| FIVE ACRES BOYS’ & GIRLS’ AID SOCIETY |
|
MISSION
Founded as an orphanage in 1888, Five Acres today is
dedicated to helping children become caring and productive adults by
building on their strengths and those of their families and communities. |
| Prevent child abuse and neglect, |
| 1. Care for, treat and educate
emotionally disturbed, abused and neglected children and their families
in residential and outreach programs, |
| 2. Advance the welfare of children
and families by research, advocacy and collaboration, and |
| 3. Strive for the highest standards of excellence by professionals and
volunteers. |
PREVENTION
PROGRAMS
|
Community Planning and
Coordination: helping communities
anticipate and respond to change and identifying needs and resources to
strengthen support for children and families.
|
| Neighborhood
Strengthening:
improving the quality of life for children and their families in their
own neighborhoods. |
| Research
and Education: studying
of the progress of children during treatment and evaluating their
long-term success after treatment. |
EARLY
INTERVENTION PROGRAMS
|
| Parent Education and
Support: training and support groups in English, Spanish and American Sign
Language in local schools and community centers. |
| Counseling:
individual and group sessions in English, Spanish and American Sign
Language for abused deaf and hearing children, their parents and family
members. |
| In-home
Counseling: preventing the trauma of parent-child separation by
delivering immediate and direct services to families in their own homes
during crisis periods—in English, Spanish and American Sign Language. |
| Family Preservation
Services: a collaborative network of sixteen children’s service agencies led by
Five Acres to protect children in their homes and strengthen family
life—in English, Spanish and American Sign Language. |
| TREATMENT PROGRAMS |
| Day
Treatment—Therapeutic School: on-campus special education and
therapy for children who are too severely disturbed to attend public
school successfully. |
| Foster Family Agency: recruitment, training,
certification and support of families providing homes for children with
special needs including deafness. |
| Family Group Homes: long-term care and
treatment for children ages 12 to 18.
Upon high school graduation, the independent Living/Scholarship
Program offers assistance with college or vocational training and living
expenses. |
| Treatment Group Homes: community living in a
treatment environment for children ages 12 to 18 in transition to
families. |
| Residential
Treatment: care for children ages 6 to 13 removed from their homes
by the courts because of severe behavior and emotional problems
associated with abuse and neglect.
It also offers therapy for families working toward reunification. |
1998
PROGRAM STATISTICS
|
| All programs served 962 children and 702 adults: |
| Home-based services (est. 1986)—served 62 children and 28 adults. |
| Foster care services (est.
1988)—served 86 children and 88 adults. |
| Coordinated 8 agencies in family
preservation network (est. 1995)—served 400 children and 98 adults. |
| Deaf services (est. 1990)—served
122 children and 111 adults. |
| Residential treatment (est. 1888)—116 children ages 6 to 13 and 296
adults. |
| Four group homes (est. 1972)—served 55 children ages 12 to 18 and 81
adults. |
| Therapeutic school (est. 1981)—served 121 students. |
