Residential Treatment for Parents and Their Children: The Village Experience

The Village South, Inc., in Miami, Florida, offers comprehensive substance abuse treatment and prevention services to adults, adolescents, and children. The Village’s Families in Transition program, launched in the early 1990s as one of the Nation’s first 11 federally funded programs for women wth children, has provided services to nearly 800 parents and approximately 2,000 children. This article discusses the philosophy behind FIT’s family-focused residential treatment program, characterizes its participants, describes its challenges and successes, and points out research needs that have come to light through experience with mothers and children in treatment.