Redding, CA
North Valley School Redding provides services to both boys and girls who have primary handicapping conditions of Emotional Disturbance (ED), Specific Learning Disability (SLD), Autism (AUT), Multiple Disability (MD), Other Health Impairment (OHI), Mental Retardation Mild/Moderate (MR), Speech or Language Impairment (SL) and Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI).
The specific academic needs of each student are addressed through individualized and reality based instruction. NVS Redding provides access to high quality standards-based education, ensures that life skills practice and training are required, makes certain that education/vocation services are a core component of the services offered, and works to make sure that skills can be generalized in the home and community. This program also improves competitive employment outcomes by providing the structure and support necessary to build a strong vocational foundation, including systematic instruction and training of essential workplace skills, information about career options and employment alternatives and opportunities to develop social, civic and leadership skills.
The school strives to provide coordination and assistance as a young person transitions to adulthood, including responsibility for linkage with adult systems if needed and follow-up post discharge, including access to services such as housing, supported employment, vocational rehabilitation and life skills training.
NVS Redding includes several highly innovative approaches to special education. A Therapeutic Riding Program uses horses to develop relationship skills along with the development of self-confidence and learning responsibility. The school program also includes a Rock Wall Challenge with high and low element rope courses that offer the opportunity for the development of physical, emotional, and mental resilience, teamwork, and overall self confidence and self esteem.
NVS Redding includes the use of specific mechanisms for surveying and gathering opinions from youth regarding increasing their freedom of choice and ensuring that they have a developmentally appropriate role in their care and in creating rules, regulations and policies that govern their living environments. Current practices and policies are family driven, youth guided, and evidence-based principles. NVS Redding also explores any potential that WebEx offers for connecting with parents/families, particularly those that live long distances away. The program maximizes opportunities for networking with other Victor programs.
NVS Redding embraces the concept of family driven and youth guided care so that youth and families are integral partners and have a primary decision making role in service delivery decisions and agency functioning. NVS recognizes the value of relationship based approaches including the primacy of family and community relationships and utilizes them in all aspects of care. Staff create and advance a philosophy that the commitment to a child, youth and family is on-going, does not allow for a premature discharge, strive to provide continuity, support transitions, promote individualized and culturally competent service delivery and goals, eliminate blame and support the strengths of each family member, and incorporate a "whatever it takes" and "never give up" attitude to providing help and support.
NVS ensures that children, youth and families feel safe and nurtured and have a sense of belonging, and that children and youth have a developmentally appropriate role in their care and in creating rules, regulations and policies that govern their living environments. The school emphasizes that family bonds are to be maintained and that assistance to siblings be incorporated into treatment and support plans as indicated. Family members are viewed as partners, not visitors, and have open access to the out-of-home setting to the maximum extent possible.
NVS engages family members and youth, who have real experience with mental health issues, as trainers for the workforce and providers of care, and invite family members, youth and family advocacy organizations to participate in on-going training for program, agency and facility staff.
