SUBSTITUTE CARE
Substitute Care is Laraway’s therapeutic foster care program, offering support and crisis services 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
Residential Treatment Program
We operate a licensed residential treatment program, Foote Brook, in Johnson. This adventure-based program serves youth who need a higher level of structure and supervision than foster care.
Child Placing Agency
We are also licensed by the State of Vermont Department for Children and Families (DCF) to approve foster homes in order to provide children in foster care with opportunities to develop positive connections with their families and the community. Youth are referred by DCF and are typically stepping down from residential programs or are at risk of being admitted to a residential program.
Who we are:
Substitute Care services are provided by highly skilled case managers, community and residential support staff, and
in-house clinicians. We also have a cadre of committed, capable and genuinely caring foster parents.
What we do:
- Locate, screen, train and support therapeutic foster homes
- Facilitate relationships to help kids and families meet their goals
- Help youth and families establish healthier bonds
- Facilitate professional case management
- Provide mentoring
- Facilitate Mediation
- Connect youth in foster care with opportunities in the community
- Promote collaboration and teaming
- Foster empathy and understanding
- Help youth develop cultural awareness
- Provide communication to promote transparency
- Provide crisis support and intervention
- Provide community based opportunities to youth in foster care
- Provide values based experiential growth opportunities in a group home setting
- Facilitate transition planning
- Promote empowerment of the youth and families we serve
Safe Environment Standards
Laraway Youth & Family Services' Substitute Care Program provides residential placement and treatment services under contract with the Vermont Department for Children and Families. As a result of this relationship, these programs must comply with the standards in accordance with the federal Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA). To that end, Laraway has developed these safe environmental standards for those programs.
Zero Tolerance Policy
Laraway has a zero tolerance policy regarding secual abuse and sexual harassment of individuals. This prohibition is supported by the agency's Ehtics and Conduct Policy, the Policy Prohibiting Physical, Emotional, and Sexual Abuse of Clients and the Policies and Procedures addressign the Prison Rape Elimination Act in our Employee Handbook, as well as the Workplace Violence, Sexual Harassment and Sexual Abuse Policy in the Employee Handbook. All staff members, contractors, interns, or volunteers working with or having direct contact with residents of our residential facilities are require to sign a form stating they understand the zero tolerance policy and their role as a mandatory reporter.
Reporting Sexual Abuse and Sexual Harassment
Residents are encrouaged to report any secual abuse or sexual harassment by another resident or by a staff member. They may report to any Laraway Staff member, to an outside organization, or anonymously by completing the report form and placing it in the PREA Report Box at the facility. PREA Reporting and Program Grievance Form.
Laraway will accept third-party reports of sexual assault or sexual harassment from a resident's friends or family member, the resident's attorney, or any other member of the community.
All Laraway staff members are required to immediately report any knowledge or suspician of sexual abuse or sexual harassment to their immediate supervisor, the facility PREA Compliance Manager, the PREA Coordinator, or the Director of Compliance.
All reports of alleged sexual abuse and sexual harassment will be administratively investigated by the agency. All reports will be taken seriously and invetigated in a timely and thorough manner. Additional, according to Mandated Reporter requirements, all incidents will be reported to the Family Services Division of the VT Department for Children and Families. Anonymous reports will be accepted.
To repot an allegation of sexual abuse or sexual harassment to Laraway, use any of the following options:
· Rebecca (Becky) Lovell, PREA Compliance Manager, 802-585-0382 or rlovell@Laraway.org
· Brittany Decker, PREA Coordinator, 802-798-9468 or BDecker@Laraway.org
· Rhonda Stuart, Laraway Compliance Officer, 802-730-7055 or Rstuart@Laraway.org
Allegations of Sexual abuse or sexual harassment at Laraway may also be reported to these outside parties:
- The Child Advocacy Center at Clarina Howard Nichols Center, Ally Scanlon, 802-888-2584, ascanlon@clarina.org
- Department for Children and Familes (DCF) Centralized Intake, 1-800-649-5285
- Lamoille County Special Investigation Unit (LCSIU), 802-851-8116, info@lamoillesiu.org
Investigative Policy
All reports of sexual abuse will be reported to DCF investigation. Laraway will conduct adminstrative investigations of all sexual abuse and sexual harassment allegations. If the administratve investigation identifies possible criminal behavior, Laraway will refer it to the local agency with legal authority to investigate the allegation and, if applicable, to the appropriate licensing body.
View or download more information regarding DCF’s investigation policy.
Annual and Aggregated Sexual Abuse Data
In compliance with the PREA Standards, Laraway will post on this website each year's data regarding founding allegations of sexual abuse on our programs. Laraway will annually review the data, along with other relevant information, and evaluate the effectiveness of our sexual abuse activities, policies, procedures, and training to determine if any changes are warranted and if so, identify what actions were implemented.
Data, by calendar year: 2018 Annual PREA Report
Facility PREA Audit Reports: