The Rachel Foundation Inc.
Your Children Will Return…
Jeremiah 31:17
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQ)
What is the Rachel Foundation?
The Rachel Foundation (RF) is a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization providing
reintegration programs and supportive housing for parents and children whose bonds have been damaged or broken through abduction and alienation, particularly in high-conflict divorce. Programs provide intervention and prevention in high-conflict divorce, international and domestic parent abduction, stranger abduction and separations resulting from other causes.Who started the Rachel Foundation (RF)?
Bob and Pamela Hoch founded RF in 2000, with the support of leading organizations and professionals including the Department of Justice Missing and Exploited Children’s Division and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. The Hochs developed the practical, structured reintegration programs "Bridges" and "Footsteps" with the help of professionals in law, psychology, counseling and psychiatry.
What does the Rachel Foundation do?
The Rachel Foundation rebuilds family bonds, one family at a time. Using a multidisciplinary team, RF programs address the emotional, psychological, social, physical, educational and cultural needs of child, parent and family unit, usually in the supportive home-like environment at
Rachel House, deep in the Texas Hill Country north of San Antonio.What is the Rachel Foundation’s primary goal?
RF’s primary goal is to give children the opportunity to develop, rebuild and maintain healthy, loving relationships with both parents when possible.
What is Rachel House?
Rachel House
is a home where families come to rebuild their relationships, one family at a time. In 2004, after researching 298 locations in the United States to find the best possible permanent location for the Foundation, RF moved Rachel House from its original location in Maryland to a centrally located, larger home in the Texas Hill Country. Rachel House provides a warm, safe welcome and care under the 24-hour supervision of professionals and para-professionals with specialized experience in family reintegration. Children are encouraged to feel comfortable and safe. Parents are involved and supported both psychologically and in practical ways, as they rebuild their relationships with their children in a structured, five-step program.Who uses the Rachel Foundation’s programs?
Two groups of families use RF programs, families with returning abducted children and families with severely alienated children.
When an abducted child is found,
the child and parent may come to Rachel House for specialized reunification. If the child is a foreign national, a parent may work with RF facilitators during the reunification, and may go through an RF program prior to returning home.Programs for severely alienated children. Family courts are often at a loss in high conflict divorce cases where children adamantly refuse a relationship with one parent. Courts turn to the Rachel Foundation for specialized help to ensure that a child is given the opportunity to develop a relationship with a formerly rejected parent. When used early in a high-conflict divorce, the program has been highly effective in stopping alienation "in its tracks."
What programs does the Rachel Foundation provide?
How long are programs?
Program length cannot be predicted. Participation varies from a few days in "Footsteps" up to a month in "Bridges." Offsite after-care support may continue for a year or more depending on the strength of the new family paradigm, how much support is available in the family’s community, and how well the family paradigm is legally protected from sabotage or interference.
What qualifications are involved?
RF consulting specialists are mainly drawn from psychology, education, law and social work, or may be evaluators, mediators, case managers, guardians
ad litem or special masters, with experience in high-conflict divorce and family systems. Consulting clinicians typically undergo orientation and training at Rachel house. RF uses experienced facilitators. RF also benefits from the wisdom of a Scientific and Professional Advisory Panel composed of the world’s foremost specialists in child abduction and alienation issues.Does RF make diagnoses and provide clinical care?
As stated in the Admission Protocols (available upon request) RF does not provide evaluations or clinical diagnoses. Typically, in a high-conflict, domestic alienation case, evaluations have been done by a local court-appointed expert. The Court orders a family into the RF program or the custodial parent admits the family unit, usually in collaboration with a licensed professional in the home jurisdiction. It is possible that as a result of RF’s documented observations during the program, a court-appointed professional may arrive at a clinical diagnosis.
Must the Foundation be Court appointed?
In most cases, yes. The Rachel Foundation has been Court appointed in state and federal courts in the United States and in other countries. Only five days after incorporation, RF was appointed by Maryland Federal District Court to facilitate the return of an abducted child under the "Hague Convention." The number of Courts using RF services is growing as judges learn that RF provides programs for intervention and prevention in the most difficult high-conflict cases.
However, the basic requirement is that the child be accompanied by a custodial parent as RF does not act in loco parentis. See Admission Protocols for details.What oversight does RF provide to the Court?
When court-ordered, RF prefers to run the program in conjunction with the oversight of a licensed professional in the Court’s home jurisdiction. RF reports regularly either to the Court directly, or to the professional within the jurisdiction.
Where are RF programs available?
Most families come to Rachel House in Texas. In rare cases, programs may be implemented elsewhere.
Is RF a religious organization?
No. People glancing at the RF Web site sometimes assume that it is. Check "Why Rachel" at the RF website at www.rachelfoundation.org for the story behind the name. RF is not affiliated with any religious organization and welcomes families of diverse religions and cultural backgrounds. The programs have no religious component, unless the family itself requests and implements this. However, RF receives financial and prayer support from churches and individuals of different faiths, for which the Foundation is grateful.
Is there a waiting list for Rachel programs?
Sometimes. Priority is given to recovered abducted children. Second priority is given to domestic cases with a court order for a Rachel program. RF has never had to turn away a family in need of assistance.
What do RF programs cost?
