CALIFORNIA
Youthful discretion at Woodland group home
A Woodland police officer recently responded to a pillow fight, an uncommon event of itself, but not so rare at the Woodland Youth Services group home at 9 Woodland Ave.
Youth workers can't discipline the youth physically. When an incident arises they call the police and the child gets a talking to from an officer. The pillow fight was quelled before the officer arrived, but he stayed to do some counseling, according to Sgt. Jason Brooks. "We have programs in effect to help us deal with problem areas," Brooks said. "Unfortunately with a place like 9 Woodland Ave., we have examined a lot of avenues in how to curb the problems – and it's very limited for what we can do," Brooks said.
Dr. Ollie Mack, the group home administrator, sees things in a positive light. He's taken measures to reverse the negative behavior in the youth, although he admits there are some kids who refuse to change. Mack and the youth in the home say 9 Woodland Ave. is different than other group homes.
For starters, most homes work on a level system. Youth start with no points and get points for completing tasks and not acting out. If they make their bed, they get some points; fighting with the other kids gets points deducted. A certain number of points allows the youth to progress through the levels until they have proven they can live in a different situation. When a child wakes up and knows they have no points, and therefore nothing to lose, they tend to act out more, Mack reasoned. He heard the youth complain about the staff being arbitrary about the giving out of points and they felt the system was flawed and then wouldn't buy in.
So Mack reversed it. The children start with all the points they have for the day and then the points get deducted if they don't do their tasks or disobey the rules. Every choice that results in a child losing points is recorded, so the child has no one to blame for his failure.
System has its fans
Daniel, 16, likes the new system. He's still at Level 1 but he
knows why. He's been at the home for about six months. "(It's) the best
group home I've been in," he said. Daniel has been in several different
homes, after family trouble and then a probation violation. He said
another thing that makes Woodland Youth Services different is the staff.
"All the staff are cool and respectful," he said. "You give respect to
get respect."
Daniel's main problem that keeps him from progressing through the levels is getting up in the morning to go to school. Many mornings he sleeps until 11 a.m. Daniel excitedly told Mack he was going home to see his family that afternoon, Mack reminded him of an incident of smoking in the van, which Daniel had conveniently forgotten. After Daniel left, Mack said if he went with the rules Daniel wouldn't be able to go home. However, Daniel did get up every morning that week to go to school and if Mack denies him the chance to go home Daniel is more likely to give up on the program all together. But when Daniel gets home Mack will make sure he knows they still have a lot of work today.
Mack went to medical school later in life. He became a psychiatrist and started working as a group home consultant. After working in many homes he found the system to be depressingly ineffective. He described the cycle of the youth going through the system only to produce more youth who end up back in the system. He didn't feel the efforts of the group home and foster care system were making any real difference. "So I designed a different kind of program," Mack said. So far the youth have been responsive.
Mack said his reverse program tells the kids "I'm going to give you
the points because I believe in you," which encourages them to succeed.
He also works with the staff to help them tap into the students goals
and utilize them as motivators. If a child wants to go live with their
parents, the staff helps the child see how having good hygiene will help
him get there. "It's not about the points, it's about what is in the
best interest of the child," Mack said.
When it fails, it fails
Even with all the positive changes made by Mack, the group home
still sees kids take off all day to hang out with friends, or take off
indefinitely and never return. Aside from letting the cops know about
the missing person, there's nothing WYS can do about it. "Most of these
kids have nothing to lose," Mack said. "Most of these kids were living
on the streets, when they get tired of adult supervision they hit the
streets."
Mack said with budget cuts the program doesn't have recourses for tangible incentives to stay. The extent of WYS provisions are food, board, schooling and staff and the occasional field trip.
Mack said since most of the youth have troubled past they tend to live in the moment. Even though the State will help them pursue an education after they turn 18 most just want out and take off, Mack said. He said it's hard getting the kids to shoot for the stars, and learn sacrifice and self-disciple.
Having the children run off, "consumes a lot of our time," Brooks said. "The vast majority of these calls are runaways."
Melody Stone
7 February 2010
