Collier Group Home

All youth and families are given a copy of all rights while in our care. Here is a glance at some of those rights.

• To be treated with respect and dignity that is culturally sensitive.
• To be free from discrimination solely by reason of gender, sexual orientation, race, age, religion, marital status, veteran status, or disability.
• To be free from abuse, exploitation, retaliation, humiliation, neglect, and violation of personal and physical boundaries.
• To expect that CYS will disclose any potential conflicts of interest.
• Request and receive timely information regarding the youth’s care and treatment plan.
• To expect all information regarding services will be kept confidential, to the extent allowed by law.
• Employees of Collier Youth Services are mandated by law to report all suspicion or evidence of child abuse and/or neglect.
• To expect that no identifying information, including billing, clinical utilization, and other administrative and service-related information documented manually or online, will be released without your valid and written consent, except as allowable by law.
• To be free from harassment and intimidation.
• To participate in developing individual treatment plans, goal setting, and evaluation and revision of plans as needed.
• To be assigned a social worker and treatment counselor.
• To request help from staff when/as needed.
• To request help in resolving conflict with other youth, friends, family members, and/or staff.
• To openly communicate concerns, requests, and complaints about any service or service provider without fear of retaliation or of losing services.
• To a copy of your treatment plan and individual record.
• To determine, in collaboration with the Child/Family Treatment Team, that you are ready to transition home or to a transitional living program or independent living.
• You have the right to give notice that you do not wish to continue with residential services and request termination of enrollment with Collier Residential Program.
• To have access to all CYS policies and procedures.
• To receive information on CYS’ mission, values, philosophy, and practices.
• To attend religious services of preference.
• To live in a safe, clean, and healthy environment.
• To express and request healthy, essential food preferences, as well as have their dietary needs met.
• To communicate with other youth and all staff in the home, your DCP&P worker, CMO, and family.
• To send and receive mail via postal service and/or internet per the program's protocols.
• To use the staff phone or personal cell phone to call family members and/or case managers at any time.
• To visit family and friends arranged by the Social Worker or Director along with the DCP&P/Case Manager, Family, and Treatment Team.
• To have family and friends visit at the residence.

• We commit to maintaining a safe, clean environment for you. Each team member treats Collier as if it was our home.
• All team members commit to identify and achieve all youth and family goals through strengths, needs, abilities, and preferences (SNAP)
• All team members have a safety plan and are encouraged to use it as the youth in the home do.
• We take time to decorate for all occasions, ensure the front yard always has flowers, and encourage the youth to put up pictures and art throughout the home.
• Collier does not use physical contact restraining techniques. In matters of an emergency (physical aggression or dangerous behavior), the police will be notified to assist.
• All efforts to prompt the youth to utilize their safety plan will be practiced prior to any police intervention.
• Home time is always encouraged and scheduled with the social worker. We never take home time away as a punitive measure
• Each youth has the right to practice (or choose not to practice) and attend the religious activities of their choice.
• Team members will help the youth find a preferred local place of worship.
• For safety and privacy matters, only team members can get mail from the mailbox and distribute it accordingly.
• Only team members will answer the door to ensure the safety of the youth.

• As a measure of safety, during the youths' first month, youth will be accompanied by a team member while in the community.
• Youth will commit to not having any illegal/recreational drugs, alcohol, or weapons in the home.
• Smoking is not allowed while in the program. Youth will be asked to sign a substance use agreement upon arrival to ensure safety.
• Youth will commit to all areas of treatment, including group and individual counseling.
• Youth are to uphold their commitment to confidentiality and not share information about others outside the home.
• Youth are permitted to have a lock box to keep their valuables. They must provide the staff with a copy of the key/combination.
• It is the expectation that each youth uphold their commitment to nonviolence and demonstrate respectful behavior at all times.
• Youth commit to safety by notifying team members when they are feeling unsafe or know another youth that may feel unsafe.

Collier Group Home provides Individual and Group Counseling with the Clinical Social Worker, in addition to the youth's treatment counselor, to review their goals and offer therapeutic holistic services and interventions.

• Individual and Group Counseling 1x per week at the Group Home with the Clinical Social Worker
• Individual counseling 1x per week with the Clinical Case Manager in addition to weekly or biweekly meetings with the case manager and consulting psychiatrist (in the Group Home)
• Numerous groups throughout the week that include, but are not limited to, culture, wellness, expression, and self-care
• Treatment goals are reviewed on a biweekly basis
• Mindfulness Based Expressive Art Groups held weekly
• Family Counseling with House Social Worker
• Nurtured Heart parent sessions that review philosophies and techniques are provided to the families by the clinical case manager on a biweekly basis. This is a part of the transition plan to ensure consistancy when the youth successfully returns home.

