Recently I have spent a couple of shifts at a residential treatment facility for children with severe behavioral problems. Children whose parents are unable to manage them at home because of violence toward themselves or others.
Some of the generalizations one would make about the children who come here, Most, but not all of the children who come here, come from abusive families, have been sexually abused, have family history of mental health, come from broken homes, were exposed to drugs in utero, and have learning difficulties, and developmental delays along with the mental health problems. Some are borderline mentally challenged. A good portion of the children seemed to be diagnosed as bipolar.
In order to qualify to stay here, you have been kicked out of schools, and you have been hospitalized for mental health issues and this is a last resort.
A term that is used frequently is" this child has been sexualized". This means the child is exhibiting sexual behaviors inappropriately. The children who come to this facility are between the ages of 12 and 20. They will on average stay for about a year. It used to be parents would get them enrolled in programs like this indefinitely, all the while collecting the children's disability checks. The state would end up paying twice for the children. I guess at least NY state wizened up to that practice and put a stop to it.
Its a non profit place and what the staff makes is usually not competitive. So many of the staff who work here, do it because they love the job, they love the children. It really is not what I would consider a very easy place to work emotionally. Physically, its not too bad, but has its risk, such as having restrain a angry teen/young adult or just being in the way of one of these children when they end up getting violent.
Gone are the days of chemical or posy restraints. The only restraints used here are physical restraints applied by staff members. Meaning 3 staff members have to hold who ever is out of control in a supine position. Thank goodness this isn't a daily occurrence. Sad that it has to happen at all.
I wonder how many of the children who come to this program will live successfully as an adult? How many of the children here will end up being labeled as a rso? It seems likely doesn't it if they are already acting out in a sexual manner? Perhaps programs like this are able to help reduce the risk by teaching them new ways to act and manage their feelings. How many of them will end up in prison? We know that a majority of inmates have generally come from an abusive home, have been sexualized at an early age, were exposed to lead or drugs, have learning problems or not been properly educated.
I hope programs like this are successful in breaking the cycle children becoming sex offenders or ending up in jail.
What is the success rate places like this? How can we improve the success rate? How can we break the cycle of mental health problems that lead to the rso label?
Some of the generalizations one would make about the children who come here, Most, but not all of the children who come here, come from abusive families, have been sexually abused, have family history of mental health, come from broken homes, were exposed to drugs in utero, and have learning difficulties, and developmental delays along with the mental health problems. Some are borderline mentally challenged. A good portion of the children seemed to be diagnosed as bipolar.
In order to qualify to stay here, you have been kicked out of schools, and you have been hospitalized for mental health issues and this is a last resort.
A term that is used frequently is" this child has been sexualized". This means the child is exhibiting sexual behaviors inappropriately. The children who come to this facility are between the ages of 12 and 20. They will on average stay for about a year. It used to be parents would get them enrolled in programs like this indefinitely, all the while collecting the children's disability checks. The state would end up paying twice for the children. I guess at least NY state wizened up to that practice and put a stop to it.
Its a non profit place and what the staff makes is usually not competitive. So many of the staff who work here, do it because they love the job, they love the children. It really is not what I would consider a very easy place to work emotionally. Physically, its not too bad, but has its risk, such as having restrain a angry teen/young adult or just being in the way of one of these children when they end up getting violent.
Gone are the days of chemical or posy restraints. The only restraints used here are physical restraints applied by staff members. Meaning 3 staff members have to hold who ever is out of control in a supine position. Thank goodness this isn't a daily occurrence. Sad that it has to happen at all.
I wonder how many of the children who come to this program will live successfully as an adult? How many of the children here will end up being labeled as a rso? It seems likely doesn't it if they are already acting out in a sexual manner? Perhaps programs like this are able to help reduce the risk by teaching them new ways to act and manage their feelings. How many of them will end up in prison? We know that a majority of inmates have generally come from an abusive home, have been sexualized at an early age, were exposed to lead or drugs, have learning problems or not been properly educated.
I hope programs like this are successful in breaking the cycle children becoming sex offenders or ending up in jail.
What is the success rate places like this? How can we improve the success rate? How can we break the cycle of mental health problems that lead to the rso label?
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