SPIRIT

OF

WOMEN

BY :

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A P

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MISSION:

The mission of Spirit of Women is provide comprehensive substance abuse recovery and behavioral health services to help individuals and their families achieve and maintain a healthy and productive lifestyle.

It is non-profit organization dedicated to providing cutting edge, best practice treatment interventions to pregnant and parenting women who are seeking recovery from a history of substance abuse.

POPULATION AT RISK

At Spirit of Women, the program deals directly with in patient and outside patients that are women over the age of 18 years old with children. Though the program it directly involved with women, their children of seven years and under are allowed to stay with their mother while they are in-patient treatment.

COMMUNITY CONTEXT

Spirit of Women provides services for patients from but not only excluding Central Valley of California. Different cities that are involved with this program are: Fresno, Clovis, Tulare, Visalia, Madera, Mendota, and Firebaugh.

Participants in Spirit of Woman represent the cultural diversity of Fresno County. Women seeking assistance are below 250% of the poverty level, needing assistance with life survival skills and struggling with substance abuse.

All the women are provided with services equally and focused on their needs. Clients are helped with needs such as food, rooming, expenses, while in their inpatient program

ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE

The CEO and founder of Spirit of women is Audrey Riley and she has been in this position since January of 1999. She provides leadership to 44 employees under her. She also assures that the women and children in the program are met with their needs. Under CEO, are board of directors. This includes three individuals. Under board of directors, then follows the supervisor. This supervisor is incharge of all employees. She has direct contact with employees and program’s direction. She is also directly in charge of interns. The monitors are women who patrol the facility and they are located at the bottom of the ladder.

PROGRAMS AND SERVICES

The facility provides halfway house services to the public. The treatment center provides outpatient and residential long-term treatment care. There are special groups and programs for persons with co-occuring mental and substance abuse disorders, pregnant and postpartum women, women, and criminal justice groups.

Programs address specific issues including, Emotion (Anger) Management, Substance Abuse & Relapse Prevention, Support Groups, Vocational Rehabilitation Counseling, Art Therapy/Creative Writing, and Mental Health Therapy.

PRACTICES

By providing a treatment plan with classes, this ensures a pathway for a new beginning for a sober future. Caseworkers and myself(intern) spend time with clients one on one time, to understand and hear any concerns regarding legal, substance abuse, or any questions regarding their current situation. Treatment plans help clients with issues and ways to accomplish goals. The classes offer different insights regarding alcohol, domestic violence, parenting, and many others that help the client improve certain aspects in their life.

SOCIAL JUSTICE ISSUE

Spirit of Women is an agency that is located in Fresno, California that includes many other substance abuse programs that address social issues for this vulnerable population. They include social issues of oppression, substance abuse, and criminal law for women.

Spirit of Women has a variety of approaches in the healing of women. Through domestic violence, drug abuse, self care, and self-esteem, these many approaches help educate and inspire women to better themselves from negative pasts. In educating the community, these approaches help women be successful within themselves. These roots are the puzzles that help communities grow stronger and effective.

SOCIAL WORK VALUES AND HUMAN RIGHTS

Many protocols at Spirit of Women are extremely linked with Social work values and human rights

-Confidentiality is highly important. Many clients who are entered in this program have rights to their records and stay at Spirit of Women. Everything that is documented and stated in regards to client, are confidential.

-Right to self determination at this program is mandated. Employees must allow clients to progress with knowledge on their own. Employees cannot be a client’s friend or back weight. Clients must use Spirit of Women as their program and follow schedules, regulations, and rules, in order to succeed in their recovery.

- At Spirit of Women, employees and clients cannot judge one another based on their past. All women there are treated with respect and dignity regardless of any past history outside of Spirit of Women. All women are equal with support, care, and best intentions.

CONT’D

As social workers, must provide

Providing and promoting access to different resources that include academic, social, substance abuse that are concerned with each client’s needs

Ensure that all clients have an equal chance to taking full effect of program to detox from substance abuse.

Challenge inequalities within the criminal justice or other institutions

FUNDING

For the last five years Spirit of Woman has applied for various grants to upgrade its facilities. But on June 15, 2011, Executive Director Audrey Riley got word the California Department of Housing and Community Development had awarded them $1 million for new construction.

Riley says Spirit of Woman had proposed a plan that would provide apartment style living for as many as 60 women and their children.

Spirit of women receives Perinatal State General Funds, Perinatal Drug Medi-Cal funds, or federal Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment Block Grant funds that are set-aside specifically for treatment services for women and their children.

REFERENCESSocial Workers- http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos060.htm

Publicly Funded- http://www.adp.ca.gov/pdf/per_dir.pdf