 

At the Individualized Planning meeting, the youth and family vision will be discussed and the team will develop collaborative, person-centered goals, supporting the youth’s commitment to treatment, education, medical needs, and risky behaviors based on the information gathered during the assessment process. 

Each youth's Individualized Plan is based on information from the assessment process and the youth’s strengths, needs, abilities and preferences (SNAP).

• Goals are expressed in the words of the youth and reflect the informed choice of the youth and their parents or legal guardians.
• Goals are reflective of the youth’s culture (culture includes gender identity, gender expression, familial customs or traditions  
• The Individualized Plan focuses on the youth’s inclusion and integration into their identified family when ap plicable, natural supports and systems, the community, education settings and all other services as needed.
• Measurable goals and strategies reflect informed choices, values and cultural preferences of the youth served and parents/legal guardian that are measurable, time specific/frequency.
• The team identifies specific service interventions and the frequency of services. Specific service objectives are reflective of the expectation of the youth and the service treatment team. They are reflective of the youth’s age, development, culture and ethnicity, including skills for self-regulation, social skills, social supports, community living and life skills and vocational skills.   

 

Actvities and Daily Living

A written daily schedule is maintained including daily appointments, chores and other activities.

Regular meetings are scheduled between youth, clinical social worker, and treatment counselors. These meet ings include discussions of Collier Group Home’s operations, individual problems/needs, individualized plans, and use of program resources.

Opportunities to participate in activities found in the home are available to the youth such as music, art, mind fulness based groups, sensory stations, baking, electronics, games, etc.

Collier Group Home maintains a homelike and comfortable setting. 5. All youth are encouraged and permitted to have and display their own personal possessions and decorations. The items are consistent with the choices and needs of the youth, except for items contra indicated by their in dividualized plans and do not violate any safety standards. 6. All youth have access to nutritious meals and snacks. Youth participate in food shopping, cooking and meal planning. 7. All youth have opportunities for unstructured, private time. 8. All youth have access to healthcare services and pharmaceutical services that meet their needs as they are iden   

 

 

Meals and Cook Nights

• Each youth is designated a cook night weekly and reviewed every Sunday night at dinner
• Dinnertime is 6:00 PM from Sunday through Thursday, where both the youth and team members eat together, followed by nightly “check-ins” and community meetings.
• To ensure proper health and nutrition, a healthy snack is provided after school, before dinner, and in the evening, the youth get to choose a snack of their choice.
• Cook nights include food prepping, cooking, setting up the table, cleaning the table, cleaning the kitchen, and running the dishwasher.
• Youth are permitted to prepare an alternative meal before the start of dinner in the event of any food restrictions or diets.
• To ensure sanitation in the kitchen, all food must be secured and labeled daily, and youth are provided with gloves when preparing meals
• Red Bank Garbage days are to be brought out on Sunday and Wednesday nights
• Recycling is every Tuesday

 

Weekly Chores and Laundry Day

• Chores rotate on a weekly basis and are completed daily.
• When a chore is completed, it is the social responsibility of the youth to inform a counselor to check the chore, and both team member and youth will sign it is complete
• Each youth will be given a laundry day when they arrive
• On these days, youth are responsible for washing. Drying, folding, and putting their laundry away.

 

Wellness Wednesdays

The Collier Home has three certified Trauma Informed Yoga Instructors trained by the Sakala School of Integrated Teaching. We have added trauma-informed yoga to our treatment modalities and have implemented Wellness Wednesdays in our scope of services. These activities aim to help youth overcome trauma by emphasizing their experience, choice, and safety within the postures, breathe work, and mindfulness. Some of these activities include guided meditations, sensory learning, asana poses, breath work, and mindful eating, among many other techniques that the youth are able to put in their Wellness toolkit.

 

Cultural Night

One of the Sanctuary Commitments we follow at Collier is our commitment to Social Responsibility. This commitment reflects how we present ourselves in society and how we work together as a community, with the knowledge and awareness of diversity and full inclusion. The home has incorporated cultural night during dinnertime on Monday nights, where the youth and team reflect on a different culture. The team and youth create a visual board in the kitchen that reflects a different culture, allowing room for discussion and stories surround each culture during dinnertime. Additionally, this is paired with a home-cooked cultural meal that the youth are encouraged to participate in. 

