NEW ENGLAND

Private facilities describe struggle dealing with fewer but increasingly troubled adolescents

Youth Programs Seek To Cope

Two near riots recently at private facilities for troubled children reflect the increasingly difficult adolescents the programs are being asked to serve.

A dozen boys were arrested Tuesday at Mount Saint John school for boys in Deep River. A knife and brass knuckles were seized and a television and furniture were smashed.

Last month, nine teenage girls, some brandishing wire hangers and belts, barricaded themselves in a room during a melee at the Touchstone center in Litchfield, police said.

The operators of such facilities claim they are being forced to accept increasingly troubled children to stay financially afloat.

"I've been doing this for 30 years, and I've never seen anything like this," said Robert Pidgeon, executive director of Community Solutions Inc., which runs the Kellogg House youth shelter in Vernon.

Schools such as Mount Saint John have seen their client numbers drop dramatically over the past year as the state scales back reliance on large residential treatment centers, instead opting for treating children in their homes.

But the empty beds are being filled with children DCF is returning from out-of-state programs and those diverted from the Connecticut Juvenile Training School, the state's youth prison in Middletown, which is scheduled to close in 2008.

As a result, programs such as Mount Saint John have been forced to adopt more expensive and staff-intensive treatment models to deal with fewer but more troubled clients. Mount Saint John, one of the state's oldest programs, used to have a population of 90. It now has about 50 children.

Judging from reports of violent incidents and complaints by police about frequent calls for assistance at the facilities, it appears many of the schools' staff - and children - are still learning to cope.

"The state is decreasing the residential capacity in Connecticut, which sounds good, but we are being forced to deal with these kids," Pidgeon said. "I run a child-care model, not a treatment model. Kids are supposed to be here for 30-45 days; some have been here for close to a year."

Pidgeon said the shelter is receiving older children, more and more with criminal backgrounds.

"I have an 18-year-old in shelter care and a 17-year-old who has two kids of his own. It doesn't make any sense," Pidgeon said. "The citizens say you can't run a juvenile justice program, but [DCF] keeps sending me juvenile justice kids, and we have to do something."

Vernon officials, frustrated with repeated runaways, fights and other criminal incidents stemming from the facility, recently served Kellogg House with a cease-and-desist order. Local police said their 154 calls to the shelter over the past year represent a 267 percent increase over 2004.

Pidgeon said he intends to appeal the order, but understands the residents' frustration and is trying to work with DCF to stay open.

"It's just not right what's going on," Pidgeon said. "DCF hasn't abided by its contract as far as I'm concerned."

DCF Director of Juvenile Justice Donald DeVore said his office is working closely with different treatment providers to help them make the transition to new programs.

DeVore said he's had a psychologist and two other staff members on site at Mount Saint John since the program adopted a more intensive model of treatment last summer. Ten DCF parole officers responded to the incident Tuesday, and staff will remain on site until things settle down, he said.

"These program models are still evolving," DeVore said. "It can take a while to get a new program up and running."

Sources said Tuesday's incident involved a feud between two groups, some from New Haven and Bridgeport and some from Hartford. It may have started over the holiday break and spilled over in the facility. Sources said the incident appeared to escalate after police were called. One state trooper had to use pepper-based spray to bring a youth under control.

"Some of the kids we think will be a great fit are not ready for the growth that comes with this level of treatment," said Mount Saint John Executive Director Cathi Coridan. "Some we think are a `long shot' make incredible, life-altering changes. The factors around their treatment progress ... are as individual as the kids themselves."

"Our job at MSJ is to safeguard the personal space and dignity of each boy - no matter what his history or behavior," Coridan said. "Like in all businesses, we have good days and challenging days."

The new intensive treatment programs are expensive and often require more specialized clinicians and additional staff, said Ron Cretaro, director of the Connecticut Association of Non-Profits, which has 480 members, 60 of which contract with DCF.

More money might help. Private providers who rely on DCF for funding say they are continuing to lose money despite increased assistance from the agency.

"Kids have been shoehorned into programs, and the providers are not equipped to provide that level of services," Cretaro said.

State Child Advocate Jeanne Milstein said it's a refrain she's heard before.

"Again, we have this dilemma that DCF is both the consumer and the regulator," Milstein said. "There is always a pressing need to have places for kids to go, and it is unfair to a child and a program for [DCF] not to be careful in their assessments and placement of kids."

Colin Portas
January 5, 2006

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