Cortland Programs

Supported Care

Elmcrest has a longstanding relationship with Cortland County DSS and the clients we serve through the Family Support Program (FSP).

FSP was initialized in 2012, and as the needs of the county and clients have grown, the program’s capacity and service delivery have continued to evolve.

Family Support Program (FSP)

This high-intensity program is designed to stabilize children who are placed in foster care, decrease the length of stay in foster care, and reduce disruptions of placement and recidivism. 

This program is designed as a collaboration between Elmcrest and the county and utilizes frequent and consistent visits, solution-focused therapy, and ongoing evaluation and assessment of the family’s needs and strengths.

As research shows, engagement in a high level of visits reduces trauma and builds resiliency for youth who are in care, and leads to a higher rate of reunification.  Further, contact with a social worker correlates to increased visitation attendance.  Focusing on these components and the collaboration with the county has resulted in a greater positive impact on the community.

(CSP) is a high intensity, short term intervention aimed at stabilizing community placement of youth that are stepping down from a residential treatment facility or youth that are at-risk  of stepping up to a higher level of care. Interventions are aimed at both the caregiver and the youth.  Caregiver support plans will be developed based on the needs of the caregiver.  Attention will be given to parenting skills, creating routines and establishing structure with the home.  Caregivers will work to address their own biases and behaviors to create a nurturing environment for the youth to flourish.  Youth Support Plans will be developed based on the identified problematic behaviors of the youth.  Focus will be placed on developing prosocial skills, effective communication and building healthy attachments. 

Family Education Programming (FEP)

In 2016, Elmcrest added Family Education Programming (FEP) to further support families with whom we are engaged and expand into preventive services. FEP provides visitation and parent education for families whose children are placed with a relative or other guardian, and for families transitioning out of the Family Support Program whose children remain in foster care.

Additionally, FEP was aimed at servicing families in the prevention of child removal and is designed to work with families whom the County identifies as being at risk of removal. The goal of this program is to utilize education and hand-over-hand techniques to equip parents with a conceptualized approach and targeted interventions aimed at behavior modification and support in their home environment.  FEP will be implementing the Common Sense Parenting Model to further enhance the ability to achieve this goal.