 

Bedrooms and Bathrooms

• Bedrooms are safe spaces for the youth to personalize and make them their own. The goal is for youth to demonstrate safety so they can spend time in their rooms throughout the day.
• Team members do daily checks in the rooms and will confiscate any food or unapproved items that are in plain sight. This may include vapes, supplements, or any drugs or weapons.
• Bedrooms are cleaned daily before going home for the weekends.
• Bedtimes: Sun-Thursday: youth are to be upstairs by 10:00 PM. Youth are to be in their own rooms at these times.
• Friday and Saturday bedtime is 10:30 PM
• There are two upstairs bathrooms with two showers in each.
• Hygiene practices are completed daily, and youth can shower anytime. If assistance in this area is needed, team members will help the youth with a structured plan to complete these tasks.
• Based on preference, youth can discuss with team members any needs regarding bathroom times and privacy.
• If a room search is warranted, the youth will be asked to attend. Two staff members (1 of which is an administrator) will conduct the search. If the youth cannot be located, the search will be conducted in their absence.

 

Curfew and Check-ins

• Collier is an open community setting and youth have community access after they are acclimated and comfortable in the town of Red Bank, NJ
• Youth can integrate into the community while committing to safety and social responsibility.
• Each youth will have a designated check-in time established during their first child/family team meeting and are revisited as needed.
• In-person check-ins are when the youth returns to the home at the designated check-in time and meets with a team member to maintain safety and open communication.
• If there are no safety concerns, they can return to the community after checking in.
• Youth must sign out before going into the community or work.
• Youth may be asked to share locations via cell phone based on where they are going and who they are with.
• Youth can request an extension of curfew or check in 2 days in advance and must get permission from their guardian to ride in any vehicle.
• If a youth wants to go to a friend’s home, they must get permission from their parents/guardians and the treatment team.
• There must be an adult present at the home at all times. The staff must speak to the adult and have met the friend before having permission to go.
• Youth must travel in pairs if they are going out at night.
• Curfew varies on the time of year and when the sun goes down. Winter months tend to be 8:00 PM, whereas summer months are 9:00 PM. This all depends on the location and the individualized plan.
• For safety reasons, youth are prohibited from being in the local parks after dark.
• If a youth is on Reset Status, community time will be on hold until the reset status is completed.
• Youth can have 30-minute check-ins to 3-hour check-ins depending on their commitment to safety and open and honest communication.
• If you are over an hour late for check-in or curfew, a reset status will apply until the youth meets with the team.
• Due to safety concerns, there is no riding a bicycle or skateboard after dark. Youth must also wear proper protective gear, including helmets and knee/elbow pads.

Recreation Activities

• Treatment Counselors take the youth on weekly recreational activities that usually happen on Friday, Saturday, or Sunday
• These activities can include going to the movies, iPlay America, local pride festivals, county fairs, hikes, and a lot more fun activities through the Monmouth County Parks Department!

Clothing Allowance

• Each month, youth also get an $85 clothing allowance, and counselors will bring them to the Monmouth or Freehold Mall to get clothes for the month. Some youth also choose to shop online!

Seasonal Fun!

• Each year we receive donations from our community partners, allowing us to take youth to events such as Broadway Shows and a day at Seaside Boardwalk!
• We also receive donations during the Winter Holidays to pick out Christmas Trees and have a beautiful holiday celebration for current and past youth who come and share their success stories.

Rites of Passage

• Prom and graduation season is a pivotal time for youth, and it’s our favorite time of year!
• Youth are assisted with prom shopping, and we hold a graduation party every June for all of our high school graduates!

• Collier uses our Daily Charts to help track progress and areas of strength for each youth.
• Each youth’s chart will be based on their individual areas of growth, change, and SAFETY
• Check-ins, Curfews, and Resets are listed on the Daily Chart, and they can be reviewed at any time.
• Youth will get a weekly allowance. Base Allowance is 5$
• Areas for extra earning depending on effort and time
• When reflecting S+ (+$.25) and U(-$.25) in each chart, team members specify reasons why they are receiving it every day
• If youth presents with a clean room, completes their chore correctly, and completes hygiene they should receive an S+ automatically in those areas.
• Youth have the ability to gain or lose money throughout the week depending on their commitment to activities of daily living in the home, which include handing in the phone on time, maintaining the bedroom, chores, laundry, and cooking nights, and having ability reset in heightened situations, and attending school. Other goals may be put on the daily charts, which are individualized and reflective of their personal goals.

