Religious Policies

Since its inception, MCCH has adhered to a strong conviction that true emotional and mental health, along with true healing in problems with self and others, must include a focus on spiritual needs. This is in keeping with our firm belief that all humanity consists not only of mind and body, but spirit as well. All residents will attend a local Church of Christ congregation with their cottage parents as part of their spiritual development.

Every resident at MCCH is expected to participate in the spiritual development phase of the program, although they are not expected to accept specific doctrines or to place membership. The residents will be encouraged to regularly participate in other church-related activities, workshops and youth group activities sponsored by area congregations.

The Christian Family Cottage Program

This program is designed to give the child “family” support and nurturing. The child will be in residence in the cottage on the MCCH campus. Cottage parents will be primarily responsible for the child with support staff (director, social worker, case manager, etc.) providing guidance for the development and implementation of each child’s individual plan. The primary goal of this program is family reunification. Maude Carpenter Children’s Home agrees to provide loving care, guidance, shelter and board, school supplies and allowances.

Program Awareness

As Parent(s)/Guardian(s) it is your responsibility to read and fully understand, the Resident’s Handbook, before placing your child in the MCCH Christian Family Cottage Program. If you have questions prior to or during the program that are not addressed in the handbook, please do not hesitate to contact the Director of Services regarding those questions.

Runaway

If a child runs away, the proper law enforcement authorities will be notified and a missing-person report filed. The parent(s)/guardian(s) will be notified. No other communication will be required until the child is found and the decision as to dismissal of the child has been determined.

Discharge from MCCH

Upon admission, the length of the stay is tentatively set. However, Maude Carpenter Children’s Home staff members reserve the right to terminate placement whenever, in their judgment, the best interests of the child, or the other children in residence, will be served by such termination. In most instances, planning for such changes in placement will be part of the casework process, cooperatively agreed upon by all parties involved. Preparations for discharge will be made in advance, if possible, to help the child succeed in his/her next placement. If a child commits a delinquent act while residing at MCCH, parent(s)/guardian(s) assume responsibility for financial restitution and all legal implications that may arise.

Grievance

Parent(s)/Guardian(s) are entitled to the same rights of filing a grievance against MCCH as the residents. See the “Grievance” section in the Resident’s Handbook for the steps in that process.

Education

All residents residing at MCCH are expected to attend school. Your child will be enrolled in Wichita Public Schools. Parent(s)/Guardian(s) will sign the necessary forms (copy in appendix B) for the child’s school records to be transferred to the school that they will be attending. Cottage parents and/or Case Manager will attend all Parent/Teacher Conferences. Study time will be scheduled in the cottage on a daily basis.

Visitation

Our experiences have shown that thirty (30) days should elapse from the date of admission before a parental visit on campus would be advised. All visitations will be scheduled through the Therapist or Director, not through the cottage parents. Efforts will be made when possible to accommodate a time and day which will be convenient for your family. A clean and comfortable “living room” facility is available on campus for visitation purposes.

After the fourth week of residence, the Case Manager and cottage parents will determine the child’s readiness for an off campus visit. A major factor in that decision will be the level the child has attained and the child’s willingness to “work” the program.

Holiday and Vacation Visits

If the resident is approved for a home visit during seasonal or school holiday breaks, MCCH usually permits a visit for an extended period of time based upon the behavior and level the resident has attained. For example, during Christmas holiday a resident might be permitted to visit for up to two weeks, but more likely a visit from December 23rd to January 1st will be arranged. Thanksgiving visits will be approved from Wednesday evening to Sunday evening of that week.

If the parent(s)/guardian(s) have scheduled an extended visit and fail to pick up the child at the prior approved time, it will be looked upon as abandonment of the child which is a felony.

Personal Possessions from Home

An early adjustment the resident needs to make, in the interest of harmonious group living, is the necessity of reducing and simplifying the personal possessions they bring into the cottage from the home environment. Group living carries with it certain behaviors that include residents engaging in sharing personal belongings with others in the cottage. In spite of constant efforts to discourage such behavior, there is a continued interchange of personal belongings between residents, with or without the owner’s consent. In view of this whole situation, MCCH is unable to accept responsibility for personal items/articles lost, broken or claimed by another resident.

Gifts

Gifts from parent(s)/guardian(s) are best limited to inexpensive clothing items or other items that are not expensive. The resident will inform the cottage parents of gifts received for a determination of the appropriateness of the gift and if it’s compliance with cottage regulations.

Telephone Calls / Letters

Telephone privileges are based on the level the resident has attained. Parent(s)/Guardian(s) will be asked to supply a list of those persons the resident will be able to communicate with and under what conditions or circumstances. Do not call the resident at the cottage; telephone contact will be arranged by contacting the Therapist or Director. MCCH may restrict phone contacts based upon the level the resident has attained, the resident’s behavior and the individual case plan.

MCCH prefers that letter contacts be restricted to family members only. The cottage parents will assist the resident in developing a letter that will share the information that the resident is attempting to communicate. MCCH reserves the right to inspect incoming and outgoing mail for contraband and to determine if the contents are in compliance with the resident’s case plan.

Room (Cottage) Search Procedures

MCCH reserves the right to search the cottage, the resident’s room, personal items or the resident themselves for contraband, weapons or inappropriate items. The resident has the right to be present during the search. If any of these items are found, MCCH will contact the proper authorities and the child will be dismissed and/or prosecuted.

Reports

Reports to parent(s)/guardian(s) will be made in several possible ways:

Phone Contact – Phone contact may be initiated by the parent(s)/guardian(s) or by the Therapist. This method of contact is not specifically scheduled and is mostly used on an “as needed” basis.
Written Reports – Reports will be written on a scheduled basis.
Family Therapy –Families are required to be involved in this type of counseling and will help the family toward reunification. Oral reports will be expressed during these sessions.

Discipline

Although discipline can be unpleasant, it is necessary to attain goals and help people get along together. The fact is everybody makes poor decisions sometimes. Poor decisions offer an excellent opportunity to improve and learn. The Christian Family Cottage Program encourages learning from poor decisions so that the resident will not be stuck in making the same poor choices over and over again. Our aim is to make success an easy choice and create an environment of respect.

MCCH does not use corporal punishment in the implementation of discipline. The cottage parents do not:

slap, pinch, twist, punch or in any way physically punish or abuse residents in care.
verbally degrade persons. This includes name calling or other forms of verbal abuse.
withhold meals from residents as a form of discipline.
base consequences for behavior on how good or bad their relationship is with the resident. Resident needs are always considered in discipline.

The cottage parents are equipped and trained in Managing Aggressive Behavior, which is a model of physical restraint. Physical restraint may be used in emergency situations in which a child is in danger of harming either self, others or property.

Reunification

Parent(s)/Guardian(s) will participate in various forms of therapy and training as reunification of the family approaches. Parent(s)/Guardian(s) are encouraged to become familiar with the Residents’ Handbook for the purpose of understanding the nuances of the program and incorporating those procedures into the home program once the child returns.