 Agency Services Brochure, contact us by phone toll free at (888) 287-1160 or locally at (716) 828-9500 or by e-mail. contact us toll-free at (888) 287-1160, or by email. |
Baker Victory Services (BVS) offers a wide-range of services for individuals with physical, developmental, and/or behavioral challenges. In addition, BVS includes programming which supplies a lifetime of care--from infancy to late adulthood. Programs are divided into the following divisions (click each to go directly to a division): Education Services, Adoptive and Foster Care Services, Outpatient Services, Residential Services, Services for the Developmentally Disabled, The WAY Program, and Affiliate Organizations/Related Services.
FOSTER FAMILIES
NEEDED: Complete training, support, and
reimbursement provided.
If you would like to open your heart and
home to a young person and enjoy being a parent,
call for more information: Rachael Dudczak, 828-9553; Halli
Lavner, 828-9497.
To complete an application to become a Foster Parent, click here.
Education Services
The Sanctuary Model of treatment defines the basic principles of all BVS Schools and relationships with students: encouraging a community that is safe, democratic and productive. Within this environment, education staff instill in their students confidence and skills in the areas of independence, mastery, generosity and belonging.
Early Care and Education Programs
These New York State-certified programs focus on the child as an individual, promoting growth and development in a caring educational environment.
Early Childhood Peer Program
Integrated preschool classes serve children ages 3-5 in an extended day program operating on the school calendar, along with a 6-week summer program.
Monarch Little Learners Academy
Monarch serves children from birth to age 5 in daycare and preschool classroom settings. Before- and after-school programs for children through age 12 are also available.
Early Intervention & Preschool Special Education
Assistance for children from birth to age 5 is provided through county Early Intervention referrals for ages 0-3, or a local school district Committee on Special Education (CPSE), ages 3-5.
ChildPro & Early Childhood Program (ECP)
These programs focus on early learning and enhancing self-concept in classrooms and homes throughout Western New York. Early Intervention is provided by both programs to assist children from birth to age 3 with suspected developmental delays. Staff work to identify potential developmental delays and disabilities while testing motor skills, cognition, speech, language, social interaction, emotional responses and hearing. An individualized and comprehensive treatment program is then implemented. Care can include speech and language therapy, occupational and physical therapy, and family education. Services can be provided in integrated preschool or home settings. Counseling and training are also available to assist parents in better caring for their child. Additionally, both the ChildPro and Early Childhood Programs collaborate with preschool programs throughout the City of Buffalo and the surrounding areas.
School-Age Special Education
Children may access these programs through the recommendation of their local school districts’ Committee on Special Education, or through residential services at Baker Victory Services.
Baker Academy - Cheektowaga
Opened in 2002, Baker Academy is primarily comprised of students from Buffalo Public Schools. The academy offers structured educational services in a 6:1:1 (student/teacher/aide ratio) classroom setting to children and youth, ages 5 to 21, who experience serious emotional or behavioral challenges.
Baker Hall School - Lackawanna
Baker Hall School (BHS) serves students from the Behavioral/Mental Health Residential Services at BVS, as well as students from local school districts in need of a highly-specialized, structured learning environment. BHS serves students between the ages of 11 and 21 who may experience emotional/behavioral challenges, be diagnosed with a mental illness, or have a mild developmental delay. BHS features student/teacher/aide ratios of 8:1:1 and 12:1:3, and offers departmentalized classes for eligible high-school level students. In addition, students can participate in pre-vocational learning through the Work Appreciation for Youth (WAY) Program.
The WAY Program
The Work Appreciation for Youth (WAY) Program was designed to help at-risk youth and young adults not only realize the value of education and work, but develop the skills they need to get a job and keep it. The WAY Program operates several worksites which help students build job skills that can be transferred into an employment setting. WAY provides a comprehensive, individualized program offering tutoring, job counseling, job readiness training, crisis intervention, life-skills workshops, and career exploration. In some cases, counseling for up to 5 years after discharge is available. Most of all, WAY offers youth a chance at something they deserve — a positive future!
