What The Chase Home Offers Residents and Their Families
Since 1877, The Chase Home for Children has provided a safe haven for more than 4,000 children and young men and women in need. Growing from its original purpose as an orphanage, the Chase Home has evolved through the years to meet the ever-changing and challenging needs of children and their families.
Today, the Chase Home provides a safe, structured and consistent environment for up to 25 young men and women from all areas of New Hampshire.
Chase Home Philosophy
Founded as an orphanage and home for young children in Portsmouth, N.H., the Chase Home is a powerful example of a grassroots community response to an identified need. Responding to the changing needs of the times, the Chase Home has evolved over the years to provide a stable and therapeutic living environment for some of the most vulnerable youths in our society.
The philosophy of the Chase Home is based on the fundamental principle that children and adolescents need a positive and structured environment that fosters the development of emotional strength and character within the spirit of each individual. The Chase Home's programs strive to help each adolescent improve self-esteem and increase self-reliance. By building on the individual’s strengths, the Chase Home helps residents to develop the skills to maintain appropriate and safe behaviors.
The Trustees, Directors and Staff of the Chase Home are committed to providing quality services to our youth and their families. The goal is to assist in building productive, happy and healthy lives that will allow these young adults to contribute positively to society as they mature. As the Chase Home celebrates "Over 130 Years of Caring", we look to the future and will continue to seek ways to adapt our services and to carry on our proud traditions.
Goal Oriented Treatment
A Focus on Respect, Responsibility and Community
Each resident has an Individual Treatment Plan that serves as a "road map" to assist residents in achieving their goals in all aspects of their lives: personally, academically and behaviorally. Goals are based on the ideals of RESPECT, RESPONSIBILITY and COMMUNITY. Clear and concise objectives are generated for each Treatment Goal, providing each resident and their family with measurable outcomes of success. Where indicated, local mental health professionals are used on an individual and/or family basis to help residents and families ensure a successful reunification.
Summary of Programs
Residential
The Chase Home is licensed by the State of New Hampshire to provide residential treatment services for up to 25 male and female youths ranging in age from 11 to 19 who, for a variety of reasons, cannot live at home. Services include behavior modification; individual, family and weekly group therapy; psycho-educational groups; family outreach; educational and vocational counseling; and independent living skills-building. Other program enhancements include art, photography, an adventure-based learning course, a computer lab and a woodworking shop.
Residents at the Chase Home are referred through the Division of Children, Youth and Families (DCYF) or through the Division of Juvenile Justice Services (DJJS) for cases of Delinquent Youth or CHINS – Child in Need of Services. All placements are made through the Court.
The Chase Home is a community based program. As such, all residents attend public school and receive therapy and medical services in the community. Residents also participate in recreational, cultural and volunteer opportunities in the community.
Intensive Family Collaboration
The Chase Home recently launched an exciting new program called Intensive Family Collaboration (IFC). Its aim is to provide more concentrated family services during and after residential services. IFC is a partnership with families and the Chase Home based on the mutual belief that children thrive in safe, healthy and stable families and communities. Recognition that the power for change lies within the family itself is the foundation of IFC.
The primary goal of the Intensive Family Collaboration program is the safety and well-being of the family. With that in mind, we work together to help families manage family stress and identify and resolve ongoing problems. Part of this process includes assisting families in connecting to community support services more effectively. The family's willingness to be actively engaged in this process is critical to success and one of the major criteria for participation in Intensive Family Collaboration.
Specific services of Intensive Family Collaboration may include:
Chase Home Staff working side by side with parents/guardians, frequently in the home, as coach and resource.
Arranging individual counseling and family counseling with a therapist in the community.
Parent/Peer support groups and other educational opportunities for parents/guardians.
Connecting individuals and their families to resources that will meet their needs.
Providing an education liaison for each child/youth.
Offering respite placement at Chase Home for a needed “time out” or to stabilize a crisis.
Opportunity for the child/youth to participate in ongoing activities at the Chase Home, such as psycho-educational groups; arts and crafts mixed media program; and health and wellness activities, including an exercise program, adventure-based learning and other seasonal outdoor activities, such as biking, kayaking and a ropes course.
IFC is intended to be a six-month program that includes an initial 45-day residential placement at the Chase Home. During this six-month period, the family will demonstrate increased ability to manage stress and confidence in maintaining stability, consistency and safety. While participating in IFC, Chase Home Staff gradually will decrease their involvement as the family is empowered through a community support system to maintain and continue the gains they have achieved at the conclusion of the Intensive Family Collaboration program.
Choices Abound
In addition to what the Chase Home provides, residents can explore the New Hampshire Seacoast area, which offers a tremendous variety of opportunities for residents of the Chase Home:
Education: Our established relationship with the local public schools allows each resident to achieve academic success through effective communication with teachers and administrators, and to access to extra academic services both at school and at the Chase Home, as well as close monitoring. This ensures that residents do not fall behind in their school work or slip through the cracks.
Vocation: In today's world, Independent Living Skills are a must. Through partnerships with local vocational services and local businesses, residents of the Chase Home can attain valuable work and real-world experience, and gain skills in work ethics, responsibility and finances.
Recreation: Every day, community activities take place that allow residents to experience new and challenging recreational opportunities. In the summer months, Adventure Programming plays a key role in building self-confidence, effective communication and problem-solving skills.