Youth Treatment Program (YTP)

Program

The Youth Treatment Program (YTP) seeks to respond effectively to young people with severe behavioural problems throughout New Brunswick. The program is delivered by multidisciplinary regional teams that support the primary workers. If need be, those teams can make use of the provincial consultation and assessment service at the Pierre Caissie Centre in Moncton.

Introduction

Research suggests that working with youth who have severe behavioural problems requires a multi-agency response. Better rates of success are achieved with treatment plans that bring together and coordinate the work of agencies with which youth is most involved. The program therefore aims for close collaboration and ongoing co-operation among the various agencies and organizations involved. In New Brunswick, the departments of Family and Community Services, Education, Health (including Mental Health and Addiction Services), and Public Safety believe that a group of multidisciplinary, regionally based clinical teams has the best chance of creating the kind of care plans that would be the most successful for young people, their families, the community, and the school. The YTP provides services for severely conduct-disordered youth 18 years of age and under who have experienced a significant loss in their family life and have faced difficulties in both the school and community settings.

Regional Teams

New Brunswick has 14 regional teams. Each team is made up of five professionals representing one of the five provincial agencies involved in the treatment of conduct-disordered youth.

The YTP’s regional teams advise primary workers who deal with young people. They can propose new avenues and strategies to be explored with the youth as well as provide support and education regarding conduct disorders. To benefit from the services of a regional team, the young person must have been referred by a primary worker representing one of the agencies identified above. The team considers the recommendations and the resources available and ensures that all of the parties concerned are involved. Once the initial recommendations have been made, the team provides follow-up and, if necessary, revises the case plan. This service is available to youth 18 years and under, until parental consent is withdrawn, or until the young person decides to withdraw from the program once he or she turns 16.

Provincial Team

The provincial team consists of a program director, a psychologist, a social worker, an education supervisor, a child psychiatrist, a nurse, and an administrative assistant. The team offers consultation, education, training, and coordination services to the 14 regional teams and the various provincial agencies. In addition, these professionals carry out comprehensive assessments of the young person referred to the Pierre Caissie Centre. Lastly, the provincial team assists communities in creating and maintaining high levels of competence in working with severe behaviour problems and guides government agencies during the planning of services for this clientele. Pierre Caissie Centre

The Pierre Caissie Centre is a six-bed provincial facility located in Moncton. Its services are organized so as to allow for the assessment of young people through a residential program. The assessment makes it possible to analyze various aspects of the client’s functioning and to suggest strategies, based on identified strengths and needs, that could be used when the young person returns to the community.

Admission to Pierre Caissie Centre

When all community resources have been exhausted in the attempt to assist a child or adolescent and his or her family, the regional team may request admission to the Pierre Caissie Centre for an assessment by the provincial team and follow-up recommendations. Although parental consent is required, only the regional team can request an admission. If the young person is 16 years of age or older, his or her consent is necessary.

When the young person returns home, the local regional team follows his or her progress in collaboration with the family, caregivers, and the primary worker assigned to the case. The plan is revised if necessary, and the goals and strategies are adapted and modified periodically to further the client’s progress.

Information gathering and reports

All of the information gathered and the reports generated are protected under the provisions of privacy laws. Information is shared only with those involved with the family and the young person, and only with the written consent of the family and the young person, if he or she is older than 16. Confidentiality is therefore extremely important in the YTP.

Role of Families, caregivers and the community

The involvement of families, caregivers, and the community, particularly schools, is essential to the young person’s recovery. The main objective of the program is to promote consistency, coherence, and collaboration.

If a young person is referred to a regional team, parents and caseworkers will be asked to attend meetings to share relevant information and discuss possible solutions with the team.

If a comprehensive assessment by the provincial team at the Pierre Caissie Centre is requested, the parents and caseworkers are asked to meet with the provincial team. Meetings can be held face to face, by teleconference or audiovisual conferencing. It is important to note that these activities focus on the strengths and needs of the young person, his or her family, and the community.

There is no cost to parents or guardians for clinical services provided by the regional teams or by the staff at the Pierre Caissie Centre. If a young person is admitted to the Centre for an assessment, the parents or guardians cover only incidental expenses, i.e., allowance and pharmacy fee ($32.50 for 5 weeks), and the cost of any prescription medications that may be required.

How to Contact the Youth Treatment Program

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