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News from the field of Child and Youth Care

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SEPTEMBER 2015


30 SEPTEMBER

UK

Worst off youngsters have bleak view of their future

New research from Barnardo's reveals that six in ten young people who feel they are among the worst off in society think they will struggle to get a job even if they do well in school.

We are urging politicians to target quality training and employment opportunities, including apprenticeships, at the most disadvantaged.

We asked young people aged 14-22 from across all socio-economic backgrounds how positive they felt about their future life chances. Ipsos MORI surveyed 211 young people who feel among the ‘best off’, 389 who feel among the ‘worst off’ and 375 in the ‘middle’. This includes how confident they were about owning their own home and earning enough money to support a family.
The results showed a stark division between how young people who identified themselves as among the ‘best off’ and ‘worst off’ felt about their life chances. These included:

Fewer than half (45%) of the ‘worst off’ young people felt they would earn enough money to support a family, compared with three in four of the ‘best off’ (77%). 59% of the ‘worst off’ were confident they will earn enough money to support themselves without relying on benefits, compared with 87% of the ‘best off’.

Only one in three (34%) ‘worst off’ respondents were confident they would own their own home compared with two in three (69%) ‘best off’.

Fewer than half (46%) of all young people said they could "pretty much decide what will happen in their life", dropping to only one in three (36%) of the ‘worst off’.

Official figures show that currently, unemployment is twice as high amongst young people than it is across all workers. Yet 42% of apprenticeships go to over 25s, with many placements going to those already in work.

Barnardo's chief executive Javed Khan comments:

Young people should be full of optimism for their future, but before they've even left school they already feel trapped by their circumstances and limited by their life chances.

Politicians from all parties champion social mobility – the idea that every child should have the same chance to thrive. But this research suggests this goal is still woefully far off.

We must do more as a society to open up opportunities for young people – whatever their backgrounds. And that starts with listening to what they have to say, and what they see as the barriers to their future success.”

Young people from poor backgrounds often face a “catch 22” situation in getting on the careers ladder; they are around half as likely to achieve good GCSEs as their peers. However alternatives to A levels and higher education, such as apprenticeships, are often out of reach, locking out those without 5 A*-C grades.

We are calling on the UK Government to ensure young people from disadvantaged backgrounds can access high quality training and employment opportunities. For instance, a proportion of the three million new apprenticeships to be introduced by 2020 in England, should be targeted at the most vulnerable, including care leavers.

Barnado's
29 September 2015

http://www.barnardos.org.uk/news/Worst-off-youngsters-have-bleak-view-of-their-future/press_releases.htm?ref=108896

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28 SEPTEMBER

UNICEF launches new appeal to support refugee and migrant children in Europe

UNICEF is appealing for US$14 million to assist refugee and migrant children in Europe, following an 80 per cent increase in the number of children on the move into the continent – many escaping conflicts in Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan.

A total of 133,000 children sought asylum in the European Union between January and July 2015 – an average of 19,000 children every month, according to the latest available Eurostat data. One in every four asylum seekers is a child.

“With so many children on the move, and with winter in Europe approaching, our priority has to be caring for these children now,” said Ms Marie-Pierre Poirier, UNICEF’s Special Co-ordinator for the refugee and migrant crisis in Europe. “Working alongside governments and other partners across Europe, wherever our support is needed, UNICEF will do all it can so that refugee and migrant children are safe, healthy and that their rights and dignity are fully respected.”

UNICEF is also offering assistance to European governments so that their policies and procedures with regard to refugee and migrant children are always implemented in the best interests of children, and in line with internationally accepted standards.

As the numbers of child refugees and migrants arriving in Europe has increased in recent months UNICEF has already ramped up its support in Croatia, Serbia and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, and is offering its support to governments and local partners to identify needs in Greece, Hungary, Slovenia and Austria.

UNICEF also emphasizes that its humanitarian programmes in Syria and neighbouring countries, where together some 7.6 million children are in need of assistance, remain seriously unfunded. Of the US$903 million required for 2015, only about half of that amount has been secured so far this year.

Press release
25 September

http://www.unicef.org/media/media_85636.html

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25 SEPTEMBER

UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador David Beckham brings voices of children to the United Nations General Assembly

A unique installation that brings the voices of children and young people to the heart of the United Nations General Assembly was unveiled today by UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador David Beckham, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, UNICEF Executive Director Anthony Lake, and two young people from UNICEF Voices of Youth initiative.

As the UN prepares to adopt the Sustainable Development Goals, the Assembly of Youth, a digital installation created for UNICEF by Google, harnesses mobile technology and social media to deliver personal messages from children and young people across the globe directly to world leaders. The messages highlight the challenges they face in their homes and communities – including extreme poverty, inequality, violence, deadly disease and conflict – and express their hopes for the future.

At the unveiling, David Beckham urged world leaders to listen to these messages – and to take action – to transform the lives of millions of children by putting the most disadvantaged children and young people at the centre of all decisions and investments in the new 15-year development agenda.

