PROGRAMS & SERVICES
Larimar Homes Inc. is licensed by the Ministry of Community and Social Services with Group, Staff Model, and Foster Care licenses. Our core service is to provide a protective, stable, caring, and supportive home environment for youth in our community. The following services are included as core elements of our program:
- Emergency, respite, short and long term care
- Comprehensive Case Management
- Clinical support and training provided to youth, Foster Parents and Residential Youth Workers
- Weekly Therapeutic Youth Groups
- Community based activities and recreational programs
- Psychological assessment services – fee for service
- Individualized outcome focused service
- Goal Planning
- 24 hour on-call support services for crisis intervention
- CAFAS and Behavioural Assessments
- Certified T.C.I. Training annually for all Foster parents and Residential Youth Workers
- Social skills assessments and skills streaming group sessions
- Independent living assessments and training
- Comprehensive home studies for foster homes
- Comprehensive foster parent training using the Daniel Memorial Foster Parent Training System
- Individual counselling
Program Overview
At Larimar Homes, we provide a system of specialized therapeutic foster homes ranging from one to six beds in a home, for children 6-17 years of age. Each home will serve a group of children with similar needs such as age, developmental needs, interests, risks, mental health and behavioural needs. By having a number of specialized therapeutic foster homes we believe we are able to better match the needs of the individual children with the resources and dynamics of each home and the people that live there. This way placement decisions are based on successfully matching the child for long term care planning.
We believe that much can be accomplished by treating the children’s problems as they emerge, on a day-to-day basis. The management team, Foster Parents and Residential Youth Workers, work together to provide a therapeutic environment designed to help the child achieve increased emotional stability and improved behavioural functioning and social interaction. The goal is to build a positive peer culture within the home that encourages the children to invest of themselves in the program and make the home their own.
The overall program focuses on helping the children to become successful positive members of our society by treating their presenting problems and teaching them the skills necessary to cope in their homes and community. Skills training, school retention, and a reduction of harmful behaviours are targeted for overall success and personal growth.
Most children who attend our specialized therapeutic foster homes program are from dysfunctional families or families unable to cope with the difficulties and challenges they face. The children usually have experienced isolation and have been rejected in their home, schools, and communities. Many suffer from the effects of severe physical, emotional or sexual abuse and is often compounded by significant medical and psychological problems. By the time they reach us, they usually have already been through several residential placements and services.
Program Goals
We believe that the foster family’s overall health and well-being is essential and inseparable from the healthy growth of the child in care. Larimar Homes strives to develop and enhance the well-being of the family unit by providing ongoing training, supervision, and support.
Our aim is to provide a safe, stable, caring, and supportive environment in which children are given opportunity and the encouragement to grow and mature towards responsible independence.
By using solution focused approaches and inherent natural consequences, we are able to work with children to build a strong sense of self worth and empower many. This helps to instill in each child the strength, confidence and the ability to become a responsible member of society.
In order for children to become responsible members of society, children need to develop a sense of belonging, healthy self-love, self-awareness, an understanding of integrity, awareness of right and wrong and sense of purpose and hope. These are all qualities that we try to impress upon them by creating a positive peer culture through positive role modelling and program education.
Children are urged to be “response-able” and to take responsibility for their actions and their progress. They are given as much freedom about the home and throughout the community as they can safely handle. Positive one-on-one activities with Foster Parents, Residential Youth Workers or support staff are used frequently to provide the individual attention children need.
Staffing Compliment
The basic staffing compliment for each Parent Model residence consists of a live-in Foster Parent, a primary Residential Youth Worker, and a relief staff based on occupancy rates. Additional staff is available when required to ensure the safety and security of the child, and others, or to ensure the quality of programming is maintained. Larimar Homes will negotiate with the placing agency for additional staffing and services that are required and are not included in our basic service rates as approved by the Ministry. The basic staffing compliment for each Staff-Operated Model residence consists of a 1:4 ratio. The staff responsible for providing the daily care of the residents will be supervised and trained by a Team Leader. Staff training is also an ongoing collaborative effort by all agencies involved to facilitate consistency throughout delivery of services and to reduce overall costs.