CONTACT POLICY: Telephone, Mail, Electronic Communication, and Visitation Policy for Family Members and Community Resources

Hillcrest Educational Centers (HEC) believes that ongoing connection, contact, and visitation must occur between the students in our care and their family members and important community resources. In order to provide the most beneficial treatment, students’ families must be collaborative partners with HEC and the student themselves in the treatment process.

Overview
Ongoing contact with family members of students in support of treatment and permanency goals must be prioritized. Any restrictions on contacts with family members/community resources, or type of contact, must be prescribed by the student’s guardian, the court, and/or by the HEC treatment team or treatment policy, due only to therapeutic or safety concern. When restricted by HEC, the rationale and specific restriction must be discussed with the student’s guardian, documented in the student’s treatment plan (CTP) and the student’s contact sheet, and the family member(s) affected by the restriction must be notified. If it is believed that an immediate safety or treatment concern exists, an immediate restriction may be made to address it. The rational and specific restriction must then be clearly documented on a student contact sheet, and any resulting restriction of future contact must be documented according to this policy. No restrictions are allowed for the purpose of punishment or creating motivation.

Mail
• Students may send and receive mail to and from all approved parties as indicated on the student’s contact sheet.
• Student’s incoming and outgoing mail must go through the student’s clinician or designee to help ensure that the proper support is provided to the student reading it, and to be sure that the mail is according to the student’s contact sheet and contact restrictions.
• Mail is not to be read by staff unless invited by the child to do so, or there is documentation authorizing staff to read the student’s mail.
• Boxes and packages, or envelopes that seem to have items enclosed in them will be required to be opened in the presence of staff and may be searched by staff to ensure that no contraband items are enclosed.

Telephone Calls
• Students may call and receive calls from all approved parties as indicated on the student’s contact sheet.
• Students must have the opportunity to make outgoing phone calls on a daily basis.
• Students may call and receive calls when the student or phone is available.
• We encourage families to make calls after school so as not to interrupt student academic instruction. We recognize that there may be occasions when a service provider or family may need to speak to them during the school day about an urgent matter, or to help the student cope with a pressing issue.
• There are some times when it may be difficult for a student to get to the phone. These include after bedtime, while off campus on a community trip, when another youth is using the phone, or in the midst of a severe behavioral problem. If a student is unable to take a call, efforts should be made for the student to make contact as soon as possible.
• Student phone calls may not be conferenced (listening to both sides) or monitored (listening to one side) unless invited to by the student and the family member to do so, or the treatment team has considered it necessary.
• When conferencing is necessary, the family member must be aware that their conversation is being conferenced.
• Staff will provide supervision of the student’s behavior, emotional state, voice tone, and volume during all phone calls.
• Staff will dial the phone for all student calls.
• Staff will document all phone contact, including the family member contacted, the length of the call, and any observations of note (from above) on a student telephone contact sheet.
• If a student or their family would like special privacy for a phone call, the program will try to make that possible.
• Because of the number of students needing to use the phone and the limited amount of time to make calls, staff may limit the number and length of phone calls made by students. Students and family members are asked, as a general rule, to aim for calls of approximately fifteen minutes, in order to allow others the opportunity to make calls as well.
• Staff, students, and their families are asked to use problem-solving, social/interpersonal, and teamwork skills to negotiate the struggles with sharing phone call times and resources on the campuses.

Electronic Communication
• Hillcrest’s policy for use of electronics is found under a separate heading. Please refer to the full policy for information about use of electronic on the campus.
• For purposes of supporting contact, clinical staff can work with families to explore a variety of options including Skype and email communication.

Visitation
• The student, approved family members, and the treatment team should determine a visitation plan for the student with family members for the first 6 weeks (through the diagnostic period) of placement.
• Visitation during this time is usually on-campus and supervised as a part of the assessment and acclimation process for students and family members to campus rules, expectations and procedures.
• Visitation planning should continue at CTP and Treatment Team Meetings, and should be planned in a minimum of 6-week periods to ensure that the needs of the student, the family member(s), and the program are being met. Visitation can take a variety of forms including on campus, off campus in the local community, off campus in the home community, and off campus in the home. Visit types are determined based on safety and treatment needs.
• Hillcrest provides travel support once per month for all students who are safe for a visit to their home or home community and have approved family resources to visit.
• People on the student’s sheet may visit on campus. We recognize that families sometimes cannot plan far in advance. We as that whenever possible, the visitors provide 1-2 weeks’ notice to ensure that the student is not off-campus on a trip, to ensure that we can provide any required staff supervision, and to ensure any medical treatments (i.e. medication passes) can be accommodated. If adequate notice is not given, and we cannot provide the needed staffing, we will have to ask the visitor to reschedule the visit. Visits can be scheduled by contacting the clinical staff assigned to the student.
• If a family or visiting resource cannot afford to visit, the Hillcrest agency may be able to help. They can speak to the student’s clinical staff to discuss this.

