Journal of Child & Family Studies Publishes Spurwink Paper: "Is Residential Treatment Misunderstood?"

Linda Butler, Ph.D., LCSW, Spurwink's Director of Research, Analysis and Special Projects and Peter McPherson, President of Spurwink, have recently published a paper in the Journal of Child & Family Studies titled, "Is Residential Treatment Misunderstood?"

The paper comments on changes in government policy concerning child welfare which have called for significant reductions in residential treatment and a greater push for other alternatives such as family-of-origin or kin-based care. While Butler and McPherson agree that other options can be suitable for certain children, they contend that these should not be a substitute for residential care. They assert that the greater problem is a lack of understanding about the components of residential treatment and "a lack of sufficient efficacy research on a high cost service."

While many children do not require the level of structure and support that residential treatment provides, Butler and McPherson maintain that for those children that do, residential treatment is a viable and necessary social service. "Residential treatment offers the power of an integrated treatment team and attention to a milieu that it develops, supervises and maintains," the authors write. "It is important to distinguish the difference between the provisions of residential treatment and the various family-care options."

The authors believe that due to policy changes in the child welfare system, some children are being placed in settings that are not appropriate for the treatment and care they require. Butler and McPherson call for a clear, consensual definition of residential treatment. This would help provide a uniform base for research so that the effectiveness of such treatment could be studied and understood.

Read the editorial: Is Residential Treatment Misunderstood?

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