Specialized Therapies
The Tomatis Center
BVS is home to the only certified Tomatis Center in the region. The Tomatis Method is an auditory stimulation program used to help individuals with disabilities including, but not limited to, Autism, PDD, Asperger’s Syndrome, Down Syndrome, Attention Deficit Disorder, Sensory Integration Disorder, learning disabilities, developmental delays, auditory processing problems, and speech and language difficulties. Tomatis can help both children and adults with listening, balance, coordination, sensory integration, self-awareness, fine motor skills, attention, eye contact, organizational skills, social skills, speech and communication.
ChildPro
ChildPro provides evaluation services for children, serving Erie County and Niagara counties. Children suspected of having a developmental delay may be evaluated for speech and language therapy, occupational or physical therapy, and special education. The program stresses family involvement in a child’s development and progress, involving and educating parents at every step.
Adoption
& Foster Care Services
Adoption
servng counseling,
parenting classes, infant CPR training, child abuse registry clearance,
notarization of documents, post-placement visits, referrals for
support services, and support groups. International adoption services
also include linkage to appropriate agencies, an immigration-approved
home study, assistance with the immigration process, and reports
to the country of origin.
Some children cannot live with their parents, due to the parents' inability to function in their role of caregivers, or because of the child's emotional or behavioral problems may preclude their living at home. BVS offers the best place for those children to be -- in a family, in the community, and in an environment where they can receive loving attention from parental figures. The agency's Foster Care program offers such an environment in the form of several loving local families, all of whom have met strict guidelines and completed a training program before being certified. Therapeutic Foster Care is also available for children with special needs.ices have been offered through the agency since 1906 when the Infant Home was first established. While we continue to assist couples interested in domestic adoptions, BVS has also developed an extensive international adoption program due to a decrease in the number of babies available for domestic adoptions. Both domestic and international adoption services include a comprehensive home-study and post-placement package by providing consultation and decision-maki
Outpatient Services
Preventive Services
Preventive Services cares for families referred to BVS by the Erie County Department of Social Services who may be experiencing difficulties related to parenting, interpersonal problems, educational issues, alcoholism, drug abuse, family and/or community violence, or sexual abuse. The goal of the program is to preserve the family unit, avoiding placement of a child outside of the home. This is accomplished through individual, family and group counseling, as well as psychological consultation. Trained staff members help families learn to cope with everyday stresses, and to build skills such as effective parenting, nutrition, budgeting/financial management, homemaking, appropriate health/hygiene and medical care management. The program also provides referrals to community services as needed. Staff members help to identify problems and stabilize them — and then step away — allowing the members of the family to use what they have learned and function independently.
Intensive Preventive Services
The primary goal of the Intensive Preventive Services Program is to provide casework services and direct therapeutic services to reduce or avoid the need for foster care for children who are in imminent danger of such placements. Caseworkers strive to stabilize and strengthen the family unit by providing at least half of their services in the family’s home and by being available to the family 24 hours a day. These services include, but are not limited to, counseling, parent training, home management, housing assistance, support and advocacy services. Workers focus on no more than four families at any given time. Intensive Preventive Services are limited to 30 days per family, but may be extended for up to 30 additional days when necessary to maintain progress already achieved, or to avoid foster care placement.
Day Treatment
Unlike any other school in the area, this unique mental health and educational program reaches out to young people who are having difficulty succeeding in a conventional school system due to their disruptive behavior. The program’s male and female students (between the ages of 5 and 21) have been identified as having mental and/or emotional disorders which inhibit their ability to learn. These disorders range from severe behavioral and emotional problems such as anger management and impulsive reactions, to psychiatric diagnoses, which include those on the autistic spectrum. This certified state education program provides all required academic course material in cooperation with school districts, to help children meet requirements. A student can only be admitted to the program through their local school district’s Committee on Special Education.
The Day Treatment students live at home, but require clinical services in a full-day, year-round educational setting. With highly-trained staff providing structure and a caring atmosphere, students learn to control their anger, make better decisions, and deal with their feelings in a more appropriate and responsible manner.
