CHILDREN ELIGIBLE FOR THE PROGRAM

ONeNess Foundations Diaspora USA, Inc. accepts children appropriate for its program based on the under listed criterion:

• Adolescent who have experienced some level of dysfunctions in their lives which includes substance abuse/dependency, physical abuse, sexual abuse, abandonment, emotional neglect, and rejection.

• Adolescent who have depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, poor interpersonal skills, attachment disorder and general anxiety disorders.

• Adolescent’s whose disruptive behavior and adjustment resulting lack of adjustment at school, oppositional -defiant disorders, conduct disorder, and minor infractions with law enforcement and attachment disorders.

• Adolescent who are functioning at or above 70 IQ.

• Adolescent who are functioning below 70 IQ or with a mental retardation diagnosis whose case has been reviewed and approved by ONeNess Foundations Diaspora USA, Senior Management.

• Adolescent who can participate and benefit from Therapeutic program.

• Adolescent who requires a moderate, specialized and/or intense Level of Care.

• Adolescent who have a history of running away, medication, diet, or other regimen.

 

SERVICES & TECHNIQUES

ONeNess Foundations Diaspora USA, Inc. multi-disciplinary treatment team is united in the philosophy that the treatment process should reflect real life settings and experiences. For this reason, the physical plant is a home-like environment that gives the residents an opportunity to participate in community activities and events.

 

Our goal is to blend therapies, meaningful experiential activities, teaching, and recreation tempered with professional guidance to stimulate responsible behavior in residents.

 

The following treatment modalities are provided:

 

• Life skills education

• Substance abuse treatment & prevention

• Therapeutic recreation

• Medical and dental examinations and treatment

• Group, individual and family therapy mentoring & tutoring services

 

MILIEU THERAPY:

ONeNess Foundations Diaspora USA, Inc. staff interacted with the residents during activities within a milieu (environment) that, s nurturing, safe, structured, predictable, and fair. ONeNess Foundations Diaspora USA, Inc. goal is to help the residents adapt successfully to the family, group living situations, school, work and/or other community settings.

 

The environment is free from pressures to perform above one’s ability, yet forces a resident to explore and find his/her potential, is safe, is structured, and is accepting of mistakes. Mistakes are used to teach acceptable methods of performing a job or relating to peers or adults. Central to accomplishing the goals (stated in paragraph one) is consistency within a clear structure. Within such a structure, residents are able to experience the security of clear roles, personal boundaries, and adult controls as applied to the realities of a complex, ever changing world.

 

A number of therapeutic processes are at work in addressing the goal of consistency and structure and include:

1. An intensive exposure to healthy identification figures and role models, through which residents can internalize and develop healthy coping patterns.

2. The experiencing of a broad range of therapeutic activities and avenues for creative expression, which promote alternative ways for adapting to life’s problems and developing new areas of self-esteem and self-expression.

3. The opportunity to learn new and more adaptive behaviors and the corresponding reduction of maladaptive behaviors through repetition, success, and reinforcement.

4. The development and application of new coping skills and strategies aimed at adapting to changes in the environment.

 

Broad therapeutic goals are implemented through a variety of procedures and methods which include:

1. Clear and consistent group and individual rules.

2. Daily routines/rituals.

3. Facilitative developmental programming and therapeutic recreation.

4. Therapeutic management of overt behavior and

5. Teaching of strategies that are effective in self-management of intra-psychic, interpersonal and emotional dysfunction.

​

TESTING & EVALUATION SERVICES:

As part of the admission process, children are assessed to determine health, psychological, educational, and social strengths and needs. These assessments are in ONeNess Foundations Diaspora USA, Inc.

 

Keeping with our Holistic approach to child care, each area of the child’s life impact; other areas; therefore in order to maximize the child’s treatment, we need an awareness of the child’s over- all functioning. Services, however, are not in all areas of need.

 

Occasionally, specialized assessments (e.g. neurological, vision, hearing) are indicated these services are not available through ONeNess Foundations Diaspora USA, Inc. Residential Program however; the Clinical Director, will work with Government Officials and/or community resources to arrange the services.

 

INDIVIDUAL, GROUP, & FAMILY COUNSELLING:

Residents must be involved in individual, group, or family therapy sessions as recommended by the Director of Clinical Services, Clinician, caseworkers, facility personnel, and parents, as appropriate, during the development of initial plans of service.

 

Group sessions focus on common needs of the group (e.g. substance abuse, anger management, relationships with peers, with authority figures, with parents.) Clinicians also hold therapy groups focusing on art or movement as a therapeutic intervention.

 

Family sessions are conducted to clarify communication within the family and to help the family learn and practice new roles and methods of problem solving.

 

Resident Counselors provide situational/on the spot counseling as needed by the resident. These sessions arise as a resident is experiencing frustration, conflict, anxiety, etc. during planned or leisure activities.

 

Contract therapists, as arranged by ONeNess Foundations, the caseworker or facility officer, to counsel children also.

