Community Advocacy

Program Description
The YAP "advocacy model" is based upon the development of a trust relationship between a supportive, trained, skilled adult advocate, the young person, and his family. Our advocate team develops a child and family team process that is based on the strengths of the child and family. The YAP team is made up of important key individuals who are most concerned about the family and the young person. The team may include highly-trained and supervised advocates, community resource personnel, referral source representation, and credentialed behavioral healthcare experts.

Our advocates are most often residents of the neighborhoods in which they work. They understand the cultural diversity that exists within the community. In addition, they have a solid working knowledge of local support services and have developed networks that make this support readily available to our clients. This enables us to implement a continuum of care that supports established goals and intervention techniques.

For 30 years, YAP has been recruiting our advocates from the neighborhoods in which they work and live. The staff understands their communities best. They work and embrace the philosophy of unconditional caring and "doing whatever it takes" to ensure that the cultural values of the child and family are preserved.

Initiatives

• Return young people from residential treatment to their communities safely and with individualized, intensive support at 25% to 30% of the cost of residential care;
  • Provide individualized, family-focused support and services for young people at high risk of entering out-of-home placement in order to prevent costly and unnecessary placement in foster care, group homes, residential treatment, psychiatric hospitals and secure detention; and
  • Provide a safe and effective community-based alternative to detention for young people in the child welfare system who are lingering in detention awaiting residential placement.

Methodology
YAP utilizes an individualized, family-focused and strength-based planning process and a community-based advocacy model to insure effective and safe outcomes.

Enhanced features of the YAP Core Principles are the true partnership with parents and guardians, the mobilizing of formal and informal community support people and the assertive "never give up" approach.

YAP's training curriculum is certified by Penn State university and YAP is known for its pragmatic approach to training staff and living the service delivery principles.

How to reach us
To contact YAP about our General Services, please e-mail: jfleischer@yapinc.org.