Let’s Work Together
Ruth Dykeman Children’s Center’s (RDCC) mission is Success and Self-Sufficiency for Children, Family and Community.
RDCC’s Youth and Family Services (YFS) offers families and individuals facing social, emotional and economic challenges, innovative and culturally sensitive programs that build on the individual’s own strengths. YFS offers youth and families living in the South King County area services in the Highline and Tukwila schools, Burien Youth Health Center, in individual homes and at the YFS office. These services include:
- State certified drug and alcohol outpatient treatment and prevention programs.-In-home crisis intervention to prevent child abuse and unnecessary out-of-home placement of children.
- Evidence-based family therapy to reduce recidivism of youth entering the Juvenile Justice system.
- A 10-week class addressing alternatives to aggression including: social skills, anger control/problem solving and moral reasoning.
RDCC’s residential-based services, known as Behavioral Rehabilitation Services (BRS), serve children and adolescents ages six to 17 with histories of abuse and neglect, and have emotional problems and behaviors that are so severe they can no longer safely live in their communities. The youth are referred to RDCC by the Department of Social and Health Services, insurance providers or families. On average, these high needs youth have been in seven prior placements, 30 percent have been in children’s psychiatric hospitals, 79 percent have a mental health diagnosis and 62 percent are on prescribed psychotropic medications. In three home-like settings, a highly structured set of services are tailored to each child and families’ needs to develop emotional and behavioral coping skills.
RDCC also provides services to young women, aged 16 to 21, to assist in the transition to an independent, successful adulthood. Education and job-skills building are the two primary objectives of this four-bed, group care facility.
