In my recent interview with Andrew Bridge, we discussed respite care and the problem of finding appropriate solutions for kids who can’t or won’t maintain a placement. One of the solutions I discussed with Andrew is something I heard about a few years ago. It is called Circle of Families, and it is (was?) an innovative idea proposed by Rick Delaney in conjunction with Casey Family Services. I have no idea if this unique approach is still being utilized; I have a call in to Casey Family Services to learn the answer to this question. The information paper I have saved to my computer dates back to June of 2003.

So what is the Circle of Families? A document released by Casey describes this program as follows:

The Circle of Families is a technique to help assist and improve the lives of a variety of youth in placement. It is a tailored program that takes each youth’s specific needs and wraps several types of services around (the child) to improve their success in a familial environment.

This is an innovative idea. It involves identifying several families that are committed to one child. These families all live in physical proximity to one another. They are all within one school district. Children involved in this program are what Dr. Delaney terms “family phobic”. These kids are resistant to the idea of forming an intimate relationship with any one. The principle behind this program is that the kids are moved to another family by the therapists involved and the families themselves before the child has a chance to “blow out” on his or her own. It might be simply for respite, utilizing one core family, or it might be several "equal" families.

Eventually, the child tires of moving and (perhaps in spite of himself) finds that he desires to stay with one particular family. When certain criteria are met, the child is then allowed to stop the rotation.

The Casey document states:

There are several components to the “Circle”; all of which may or may NOT be utilized.
1. Regular respite
2. Involvement of several committed families
3. Regular family meetings with and without the youth
4. Behavioral point system.
5. Planned extended respite with all families plus a core family
6. Daily phone contact with all families
7. Intensive therapeutic intervention for identified youth
8. Family therapy, may include bio-children
9. Intensive case management to coordinate communication with schools
10. Birth family when appropriate

Opponents of this idea say this sabotages the bottom line goal we all seek … permanency. However, Casey says this is all about permanency. They state we must “think outside the box.” I couldn’t agree more. The only way to survive these kids is to think outside the box.

I hope to hear back from Casey today, and I will write a follow-up blog about whether or not they are still doing this program. If not, I will tell you why. If so, I’ll tell you how it is working!

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