Outpatient Counseling
The BVS Outpatient Counseling Center provides individual, family and group counseling, along with psychiatric services and medication management, to children and adolescents (ages 5 to 18) dealing with a host of issues such as anxiety, depression, attention deficit disorder, abuse, communication problems, and much more. The clinic, which is certified by the New York State Office of Mental Health, is staffed by culturally-competent therapists dedicated to diversity and skilled in many areas, including play therapy, art therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, family therapy, solution-focused therapy and bereavement therapy. Families enrolled in the Outpatient Counseling Center also have access to a family advocate who can assist with various challenges, such as issues with the school system. Most insurances are accepted and a sliding scale fee is negotiable. Saturday and evening hours are available to best accommodate busy families.
Bridges to Health
Bridges to Health (B2H) is a home and community-based waiver program providing opportunities for improving the health and well-being of children in foster care or community services supervision. Individuals up to 21 years of age may receive services based on three specific eligibility categories: Seriously Emotionally Disturbed, Developmentally Disabled, and Medically Fragile. In addition, individuals must be in the custody of the commissioner of the local Department of Social Services or Office of Children and Families; be Medicaid eligible; have a qualifying diagnosis; and be able to benefit from the service.
The purpose of Bridges to Health is to help avoid, delay, or prevent medical and/or institutional care, and provide enhanced services to children with disabilities. B2H services are provided to the child, family and caregivers, including birth, foster and adoptive parents, and siblings. In order to help youth in foster care stabilize, progress in their current homes, and work toward permanency, families are able to choose from a menu of enriched services in the community.
Residential
Services
RTF
Residential Treatment Facilities are the primary inpatient services provided through the New York State Office of Mental Health. The program operates around the clock, and provides a specialized, extended therapeutic environment for males and females (ages 12 to 21) whose treatment needs are so great, they must be placed outside the home. These residents are treated by a multi-disciplinary team comprised of psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, recreational therapists, nurses, school personnel and administrators, for problems due to interpersonal, emotional, psychiatric, social, family or educational issues. Serving clients throughout the Western New York region, the program provides discharge planning and transition services to facilitate a resident’s smooth transition back into the community.
Special Services
The Special Services Program, licensed by the New York State Office of Child and Family Services (OCFS), offers a stable and safe living environment for hard-to-place youth. Program staff members and therapists assist boys (ages 12 - 17) toward a more socially appropriate and safer level of functioning. This includes improving decision-making skills, anger management, and family/peer relationships. In order to be referred to the program, residents must have been rejected from placement by several other child care agencies due to their serious emotional and behavioral problems. The program provides a 2:1 staffing ratio.
Multiple Diagnosis Program
The Multiple Diagnosis Program (MDP) is licensed through OCFS and is clinically oriented to provide behavioral health care to youth with borderline intellectual functioning and behavioral/emotional disorders. The care and treatment of the youth in the MDP is individualized to address their unique needs and particular developmental concerns. The residential setting, with a 2:1 staffing ratio, is divided into two separate living units with four single bedrooms on each side. The MDP will consider placement for boys 12 to 17 years of age with an IQ between 50-80, as well as low adaptive functioning, attention deficit and/or disruptive behavior disorders.
Institutional Program
The Institutional Program offers a structured therapeutic environment for adolescent boys whose needs are so great, they must be placed outside of the home. Generally, these clients will be exhibiting a combination of interpersonal, emotional, social, family and educational problems. The main focus of the program is to help residents to improve internal levels of control, learn respect for themselves and others, and to increase social and problem solving/decision-making skills. The intent is to communicate structure, consistency and security to residents on as many levels as possible. Buildings, staffing patterns, and rules are geared toward this end.
The Group Home Program
Baker Victory Services operates a 10-bed Group Home Program for adolescent females. The residents attend local schools or Baker Hall School, depending upon their educational needs. Residents of the program develop a treatment plan with the group home director and are expected to be actively involved in the treatment process. Family involvement is strongly encouraged. The group home director leads the treatment team and provides individual and family counseling. Additional treatment services are coordinated as needed. The mental health staff provide a structured daily routine for the youth and work with them toward developing independent daily-living skills. Integration or reintegration into the community is a major focus of the program.
