Children & Adolescent Services
Skills Children and Adolescent Services provide safety, protection, and support in community homes for children and adolescents requiring protective custody from Children and Youth Services and Juvenile Probation. This step-up, step-down program provides support to help the child and, if applicable, the family to achieve his or her goal (e.g., return home, preparation for adoption, last chance before referring to a residential treatment facility).
The supportive environment in the home provides security and permanency that promotes child and family well-being. Skills provides structured daily activities for the children. This program incorporates an independent living component for adolescents to provide the basic living skills needed to achieve and maintain independence.
Homework tutoring for adolescentsService Planning
Skills has earned a reputation for the support services provided, including supports for individuals with complex needs. Skills works with the child and a multidisciplinary support team to develop an individual service plan (ISP).The ISP identifies the child’s goals and objectives and provides a road map to permanency. It also identifies the support services which may be offered to help with the reunification of the family.
Home Life
Skills believes every child should recognize unconditional acceptance and live with reasonable, consistent structure. Skills services deliver this acceptance and structure to help each child learn effective social, behavioral, and independent living skills. The children are engaged in activities in their schools and community to include individual and group activities, such as homework and leisure and recreation.
Children engaged in their communityEach home has vehicles available to drive the children to and from school, appointments, and recreational activities.
Length of Placement
The children reside in our homes, on average of six to twelve months. The children live and receive services in the community home for varying lengths of time depending on their needs, including short-term respite stays.
Skills Child Care Team
Skills child care team in each home has significant experience working with children and adolescents. Preference is given to mature candidates with a bachelor’s degree and a minimum of one year experience working with children. The homes have a staff ratio of 1:3. Additional staff is available as necessary depending on the individual needs of each child at any given time.
Staff is trained in each of the prerequisite training areas identified by the Office of Children, Youth and Families as well as comprehensive training and orientation from Skills of Central Pennsylvania. Skills accesses services with local, licensed wrap-around agencies that provide individualized, comprehensive, community-based services and supports to children and adolescents with serious emotional and/or behavioral disturbances so the children can be reunited and/or remain with their families and communities.
Population Served and Eligibility
Skills supports children and adolescents ages 9 to 18. While Skills provides a broad range of services to individuals within the mental health and mental retardation (MH/MR) system, children and adolescent services was not developed to serve those populations. This, however, does not exclude children with an MH/MR diagnosis.
Referrals
Skills welcomes referrals from all counties in Pennsylvania. Current contracts are with Blair, Cambria, Huntingdon, and Mifflin Counties. Referrals are made by a county children and youth services worker or a juvenile probation caseworker. Eligibility is determined, and a visit is scheduled. Skills requires documentation (e.g., court orders, family service plans, child permanency plans, psychological and medical information) when the child arrives.
Community Home Locations
Skills operates three community homes located in Altoona (Blair County) and is expanding to meet the needs of other communities in central Pennsylvania.
Kids in Tournaments after-school program provides a safe place for children to play and learn new skills.
Funding & Licensing
Skills residential homes for children and adolescents are licensed and funded by the Office of Children, Youth and Families.
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Skills operates an afterschool program, Kids in Tournaments, with funding provided by the United Way of Blair County. It operates three days per week during the school year, providing a safe place for children to play and learn new skills.
For more information about Skills Children and Adolescents Services, please contact:
Robin Weirich, Director
Children and Adolescent Services
805 Chestnut Street
Altoona, PA 16601
814-949-4800 ext 823
