ROCKDALE YOUTH ACADEMY
PROGRAM DESCRIPTION
Rockdale Youth Academy is a 65-bed secure facility for pre- and post-adjudicated youth. The program serves both boys and girls, ages 10 to 17 years old. Intensive Offender Treatment Programs address issues unique to adolescent adjudicated for mental health, substance abuse and sexually natured offenses. Family Therapy, Life Skills, Educational Resources, and a wide variety of individualized programs are also offered. Services are provided 24 hours per day, seven days per week.
PROGRAM PHILOSOPHY & GOALS
The program provides individualized mental health, substance abuse, and specialized treatment services (including sex offender and youthful offender) using a trauma-informed approach. Average length of stay is typically 6 to 9 months during which time youth participate in individual, family, and group therapy sessions, social and life skills training, victim impact awareness and restorative justice programming. The length of stay depends on the youth’s pace of success in completing the individualized treatment plan and goals. The program’s goal is to equip youth for successful reintegration into the community to live productive, prosocial, and crime-free lives.
TYPES OF SERVICES AND TREATMENT
Rockdale Youth Academy provides a vast array of programs that focus on Mental Health Treatment,Art, Music, and Recreation Therapies and Education. Youth receive group, individual, and family therapy.
Medical/health services are provided by on-site: Two (2) Licensed Vocational Nurses and one (1) Medication Aide; One (1) contracted RN, one (1) contracted Medical Doctor, and an agreement for Telepsychiatry services. The Medical Department operates 7 days a week. The medical staff is on call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Youth are provided breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks daily, which are managed by a licensed dietician, with special medical diets and religious diets provided as needed.
Youth receive nightly and monthly incentive activities and canteen. Input on incentives is provided by the Youth Advisory Board.
The facility is required to maintain a 1:12 ratio of staff to youth and 1:8 facility wide. The ratio is 1:24 during third shift.
Clinical Department is staff by two (2) fulltime Ph.D. psychologist and four (4) doctoral interns. Each psychologist is also an LSOTP.
ACADEMIC/VOCATIONAL TRAINING
Education Department is staffed by a Principal, a Registrar, four (5) full-time Certified Teachers, one (1) Special Education Services Coordinator, and three (3) Instructional Aides. The Education Department is operated by the J.H.W. Inspire Academy. All youth enrolled in school attend school for 300 minutes a day of instruction. All grades are transferable to their home schools. Youth have the option to complete school while in the program. General Educational Development (GED) test preparation courses are also available.
REFERRAL SOURCES & FEES
The facility serves adjudicated youth who need intensive mental health treatment.
The program is contracted under the TN Department of Children’s Services (DCS).