Introduction
First Home Care is a leading facility that offers day support services to individuals with diverse disabilities such as autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The organization’s website is “www.firsthomecare.com”. Some of the beneficiaries include adults and older adolescents. The ultimate objective is to ensure that every patient develops adequate skills that can empower him or her to participate in a wide range of community activities. This paper gives a detailed analysis of First Home Care as my placement agency.
Agency Context: Mission, Goals, Structure, Staff, and Clients
First Home Care is situated in Portsmouth, Virginia. The agency serves many individuals with a wide range of developmental problems. To achieve its objectives, the agency has outlined a powerful mission statement and goals. Its mission is to improve the quality of different beneficiaries using culturally competent services (“Our philosophy,” n. d.). Additionally, the agency seeks to empower family members and individuals to be part of the treatment or development process.
The first goal of the agency is to preserve and strengthen family unity using solution-based services (“Day support services,” n. d.). This is achieved by meeting individuals at their levels of ensuring that adequate support and tools are available to them. The second goal is to offer appropriate skills to individuals so that they can achieve their maximum potential.
The institution has a president who monitors most of the operations and services available to different people (“Our philosophy,” n. d.). There are managers in charge of different centers. These professionals coordinate with physicians, psychologists, human services practitioners, and social workers to meet the needs of different beneficiaries. The agency has a human resources (HR) department whose role is to recruit new employees, coordinate operations, and address emerging stakeholders’ needs.
Members of staff include social workers, physicians, human services professionals, cooks, nutritionists, psychologists, foster parents, managers, and behavioral therapists. The major clients targeted by this agency include adults and older adolescents with several disabilities (“Day support services,” n. d.). Such individuals receive day support services that can make it easier for them to develop appropriate skills and become valuable in their respective communities.
Interventions and Theory
I am currently in the institution’s Day Support Services. The ultimate objective behind such services is to ensure that every person with a disability can become useful in his or her community. The targeted adolescents and adults can benefit from different services and skills such as self-management, communication, community safety, socialization, medication education, peer relations, and daily living activities (“Our philosophy,” n. d.). Such services are designed in such a way that individuals can acquire better interpersonal and social competencies. These programs and interventions make it easier for more individuals to lead better lives and achieve their goals.
Another powerful program offered under the Day Support Services is known as community engagement. This program equips individuals with adequate skills that can empower them to develop better social networks and engage in various community activities (“Our philosophy,” n. d.). The program is also supported using volunteer activities, training, and community education.
To ensure that these interventions deliver positive results, physicians and therapists in this agency use different theories such as social motivation. The theory indicates that ASD can be analyzed as a unique condition associated with reduced social motivation (Ho, Stephenson, & Carter, 2014). The use of the model, therefore, guides therapists and behaviorists to understand every client’s intrinsic drive to avoid any form of rejection and view his or her condition positively (Ranjan, Pradhan, & Wong, 2014). The theory is combined with other models such as the theory of mind (ToM) to motivate the targeted clients.
Client Service Information
The institution collects adequate client service information to ensure that every individual’s needs are met. The targeted information includes the patient’s background, history of ASD in the family, past diagnoses, and behavioral interventions. Standardized measures are used to collect adequate information from the targeted clients. Parents and guardians are also encouraged to fill specific forms to support the behavioral intervention process. The professionals in the institution gather relevant client background information, mental or psychological problems, and symptoms (“Day support services,” n. d.). The cognitive status and health background of a given client empowers practitioners and social workers to offer culturally sensitive and personalized services.
As indicated earlier, the agency offers structured group activities such as on-site functions and community-based outings. Participants are encouraged and guided to interact with community members. The major services include communication skills, social skills, community integration, self-management competencies, medication education, money management, and peer relations. These services are offered for a specified period depending on the progress of the targeted client. Journal entries are kept to monitor every person’s progress. The level of client satisfaction is monitored to inform new practices and therapies that can deliver superior outcomes.
Handling and Using Information
The agency uses forms to collect client information. This information is collected every time a new client is received. Additionally, journal entries are used to capture the progress of every beneficiary. Such entries are made twice per week. Data is collected by a lead human services provider. The processed information is then shared with a departmental manager. The gathered information is used to support several functions in the facility. For example, the data is shared with funders and well-wishers to support the agency’s agenda. The collected information also informs the nature of programs and services available to different clients (D’Amico, Lalonde, & Snow, 2015). Program development or improvement initiatives are informed by the collected information. Programs are reviewed annually to identify areas for improvement using the collected information.
Evaluation Research
Evaluation is an ongoing process at First Home Care. The current system is manual, thereby affecting the speed and accuracy of the collected information. That being the case, the use of modern technologies can streamline the evaluation research process. The system is not comprehensive since it entails the use of manual procedures and processes. The system is usually affected by various issues such as concurrent errors, loss of crucial information, or duplication. This means that the accuracy of the current system must be inadequate (Canitano & Bozzi, 2015). One of the main strengths of the evaluation research system is that it echoes the needs of different clients and their guardians or parents. The second strength is that the client system can be used by every staff member or stakeholder (“Day support services,” n. d.). The system also streamlines the way information is shared by different social workers and human services professionals. The use of advanced technologies can ensure that the system is improved and capable of meeting the agency’s objectives. The improvement of the system will make it easier for the agency to address the needs of more beneficiaries.
Goals and Evaluation
At First Home Care, powerful mission and vision statements are used to dictate every targeted goal. Every stakeholder is informed about the outlined goals and encouraged to focus on them (“Our philosophy,” n. d.). When every participant is involved and committed, it becomes easier to realize the targeted goals. Additionally, prior evaluation of goals is done using powerful models. For example, different experts analyze new goals and examine if they resonate with the needs of the agency or those of different clients. This evaluation is used to improve, change, or revise specific goals. Internal evaluation is done periodically to monitor the progress, performance, and success of different interventions.
Stakeholders are involved throughout the process to ensure that the process delivers meaningful insights that can be used to inform new improvements. External evaluations are done to monitor the views and expectations of different community members. However, only internal evaluations are mandated in the agency. The existing goals evaluation program has powerful strengths that make it sustainable and beneficial. For example, the program is founded on the agency’s mission and vision. It is also supported by different stakeholders, well-wishers, and funders. The involvement of different workers and therapists makes the program sustainable and capable of supporting the institution’s aims.
Conclusion
My internship at First Home Care has equipped me with adequate competencies that can make it easier for me to meet the needs of different patients with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The agency implements and supports powerful interventions that ensure that adults and older adolescents with ASD acquire adequate skills that can enable them to participate in diverse aspects of their respective communities. If advanced technological systems are put in place, the agency will develop superior interventions that can address the changing needs of more clients with ASD.
References
Canitano, R., & Bozzi, Y. (2015). New treatment perspectives in autism spectrum disorders. Frontiers in Pediatrics, 3(22), 1-2.
D’Amico, M., Lalonde, C., & Snow, S. (2015). Evaluating the efficacy of drama therapy in teaching social skills to children with autism spectrum disorders. Drama Therapy Review, 1(1), 21-39. Web.
Day support services. (n. d.). Web.
Ho, B. P., Stephenson, J., & Carter, M. (2014). Cognitive-behavioral approach for children with autism spectrum disorders: A meta-analysis. Review Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 1(1), 18-33. Web.
Our philosophy. (n. d.). Web.
Ranjan, R., Pradhan, K. R., & Wong, J. (2014). Effect of transdisciplinary approach in group therapy to develop social skills for children with autism spectrum disorder. Theory and Practice in Language Studies, 4(8), 1536-1542. Web.