Boys Town Georgia

In our mission to change the way America cares for her children and families, we provide a continuum of care that strengthens them in mind, body and spirit.  Our integrated continuum of family services includes these programs at Boys Town Georgia:

Boys Town offers an integrated continuum of services that provides children and families with the right care in the right service at the right time. This system is linked in philosophy and in the methods used. To support this integrated continuum, certain fundamental principles, values, and services must cut across all levels of these services and programs. Some of the more important include:  Spirituality/Religious Helping children and families build a strong spiritual and religious foundation is an important part of Boys Town’s mission. Positive character traits like respect, responsibility, trustworthiness, fairness, caring, and citizenship provide the framework for a child’s value education. Medical Care Boys Town owns and operates the Boys Town National Research Hospital, which provides clinical and surgical services to patients from Boys Town’s own programs and for children and families across the country. Education Services Education is integral to providing effective treatment for children. In many of the Boys Town residential programs, specialized educational services are embedded within the programs. Care Coordination Boys Town attempts to provide the right services to children and families at the right time and in the right program. Boys Town’s Care Coordination programs provide intensive case management services for children in a variety of settings or levels of care.

Assessment and Short-Term Residential program is a short-term residential program providing assessment, crisis stabilization, and emergency care in a caring and nurturing environment for girls and boys who are typically ages 10 to 18.  Many youth who are served through this program are abused, neglected, runaway youth, or have been in trouble due to criminal or delinquent activities.  Referrals come from a variety of sources, including state agencies, juvenile courts, and private sources.  This program provides mediation and counseling to strengthen families and emphasizes family reunification, if it is in the best interest of the youth.  During their stay, youth participate in individual treatment planning to help them deal with their problems.  Facilities where the program is offered may be described as staff-secure detention centers, emergency shelters, or short-term residential centers.

Boys Town Georgia has an accredited alternative school program in partnership with DeKalb County public schools to provide an educational alternative for youth who have special educational and/or behavioral needs that are not being met by their home school. DeKalb County schoolteachers, trained in the Boys Town 21^st Century Teaching Model, provide an accredited school curriculum to the children in a positive, mainstream-learning environment.

Family-Centered Services is an early intervention program designed to treat and address youth and family problems at home or school.  The main goals of this program are to build family strengths, teach new skills, and reduce out-of-home placement of children.  This program is for families who need supportive services to address high-risk situations and to prevent early issues from becoming a crisis.  Family-Centered Services is also utilized to reduce delinquency or to make court involvement less necessary.  Trained Family Consultants offer in-home counseling and skill development to children and families by providing teaching and instruction on specific skills and competencies.  Family Consultants are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and work directly with families two to four hours a week for three to six months. Family assistance includes focusing on the child’s behavior and improving parenting and family problem-solving skills, as well as linking families to needed family services. 

In-Home Family Services are unique to Fulton and DeKalb County, providing aftercare services to girls recently discharged from Boys Town Georgia Intervention and Assessment Services. The In-Home Family program is focused on early intervention and prevention to help families resolve issues before they develop into crisis situations. Visits occur in the home at a minimum of two hours per week and may increase based upon the family’s needs.

Boys Town National Hotline (800.448.3000) was established in 1989 and receives more than 400,000 calls every year.  Trained, professional counselors are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.  Callers’ problems range from relationship and parental discipline issues to depression and suicide.  In crisis situations, counselors assist callers and provide community resources and emergency intervention.  The Hotline provides referrals to agencies throughout the United States and responds to anyone in need of assistance, with a special focus on children and families.  Anyone in a crisis situation, especially children and families, can call 800.448.3000 for help anytime.

Project Safe Place, a national program which runs in conjunction with Boys Town Georgia, assists at-risk girls and boys in crisis. Designated DeKalb County businesses and public locations display the Safe Place logo on their premises, and children who seek their assistance receive help from Boys Town professionals who work with children to identify needed services, resolve crises, and reunite them with their families if it is in the best interest of the children.