Boarding Out of chronic male schizophrenics to a living situation
providing rehabilitative goal oreinted programming:  I am familiar
with the "Boarding Out" of psychiatric patients throughout this past
century.  A new innovative program will serve 14 male schizophrenics
living together in a building redesigned to be home-like, with private
bedrooms, close teaching/supervision of residents, and emphasis on
assisting this formerly "back ward" population in their re-integration
into the community at large.

This question is basically asking for the specific KEY ELEMENTS that
might compose a "policy" for such a program.  The policy elements need
to be written clearly and in rational relation to one another.  This
question can be answered by a summary discussion and two sample policies,
that would inform the reader as to the dimensions of the issue, and
allow future use of this "answer" in writing an actual policy and in
program design.

Boarding out of these male "instutionalized" mental patients would
provide a new advanced environment of care, and allow specific
baby-step goals and objectives to be implemented, individualized for
each participant.  From a cold sterile 1950's hospital ward, locked
and with high incidence of disturbance of the patients, even voilence,
to an recently renovated building, two story, private bed rooms, TV's,
bar-b-que, kitchen, living rooms, and "family style dining" rather
than cafeteria and styrofoam plates.  New furniture, color
coordinated, and carpeting all provided by design from an interior
designer, and state of the art fire, safety equipment.

The policy elements need to be explained and listed, in an essay which
explicates the elements.

What are the categories of information and data which need addressing?
 Which are of major relevance to boarding out of psychiatric patients.

One good resource for the overall "atmosphere" of such a project can
be found in an essay readily available on Questia.com and elsewhere.

That Publication Information: Article Title: The Rise of Social Work
in Public Mental Health through Aftercare of People with Serious
Mental Illness. Contributors: Golda Edinburg - author, Ruth Knee -
author, Betsy Schaefer Vourlekis - author. Journal Title: Social Work.
Volume: 43. Issue: 6. Publication Year: 1998. Page Number: 567+.
COPYRIGHT 1998 National Association of Social Workers; COPYRIGHT 2002
Gale Group

You will find the elements of success for such a boarding out system,
such as "relapse prevention" and many other salient factors.  If you
cannot find this article, I would be glad to furnish it as "a
clarification" of this question once a researcher accepts this task.

In summary:  Please answer my question by providing the essential elements of
a policy that would describe proper and ethical professional mental
health services in a "Boarding Out" situation, with emphasis on
"rehabilitation" and re-entry into the larger community.  

The answer should be of two parts: One, an essay on the history and
evolution of such a program with emphasis on current "best practices"
for such an
endeavor; and, two, sample policy statements for such a program,
preferably two related policy examples, but each uniquely different
from the other so as to allow this questioner to develop a sense of
the gestalt for this process/project.

Thank you in advance.  I will use your answer to provide the final
draft of such a BOARDING OUT policy statement.

I suspect you wonder if I want clinical or administrative views? 
Actually, this is a bit of a synergistic relationship as I see it, and
hopefully the two sample policy statements would lean one toward
clinical, and the other toward administrative issues.  I could take
the two, then, and distill the right mix.

Thanks again,
Glenn