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This article presents a qualitative look at the residential treatment center from the child-residents' point of view. The authors draw from interviews with both current and former residents, their parents and staff. Results revealed that while the children did not object to behavioral interventions and therapeutic programming intended to address their emotional, physical and safety needs, they felt their time was overly structured, controlled and monitored. Further, and more instructive, the children seldom saw a connection between the goals that the agency set for them and their own personal goals and aspirations. Their first priority was to have contact and be with their families. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The large amounts of client behavioral data collected by residential treatment programs represent an information processing challenee. If programs are to make effective use of data, they need processing systems which are flexible and cost-efficient, and which generate results applicable to program information needs. This report describes a computer-based system which utilizes data from daily behavioral observations by staff to produce varying types of statistical results, including behavioral progress charts of individual clicnts, behavioral charts of client groups, and more general research data. The report describes the steps involved in data collection, processing and dissemination within a residential treatment program. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]