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What are Rehabilitative Treatment Services?
Rehabilitative Treatment Service (RTS) means services designed to restore a function or skill that a youth lost or never gained due to individual or parental dysfunction.

The purpose of RTS programs is to provide skill development and therapy to address a child's emotional or behavioral disturbances.  The child must have the capability to learn the function or skill.

Services are purchased by the Iowa Department of Human Services (DHS) through 4 programs:

  • family centered services (pp. 28-41)
  • family preservation services (pp. 41-42a)
  • family foster care (pp. 42a-42c)
  • group care (pp. 42c-42i)

Population Served ~ Goal of Services
Iowa’s behavioral health program (RTS) is designed to help children find ways to meet their own needs in behaviorally appropriate ways, and gain the ability to have healthy relationships with others. Services are intended to keep more children in their homes and communities - possibly avoiding out-of-home placements.

Explanation of "Needs"
A child’s needs can range from less serious difficulties (such as an inability to communicate their needs in a socially acceptable manner), to serious mental illnesses (such as depression, anxiety or attachment).

For example, an individual may be unable to "read" environmental cues or prompts as to appropriate behavior in any given situation. This individual is likely to gain benefit from services that focus on identifying these environmental cues and incorporating socially acceptable behavioral responses to them.

Treatment Services
The complement of services for these youth usually includes therapy and skill-building to resolve barriers to functioning and healthy interactions. The skilled therapist uses his or her expertise to help youth explore, identify and understand the beliefs, emotions, attitudes, and perceptions underlying their behavior, and resolve the specific concerns or symptoms which interfere with their ability to function or interact. Skill-building helps develop the skills needed to better meet challenges encountered in social interactions.

Strength-based Approach
The focus of behavioral health services is to find and build upon the strengths of each young person and his or her family. Sensitivity to the ethnic and cultural values of the people being served is important to successful service outcomes as well.

Outcomes
Successful treatment depends upon thorough assessment, a collaborative treatment planning process, providing focused treatment (based on the needs of the child and family), reviewing treatment progress at regular intervals, and making modifications to the treatment plan/approach to assure that services stay focused on current needs and issues.

 

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This page last updated: 3/31/2006

Copyright 2002 - 2006 ~ Iowa State University, Child Welfare Research and Training Project for the Iowa Department of Human Services

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