2010 Annual Report

1. YOUTH TODAY FOR A BETTER WORLD TOMORROW 2010 Annual Report

2. One hundred years from now it will not matter what kind of house I lived in, how much money I had, nor what my clothes were like. But the world may be a little better because I was important in the life of a child. ~ Forrest Witcraft ~

3. DEAR FELLOW STAKEHOLDERS, Fourteen years ago I began an initial training class to become a family teacher for eight at-risk teens. Without notice, the founder of the twenty-eight year old charity entered the room. Her presence took all trainees, myself included, by surprise as she struggled in her wheelchair. Her pleadings that day still resonate with me today as she asked us to help these children. She continued saying the greatest work you’ll ever do will be in the service of these children; they are the most difficult, most vulnerable, most forgotten, and most in need of our talents, services, and gifts. Those tender words expressed from her heart had a hand in the founding of Youth Quest. What makes Youth Quest what it is today are all the hands of service given with no thought of reward by our stakeholders. So many offer sacrifices of financial resources, wisdom, time, hearts, homes, and unconditional love which are provided every day to at-risk youth and their families. This work is often very difficult in going through the challenges that come with positive change for at-risk youth and families. Our programs provide the evidence-based structure and support these youth and loving caretakers need to succeed. Youth Quest comes from humble beginnings and pure desires to serve these children. This puts us in the right place at the right time to launch Vision 2012. In our thirteen year history, there has never been a more important time to support this mission and help these children. Emily K. Schofield Executive Director - Founder

4. When I first got to the home I hated it. I ran away a lot and fought with my Family Teachers. Since I have been here, they have taught me that they care about me. Before I came here, I did not feel like anyone wanted me. Now, I know there are lots of people who care about me. They have taught me to communicate my feelings instead of fighting.“ 2010 Highlights • Youth Quest achieved national accreditation with the Council on Accreditation (COA) in July of 2010! This organization partners with human service organizations worldwide to improve service delivery outcomes by developing, applying, and promoting accreditation standards. • Our Executive Director, a founder of Youth Quest, has served for over 14 years. She has two years experience as a therapeutic foster parent and five years experience as a family teacher practitioner doing residential treatment. • Our Clinical Director is one of the only trained physicians in the nation with over seven years experience providing direct care with therapeutic foster care and residential treatment. Dr. Kelly Allan Schofield is currently in residency training at Duke University doing Psychiatry with a Child and Adolescent fellowship. He is scheduled to complete this training December 2012. • The TFS Program, or Therapeutic Family Service Program has grown by 85% since 2008. The program manager has been with Youth Quest since 2003 and comes with a wealth of experience providing care as a family teacher in both residential treatment and therapeutic foster care. • The Intensive In-Home program achieved endorsement with the county local management entity (LME) and is ready to launch spring of 2012. • Youth Quest is working to become a Recognized Partner with the Durham Center System of Care and has participated in community collaborative meetings. • The 2nd Annual Youth Quest Banquet was held recognizing several outstanding therapeutic foster parents and as well as the program manager.

7. Why Youth Quest Exists? We exist for the youth who was abandoned by her mother as a toddler and was unstable in three foster homes and four group homes prior to coming to Youth Quest. We exist to provide a safe and structured home for a youth who has adoptive parents who cannot provide the round the clock structure and teaching therapy needed for this adolescent youth who was physically abused and neglected for the first eight years of his life. We exist to provide innovative, community-based mental health treatment to that youth who ended up in the psychiatric hospital after an attempted suicide. Youth Quest provides a new network of mentors and professionals who become lifelong supports. We exist to offer services to at-risk youth and families that are truly unique and innovative. Over the past decade we’ve grown to appreciate how rare our program truly is youth and children. Our goal is to take our evidence-based model of care and expand it to offer a full spectrum of services for youth and families. We exist to help children learn social, academic, and family living skills that help them improve relationships with others, improve in school, and ultimately become contributing citizens tomorrow. Vision 2012 is bold, advanced, and seeks to create the ideal model of mental healthcare for youth and families. This ideal gets closer to reality every day as Youth Quest stakeholders invest in the future.