“It breaks my heart to see the struggles that children and young people across the world face every day,” said Beckham. “I’ve met children and mothers in South Africa living with HIV, I’ve met children living in the aftermath of Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines, and I’ve met children who have experienced violence in Cambodia. Whatever challenges they face, they all share the same hope for a better future – and we have an opportunity this year – with the world focused on the new global goals – to make that hope real for millions of children.”

“I want a world where children can grow up safe from war, violence, poverty and preventable disease – a world where every child has a fair chance. I hope everyone will join me in asking world leaders to put children, especially the most disadvantaged, at the heart of the new global goals.”

Earlier this year, Beckham marked his 10th year as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador with the launch of 7: The David Beckham UNICEF Fund to use his powerful voice, influence and connections to raise vital funds, fight inequality, and rally for lasting positive change for the world’s most vulnerable children. The Assembly of Youth is the latest initiative from UNICEF and David Beckham that brings the voices of children and young people to a global audience with the aim of inspiring action.

“The Sustainable Development Goals speak to all people in all countries, especially children,” said United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. “The voices of young people helped forge the bold new 2030 agenda. Now the world must do more to involve young people in achieving the goals and building a world of peace, prosperity and justice for all on a healthy planet.”

Despite the progress made toward realizing the Millennium Development Goals, millions of children are still left behind. Nearly 6 million children under the age of five still die every year from mostly preventable causes. More than 120 million children and adolescents are still not in school and many millions more are not receiving a quality education. The Sustainable Development Goals present a critical opportunity to extend progress to every child, but only if the world makes reaching the most disadvantaged and vulnerable children a policy and political priority.

“Unless we invest in the most disadvantaged children from the earliest years, we will continue to see in the next generation the same poverty and inequalities that divide and destabilize our world today – and rob us of the potential of so many young people,” said UNICEF Executive Director Anthony Lake. “To realize tomorrow’s goals, we need to listen to children and young people today – for who knows better than children and young people themselves what their needs are? And we must do more than hear these voices, we must heed them.”

Data displayed in the installation is drawn from U-Report, a free SMS-based system that allows young people to speak out on the issues they face and what is happening in their communities. Data is also derived from outreach to children and young people across UNICEF social media channels.

Share your views and hopes for children across the world at http://uni.cf/youthassembly, and your voice will be added to the installation, to remind world leaders that children must be at the heart of the new global agenda.

24 September 2015

http://www.unicef.org/media/media_85619.html

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23 SEPTEMBER

Advocates for Youth statement on the introduction of the Affordability is Access Act

Yesterday, Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) introduced the Affordability is Access Act (S. 1532) a piece of legislation that would require insurance coverage without cost sharing for oral birth control [once it is] approved for over the counter use by the FDA. The bill remedies the problems that would be created by [passage of] the recently introduced Allowing Greater Access to Safe and Effective Contraception Act (S. 1438): [Murray's bill] does not include harmful arbitrary age or ID requirements that deny access to young people, requires insurance coverage for over the counter contraceptives rather than requiring people to pay out of pocket, and does not interfere in the FDA approval process.

The Affordability is Access Act is an important step in ensuring that all young people have access to the basic services they need to build healthy lives. Even after the Affordable Care Act’s requirement that insurance plans cover preventive services, including contraception, without cost sharing, young people are disproportionately affected by the high cost of contraception: in a 2014 survey, Advocates for Youth and our partners found that almost 1/3 of young women had put off seeking preventive services in the past year due to cost. (For more information about this survey, please contact rachel@advocatesforyouth.org.) Advocates for Youth applauds the introduction of the Affordability is Access Act, which would help bring contraceptives within many young people’s reach. We also look forward to the introduction of legislation that would require insurance coverage for over the counter emergency contraception, and that would close legal loopholes that allow some entities to opt-out of providing their employees and students with insurance coverage for birth control, to ensure that all young people can have meaningful access to the basic health care services they need.

Advocates for Youth is a national non-profit that champions programs and advocates for policies that help young people make informed and responsible decisions about their sexual health.

http://www.advocatesforyouth.org/component/content/article/2505-press-release-advocates-for-youth-statement-on-the-introduction-of-the-affordability-is-access-act

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21 SEPTEMBER

Youth program brings field hockey to next generation

Steve and Linda Burghardt have been running the Whitney Point youth field hockey program for more than 25 years.

http://www.pressconnects.com/story/sports/columnists/2015/09/19/youth-program-brings-field-hockey-next-generation/72469192/

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18 SEPTEMBER

Wider reading on foster children at risk

https://www.google.co.za/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=3&ved=0CCYQFjACahUKEwiEl8SHjf7HAhUJTBQKHbl5BqY&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.apa.org%2Fpi%2Ffamilies%2Fresources%2Fnewsletter%2F2012%2F01%2Fwinter.pdf&usg=AFQjCNHBVjEHIDSuPg_LG950gZTLNyzylA&sig2=soIjA5ay

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16 SEPTEMBER

Child and Youth Network, London, Ontario

London, Ontario's Child and Youth Network (CYN) is comprised of more than 170 local agencies and individuals dedicated to doing what is best for children, youth and families.