At Hillcrest students have access to a range of on and off-campus recreational activities based on age and populations served. Extensive use of facilities the campuses occur on a regular basis. Facilities that are routinely used include: the gymnasium, game room, outdoor athletic facilities, including ball fields, basketball court, NYPUM training and riding course, Certified Ropes Course and various hiking and biking trails that are easily accessible from the campus. Other recreational, historical, cultural and entertainment activities are readily accessible within the Berkshire County area providing a wide range of options for varied student interests and abilities.

NYPUM is a youth development program sponsored by the Honda Corporation, which provides minibikes to Hillcrest and other agencies across the country. Students at participating Hillcrest campuses must meet stringent academic and behavioral criteria related to self control, and must demonstrate respect for safety conditions in order to enter and remain in the program. NYPUM students are carefully taught the rudiments of motorcycle maintenance and operation, and gradually engage in more challenging group riding and skill building activities. NYPUM students also have the opportunity to participate in the NYPUM Rodeo where they can demonstrate their skills and share experiences with students from other NYPUM programs.

Activity Therapies
All Activities are Hillcrest Educational Centers are based on being therapeutic with the ultimate goal of developing skills to include emotional management, empathy, teamwork and good sportsmanship. The development of healthy skills is included in every student’s Comprehensive Treatment Plan

1. HEC students are provided with necessary articles for personal grooming and hygiene based on the age, developmental level, and needs of the individuals served. Obtaining the articles is not contingent upon behavior, is not part of any level or privilege system. The articles are for the personal use of each student and are never shared with others.
2. Staff educate students on grooming activities based on the needs of the student.
3. Staff assist students in learning good self-care practices, with the goal of the students assuming the long-term responsibility for self-care.
4. All students bathe or shower daily. Additionally should students have issues with incontinence they would bathe immediately with all due regard for their privacy.
5. Students are encouraged to brush their teeth at least twice a day, and are assisted if help is needed. When applicable, the nursing department provides instructional information on how to practice proper oral hygiene from technique to storage of dental supplies. Finally, students are routinely seen at Hillcrest Dental Care for treatment preventive dentistry.
6. Students receive haircuts and styling according to their wishes and the requirements for good health. Both on-campus and community resources are available.
7. Students are expected and encouraged to take responsibility for their bedrooms and dormitories. Daily housekeeping chores are assigned and completed routinely.

HEC assures through its intake procedures that parents or guardians provide, to the best of their ability, adequate clothing for each student. Clothing allotments are usually provided by funding agencies. All students within HEC’s care are furnished with clothing that is adequate, clean, reasonably fashionable and appropriate for each season of the year.

All clothing and personal belongings accompany each student upon discharge from HEC.

Anti-Bullying Statement:

Hillcrest understands that there are a number of factors that make our students vulnerable to bullying. We will take specific steps to create a safe, supportive environment for all of our students, and provide them with the skills, knowledge, and strategies to prevent or respond to bullying, harassment, or teasing.

We will not tolerate any unlawful or disruptive behavior, including any form of bullying, cyber-bullying, or retaliation, in our school buildings, on school grounds, or in school-related activities. We will investigate promptly all reports and complaints of bullying, cyber-bullying, and retaliation, and take prompt action to end that behavior and restore the target’s sense of safety. We will support this commitment in all aspects of our school community, including curricula, instructional programs, staff development, extracurricular activities, and parent or guardian involvement.

Our Bullying Prevention and Intervention Plan (“Plan”) is a comprehensive approach to bullying and we are committed to working with students, staff, families, law enforcement agencies, and the community to prevent violence. In consultation with these constituencies, we have established this Plan for preventing, intervening, and responding to incidents of bullying, cyber-bullying, and retaliation. Campus Administration is responsible for the implementation and oversight of the Plan.

Preventative Components:

There are basic components to our treatment approach, physical environment, and campus structure that naturally insure the prevention of bullying and cyber-bullying including, but not limited to:

• High student-to-staff ratios (no less than 3:1, and often 2:1). Students are kept within eyesight of staff at all times.