 

RECREATION & ENRICHMENT SERVICES:

All residents are involved in physical and leisure activities each day. Physical activities include soccer, volleyball, table tennis, softball, basketball, swimming, running. Leisure activities include board games, videos, and crafts.

 

ONeNess Foundations Diaspora USA, Inc. has a Unit Director who plans and coordinates on and off campus activities.

 

The objectives of therapeutic recreation is to have the residents follow directions, develop the ability to resolve conflict in an acceptable manner, participate effectively in group activities, and to face new challenges without giving up.

 

LIFE SKILLS EDUCATION:

ONeNess Foundations Diaspora USA, Inc. provides opportunities for residents to develop a sense of order for their lives and develop skills needed for independent living. ONeNess Foundations Diaspora USA, Inc. provides real world life experiences where day trips are scheduled periodically for enrichment purposes. Trips to the zoo, historical sites, parks, restaurants, points of interests are educational and fun. The general intent is to offer a change of pace, a “vacation” from the routine. Specific objectives are to allow residents to practice new behaviors (e.g. demonstrating socially acceptable behavior, facing unfamiliar situations, recognizing the importance of balance in one’s life.)

​

EDUCATIONAL SERVICES:

All residents attend school by attending assigned school within the district/outside district which is accredited and approved by the Nigeria Education Agency and meets the resident’s educational needs. All School employees are certified teachers, including teachers with Special Education certification, to coordinate on and/or off-site activities. All School’s educational courses are transferable to public schools. The goal of the educational program is to enable the student to return to the appropriate grade level and with appropriate behaviors.

​

PSYCHOPHARMACOLOGICAL TREATMENT:

Children on psychotropic medications are monitored monthly by a psychiatrist.

 

NUTRITIONAL SERVICES:

Menus are planned to meet the residents’ daily nutritional needs. A combination of a nutritious diet and recreational experiences, in most cases, will enable residents to reach their desired weight. However, if a resident is over-weight or under-weight and that condition continues for a period of time, the Clinical Director will have the resident examined by a physician and, if necessary, arrange for a dietetic assessment of the child. If other than a regular diet is needed, the reason and benefits are explained to the child and communicated to ONeNess Foundations Diaspora USA, Inc.

 

ASSESSMENT PROCEDURES:

Plan of service reviews will assess the degree to which an individual child has benefited from the facility’s services. For example, there is a decrease in the number of prompts needed for a child to clean his area or change his bed; there is a decrease in the number of times a child leaves the property without permission; there is a decrease in assault behavior.

 

Additionally, ONeNess Foundations Diaspora USA, Inc. has an on-going quality assurance program which assesses the effectiveness of the total program, services, and techniques. On a quarterly basis, the Committee conducting the quality assurance review will:

1. Read residents’ records to determine that only those residents who meet admission criteria and who benefit from the program are in care.

2. Read counseling notes to determine that counseling is provided and the degree to which residents are gaining insight and addressing issues present at time of admission as demonstrated by the decrease in acting out behaviors; e.g. fighting, runaways, refusals to participate in group activities, resident’s ability to articulate the problem.

3. Interview staff and residents to determine the extent to which resident’s behavior has been ameliorated; example: a resident’s understanding to his/her problem, a decrease in the number of aggressive incidents, runaways, etc.

4. Read resident’s records to determine that identified service needs have been delivered (e.g. nutrition, recreation, personal hygiene); examples, residents are able to participate in sports and team activities without fighting; children’s weight is moving into the average range; there is a decrease in the number of times residents are given consequences for poor hygiene or inappropriate dress.

5. Read school records and interview teachers to determine the degree to which the children are progressing and controlling behavior in the class room and improving their gresad.

6. Read case records to determine the extent to which residents were restrained (e.g. determine whether the restraints were needed, the resident’s subsequent behavior, and whether the number of incidents involving restraint decreased for an individual child).

7. Read individual case records to determine patterns of serious incidents (e.g. types of incidents and persons involved in the incidents).

 

SPECIFIC QUALITY ASSURANCE TASKS ARE ASSIGNED TO THE QUALITY IMPROVEMENT COMMITTEE

Read records on discharged residents to determine reasons for discharges (e.g. number of positive discharges; number of discharges due to runaways).

 

Read staff logs, personnel files, and training records to determine that training and supervision are adequate to enable staff to meet the needs of the residents.

 

Randomly interview residents and staff to gather their in-put regarding the quality of the services and techniques.

 

Observe facility’s activities to determine:

1. That services are being provided as scheduled.

2. The quality of the milieu.

3. The relationships between staff and children.

4. The relationships between children.

 

As needed, the Committee conducting the quality assurance review will interview attending staff of ONeNess Foundations, Caseworker, or Facility Officer to determine their perspectives regarding the quality of the services and techniques.

The Committee conducting the quality assurance reviews will submit written reports to the Chief Executive Officer within 10 working days of the conclusion of the reviews. The Chief Executive Officer will use the information from the reports to determine whether the program needs additional services, changes in staff, etc.