Family Support Services

Through a contract with SRS, Family Support Services supports foster and adoptive families to ensure placement stability. A proactive rather than a crisis-oriented program, FSS caseworkers are assigned SRS foster and adoptive families whom they continually support and train in response to the needs of the foster or adoptive child. This program provides stable placements for youth and continued healthy functioning for foster and adoptive families.

Rutland Area Truancy Intervention Program

The program works with schools to identify youth at risk because of truancy, and was also developed by the Rutland County Juvenile Justice Team and funded for three years by the Vermont Agency of Human Services. The program provides a step-up of interventions at various levels of truancy that may include the family, school, SRS, and Family Court.

Parent Educators

PRIME offers a Parent Educator to the community through a contract with SRS. The Parent Educator is available to work with children in SRS custody who have been removed from the home or are in imminent risk of removal by SRS. The goal of the Parent Educator program is reunification of the children with their families.

Youth Development Program

The Youth Development Program offers guidance and training to adolescents who are aging out of SRS custody. The program includes housing assistance, mentored housing if appropriate, living skills training, and advocacy.

Vermont Coalition for Runaway and Homeless Youth Program

The Vermont Coalition for Runaway and Homeless Youth Program provides shelter family counseling and/or mediation, coordination and general case management to youth ages 12 to 22 who are on their own or at risk of losing their 'home' for any reason.  This program provides 24 hour, 7 days a week on-call services and short-term shelter placement.  Shelter can be provided, if the client is willing, in the home of a family for up to 14 days.  The goal of removal from a family situation is first and foremost for the safety of all family members.  Coordination of relevant resources can be effected through the program.  Reintegration of the family unit is the plan though this is not always a workable solution.  

Case Aide Service

The Vermont Achievement Center has a contract for a Case Aide Service with the Department of Children and Families, Family Services Division.  The primary purpose of the Case Aide Service is to encourage family contact between youth in custody and the (biological) family.  This requires coordination and supervision of family visitations.  In addition to visits, Case Aides may be required to testify in “termination of parental rights” (TPR) hearings or proceeding to return children to parental custody as well as other relevant court proceedings.