• All students (not at Housatonic Academy) receive weekly individual therapy where they are provided a safe environment to disclose incidents of bullying.

• All students participate in regular group therapy that addresses issues related to social skill development, assertiveness, self-esteem, violence, safety, etc.

• Cell phones are prohibited.

• Students do not have access to computers and/or the internet without direct adult supervision.

• All living and classroom spaces are under video surveillance for added security and safety.

• All campus staff are trained and certified in our two major treatment/intervention programs – Therapeutic Crisis Intervention (TCI) and Skills For Life (SFL), which promote therapeutic responses to any threat of aggressive and/or bullying behavior. Both programs include structured processes for preventing and responding to instances of violence and/or bullying. (see Appendices A and B)

• All pre-meditated acts of aggression, including bullying, are subject to a Panel Review of administrators, clinicians, teachers, and other relevant staff to determine corrective action/consequences ranging from relationship repair to the involvement of the local authorities.

Also see sections on:
• Student Grievance Procedures
• Communication, Notification, and Student/Parent/Guardian Involvement
• The TCI System
• Skills for Life
• Collaborative Problem Solving
• Other elements of the Hillcrest Treatment Program

Program: BS-ITU___ HP___ FB___ HC___ ASD___ HA___

Date: _____________ Student Name:

Date of incident (if applicable): ______________ Time of Incident (if applicable): _________AM__ PM__

What is your complaint or your grievance? (Please be specific & write or print clearly
______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
(Use another sheet if necessary)

Names of Witnesses (if applicable) _____________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________

Ideas you may have or actions you have taken for improving or resolving the situation, issue, condition or incident:
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________

Person completing this report (check one): Student ___ Staff ___
Print Name ______________________________ Signature __________________________________
***********************************************************************************
Page 1 of ___ 

Student Complaint/Grievance Form – Page 2

Received by: _________________________________________________________ Date received___________
(Administrator)
Findings of the Administrator, including improvement / resolution if applicable,
and/or follow ups required (specify who, will do what & when):
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
(Use another sheet if necessary)
Attach Incident Report if applicable.

Name (print) __________________________Signature __________________________________ Date __________
**********************************************************************************************

Who discussed the findings of the review with the student?

Name (print) __________________________Signature __________________________________ Date __________
The findings of the review of my complaint/grievance were discussed with me.

Student’s name (print) _________________________Signature ______________________________ Date _______
********************************************************************************************
Copies of all Student Complaint/Grievance forms are to be sent to the Chairperson of the Human Rights & Organizational Ethics Committee for review.
Date the copy of this form was sent to the HROE Chairperson ________/______/_______

Name of the person who sent the form (Print) _________________________________________________

Others notified / by whom / date:
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________

Was a 51A report filed? Yes_________ No ________
Additional Notes:
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
Page 2 of ___ REV 10/12

STUDENT GRIEVANCE PROCEDURES:

Hillcrest Educational Centers, Inc. has the legal and ethical responsibility to provide students with a procedure to follow in instances where they have a complaint/grievance that relates to any part of the program, it’s operation or staff or if they feel they have been subject to discrimination based on legally protected categories (race, color, sex, national origin, gender identity, religion, sexual orientation, disability or homelessness).

Effectively utilizing this procedure will provide the student with a prompt and equitable resolution to his/her complaint(s).

In the event that a student feels that their rights have been violated or compromised by a specific staff member or group of staff members, or in any other way while in the program, the student should do the following:

Communicate their complaint/grievance to their clinician in writing, if possible. The clinician will review the complaint/grievance and within 24 hours will notify the appropriate Program Director who will then conduct the investigation of the complaint/grievance.
The student’s clinician will submit the written complaint/grievance to the Program Director. The document will state the name of the student, staff (if this is a staff issue), and date and time of the incident that led to the grievance. The student will also outline the specifics of what happened which gave them cause for the complaint/grievance.

The Program Director, or designee, will meet with the student within 5 working days of receiving the written complaint/grievance. The Program Director, or designee, will communicate a response to the complaint/grievance to the student within 5 working days of the meeting or conversation.

If the student feels that the complaint is not satisfied, the student may send a copy of the original complaint, along with the response from the Program Director, to the Senior Vice President, requesting that the matter be further investigated. The Senior Vice President, or designee, will meet, or have a phone conversation, with the student within 10 working days of receiving the written complaint. The Senior Vice President, or designee, will communicate a response in writing to the student within 10 working days of the conference.

At any time in the process, the student has the right to communicate their complaint/grievance to his/her custodial or funding agency.

