Core Services to Family Programs

Family Preservation Services are standardized and available on a statewide basis for families who have children and youth at imminent risk of being placed into the foster care system. Mesa County Department of Human Services provides the six Basic FPP Services, and has contracted with St. Mary's Hospital and Colorado West Mental Health to provide other specialized services required by the state.

All Family Preservation Program services have two primary goals

1. to prevent children from being placed in residential care settings, or
2. to provide for reunification of the child with their family in the event placement out of the home was necessary.

The six Basic Family Preservation Services provided directly by Mesa County Department of Human Services at one of their sites in the community are

1. Intensive Family Therapy: This is a  therapeutic intervention utilizing a qualified therapist, meeting with a family for an average of two hours per week. Treatment is focused on improving family communications and relationships. The family capacity to resolve conflict within the family system while addressing issues contributing to child maltreatment and risk of out of home placement, are dealt with directly.
2. Home Based Services: This service is designed to work with the strengths of a family. The program works with families in crisis to produce positive changes necessary to protect children and preserve the family structure. The services may include learning new parenting skills, problem solving, support groups, conflict management, and teaching families to use other community resources.
3. Sexual Abuse Therapy: This service is provided to children who have been victims of sexual abuse, or are identified as perpetrators of sexual abuse, to prevent further victimization. The services may be provided through a variety of modalities including family, group, or individual therapy.
4. Adolescent Day Treatment: A comprehensive highly structured setting where therapy and educational services are provided to middle school age youth for five hours per day. There must be documented inability of the child to attend public school, and the level of risk to the child must be manageable. The educational services are provided by Mesa County School District 51,   therapeutic services are provided by the Department.
5. Life Skills: These services focus on teaching daily living skills and are designed to assist the clients in achieving the goals of their treatment plan. Services may include improving household management, improving parenting competency, accessing community services, and basic problem solving.
6. Family Visitation and Support: This is a program designed for Mesa County to serve families where children have been removed from parental care and placed out of the home due to physical/sexual abuse or severe neglect. In instances of considerable risk to the child, visits between the parents and child are supervised. The staff assure safety for the child while working with parents to improve the interactions and parent's ability to meet the basic care and safety needs of the child. The goal is to increase visitation and eventually reunite the family.