The Dorothy Miller Residence
The Dorothy Miller Residence is a specialized community home that has a capacity for eight adolescent girls and their infants. The structured setting provides education, support and practical skills training in the areas of parenting and independent living. The residents attend the Lackawanna Public Schools or Baker Hall School, depending on their educational needs. Day care is provided on-site for their children while they are in class. The young women in this program develop a treatment plan with the group home director, and are expected to be actively involved in individual and family counseling, as well as participating in weekly parenting groups and mother-child developmental play sessions. Pregnant girls may be admitted either directly into the Dorothy Miller Residence or may begin programming within the group home setting, depending on their situation.
Developmental Disabilities Division
Residential services
with medical, therapeutic, educational, and recreational supports
are provided to individuals, from birth through adulthood, who
have multiple disabilities and/or specialized medical needs. A
primary diagnosis may include mental retardation, cerebral palsy,
neurological impairment, epilepsy, or autism, and may be complicated
by orthopedic problems, nutritional needs, respiratory difficulties,
or behavioral problems.
Intermediate Care Facilities (ICFs) and Individualized Residential Alternatives (IRAs) are homes for individuals with such disabilities. Trained staff provide 24-hour care/supervision. Nursing, social work, physical and occupational therapy, recreation, psychological and speech services are offered. Individuals attend school/day programs and participate in community activities on a regular basis. In addition to the resident's clinical care, Foster Grandparents and volunteers interact with residents, building mutually beneficial relationships.
The Respite Program is designed to support families by providing temporary relief from the stress of caring for a family member with developmental disabilities at home. Respite may be scheduled for one night or for stays of up to two weeks. Beds are located within the program's ICFs.
Finding the right services and funding sources for a family member with developmental disabilities can be a confusing and time-consuming task. Service Coordinators are available to assist with the initial establishment of services and to provide ongoing support as individual needs change over time.
The Adaptive Equipment Lending Program provides an extensive inventory of adaptive equipment for lending to individuals with developmental disabilities who reside at home. This allows families to try out expensive pieces of equipment prior to purchasing them, or to borrow an item which their child may grow out of.
The WAY Program -
Work Appreciation for Youth 
The Work Appreciation for Youth (WAY) Program was designed to help at-risk youths not only realize the value of education and work, but develop the skills they need to get a job and keep that job. WAY is a comprehensive, individualized program that offers its participants a trained counselor for up to five years of care after discharge as well as access to a number of helpful services including: tutoring, job counseling, job readiness training, crisis intervention, life skills workshops, and career exploration. A program which has succeeded at several different sites throughout New York State, the WAY Program offers at-risk youth a chance at something they deserve - a positive future.
There are a number of worksites currently up and running, including:
Culinary Skills – 125 Martin Road (behind St. Francis) – Hours of Operation: Tues-Thurs 4:15-8:15 – This worksite teaches the workers the skills needed to work succesfully in a kitchen.
LunchWAY - 790 Ridge Road (basement) - Hours of Operation: Mon-Fri 11:30-1:00 – Serving lunch daily with a large menu to choose from and daily specials.
Catering Your WAY – 790 Ridge Road (basement) – Hours of Operation: Varies according to order – Provides full catering services to customers. WAY will prepare pre-ordered items and delivery them to the event location.
GateWAY Café – 3556 Lakeshore Road, Hamburg (Gateway Building, 2nd Fl) – Hours of Operations: Mon-Fri 10:30-1:30 – Seving lunch daily for the tenants of the Gateway building in a cafeteria-style setting.
Horticulture -100 Martin Road - Hours of Operation: Tues and Thurs 3:30-6:30 – Our horticulture department has three large gardens producing herbs and vegetables to be sold or used at the worksites. In addition, this department has partnered with various community greenhouses, allowing WAY employees to assist on special projects in their gardens and greenhouses.
