The program focuses on the family's ability to engage in family counseling and to cope with current stresses. Emphasizing the family as a necessary resource for change, the project promoted engagement and assessment of youth within the family rather than in an institution. To collect background information, case records were reviewed, and interviews were conducted with the 29 families who had been discharged from the project at least three months prior to the study. Behavioral problems of the youths decreased considerably, and the youths functioned adequately in school. The incidence of running away declined from 66 to 17 percent; aggressive behavior dropped from 9 cases to 1. Sixteen of the youths returned after the assessment period to their parents, relatives, and, in 1 case, to an adoptive family; 7 remained in extended foster care, typically for less than six months; and 6 were placed in a group home or residential center for children. For the assessment period alone, county savings of the program totaled approximately $76,378 compared to placement of youths in an institutional facility. 14 references