K. M. COLL, R. HAAS
settings complete an educational experience over a 6-month
period immediately before their transition through a series of
structured real-life activities and lessons. These activities in-
clude a workbook that provides real life rural situations, and
possible solutions for accessing services in such setting (e.g.,
skyping, phone conferencing, on-line resources). The “class”
incorporates independent living curriculum (e.g., job searching
is a rural area, budgeting, time management, dealing with rural
transportation costs), an alumni program (that matches youth
with others in the community or within 50 - 100 miles), and
aftercare services provided by CHC that includes a once per
month face-to-face visit and regular phone calls from a CHC
professional that extend their current services and ‘trouble-
shoots’ with them related to specific problems and accessible
services.
Results from the Ringle, et al., (2007) 5-year follow-up study
indicates that those who completed this process reported more
positive functional outcomes than those who did not. This
process and effective after-care services helped these young
adults maintain the gains established during treatment. As
adapted at CHC, key interventions include online, pre-place-
ment and post care arrangements; all recommended by
CWLA’a Guidelines for Cultural Competence in Rural Child
Welfare (2009).
Similarly, CHC transitional services have drawn from an-
other rural based article, called Transitioning Behaviorally Dis-
ordered Young Adults from a Structured Residential Treatment
Center into Independent Living in a Small, Rural Community,
by Conrad (1991), The program consisted of three levels, each
offering more independence, while providing support, guidance,
and direction to the transitioning youth. Each level encourages
greater personal, economic, and emotional responsibility and
independence related to returning to his/her rural setting. For
example, each youth works with child welfare professionals to
think through the challenges of their particular rural setting in
terms of relapse potential and the recovery environment, then
incorporate these insights into the transitional plan. CHC has
built in this level system to help youth determine the level of
independence often needed in rural environments to be suc-
cessful and how crucial planning and decision-making are keys
in environments where more formal social supports are not
present. CHC accents the value of developing informal supports
during this process, encouraging participation in church groups,
community clubs, volunteerism, and on-line connections as part
of the planning.
Rural Child Welfare Staff
Development-Challenges and Recommendations
CHC specifically has been recently aggressively addressing
the CWLA Rural Cultural Competency of 1f:
“Rural child welfare staff and administration should receive
additional support to develop child welfare competencies and
professional education”.
Child welfare staff and administration in rural settings are
faced with many professional challenges (Smith, 2003). Profes-
sionals tend to lag in training for diagnosing, intervening and
treating mental illness, while the need for such competence
grows (DeLeon, 2000). For example, “in the United States, at
least 15 million rural residents struggle with significant sub-
stance dependence, mental illness, and medical-psychiatric co
morbid conditions” (Roberts, Battaglia, & Epstein, 1999: p.
497). Compared to urban and suburban settings, rural settings
consistently report higher incidences of abusive drinking, sui-
cides, mood and anxiety disorders, and chronic illness (Roberts
et al., 1999).
There are many benefits to child welfare staff and admini-
stration in a rural setting, such as lifestyle (clear skies, slower
pace, clean air, and close social networks), lower overhead and
cost of living, greater autonomy, more collegial relationships,
varied tasks and functions, and community identity and recog-
nition. However, rural child welfare staff and administration
often face role overload, heightened stress and burnout, rela-
tionship/role/boundary challenges, professional isolation, eco-
nomic issues (e.g., scarcity of resources), lack of social/cultural
opportunities, and lack of privacy (DeLeon, 2000). This reality
in rural areas is often exacerbated by “a constant search for
balance between professional and ethical issues” as helping
professionals in rural areas are very identifiable (Smith, 2003).
These assertions are supported by a major study, in which
Weigel and Brown (1999) discovered that the chief challenges
indicated by rural child welfare staff and administration were
limited resources, few staff members with large caseloads, var-
ied presenting client issues, geographic isolation, limited su-
pervision and consultation options, and high employee turnover.
Weigel and Brown concluded that there are potential problems
with stigma and local credibility due to the “close-knit” nature
of rural communities, [where] child welfare success or failures
are often visible and public. In addition, Brownlee (1996) noted
that the rural child welfare professional who participates ac-
tively in community life will eventually encounter this particu-
lar dilemma, often further contributing to a sense of isolation.
The solution to such challenges is additional support.
Rural Residential Treatment Facilities as
Centers of Clinical Support and Excellence
In rural states (e.g., Wyoming, Idaho, Montana, Utah), it is
unrealistic to expect to have comprehensive mental health and
substance abuse professional support in rural communities. One
viable idea is for mature and distinguished treatment facilities
in those areas to expand their delivery system. For example, a
rural Residential Treatment Center (RTC) can act as a regional
hub- providing outreach to rural regional needs. This idea is
related directly to several CWLA Guidelines for Rural Cultural
Competence (2001), especially Standard 5: “Child welfare pro-
fessionals in rural communities should deliver services in a
culturally competent manner, be knowledgeable about services,
and be able to marshal existing resources to best serve their
clients”. One such example of this model is now being imple-
mented by Cathedral Home for Children (CHC), located in
Laramie, Wyoming. Located in the least populated state in the
US, CHC provides regional outreach in crisis center cervices,
group home options, prevention, aftercare, tutoring, psycho-
logical testing, and coordinate home health care for a large
geographic region (120 square mile radius ), and to rural com-
munities that would not be able to access these services any
other way. In that RTCs have trained professional and resources,
this “center of excellence” model for rural communities is
highly feasible, and will help in transitioning CHC youth to
independent living.
The Alliance for the Safe Therapeutic and Appropriate use of
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