Raindrop Creations -125 Martin Road (behind St. Francis) - Hours of Operation: Mon 4:30-7:30; Family Resource Center (347 East Ferry) – Hours of Operation: Thurs 3:30-5:30 – This worksite is home to the handmade jewelry production team. There are a variety of items made such as, earrings, bracelets, and necklaces. The jewelry is available for purchase at stores throughout the community including Chique Boutique on Abbott Road and Thin Ice on Elmwood Avenue. Jewelry is also available for sale at various craft shows throughout the year.
Greetings from WAY -125 Martin Road (behind St. Francis) - Hours of Operation: Wed & Thurs 4:00-6:00 – WAY is now producing greeting cards for every occasion you can think of. There are several racks of assorted cards throughout the agency (such as, 790 reception and LunchWAY). Cards are also sold at stores throughout the community and various craft shows.
Pin Pals – 125 Martin Road (behind St. Francis) – Hours of Operation: Wed 4:00-6:00 – Workers design and create pins from clay that represent children. These pins are used as fundraisers for adoption agencies.
Spice of Life – 125 Martin Road (behind St. Francis) - Hours of Operation: Weekly – Workers produce packaged rubs for specific cuts of meat including Luscious Lemon, Juicy Steak Rub, Heavenly Herb Rub, and much more. The spice rubs are available for purchase at stores throughout the community including Premier Gourmet, Chique Boutique and Thin Ice. Rubs are also sold at various craft shows throughout the year.
Construction Crew – Various locations – Hours of Operation: Varies – Workers learn many skills such as measuring, tool handling, and proper construction techniques while assisting with demolition and reconstruction at various community sites with organizations such as Habitat for Humanity and Buffalo Re-Use.
WAY Cleaning Crew – Main School and DTX – Hours of Operation: Tues and Thurs 4:00-8:00 – WAY employees work along side with experienced people in the area of housekeeping and cleaning. They learn proper cleaning techniques and light housekeeping.
Tutoring – 125 Martin Road (behind St. Francis) – Hours of Operation: Mon, Tues, and Thurs 3:00-5:30 – The WAY program also provides tutoring for the students who either attend at a Baker Hall School or who reside in our residential facilities. We work with several highly qualified teachers who strive to assist the students in mastering their areas of study.
Available services include:
Job Coaching/Job Development – Individualized service focused on locating, obtaining and sustaining community employment.
Career Counseling/Vocational Planning – Individualized service focused on long-term goal setting and transition planning.
Vocational Evaluations- Assessments and interest inventories given by trained evaluators to help identify vocational interests, abilities, strengths and weaknesses.
Workshops – Series of 12 interactive group workshops that focus on vocational training, job readiness training, basic employment skills and independent living skills related to the workforce.
Introduction to Occupation – 8-week program that meets twice weekly to give students the opportunity to experience various types of work hands-on.
Affiliated Organizations
and Services
Offering a wide variety
of services to both the residents of Baker Victory Services and
the general community, the Baker Victory Dental Center
is a state-of-the-art complex that offers quality, convenient,
affordable and compassionate care to all of is patients. Dental
services include: cleanings, crowns, fillings, bridges, extractions,
dentures and root canals. Minor lab work and x-ray procedures
are handled on-site. Emergency visits are also accommodated. In
addition, specially trained staff with specialized equipment offer
dental care to patients with special needs. The Baker Victory
Dental Center accepts most forms of insurance, including Medicaid.
Financial arrangements can be made for those in need of assistance.
Baker Victory Services and Every Person Influences Children (EPIC) have teamed up to create Ready, Set, Parent, a unique initiative designed to lend a helpful (and experienced) hand to new mothers. The goal of Ready, Set, Parent is to reduce high-risk situations and to create a more healthy environment for infants by educating new parents at a time when they need it most. In the four birthing hospitals of Erie County, Ready, Set, Parent! Coordinators visit new moms in their hospital rooms within 48 hours of the birth of their child. Parents are offered the opportunity to attend a Ready, Set, Parent! Newborn Parenting Class. These classes provide important information about newborn growth, development, and safety, as well as an introduction to the Ready, Set Parent! workshop series, featuring physician guest speakers, presenting information about infant sleep, feeding, wellness, and safety at select workshops in the series.
For more information, please visit: