A Multi-tiered Evaluation of Adolescent Therapeutic Group Homes

Research was conducted at a private, non-profit child-serving agency that in its continuum of services provides residential treatment for at-risk youth and their families. The effectiveness of these residential services has been measured in three ways: Services are evaluated by primary referral sources; follow-up data is obtained at various intervals after program participation to measure recidivism; and a more sensitive “Offense Seriousness Score” has been computed and analyzed prior to, during and after treatment. A discussion of the results and ways the adolescent therapeutic group homes (TGH) can still play an important role in the treatment of at-risk youth is also included.