Inside the Meetings That Shape a Child’s Future at Mercy Home

April 21, 2026

Once every quarter at Mercy Home for Boys & Girls, an important meeting brings together a youth and the people who support them: a therapist, an advocate, a program manager, an education coordinator, and the youth’s guardians or family members.

This is known as a care planning meeting (CPM). But for those in the room, the discussion leads to something that has long-term significance. The first such meeting is conducted shortly after a young person arrives at our Home. By the end of their first year, four CPM’s create a map for a path forward.

“It’s really a treatment planning meeting,” said Andrew Purvis, a therapist at the Home.

Each session follows a structured outline and a clear purpose.

“We always start by going over the strengths of the youth,” Purvis said. “What are they doing well? What are they showing they’re capable of?”

At the core of every meeting is something called a Positive Transition Plan, or PTP, a broad statement that defines the goals a youth is working toward.

For a young person, a goal may be learning how to express feelings of rejection. Young people who experience early abandonment and family instability, for example, may struggle to communicate when feeling hurt or overlooked. So, the treatment plan may focus on helping that youth recognize those feelings and respond to them in healthier way. It may also include strategies for helping the family understand and respond better as well.

More specific goals may emerge that the youth can work toward in therapy sessions, with their peers in the residential program setting, and at home.

“We talk about specific situations,” Purvis said, “So next time, he has the tools he needs.”

From there, coworkers share updates across every part of a child’s life. Those include updates from our education and program team as well as from the therapist. The young person also contributes.

“I always ask them to rate themselves from 0 to 10,” Purvis said. “Zero meaning no work has been done toward their PTP, [and] 10 being they feel confident and ready to move on, whether that’s going home or taking the next step.”

In a CPM, few things should be unexpected. With regular communication between meetings, the gathering should clarify and reinforce the work being done.

“There’s never really any surprises,” Purvis said. “The kids already know what they’ve been working on.”

Still, that doesn’t always make the conversation easy. Topics like school performance or the length of a youth’s stay can sometimes reveal anxiety.

“It can turn into a tough conversation,” Purvis said. “Sometimes families aren’t ready for their child to come home. Sometimes they are.”

For coworkers, the meetings are a chance to take a step back.

“Sometimes we get so focused on one issue, but the meeting brings us back to the bigger picture,” said Natalie Dowell, an education resource coordinator at Mercy Home. “It’s a good refresher for why they’re here.”

Dowell’s role focuses on academics, and while she will point out potential growth areas, she always leads with the young person’s strengths.

“I might have a student who’s struggling in school,” she said. “But they’re respectful, they’re trying. So, we highlight that and then talk about how we can improve. Even if a kid is stubborn, I can say they’re persistent. If they talk a lot, they’re sociable. It’s about perspective but also being honest.”

Ultimately, care planning meetings are about helping young people succeed outside of Mercy Home.

Many of our young people return home on weekends, where they can apply what they’ve learned about navigating family dynamics, communicating differently and building trust.

“They love being here, but we want them ready to go home and to feel confident in themselves and the progress they’ve made,” Purvis said.

Each meeting builds toward that goal, aligning staff, families, and the youth together.

“It’s a time for everyone to come together and be on the same page,” Purvis said.