General Information
The Child & Adolescent Partial Care Program is a short-term, goal focused, intensive therapeutic program providing group, family, individual and creative arts therapies in conjunction with psychiatric evaluation, social services, medication monitoring and case management.  The program hours during the school year are 2:45 p.m. to 8:15 p.m., Monday through Friday.  During the summer recess, the program runs from 9:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.  Clients typically attend the program three to five days a week, and may be tapered off the program gradually, decreasing the number of days they attend each week, as they re-enter their normal activities and begin outpatient treatment.  Adolescent clients may attend the program on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, and child clients may attend the program on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.

Most of the program’s clients are youngsters experiencing an acute situational, behavioral, and/ or interpersonal crisis.  A client may come to us from an inpatient hospital setting into the program’s less restrictive and unlocked setting, or from the community where he/ she is at risk for inpatient treatment.  Clients must attend the program voluntarily, and cannot be actively suicidal, homicidal or involved in substance abuse . The costs of the program are covered by most commercial insurance plans. The program also accepts Medicaid, with provisions for charity care.

Attendance
Clients are expected to attend the program every day they are scheduled.  If a client is not able to attend due to illness or another valid reason, please notify the program staff as soon as possible at 856-575-4196 (for Bridgeton ) or 856-363-1196 (for Elmer).

If a client is absent from the program for three consecutive (or multiple sporadic) days without a valid reason, the client may be discharged for lack of investment in treatment.  Phone contact will be attempted, and a letter will also be sent home stating the reason for discharge.

Days Closed
The Child and Adolescent Partial Care Programs are closed on weekends and major holidays.  These holidays include:  New Years Day, Memorial Day, July 4th, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day.  The program is open on days when school is closed, such as during the summer recess and during the Christmas break.

Transportation
The program provides transportation to and from the hospital for residents of the counties where the program is based.  The van driver will normally pick up your child at school sometime between 1:00 p.m. and 2:45 p.m.  Other arrangements can be made with prior notice.  The clients arrive at the hospital about 2:45 p.m.  The return ride begins at 8:15 p.m., after dismissal from the program, and the van driver drives your child home.  Due to frequent changes in the client population, the time for returning home tends to vary.  (During the summer recess, clients are picked up at home between 7:30 and 9:00 a.m., and return home after 2:30 p.m.)

If you would prefer to provide transportation for your child, you should drop him/ her off at the hospital by 3:00 p.m. and pick him/ her up at 8:00 p.m. The van driver is also available for one-way transportation, depending on your needs.

Important:  If you would like to have your child transported to or from the program by someone other than you, you must provide the program with written notification to that effect.  Without your written authorization, we cannot allow your child to leave the program with a peer, friend or relative.

If your child acts in an unsafe or inappropriate manner (i.e., fighting, not following directions, etc.) while on a program vehicle, he/ she may be suspended from the van or may lose van privileges altogether.  This would require you to arrange transportation to and from the program for your child until such time as van privileges are earned back. 

Confidentiality
The policy on confidentiality is as follows:  Clients agree not to discuss any matters or to disclose any names of other clients revealed during the clients’ stay in the Child & Adolescent Partial Care Program.  If a client violates this policy, the Staff will discuss how to proceed with this concern, and may discharge the child from the program.  The person whose confidentiality was violated may also pursue formal charges.

Physical Contact
There is no physical contact in the Partial Care Program.  There is no reason for any physical contact between clients.  Physical violence or threats of physical violence will not be tolerated and will result in discharge from the program with possible legal or law enforcement consequences.

Weather Policy
Due to the possibility of bad weather and the dangers this may cause, the Child &  Adolescent Partial Care Program will be closed whenever the area public schools are closed.  Please listen to WSNJ FM 107.7.  If you are unsure about program closure, call the program at 856-575-4196 (for Bridgeton ) or 856-575-4196 (for Elmer) by 12 Noon.

Dress Code
The program adheres to a strict policy by which all clients are expected to dress appropriately.  Tank tops, short shorts, short skirts, short dresses, or any clothing which displays substance abuse, violence or profanity, is unacceptable.  If a client attends the program with inappropriate clothing, they will first be asked to change into something more appropriate (we have extra clothing at the program) or he/ she will be sent home.

Family Therapy
In order for a client to receive the maximum benefit of the program, her/ his family must attend the family therapy sessions which are scheduled as needed.  Typically, family therapy sessions are held weekly. 

Family therapy is an integral part of the partial care program and contributes to your child’s success in the program.  As stated in the Family Therapy Contract, the family therapist will set a scheduled family therapy session which will include all household members.  If that session must be canceled, another session will be scheduled at the family’s convenience.  However, if the second session must be canceled, or cannot be conducted because of lack of attendance by family members, the Child & Adolescent Partial Care Team will contact the family to arrange a time to meet with the family to discuss its lack of involvement or investment in the child’s participation in the program.  If all these attempts to recruit the family fail, the client will be discharged from the program.

Acceptable / Unacceptable Client Behavior
In the Child & Adolescent Partial Care Program, all clients are expected to:

• Address peers by their proper names and not by nick names other than shortened forms of their given names;
• Refrain from the use of inappropriate language, cursing and negative slurs;
• Wear appropriate clothing, and not clothes which display violence, nudity, curse words or drugs;
• Neither borrow or lend money or personal items (like jewelry, clothing, pictures, etc.) to one another;
• Stay out of unoccupied offices in the hospital;
• Remain in the program area and to leave it for any reason without permission;
• Refrain from touching staff or peers;
• Avoid romantic involvement with peers in the program;
• Follow all program rules and guidelines.

Rules for Group Therapy

In the Child & Adolescent Partial Care Program, much of the healing process takes place in the context of group therapy.  During group therapy sessions, clients are expected to follow these rules:

• No private conversations or side comments are permitted.
• No verbal or physical attacks are permitted.
• Responding before the person who is speaking is finished talking is not allowed.
• Breaking of confidentiality becomes a group issue.
• Group members who act in a disruptive way are asked to leave the group and go to a designated area to “cool off”.
• All members must sit up and face the group.
• Talking about people who are not in the room – unless it is done under the guidance of staff members – is not permitted.

Every new client begins on Level 1.  After he/she has earned a designated number of  points for three consecutive days, a client may request to advance to Level 2.  These requests are made in Community Meeting.  The request will be reviewed and decided upon by the clinical team, and the client will be informed of the team’s decision at the end of the program day.  Clients must be on Level 2 for three consecutive days and earn a designated number of points to request advancement to Level 3.

Clients receive a new Daily Point Register each day from the staff.  It is the client’s responsibility to get her/ his point register signed by the appropriate staff member after each group, and to hand in the point register in order to tally up a final count at the end of the day.  A client’s level can be dropped for the following reasons:  behavioral inconsistency; breaking group or program rulers; minimal participation in group activities; excessive, unexcused absences; or neglecting to have a staff member sign the point register. 

Therapeutic Contract for Treatment
Clients, along with their parents and guardians, sign a Treatment Contract prior to the client’s beginning the program.  The client agrees to the following conditions and the family agrees to help the client in observing them:

• I will attend the program every day I am scheduled
• I will participate in all scheduled activities and sessions every day I am scheduled to attend the program
• I will be respectful to all staff and peers
• I will not use abusive language to staff or peers
• I will not call anyone names
• I will not verbally or physically threaten anyone
• I will follow all redirections I receive from staff
• I agree to random drug tests & property searches
• If I am on any medication, I agree to take it as prescribed
• I agree to attend family therapy sessions according to the terms of the Family Therapy Contract.