Aftercare for families transitioning from residential care

Abstract

The following research practicum was created to gather information on aftercare issues specific to Ranch Ehrlo Society’s Family Treatment Program (FTP). Although the FTP is based in the city of Regina, Saskatchewan, it provides intensive family reunification services to families that reside in communities across Canada. The program has identified a gap in the aftercare component of their service continuum, and as such a qualitative, collective case study approach to research was conducted in order to gather data on aftercare experiences. Data was collected from two groupings of participant samples: the Discharged Client sample and the Family Therapist sample. Eight participants were interviewed from the Discharged Client sample and six participants from the Family Therapist sample responded to electronic questionnaires. The results of the data analysis produced four themes with varying responses found within each group. Ultimately, the findings of this project demonstrate that aftercare services are viewed as needed by both participant groups. Several implications are considered for the provision of aftercare services tailored for the Family Treatment Program. Five recommendations are presented to direct this process within the framework of an intensive family reunification services model that has been developed by the National Family Preservation Network.