Family keys runaway support program

One of such programs is the Family Keys Runaway Support Program. This paper discusses the support services offered by this program, the goals, and functions of the services, ways of improving the runaway support services, and the ideal methodology for collecting data on the runaway population for Family Keys Services. Family Keys Runaway Support Services The Family Keys’ services are targeted to families who have filed the Person in Need of Support (PINS) petition. In this context, the Runaway Support Services provides immediate support and assistance to families while their teen is reportedly missing in conjunction with the youth’s assigned Erie Country Family Services Team (FST) Probation Officer. The program provides this service only at the request of the teen’s parent or guardian through the PINS petition.

During this period, the caseworker works to establish a relationship with the teen and evaluate their concerns. Furthermore, the caseworker also ensures that necessary services including community resource are available to the teen as needed. In case the teen is placed on short-term evaluation, the caseworker closely works the placement agency to facilitate meaningful involvement of the family and ensure the teen goes back to the community as soon as possible in good physical and psychological position. The caseworker continues to work with the teen and family on a long-term integration plan including needed services and support. Goals and Functions of the Family Keys Runaway Services The primary goal of the Family Keys Runaway Services is to reduce the number of runaway teens in the streets and those placed in the out-of-home care facilities.

The function of an assigned caseworker and a clinical staff in a runaway case under the Family Keys program is to mediate the dispute and de-escalate the crisis. In collaboration with the family members, these assigned Family Keys’ members establish a family agreement to articulate the desired changes in family interaction and establish the expected behavior. The program also avails a Family Support Caseworker to provide emotional support, conduct the assessment process, provide skill building for addressing the issues that caused the crisis, and to follow up to ensure that the family agreement is successfully implemented. Through this function, the Family Keys program empowers families to address their needs and assess services. Improving the Runaway Support Services The Family Keys organization faces a major challenge in developing a preventative measure to prevent teens from running away.

For instance, it should encourage the teens to talk to the Family Keys’ representatives or guidance counselor. Furthermore, the organization should ensure that the family of the runaway teen has contact information for community agencies that assist runway teens and their families such as the housing support services and the mental health and family service centers. The organization will be more successful if it establishes trust in preparing the runaway teen to move to its program. The organization should understand that runaway teens and their families are often in a period of transition; hence, there is need to spend more one-on-one time with them to establish trust (Mogulescu & Caro, 2011). The runaway support services can also be improved by increasing the resources available to the runaway teens and their parents.

The type of information that could be collected in such research include the whereabouts of the teenager, the time spent away from home, the means of survival, the reasons for running away from home, the experiences away from home, and the teens’ expectations of a good family environment. Such type of data is usually not amenable to measuring or counting; hence, it is better collected using a qualitative methodology. Furthermore, in collecting data on the runaway population, the qualitative methodology would be extremely useful because the issue of runaway among youths is too complex to be summarized by simple yes or no answers or hypothesis. As such, the qualitative methodology would yield richer and more insightful data that reveals underlying reasons and patterns within the issue of runaway among youths (Creswell & Creswell, 2017).