Every student of Hillcrest has the right to voice their concerns / complaints, without fear of reprisal. There are several people on the campus who can help you with this. If you have concerns that your rights have been violated, you were mistreated or you did not receive adequate treatment services, you may file a grievance. Your concerns must be written and submitted to your clinician. Your clinician will review the grievance and within 24 hours, will notify the appropriate individuals, who will then conduct the investigation of the allegation. These individuals may include, but are not limited to, Supervisors, Program Managers, Program Directors and the Human Rights Representative on your campus. Upon receipt of the grievance, the Human Rights representative will only be involved if it appears that the grievance involves a violation of your rights. The primary role of the individual is not of an advocate, but as an advisor to the investigative committee. You are free, at any time, to notify your agency, lawyer or guardian of your concerns.

The Human Rights representative for this campus is (print name)

____________________________________________________________

The Human Rights alternate representative for this campus is (print name)

_____________________________________________________________

As a student at Hillcrest Educational Centers I understand and have received a copy of Hillcrest’s Statement of Human Rights.

______________________________________________________ _________________
Student signature                                                                                 Date

This section should be completed only if the student may not be capable of
understanding their rights and/or the complaint/grievance procedure.

Parent, guardian or representative of the student: I understand and have received a copy of Hillcrest’s Statement of Human Rights.

Student’s name _____________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________ _________________
Parent/Guardian/Representative signature                         Date

Relationship to student (please print):

____________________________________________________

______________________________________________________ _________________
Witness – print name                                                                          Date

______________________________________________________
Witness – signature

TAKING SPACE

Hillcrest Educational Centers, Inc. (HEC) teaches, encourages, and supports students to utilize skills so that they may more successfully negotiate life demands. Preferred individual coping skills are identified proactively by the student, agreed upon by the treatment team, and detailed as a part of the Comprehensive Treatment Plan and/or Safety plan. One supportive intervention that is always available to students to help them learn to successfully self regulate is “taking space,” or taking time away from the rest of the group of students. Taking space is voluntary when it is requested by a student or the student is willing to take space when prompted by staff. Sensory rooms are provided at some facilities as a preferred location of this supportive intervention. The goals of this intervention include:
• To avoid becoming overwhelmed and/or engaging in quick relief behaviors
• To decrease sensory input and/or access sensory modulation tools
• To provide support and/or practice the skills needed to negotiate a situation successfully
• To encourage self-responsibility, success and competency

TIME AWAY

Students are rarely removed from a situation to take space involuntarily. However, due to the severity of the behaviors and the difficulties HEC students demonstrate, it is necessary at times to separate a student from the rest of the group. If a student is removed from a situation, it is for the following purposes only:
• An attempt to prevent the need for physical intervention and/or,
• To maintain the safety of all involved.

Continuous observation by a staff member who will be with the student and immediately available to the student at all times. During school hours, the staff member will be an academic staff.

Time Away Process

Provide expectations

The student is given clear expectations for the out of program time. For example: “Joe, how about you take some time out of program in the lounge and calm yourself. After a few minutes, if you’re calm and in control, we will talk about what happened, and practice some skills to avoid these situations in the future. Until the student is calm and agrees to process the behavior, verbal communication should be kept to a minimum (i.e., periodic check-ins or coaching/reminders of calming strategies).

Establish Calm

Although time out of program should be limited to no more than 30 minutes, there is no set time limit for the student to calm. A student should rejoin program as soon as he or she is calm or safe enough to do so. Staff should use discretion based on circumstances and safety. Generalities may be used such as “a few minutes”, or “just another minute” as a guideline. The student should display patience, and self-control through their verbal interaction (agreeing with you, saying “yes,” “okay,” etc.) and body language (attentive, looking more relaxed, crying stopped, etc.) before moving to skill practices. Students will be provided the time that is needed to regain calm, process and re-enter program.

Staff with the student will communicate with their supervisor the status of the student’s time away. If the time exceeds 30 minutes, the supervisor will alert the Program Director, or designee, who will approve the continuation of the time away.

Skill Practices

A student is ready to process when they are reasonably calm, respectful, and attentive. Processing options include:

Life space interview
• Situational Analysis
• Collaborative Problem Solving
• Skill Coaching exercises

Return to group and implementation

Upon successful completion of Skill Practice exercises the student can return to group. Staff should assist the student to return to the group safely and constructively.

INDIVIDUALIZED PROGRAMMING

Individualized Programming (IP) as defined in this policy replaces all other policies and procedures where students are removed from regular programming, or separated from the other students, as a result of problematic behavior.

