Our primary goal is to build healthy self-esteem in our residents and to teach them proper social and life skills. We believe that the supports to achieve these goals are ideally found within a traditional family structure. Although specific treatment and programming are tailored to each individual child, we seek to achieve these goals within an atmosphere that is as close to a natural family unit as possible. To achieve this, a high staffing ratio is necessary as well as plenty of administrative backup, support and training. Our house parents and child care staff all live-in and are replaced by relief staff during regular days off.

We stress close contact and communication with referring agencies in formulating programming, plans of care and discharge plans. Our aim is to prepare a child to either return to his or her natural family or to move to a less structured environment and eventually to independence.

To facilitate this, Mutual Support operates a Specialized Foster Care network which provides less intensive settings for children who are still in need of more support and specialized care than that provided by a regular foster home but who are not in need of the intensive structure of the group home setting.

We also endeavor to maintain contacts in the community to provide room and board situations for those graduates who move on to independent living.

The means of achieving goals are planned with each individual and his or her referring agency upon admission and reviewed at least once a month.