Creating “Sanctuary” For Clients, Staff
Sanc•tu•ar•y : 1) a consecrated place, the most holy place of a religious building; 2) A place of refuge and protection.
Since its founding in 1871 as a Home for Friendless Women and Children, Friendship House has been a “place of refuge and protection,” for children who need mental health care and treatment. Now, 137 years later, there’s a movement underway at Friendship House, and at 28 other residential providers in Pennsylvania, to improve the organizational culture by adopting a “Sanctuary Model” of care.
A core belief of the Sanctuary Model is that pathologic or “unhealthy” behaviors in children and adults are related to overwhelming experiences of abusive power, disabling losses and separation or disrupted attachment, usually beginning in childhood.
The Sanctuary Model is a whole-system approach to develop structures, processes and behaviors on the part of staff, children and the organizational community, that can counteract the biological, affective, cognitive and social wounds suffered by children in treatment.
According to the Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare (DPW), today, most residential facilities are not the “sanctuaries” they could be. That is, they do not have consistent models showing understanding of violence, abuse and other trauma and how they impact children, families, staff …and the organization as a whole.
Friendship House was one of 29 agencies selected by the DPW to participate in this project which carries a three-year implementation process. Friendship House kicked-off the Sanctuary initiative with an organization-wide one-day training program in October. From November to December, selected core-team members have been learning the principles of Sanctuary in five days of training encompassing eight modules.
“By embracing the Sanctuary Model, Friendship House will be better positioned to enhance its care and treatment services provided to our children. The complexity of today’s environment demands that we do much more for the traumatized children and young adults who present to us each and every day,” comments Robert H. Angeloni, Friendship House president.
“Sanctuary is good for the company. When we get it in place, it will help tremendously,” said Frank Sandy, Fleet Manager, and a core team member. “At first, I didn’t think it pertained to me, because I’m not in direct care. I didn’t realize that my work in the garage and in Transportation was providing a service that affected the children.”
“Sanctuary also lets everyone see we are one force to help kids and families, instead of separate departments,” he added. “At Sanctuary meetings, when we sit together, we hear other people’s problems, we see what’s going on, how our departments affect each others, and sometimes, together, we can find a solution.”
Explains core team member Joan Peterson, Adoption and Program Development Specialist, “Sanctuary is about understanding the trauma in our children’s past and using that understanding to help us to give them better care and treatment.”
“Sanctuary is about making Friendship House a place where children feel safe, and can come to resolve that past trauma. Our sensitivity to that trauma keeps us from inadvertently doing things to cause them further pain.”
“But another important part of embracing Santuary is treating each other with that same careful consideration, with sensitivity and respect,” she continued. “We can’t help children to become caring and considerate people if we’re not modeling that same behavior and treatment in our interactions with each other….”
“During the implementation process to date, we’ve seen a positive effect in making people more sensitive and aware of their interactions with others, at all levels, especially in management,” said Tim McGrane, one of the five Sanctuary Steering Team members who attended the week-long session last May.
Having the Sanctuary model in place also helps eliminate differences in philosophies of care found at one organization. Often the child’s behavior or misbehavior becomes the exclusive focus of attention. The interventions desired by the therapists are in direct conflict with the interventions deemed appropriate by the child-care staff, and both might interfere with the goals of the teaching staff.
Core-team member Bob Killian, teacher, observed that Sanctuary “will help develop one mindset throughout the organization,” as we “move with the current train of thought throughout the state regarding non-violence. Every one of the tenets of that philosophy is excellent. The more we understand trauma-focused care, the better off we’ll be.”