Individualized Programming (IP) Process:

• The Program Director, or designee, in consultation with clinical and program departmental staff, determines the need for IP for an individual student.
• If a student’s plan includes restriction from routine programming activities (as detailed below) for 24 hours, an evaluation will be completed by licensed clinician and/or HEC clinical director.
• The Program Director, or designee, and consulting staff, or whenever possible the treatment team, determine the individual IP plan for that student.
• Whenever possible the plan should be created in collaboration with the student.
• Progress on the plan must be reviewed, between the student and staff, a minimum of once per shift.

Individualized Programming (IP) is a set of intervention tools. IP may be implemented in various settings of the program as deemed appropriate by the team and focuses on providing support, safety, and skill building and is specifically designed to avoid the trauma reactivity that can result from punishment, and instead focuses on trauma informed principles.

IP provides programming in a way that maintains the safety of the youth and those around them. The focus of IP is to re-establish safety as quickly as possible in order to return the youth to regular supervision status. IP plans are reviewed daily and may either be continued, modified or discontinued based on whether or not safety has been restored for the youth. Safety is the only measure utilized for readiness to return to regular supervision status/programming.

• The student shall return to program once they have calmed. staff will check in with the student during their time away to assess the student’s readiness to return to the scheduled task. The student will return to the scheduled task once he/she has indicated that he/she feels calm enough to do so.
• IP plans are reviewed daily and may either be continued, modified or discontinued based on whether or not safety has been restored for the youth. Readiness to return to regular supervision status is never measured in terms of time or compliance level. Safety is the only measure utilized.

Hillcrest policies, DEEC regulations, JCAHO standards, and best practices for residential care and treatment all prohibit the denial of food and/or a nutritious diet as consequences for negative behavior, for disciplinary reasons, and/or as a behavior management technique (see citations below). However, this standard may sometimes be difficult to interpret and/or implement on a practical level when a student misses or refuses one or more meals or snacks, and/or requests special foods or foods at unscheduled times. This policy statement attempts to clarify some of the contingencies surrounding this issue and provide guidance on how to achieve an appropriate standard of care.

1) A student misses (but has not refused) a meal or snack.

In this case, the student has not refused food, but for whatever reason, was not able to be present when the food was provided.
If a student misses a meal or snack for a valid reason (including being involved in a treatment activity, disciplinary action or emergency intervention such as a hold), staff should provide a reasonable substitute or alternate meal or snack if the meal or snack is no longer available.
This should be done in a manner that clearly communicates to the student that the substitution is not a disciplinary action.

2) A student refuses a meal or snack.

a) If a student refuses to eat a scheduled meal, this is not denial or withholding of food. If the student later requests food at an unscheduled time, such as before the next meal or snack, staff may provide or offer any reasonable alternate form of food (e.g., fruit, sandwich, cereal) rather than providing or offering either the meal that was initially offered and refused, or any other complete meal.
If the student refuses such alternate offerings, staff are not obliged to offer or provide any additional food until the next scheduled meal.
This is consistent with policies, regulations, standards and best practices.

b) If a student refuses to eat a scheduled snack, this is not denial or withholding of food. If the student later requests food at an unscheduled time, staff should inform the student that he/she will have the opportunity to eat at the next scheduled meal. The provision of an alternate or substitute snack is neither necessary not required.
This is consistent with policies, regulations, standards and best practices.

c) Consistent with DEEC regulations, a student has the right to refuse a meal, snack, or a specific form of food. While staff can and should reasonably encourage the student to eat at least some nutritious food, the student must not be coerced by staff to eat, and the student should not receive disciplinary action or consequences (e.g., points, restrictions) for refusing to eat.

If a student refuses two or more consecutive meals (meals, not snacks), nursing and the student’s Clinician should be notified and consulted.

If there is concern associated with health and/or medications because the student is refusing meals, that is a medical issue rather than a disciplinary issue. In this case, disciplinary actions or consequences should not be imposed, but nursing, the Clinician and the Treatment Team should determine how the behaviors and/or concerns should be managed.

3) Food issues may be highly symbolic and meaningful for many students. Therefore, if eating patterns or food issues are causes for concern by any staff or the Treatment Team, the Team should determine how the Team will manage the behaviors or concerns in order to maintain consistency of approach.
As with other problem behaviors, consistency among staff in all disciplines is very important, and individual staff must take care not to “freelance” or unintentionally reinforce problematic behaviors.