originate from many sources, including school personnel, mental health counselors, family friends or relatives, etc., actual referrals fit into one of the following four categories.
Self and Safe Place Referrals
The first step with a self-referral (by telephone or in person) is to assess the reason admission is being requested and the urgency of the situation. The urgency of the situation, including where a youth is calling from, will dictate how much of this assessment can be completed by phone and how much should be delayed until the youth arrives at the Shelter. If a youth needs transportation to the Shelter, staff can direct the youth to a Safe Place. For more detailed information refer to Safe Place Manual in the shelter office.
As early as is feasible, youth need to be made aware that parents/guardians must be notified that they are at the Shelter and that they must give their consent for the youth to remain in the Shelter, unless the youth is reporting physical abuse or neglect. It is best not to discuss this until some initial rapport with the youth is established and sometimes not until the youth is at the Shelter. When a youth appears frightened to have parents know his/her whereabouts, alleges parents will physically abuse him/her, or seems likely to run away to avoid parents or an anticipated return home, the youth should be informed that he/she can discuss the situation with the on-call Counselor or Child Protective Services staff. Child Protective Services has the legal responsibility to determine when it is unsafe for a child to be in the home and can take measures to protect him/her. Sometimes, the youth will be willing to first have Shelter staff call the parents and determine their willingness to let the youth remain in the Shelter until the Shelter Counselor or CPS can explore the situation with the family. (All Shelter staff members are legally required to report on-going or recent abuse to CPS. If a resident reports abuse to the RS, the RS should inform the RC on duty so a report can be filed. If questionable, the RC should consult with the On-Call about when to do that. Additional detailed information can be gathered after the admission process is completed.)
When parents are notified of their child's arrival at the Shelter, they may need to discuss the situation at some length to decide what to do and to address worries or fears they have. If the RC is busy or feels someone with more counseling skills is needed, the Counselor of the day or On-Call Counselor should be asked to assist.
Agency policy is that parents will always be notified of the youth's admission within 24 hours. Usually, these calls are made well before 24 hours have elapsed. Further guidelines about when parents should be contacted regarding self-referrals can be found in the Safe Place manual.
Parental Referrals and Placements
With parent referrals, the first task is to determine why the parent is seeking Youth Shelter Services for their child. Knowing this facilitates evaluating whether we can admit the youth and whether the shelter is an appropriate placement for the problem at hand. Parents may have erroneous ideas that the Shelter is intended for punishment, or is a secure, long-term facility. It may be necessary for YSB staff to explain that Shelter placement is not intended as punishment but an opportunity for therapeutic intervention that necessitates parental involvement in the process.
When the situation is so tense or dangerous that an immediate admission is agreed to, it is not uncommon for parents and/or child to state that they cannot deal with a counseling session immediately. With all parent-referred placements, before the child is admitted it is necessary for parents to agree that they will participate in counseling and allow their child to receive mental health counseling. Their agreement is signified by their signature on the placement agreement form. If they are already in counseling, they need only to agree that our Counselor can talk with their counselor. If they are not already in counseling, the RC informs them that they must telephone the agency during working hours to make an appointment with an assigned case manager/counselor within 72 hours. If the parents do not feel they can handle or be available for a counseling session within several days or they refused to sign the agreement for their child to receive mental health counseling, the On-Call should be consulted before a decision to admit the child is made.
«Back To Top»Agency Placements
If the resident is a ward of the Office of Family and Children, (OFC) a representative of that agency acts as the legal guardian and must sign all admission forms, including the “runaway forms”, the Authorization for Emergency Medical Care form and Release of Information form.
If the resident is court-ordered or authorized for placement in the Shelter by a probation officer, most of the admission forms are signed by the parent or guardian. The probation officer must sign an Agency Placement Agreement. In a few cases, the child may be a ward of the court and a probation officer would then sign all of the forms. With all court ordered admissions, we must have a copy of the court order at admission or as soon as possible. It is sometimes necessary for YSB to obtain a copy of a transport order or standing order for detention placement as soon as possible.
Probation officers and child protection service workers have the legal authority to detain a child in emergency shelter facilities for 72 hours pending a detention hearing before a judge.
There is a statement regarding payment in the Placement Agreement that applies to all agency placements. An agency representative is required to sign this form. Per diems are $120.00 for in county agency placements and $140.00 for out of county agency placements.
When residents are transported to the Shelter by a sheriff's deputy or other transportation person without authority to sign the Admission forms, it should be determined before admission how and when those forms are to be signed and that information given to the admitting RC.
Because priority is given to Monroe County residents and runaway or homeless self-referrals the Placement Agreement states that out of county agencies will remove their residents within 48 hours when they are notified that space is no longer available. Out of county agency staff referring youth to the Shelter should be made aware of this policy.
Although some referrals are alluded to as police pick-ups, the police themselves cannot arrange for a youth to be placed in the Shelter. If the police want to place a youth at the Shelter, they must contact the probation office, who will decide whether to seek and/or authorize placement, unless the resident is going to be a SAFE PLACE referral.
Police Referrals / Police Holdovers
Usually, youth brought in by the police and who are awaiting discharge to their parents/guardians have been arrested for minor offenses, such as shoplifting. Unless the youth expresses reservations about going home or the parent requests longer term placement, the youth is simply released to parents on their request. There is potential for county reimbursement for Monroe County police hold-overs through the probation department. In order to accurately track the time of intake and exit for police hold-overs, the RC should use a blank timecard and punch in the time of entry and exit.
«Back To Top»Referrals to Community Services
An important part of agency services is to inform clients of other sources of help in the community and to make referrals to those sources. Information for the RCs regarding referral sources includes a list of phone numbers at the back of the Shelter Log and the Iris manual. When staff make a referral they should complete a Brief Service form just as they would for an intake.
- The staff person making the referral should complete the form including any referrals to other agencies that are made.
- The Brief Service should be noted in the shift report and Log and the original form kept in the Brief Service Log.
- All Brief Service forms are kept on record and used by the Assistant Director to tabulate statistical reports.
- In the event that YSB services are not offered due to a Turn-Down decision by the Assistant Director, the on-call counselor should offer referrals to more appropriate services to the inquiring person and facilitate placement if needed.
Brief Service Contacts
The agency receives inquiries from youth experiencing problems and from persons interested in those youth concerning:
- services provided by the agency
- other community sources of help
- help for an immediate crisis.
Inquiries may be by telephone or in person. Upon all inquiries, a Brief Service form is completed. Depending on the kinds of help the individual making contact is asking for, staff can offer YSB services, if appropriate, or refer the inquiring person to the Counselor of the Day or on-call counselor for further referrals.
Completed and blank forms are located in the Brief Service Log in the RC office. Extra blank copies are kept in the RC office file cabinet. If additional service is given by the agency and a case file therefore opened, the completed form is placed in the case file. All Brief Services are logged in the (shift report) Log and a hard copy of the Brief Service Form is kept in the Brief Service Log
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