Services

IWH seeks to provide strength based, family focused, home like setting for young girls and adolescents who are wards of the District of Columbia we serve. The history of working with this population has guided our strategies for building a comprehensive approach. This approach is reflective of best practices to meet the physical, emotional, cultural, and spiritual needs of each child. We have established three primary goals to achieve our purposes:

1. To ensure the physical and emotional well being of children by maintaining a comprehensive program, which meets the individual needs of the child and family;

2. To ensure the safety of children residing at IWH by maintaining a safe, stable, quality program;

3. To expedite the permanency of children by maintaining family and community linkages.

These approaches are based on the premise that no single factor is responsible for child abuse and neglect, and that therefore, no single agency, no matter how well-funded or well-managed, can protect children and support families on its own. Children's safety depends on strong families, and strong families, whether they are birth families, relatives, or resource (foster or adoptive) families, depend upon supportive connections with a broad range of people, organizations, and community institutions. As children walk through Whipper Home’s door they are greeted by grandparents from the Foster Grandparent Program, they are coached, mentored, and assisted by surrogate aunts and uncles who serve as volunteers. No matter the duration of the stay, the Whipper Home makes available the assistance of many adults who serve as role models providing culturally appropriate activities to ensure a sense of family and belonging.

Services Overview:

Therapeutic Intervention: Allows residents the opportunity to work on resolving conflicts resulting from individual experiences. Psychiatric consultation is provided on a weekly basis.

Educational and Vocational Assessments are made of reading levels, educational, pre-vocational and vocational potential. Referral services include Bureau of Vocational Rehabilitation, D. C. Public Schools, D. C. Department of Employment Services, etc. Tutorial services are an integral part of the program. Structured classes in arts, crafts and domestic skills are also enriching.

Life Skills Training is designed to help develop independent living skills such as banking, budgeting, home management, buying habits, health care, etc. Evaluations are conducted to pinpoint resident’s strengths and opportunities.

Transitional Housing in a home setting resembling a natural family support network that helps develop emotional stability.