Murphy-Harpst Children's Centers, Inc.

Murphy-Harpst’s goals and expected outcomes are aligned with its mission to provide a safe and nurturing environment where severely abused and neglected children and teenagers can thrive and heal toward a goal of re-engaging with society and leading productive lives.

Murphy-Harpst’s vision is to provide the very best continuum of care for children and teenagers through excellence in Services (Residential, Foster Care, Outpatient Community Services); Development (Funding, Advocacy, Volunteerism); Management (Staff, Land, Facilities); and Governance (Engaged, Diversified, Mission-focused Board).

Murphy-Harpst's overarching goal focuses on loving care and treatment that incorporates procedures to evaluate overall functioning; analyze behavior or mental health issues causing the most distress; and pursue levels of treatment tailored to the needs of each child using individual, group, and recreation therapies, and family therapy when possible, along with on-campus schooling. End results, which we have achieved each year, are for the majority of our children to progress successfully through treatment in less than 6 months to 2 years. All other priorities are designed to support this all-encompassing treatment goal.

Beginning in late 2017, at the direction of Murphy-Harpst’s board and management, a rigorous and comprehensive strategic planning process was initiated to guide program development and operations for the period 2018-2021. Individuals and focus groups were selected from a large cadre of stakeholders, including a Strategic Planning Steering Committee, past and current board members, past and current donors, payers and referral sources, staff, youth, families, and volunteers. A traditional SWOT Analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Threats and Opportunities) was conducted with both board and staff members, in addition to more targeted and open-ended interviews, focus groups and surveys of a broader stakeholder group. Participation was excellent, and informative data were obtained identifying clear trends, opportunities, and developmental needs of the organization. The data support an ongoing critical need for the services of Murphy-Harpst in light of a growing state and national mental health and child welfare crisis. The resulting Strategic Plan, approved by the board in March 2018, is organized around four strategic priorities: 1) Board Governance, 2) Fiscal Integrity, 3) Operational Improvement, and 4) Brand Presence. The strategic plan was also informed by a comprehensive communications audit made possible by Leadership Atlanta during 2017-2018.

There are several internal and external factors that are contributing to the success of our goals:

1) Strong Staff:
In addition to our strong programs, we have a dedicated team of 132 full-time and 34 part-time employees passionate about helping at-risk children. These employees are hired based off their level of education, strong alignment with the organization’s mission and values, and their drive to grow in the field of social services.

2) 160-Acre Campus:
We maintain a beautiful, wooded campus with spacious grounds that facilitate a child’s feeling of protection and trust in their surroundings. The campus has enabled us to develop an array of effective outdoor education and therapy offerings including a high and low ropes course, equine therapy program, and most recently, outdoor garden and greenhouse.

3) Partnership with United Methodist Church / United Methodist Women national office:
While Murphy-Harpst is an independent non-profit accepting referrals regardless of religious affiliation, our organization proudly maintains its historical affiliation with the Methodist Church. Today, the United Methodist Women national office recognizes Murphy-Harpst as a National Mission Institution, and as a result, hundreds of volunteers from United Methodist Church congregations throughout North Georgia provide support and visit the campus regularly to assist with activities. Throughout the year, United Methodist Nomads Mission Volunteers share in assisting United Methodist Church partners (churches, camps, children’s homes, retreat centers, senior centers, and disaster relief agencies) with new construction, remodeling, and repairs. The United Methodist Church also designates several Sundays throughout the year as opportunities for recognizing and supporting partner agencies such as Murphy-Harpts. These are referred to as Special Offerings and include an offering used to fund the work of Murphy-Harpst.

4) Partnerships with Service Organizations, Colleges, and Universities:
We host volunteers from service organizations (Kiwanis International, Young Men’s Service Leagues) and interns and volunteers from regional colleges and universities (Alabama State University, Appalachian State University, Berry College, Clemson University, Eastern Kentucky University, South Georgia State College, University of Georgia).

5) Mission-Related Advocacy Groups:
We maintain strategic partnerships with mission-related advocacy groups, including Action Ministries, which helps remove barriers preventing thousands of Georgians from breaking the cycle of poverty and realizing their potential; Multi-Agency Alliance for Children, which is a collaboration of agencies who network together to provide placement and support for at-risk youth; Orange Duffel Bag Initiative, which provides professional life plan and goal achievement coaching for at-risk youth; and Together Georgia, which is an alliance of children and family services providers.

In the last fiscal year (July 1, 2017-June 30, 2018), Murphy-Harpst’s outcomes included:

1) CAFAS Results and Average Length of Stay: The widely established Child and Adolescent Functional Assessment Scale (CAFAS), showed the majority of residents progressed in role performance in daily activities and school, behavior toward others, moods and emotions, thinking, and decreased self-harm behavior. Progress varied among residents due to widely differing goals and objectives as outlined in individual treatment plans. Through the use of clinical evaluations upon admission based on CAFAS and the formation of a treatment team and plan for each resident, we aim for the majority of residents to progress successfully through treatment in less than 6 months to 2 years. This past fiscal year, the average length of stay was 6.1 months.

2) State of Georgia Quarterly Evaluations: A measurable outcome from last year includes a quarterly comprehensive evaluation by the State of Georgia's Division of Family and Children Services' Office of Provider Management. Criteria include the overall well-being of children served in specific areas including safety outcomes, incident reports, placement stability, medical outcomes, and academic reports. Evaluations for Q1-Q4 of last fiscal year averaged 95.5% (an A).

Additional highlights as listed in our fiscal year 2018 Impact Report:

*59 counties served
*75 residents on campus at a time
*294 hours of individual equine therapy sessions
*15 kids with TLP jobs
*791 volunteers on campus
*2,967 hours of individual therapy
*139 off-campus trips
*41 children in foster care
*7 sibling groups placed in foster homes
*2,141 donors
*8 group therapy offerings a week
*85,709 meals served
*8 adoptions