• The Collier Group Home strives to meet the individual educational needs of the youth in coordination with their guardians and/or caregivers and their home school district representative.
• In the event the youth's IEP indicates an out-of-district school and the youth and family choose Collier School, a Letter of Intent is obtained by the Sending School District.
• When a youth does not have an IEP, the youth is enrolled in the local Red Bank Regional School District. When the youth’s home district requests (and is feasible), the youth is provided transportation by their school district and remains in their hometown school.
• If a youth is struggling in school, they are encouraged to seek out help at school and complete a study hour at the Group Home when needed. During this time, we will ask the electronics be set aside.
• At the time of transition/discharge, all educational needs and planning are documented in the youth’s Individualized Plan.
• If youth are feeling ill, it is the expectation that youth communicate with team members and plan for appropriate treatment interventions. This may include taking temperatures, making urgent care visits, or taking the appropriate OTC medications.
• Youth who are at RBR have the Source as a mental health resource while at school, and youth at Collier have assigned social workers. It is expected that youth will utilize these resources while in school to help them better cope and manage their emotions effectively. Youth will then call the home with an adult if they are unable to manage their emotions at school.
• If a youth does not attend school, they will not be able to receive electronics until the school day is over
• Youth must be ready for school between 6:50 AM for RBRHS and 7:30 AM for Collier High School students. Team members will administer medication, and you are encouraged to eat breakfast to start your day; then, youth will receive any electronics. RBRHS youth walk to school and walk home from school. Team members will transport children when there is inclement weather.

• The norm at Collier is that the youth must display good grades and attendance in school in order to move to their employment goal.
• If a youth begins to fall back on their educational goals while working, they may be asked to lessen their hours or put employment on hold in order to meet their educational needs.
• All youth are encouraged to engage in volunteer efforts, employment, and community activities.
• It is a goal for every youth to eventually gain employment. In order to achieve this goal, youth are offered opportunities to learn how to create a resume, review online working papers, gain interviewing skills, and use public work transportation.
• When a youth gains employment, they will set aside half of their paycheck in an effort to promote savings and money management skills.
• Social Work Practicum Students, who are here from September through May, will work with the youth on their specific goals and gain life skills
• Each youth is responsible for their own transportation to and from work after they receive their first paycheck.
• Youth cannot take a bike to work if they are coming home after dark.
• During school, youth are permitted to work until 10:00 PM. Youth can work any day aside from Tuesday evening, which is group therapy at Collier Group Home. During the summer, all youth are expected to work, volunteer, or attend summer school, and they must work a minimum of 20 hours per week.

Visitation

• Youth are encouraged to have friends in the community and learn the responsibility and independence of safety integrating into the community
• All visitors will come to the home before the youth go out in the community and are expected to respect
• the privacy of our home.
• The youth should be planning extensions and weekend plans the Wednesday before with the house Social Worker.
• Collier Home will request and maintain a copy of identification related to all visitors. If they do not have an identification, team members will get all the information verbally to ensure we have the necessary information. This could be a high school friend without an ID.
• All dates or romantic visitors will be able to visit in the living room, sun porch, and patio area. Both individuals are expected to display a positive presentation of self by interacting with appropriate boundaries.
• When a youth is on reset status, they are encouraged to plan future visits with the team for when the Reset is completed.
• Any visits at a friend’s house or visits involving the youth getting into a car must be first approved by their parent or guardian.
• Drivers are expected to show a valid driver's license (not provisional), registration, and insurance for the youth to go into a car with anyone. The driver also must be over the age of 18.

Mail

• Youth are permitted to send and receive mail.
• For all youths' safety, only team members are permitted to get mail from the mailbox, and it will be dispersed accordingly.
• If the youth is not home, it will be put in the youth’s mailbox, which is locked in the staff closet.
• One of the youth’s responsibilities is to ask counselors to check their personal mailbox weekly.
• All letters from insurance and medical providers will be held for the youth’s guardian to pick up.
• Letters will be freely given unless the sender has been noted on the unapproved contact list. In those cases, we would hold the letter and give it to the parent or guardian.
• Packages are opened in the presence of two treatment team members.

Cell Phones

• Youth are permitted to have one cell phone at the group home if there are no safety concerns and at the discretion of their parent or guardian.
• The overall goal for all youth is to obtain a cell phone to learn about safe boundaries and be able to communicate with their supports when they are out in the community.
• Cell phones are handed in at 10:00 PM Sun-Thurs and 10:45 PM on Friday and Saturday
• After the 90-day Individualized Plan, and if there are no known safety concerns, youth may be permitted to keep their phone overnight on Friday and Saturday. This only applies if the youth completes all social responsibilities and does not apply while on Reset.

Chromebooks

• Youth have access to Chromebooks with a secure monitoring system that is checked periodically.
• Youth are assigned log-in names when they arrive. Youth are only permitted to use their login name.
• Staff will periodically check social media profiles and sites to ensure that youth are posting appropriate material and/or pictures on their profiles.
• Youth are not permitted to give out personal information (address, phone numbers) via the Internet or speak to people they do not know via the Internet.
• If there is any concern that a youth is not upholding safety or social responsibility regarding internet usage via the group home computers or personal internet devices, the youth and family will discuss safety concerns and any limitations involving the youth’s safety on the Chromebook.

Collier House does not use physical contact restraining techniques under any circumstances. In matters of emergency (physical aggression or out-of-control behavior), the local police will be notified.