Programs

Grounded in a strength-based philosophy, Key focuses on unlocking the potential of youth and families. Through a variety of residential and non-residential program models and settings, Key provides direct services each day to over 600 adolescents from the child welfare, mental health, juvenile justice, and educational systems. We create opportunities for those in our various programs to learn new skills and approaches to problem solving.

Examples of available services and activities can include:

• family support services
• comprehensive case management
• collateral contacts
• mentoring/role modeling
• community supervision
• accountability
• educational advocacy
• wellness and acute care advocacy and education
• building healthy relationships
• basic needs assistance
• mental health services
• vocational advocacy and assessment
• socialization/leisure activities
• recreation
• life skills education/activities
• hygiene/personal care
• sexuality/pregnancy prevention
• violence prevention activities
• substance abuse education
• substance abuse treatment planning
• transportation assistance
• tutoring and homework
• school/work attendance monitoring
• parenting skills training
• peer leadership activities
• community mapping

Information about our programs, outcomes, and locations can be viewed on the Web site or can be downloaded in a single PDF.

Strength-based Philosophy

Key’s approach has always been to develop a creative plan that capitalizes on the family’s strengths and one which involves all those in a child’s life.

Family and child involvement. No plan is made for the family without total family involvement. It’s as simple as that. Families succeed when they have a stake in their own planning and outcomes.

Strength and assessment. Key’s focus is building on the family’s existing strengths, resources, and supports. Once barriers to progress are identified, Key assists the family in finding the best way to use their strengths and resources to remove barriers – and how to deal with those that might arise in the future.

Team approach. All families and children are serviced by a team of professionals, allowing them to build close relationships with several different individuals. Key also involves everyone in the child’s and family’s life, including community members, friends, extended family members, and any others who the family identifies as a support.

Since its founding in 1974 Key has a track record of reshaping the lives of youth and families. Key believes that all individuals and families in its programs benefit from community support-oriented programs that emphasize an integrated approach to a person's social, emotional, and educational needs.

Since its inception, Key has helped thousands of youth and their families progress through the child welfare, mental health, juvenile justice, and education systems. Find out how you can become part of our team, how our programs have helped thousands of youth and families, and how we are viewed by funding and social service agencies.

Key is An experience for a lifetime™ for our staff and our clients.

Key's direct-service programs fall into two general categories: non-residential and residential.

Our non-residential programs include our:

Intensive in-home, wrap-around model (Outreach & Tracking™)

Community re-entry centers

Day treatment

A full array of licensed, out-patient mental health clinic services

Our residential programs fall into two broad categories:

Residential treatment

Shelter living

In addition to our non-residential and residential programs, Key provides care coordination functions for Massachusetts's child welfare population. Key was one of the very first social service agencies to be selected as a Lead Agency for managing the care of child welfare placements and in-home populations. Key is responsible for clinical oversight, quality assurance, data information systems, and program support.

All Key's models are based on a philosophy that emphasizes the critical role of the family in the lives of the youth entrusted to our care. Key defines family in the broadest sense in that it may include biological parents, relatives, a friend, or other positive healthy adults. Staff within our non-residential models have a caseload of no more than 10 and all residential models are community-based with a population that averages 12 youth.