An assessment Diagnostic Referral occurs when the Department of Family & Children Services seeks a 90 day diagnostic assessment in a residential setting to determine the most appropriate and least restrictive placement for a child in need.
Diagnostic and Assessment Services – Description of these services
The Peyton Anderson Assessment Center of the Methodist Home is a coed cottage of sixteen children, ages 6-17. Each child receives a comprehensive assessment which includes the following components: Assessment Summary, Psychiatric Evaluation, Medical Evaluation, Psychosocial Assessment, Psychological Evaluation, Educational Assessment, Recreational Assessment, Summary of Unit Behaviors and Responses, and Treatment Plan and Recommendations for Placement.
The Assessment Center is a place where children and their families find hope and a path for their future. This program helps children and their families become aware of their strengths, coping capacities and their desire for growth inherent in most people. Many children are referred to the Assessment Program after a multitude of failed placements. The descriptions that accompany these children are often disturbing, misleading and do not accurately portray the child. However during the thirty to forty-five day assessment the team focuses on the genuine child and often allow for these misperceptions to be corrected.
The Assessment Program provides a safe, secure and healthy environment in which to nurture and enhance the best in each child. As a team, we assess each child=s need for immediate and continued treatment, teach them to respond to others in a healthy and productive way, and finally make recommendations for the best living environment available. During their placement, the children are provided unique experiences and opportunities to develop socially, educationally, and spiritually within the community and surrounding areas.
The Assessment Team experiences the unique opportunity to develop and nurture healthy and meaningful relationships with children that often continue beyond the child=s placement at The Assessment Center. It is a privilege and a blessing for the staff to participate in the positive transitions of the youth they serve.
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