This conference paper discusses the results of a study that investigated the effects of a mentor service on 30 children with severe emotional disturbances and considered to be at extreme risk for out-of-home placement. The mentors provided regular, consistent, face-to-face and telephone contact with each child for five hours per week. The mentors provided verbal reports at least weekly to the referring worker and attended treatment team meetings to evaluate the child's progress. A written record of all contacts with the child's family was maintained, and a monthly summary was prepared regarding the therapeutic connections between the activities and the ongoing treatment goals. When compared to the control group of non-mentored children, mentored children were significantly less likely to be placed in a child caring institution. Mentoring was also found to be an extremely cost-effective component of overall treatment for at-risk children when compared to more traditional placements. Families consistently rated mentoring as an integral and crucial resource in the individualization and tailoring of a collaborative plan of care among home, school, and community services. (CR)