Pressley Ridge has been a dedicated advocate for children and families in the greater Pittsburgh region for nearly two centuries. What began as an orphanage on the North Side has grown into a nationally recognized organization that supports families in seven states through a continuum of trauma-informed programs and treatment foster care services.
Since the early 1800’s, child welfare has undergone a profound transformation. The approach of providing basic needs and shelter in institutional settings gradually shifted towards the more nurturing and individualized family-like environment of foster care. Today, thanks to a deeper understanding of the psychological and developmental needs of children and the importance of stable family relationships to their well-being, families remain together whenever possible.
In efforts to keep families together, county child welfare agencies are now utilizing family preservation services that seek to strengthen the functioning of the family unit in hopes of preventing removals before they occur. While the demand for these services has increased significantly since the passing of the Family First Prevention Services Act in 2018, Pressley Ridge has been providing preservation-based programs for more than 15 years.
The Crisis Stabilization and Family Preservation (CSFP) program was designed by Pressley Ridge in conjunction with Beaver County Children and Youth Services (CYS) to serve families who are involved with the child welfare or juvenile justice systems and are at risk of needing out-of-home care, such as emergency shelter placement.
Families experience crises for many reasons. Whether it’s an adolescent acting out or running away, a parent who is struggling to care for their own mental health, or a lack of resources leading to homelessness or food shortage, a quick and attentive response can contain the crisis and prevent it from separating family members.
Once a family determines they are in crisis and calls the hotline, the Pressley Ridge Crisis Stabilization Team responds via phone within one hour and attempts an in-person meeting to identify immediate safety risks within 24 hours. Families commit to the program for a minimum of 30 days, with most receiving services for four to eight weeks. During meetings, the team assesses the needs of each family member, provides parenting, coping and problem-solving skills, and teaches youth to make safe decisions with the goal of allowing them to remain in their home.
The Pressley Ridge CSFP program began serving families in Beaver County in 2009. Prior to the program, youth in crisis were removed from the home and placed into shelter before CYS evaluated the needs of the child and family, which left many children in out-of-home placement indefinitely due to the parent or child’s reluctance to engage in services.
Amy Fenn, Senior Director at Pressley Ridge, has overseen the program since its inception. “The ultimate objective is to reduce trauma and keep families together,” Fenn said. “By responding to the crisis as it is happening or shortly after, we are able to offer the family support and interventions while connecting them with behavioral health services and community- based supports, such as therapy, insurance, and resources to meet their basic needs.”
Prior to the implementation of the CSFP program, Beaver County spent nearly $495,000 to place 57 youth in emergency shelters in 2008. By 2016, the county had reduced emergency placements to 11 youth at a cost of $48,000. In the most recent fiscal year 2023, Beaver County reports only four youth were placed into shelter for a total cost of $22,715.
Joshua Edenhofer, Administrator of Beaver County Children and Youth Services, believes the CSFP program has been instrumental in helping the county keep children in their homes and out of placement settings.
“This program has been integral in Beaver County to help prevent out-of-home placements and has been significantly successful in helping families navigate through complex systems to find the appropriate care for their family,” Edenhofer said. “Pressley Ridge has actively collaborated with the county child welfare agency, juvenile probation, mental health providers, courts, schools, and any other system in which a family has been involved to provide support to families.”
In the past year, Pressley Ridge served 107 youth in Beaver County through the Crisis Stabilization and Family Preservation program. 92% of those youth remained at home with their families.
The success of this program in Beaver County prompted expansion into Washington, Fayette, Westmoreland, and York Counties in Pennsylvania over the past 11 years. Over the next five years, Pressley Ridge plans to expand CFSP into counties within the other six states served by the organization, which includes Ohio, West Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, Virginia and Texas.