RF exists because of individual and other donations and program fees. Refer to the Foundation’s
Fee Schedule, available upon request. Program costs depend on length of time in the program, how long an abducted child was missing, how severely a child has been alienated from a parent, how many children there are and, last but not least, the type of order the Court puts in place to ensure an uninterrupted reintegration process. This is a key component of success.Program costs run from $1,000 to $10,000 or more. RF strives to keep fees low with the assistance of private donations to help defray overhead. The program is typically more cost-effective than years of costly and perhaps ineffective therapy. Because RF programs are so successful, the family may save legal fees for protracted litigation. RF programs also save money when used preventively in high-conflict divorce where alienation may become severe unless "nipped in the bud".
Who pays for your services?
The participating parent is fully responsible for payment regardless of any disposition the Court may make in this regard. Program fees must be paid in advance and credit status maintained in order to be admitted and to remain in the program. Please refer to the Foundation’s Admission Protocols and Fee Schedule. The Rachel Foundation has never refused treatment to any family based on an inability to pay.
What other services does Rachel Foundation provide?
With RF’s limited resources, the Foundation focuses on programs. However, here is a list of other activities:
Collaborative coaching for parents, professionals, law enforcement personnel and others involved in the recovery of a missing child or in the treatment or transfer of a severely alienated child to a rejected parent.
Specialized assistance to Central Authorities in cases involving the "Hague Convention", especially where clauses 13 (b) and 21 are invoked as a reason to not return a child to its home jurisdiction. We provide a haven for these children and parent to make the transition safely, including experienced escorts to and from the U.S.A.
"PAS Parents." This e-mail support group started in early 2001 and now has nearly 400 participants from many states and countries. Volunteer moderators (the "Mod
How is the Foundation funded?
In 2001, the RF received start-up funding from the U.S. Department of Justice, and as a member of AMECO, receives ongoing training support from the U.S. Department of Justice. The Foundation’s programs depend entirely on donations and program fees. Some services are donated or offered at reduced cost. The Executive Director and Program Director do not take salary. Donations are tax deductible to the extent permitted by law because RF is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.
Who refers families to the Rachel Foundation?
The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, Central Authorities under the "Hague Convention," child-find agencies and other members of AMECO, the U.S. State Department, law enforcement, the Polly Klaas Foundation, lawyers, courts, mental health professionals, DFS agencies and individual families all refer cases to RF. About a sixth come via RF’s web site (www.rachelfoundation.org).
Can RF provide references?
RF will provide references upon request. Judicial references are confidential and will be provided directly to and only to the Court. The Rachel Foundation is a proud member of AMECO, the Association of Missing and Exploited Children’s Organizations, which is funded by the U.S. Department of Justice.
Is the Rachel Foundation licensed?
The Rachel Foundation is listed with the Texas Secretary of State as a not-for-profit organization operating in the State of Texas. Becauase the Rachel Foundation requires the presence of a legally-designated custodial parent, no other specific license is required. The Foundation does not act
in loco parentis. It is not a foster home nor a group home and its services fall outside the context of the Texas Administrative Code. Nonetheless, the Foundation strives to achieve the highest professional ethics and standards of care at all times and its supervising professionals are licensed in their area of expertise.Has the Foundation ever been sued?
Yes. We work only with the most difficult abduction and alienation cases with high levels of conflict. In every family that comes to Rachel House, there is one parent who will do everything possible to ensure admission to a Rachel Foundation program. On the other hand, the other parent usually will do anything and everything to prevent this from happening. The work we do is highly valued on the one hand, and vilified on the other. The Foundation was sued and the case was dismissed summarily. The petitioners thereupon re-filed in a neighboring jurisdiction. There has never been a finding against the Rachel Foundation in any court of law in any country.
What is your success rate?
When a parent and child can complete the program without interruption, when the parent is competent and psychologically healthy, and when the Court is able to put in place the legal protection needed by the new family structure, RF success rate is more than 90%. Even in cases where the Court has limited success in protecting the family structure, the RF program has brought about lasting improvements in parent-child relationships.
Can you help facilitate my child’s return under the "Hague" Convention?
Signatory countries of the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of Child Abduction ("The Hague Convention), working through their Central Authorities, use RF to facilitate the reunification of children and parents. In the U.S., these functions are carried out by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and the U.S. State Department, both of whom refer cases to RF.
Typical cases include the following:
What is RF’s program methodology?
RF programs draw from skills in education, psychology, therapy, family systems, social psychology, exit counseling, parenting skills and child development. The programs are systematic, structured and goal-oriented. Because each family’s situation differs from all others, specific tools and applications are tailored to the specific need of each family.
Can you help me find my missing child?
No. RF is not a child-find organization. Go to RF’s website for links to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), the Association of Missing and Exploited Children (AMECO) and others. RF’s job begins when a child is found. If you think your child may soon be found, contact RF for information about our programs so you can prepare for the reunification and reintegration process.
For further information, contact the Rachel Foundation at:
Executive Director Robert Hoch, M.A. bobhoch@rachelfoundation.org
Program Director Pamela Hoch, B.A., H.Dip.Ed. pamelahoch@rachelfoundation.org
Website www.rachelfoundation.org
Telephone: (830) 864-4460
Address: P.O. Box 294810, Kerrville, TX 78029, USA
The Rachel Foundation…rebuilding families one at a time.