Ten Steps To a Teaching Interaction:

ATTENTION:

Getting the attention of the youth.

PRAISE:

Begin the interation with praise or empathy.

INAPPROPRIATE:

Describing the inappropriate behavior.

CONSEQUENCES:

Of engating in appropriate or inappropriate behavior or both.

APPROPRIATE:

Describe the appropriate behavior.

RATIONALE:

Give believable resons why the youth should engage in the appropriate behavior.

ACKNOWLEDGMENT:

Ask youth if they understand, have them repeat instructions if necessary.

PRACTICE:

Role-play or give instructions to follow

FEEDBACK:

Give ongoing positive and negative feedback during the interaction, but especially during practice.

REWARD:

Points, praise, some other motivation.

Research has shown that the following teaching components or interaction skills provide for the most effective teaching of a wide range of behaviors:

• Praise and kindness.
• Describing and demonstrating both appropriate and inappropriate behaviors.
• Providing rationales.
• Practicing the appropriate behavior skill.
• Giving ongoing feedback.
• Providing consequences; earning or losing points or privileges; praise or reprimand.

Hope House Group Home Policy Statement on Discipline

Discipline is an essential part of child rearing and when used positively it contributes to the healthy growth and development of a child and establishes positive patterns of behavior in preparation for adulthood. The object of discipline is to promote behaviors beneficial to the child's development and welfare, and to change and/or eliminate behaviors which are injurious to his/her well-being. Therefore, we encourage positive discipline as a most important aspect of child rearing practices for children and youth for whom the Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services purchases and/or provides services and care. Hope House does not support the use of corporal punishment. 

Positive discipline using the Hope House SRS/KDHE approved Youth Rule Book is used for purposes of guiding and teaching the child, provides the child encouragement, a sense of satisfaction, and helps the child understand the consequences of his/her behavior. Effective, positive discipline, imposes behavioral limits on the child which can provide the child a sense of security, engender a respect for order, and enable the child to predict and understand his/her surroundings. This type of discipline effectively enlists the child’s help, rather than locking the child and adult into a power struggle or adversary, punishing relationship, and promotes the child's discovery of those values that will be of the greatest benefit to the child, both now and in the future.

Each employee will be trained in the use of state approved restraints.  Hope House front line staff will train with Managing Aggressive Behavior (MAB), The MAB program emphasizes prevention, de-escalation and non-physical intervention strategies, and teaches non-pain producing physical intervention techniques to protect youth and staff alike.

Therefore, SRS and Hope House does not view as positive, acceptable discipline any action administered in a fashion which may cause any child to suffer physical or emotional damage. Disciplinary acts which cause pain, such as hitting, beating, shaking, cursing, threatening, binding, closeting, prolonged isolation, denial of meals and derogatory remarks about the child or his or her family are not acceptable.

All Purely Administrative Policies are subject to the Director's discretion subject to Advisory Board oversight.