DOVE ACADEMY
PROGRAM DESCRIPTION
The DOVE Vocational Academy is a 50-bed moderate risk residential program for girls ages 15-18 years who are in need of vocational skills. The emphasis on the program is to develop a career plan for the youth by providing trade specific vocational training, employability skills and seamless transitional services into the programming. The four vocational tracks offered are building trades, commercial foods, computer systems technology and landscaping. The youth will be linked to the One Stop Career Center in her community for job placement; or she can continue her education to any vocational/technical center in Florida as she earns occupation completions points while in the program. At the conclusion of the program the youth is provided tools of the trade through the Workforce Investment Act youth incentive funding program, is certified in a vocational/technical career, has attained employability skills, has work experience, and has developed a career portfolio demonstrating all these skills and experience. An appointment is established with a counselor at the One Stop Career Center in the youth's community, at which time she is able to share the portfolio and determine appropriate placement. This is a therapeutic community combined with cognitive behavioral model. BHOS (Behavioral Health Overlay Services) services are available, however youth who are physically aggressive, have serious mental health issues or educational limitations are not considered appropriate for placement. The average length of stay is 8-11 months.
DOVE IMH
The DOVE (Intensive Mental Health) Program serves 32 girls with intensive mental health needs. This is adjacent to the sister program of the DOVE Academy (Developing Opportunities through Vocational Education). The DOVE (IMH) program serves girls from the ages of 12 to 18 with targeted mental health treatment, specific trauma informed topics, promising practice Girls Circle as well as enable each girl to have, at a minimum, one hour weekly of scheduled intensive sessions with an assigned master level therapist, targeted mental health groups and family therapy.
The DOVE (IMH) Program also shares in the unique vocational education opportunities currently serving the sister program. The Dove (IMH) Program will have two distinct educational tracks: full academics or academics/vocation depending on an individual educational assessment. The vocational tracks (as applicable) will be in Building Trades, Culinary Arts, Business Technology and Horticulture. The DOVE (IMH) Program will also fully integrate trauma informed practices along with the current cutting edge trauma work with the ACE research application. A full time transitional specialist will be on hand to develop each Dove's transition plan from her intake to her exit conference including a unique perspective on a continuous care plan targeting trauma and a safety plan.
The girls served at the DOVE (IMH) Program are:
· Any girl that has a DSM-IV TR Axis I or Axis II mental disorder who demonstrate serious to severe symptoms of mental disorder and impairment in social, emotional and/or maladaptive functioning of substantial degree and duration.
Operating Capacity: 32 Serves Ages 12-18 Female Offenders
