Boys Town California

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 California:

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. Click here to learn more about our programs in Spanish.

Treatment Family Homes for Adolescents is a family-style, community-based residential program which can serve six to eight males or females, usually ages 12 to 18.  Married couples called Family-Teachers are the primary treatment agents, along with a full-time Assistant Family-Teacher.  Family-Teachers are responsible for structured supervision of youth in daily living and treatment activities.  The couple and their assistant work on both treatment and skill building in the home, and with community and family resources in the child’s life.  A major focus of this program is teaching older youth functional skills – often referred to as independent-living skills – that can help them achieve success in school, their families, and work settings.  Boys Town California has four Treatment Family Homes for Adolescents located on 80 acres in Trabuco Canyon in Orange County. 

Treatment Family Homes for Young Children provide short-term emergency and crisis services to children from infancy to age 11 who cannot be with their families or for whom foster family placements are currently unavailable.  A trained married couple and Child Care Specialists provide a safe, family-style environment where staff members conduct developmental and emotional assessments in order to create and implement age-appropriate development and educational plans.  Due to the acute needs of this younger population, low child-to-adult ratios are an integral part of the program.  Educational activities occur both in the home and in community-based preschool or school settings.  Staff members work closely with Social Services and other referral sources to establish permanency for these children.  Boys Town California has two Treatment Family Homes for Young Children, each named “Tilly’s Home,” located on 80 acres in Trabuco Canyon in Orange County.

Intervention and Assessment Homes provide intervention during crisis situations and the assessment of youth needs.  The goal of this short-term residential program is to stabilize youth behavior so youth can safely return home or to their designated placement.  Youth work on established treatment plans that address problem areas.  Specially trained staff members conduct behavioral assessments and provide referral recommendations and linkages to needed services.  

• The Long Beach Intervention and Assessment Center serves approximately 300 boys annually.

• The Lennar Intervention and Assessment Center, the first of its kind located in Compton, serves approximately 300 girls annually.

Family Preservation Services is a short-term, six- to eight-week, intensive, in-home program designed to prevent imminent out-of-home placement and keep families together.  A Family Consultant spends up to 20 hours a week in a family’s home and community to help parents provide a safe, healthy environment for their children.  The Family Consultant focuses on family strengths, helping the family to become self-sufficient and improve parenting techniques. The Family Consultant not only provides interventions in the family’s own home and community, but also links the family to community resources needed to maintain stability.  Family Consultants are on call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

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. 

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.