8. How do we measure success? Our 2010 Successes • The goal for youth in therapeutic foster care is to maintain placement or leave to a lower level of care. 64% of youth were able to maintain placement, 18% of youth were discharged to a less costly and/or less restrictive level of care. • 50% of youth had a positive and planned discharge to a less costly and/or less restrictive level of care. • 91% of youth were able to recite the steps to each of the four basic social skills of Youth Quest from memory (following directions, accepting no/feedback, accepting a consequence, disagreeing appropriately). • 73% of youth were observed utilizing all steps within those basic skills spontaneously during treatment. • 91% of youth understand why each target skill is vital to future success socially, academically, and in family living. • All youth who were discharged last year knew how to continue contact with Youth Quest giving them a coping resource for future success. • Every professional who referred youth to Youth Quest therapeutic foster care program feels (or felt) that the services provided and skills learned have been beneficial (or were beneficial) as evidenced by anonymous consumer satisfaction surveys.

9. Outcomes Youth achieve greater academic, social and emotional success.At least 80% of youth admitted maintain placement, or are discharged to a lower and less expensive level of care (home, family foster care, independent living, etc.) Based on research conducted by Patti Chamberlain and colleagues at the Oregon Social Learning Center in Eugene Oregon and by Elizabeth Farmer and colleagues at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina Therapeutic Foster Care (TFC) has been shown to be an effective therapeutic, community based intervention for youth with severe behavioral and emotional disorders   Results from studies implementing Chamberlain’s model indicate that children in TFC have improved behavior, social skills, and better psychological adjustment. Often these children do better in TFC than when placed in a group home setting and these positive improvements are maintained beyond discharge.  Children and youth are usually able to move into less restrictive placements upon leaving TFC. Youth Quest has supported these findings with our own data costing the community less money to care for this population of at-risk youth who might otherwise be placed in jail, psychiatric hospitals, or a long term residential treatment facilities.

10. Vision 2012 Youth Quest has strengthened our Board of Directors this year to prepare for Vision 2012. Financial support is needed to be successful in this bold and innovative endeavor. Please consider joining our Chairman’s Roundtable and Leadership Circle, Schofield Founding Society, or Presidents Council. Your pledges will help carry our mission forward. Vision 2012 Vision 2012

11. What is Youth Quest Vision 2012 The goal is for Youth Quest to become a one of its kind CABHA, or Critical Access behavioral health access agency for at-risk children in North Carolina. This will be done by taking our evidence based programs and services and, in making data-based decisions, creating the first Empirically Supported Critical Access Behavioral Health Agency. To learn more about the planned structure of our CABHA, visit http://www.youthquestinc.org/CABHAVision.html

12. STAKEHOLDER SUPPORT Chairman’s Roundtable The Chairman’s Roundtable honors those who have made transforming gifts of $100,000 or more. The Leadership Circle honors those who have made empowering gifts of $50,000 or more. Their inspiration, leadership and commitment significantly enhance our ability to expand programs and services for at-risk children and their families. Founders’ Society The Emily Schofield Founders’ Society honors those who have made leadership gifts of $10,000 or more. The generosity of these individuals listed below will make it possible for Youth Quest to provide and add critical services to at-risk children and their families in North Carolina. The Carlson Family Foundation - $10,000 Presidents’ Council The Presidents’ Council is the principal giving club of Youth Quest and seeks to help Youth Quest serve more at-risk children and families in North Carolina. This council honors those who make annual gifts of $100 or more. The honor roll reflects all donors’ names provided by Youth Quest as of November 30, 2010. Gifts from individuals who made contributions after the printing of this report are greatly appreciated and will be included in the 2011 report. Listed below are the giving levels for the Presidents’ Council members. LEVELS OF GIVING: Latin for liberty or freedom libertas club. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$5,000-$9,999 Latin for opportunity. oportunitas club. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . $1,000-$4,999 Latin referring to something unique and/or intangible dignatus club. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . .$500-$999 Latin for example exemplum club . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $100-$499 Latin meaning power or faculty. potestas club . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . …… . $10-$99 Help serve at-risk youth and families today in North Carolina by supporting Youth Quest’s vision. Simply log onto Youth Quest’s main web site http://www.youthquestinc.org/ and click on the Donate Now by Just Give icon, or mail a check to Youth Quest, 1515 West NC Highway 54, Suite 220, Durham, NC 27707 100% of proceeds support our programs and services.

13. Offering Exceptional Licensed Therapeutic Foster Homes!Our 2010 Banquet Awards Pounds Home – Foster Home of Excellence Strong Home – Excellence in Personalization Green Home – Excellence in Paperwork Cozart Home– Most Improved Family Teachers The Excellence in Service and Dedication Award went to Jamie Lantz for outstanding commitment, service, and advocacy for youth and family teachers since 2003.