What is CYN?

The Child and Youth Network (CYN) is composed of over 170 agencies and individuals that span the education, health, recreation and social services sectors. The CYN supports happy, healthy children and youth today…caring, creative, responsible adults tomorrow.

The CYN is dedicated to helping build strong families and breaking down the barriers that put our children, youth and families at risk. We do this by collectively planning, facilitating collaboration, building awareness, providing education and improving access to services.

CYN’s history

The CYN began in 2007, with about 50 members and a vision to create a brighter future for our children.

In September of 2008, the network committed to a set of priorities, goals and strategies to achieve the best for our children, youth and families, setting out an ambitious plan agenda for our work up to 2015. In this Child and Youth Agenda, we identified four priority areas, which we believe are the key to happiness and health among children, youth and families: Ending Poverty, Making Literacy a Way of Life, Leading the Nation in Health Eating & Healthy Physical Activity, and Creating a Family-Centred Service System.

The Child and Youth Agenda continues to guide our work today, and has resulted in significant progress toward our goals. In only five years, the CYN has grown to include over 170 member organizations. As a result of our growing community support, we have been able to build a network of committed organizations and a portfolio of successful initiatives focussed on strengthening the lives of our children, youth and families.

The CYN has raised awareness about the four priority areas through a comprehensive web presence that includes: thisisliteracy.ca, Middlesex-London in motion® and therealissue.ca. The CYN has also developed numerous programs in each of the four strategic priority areas, including: the Basic Needs Beacon to identify sustainable solutions to meet basic needs, Baby’s Book Bag to promote literacy right from birth, the Grade 7 Wraparound Project to support transition and build valuable life skills, and Activity Calendars and Menu Makers to promote healthy eating and physical activity.

The CYN’s efforts and success in building community involvement around our priority areas has led to local and provincial recognition. In 2011, the Westminster Working Group was awarded a Pillar Innovation Award for their efforts at creating a healthier, more active neighbourhood. In the same year, the CYN was recognized by the Ministry of Children and Youth Services as a leader in community integration.

http://londoncyn.ca/about/

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14 SEPTEMBER

Help is coming for children affected by the refugee crisis in Europe

As Europe faces its worst refugee crisis since the Second World War, last week’s images of three-year-old Syrian refugee Alan Kurdi and his brother Galip inspired the re-release of the 1999 song ‘Help is Coming’ by Crowded House. The proceeds from the sales will go to support Save the Children’s refugee crisis relief efforts.

The song can be downloaded on iTunes or purchased as a limited-edition 7” single, which features an exclusive previously unreleased b-side ‘Anthem’ with new artwork by Crowded House’s bass player Nick Seymour. It is available to pre-order now from The Vinyl Factory.

Apple, as well as Universal Music Group, the artists, and producers of ‘Help Is Coming,’ will be donating their respective proceeds to Save the Children.

The song release is accompanied by a namesake short film directed by Mat Whitecross with an introduction by actor Benedict Cumberbatch. To view the video, go to: https://youtu.be/5gWLQhCSv2I

Learn more at http://helpiscoming.org/ and follow along at #HELPISCOMING.

For more information about Save the Children’s response to the refugee crisis, click here: http://www.savethechildren.org/site/c.8rKLIXMGIpI4E/b.9311443/k.5C24/Refugee_Children_Crisis.htm

Save the Children gives children in the United States and around the world a healthy start, the opportunity to learn and protection from harm. We invest in childhood – every day, in times of crisis and for our future. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

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11 SEPTEMBER

IRELAND

Minister Reilly publishes major new childcare report

Proposals for strategic investment to improve affordability, quality and accessibility

The Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, Dr James Reilly TD, has today (22 July 2015) published a major report which proposes how best to invest in childcare services over the coming years.

The report, prepared by an Inter-Departmental Group established by the Minister in January, puts forward options to enhance affordability for parents, improve the quality of services and outcomes for children, and promote greater accessibility in the sector.

Commenting on the report, Minister Reilly said:

Affordability, quality and accessibility are the big concerns for us all. This document offers a clear vision for future investment in early years and school-age services. It represents the most ambitious, detailed and costed plan for childcare ever produced by Government, and it follows a period of very productive consultation with parents, providers and the general public.

The Department of Children and Youth Affairs spends over a quarter of a billion euro (€260m) on childcare and early education each year. The purpose of this report is to ensure that any available extra funding is invested in a strategic manner that supports good outcomes for children and helps families to raise children to reach their full potential.

The Report of the Interdepartmental Working Group on Future Investment in Early Years and School Age Care and Education Services, sets out three strands of action over the coming years:

At today’s launch Minister Reilly said:

I am pleased that the Group has looked in depth at the international evidence. It has pointed to the shortfalls in the current provision in Ireland and has put forward costed options which can be of real benefit to children, parents, families and society.

As the economy improves, we now have opportunities for strategic investment that will help achieve better outcomes for children, offer greater supports to parents, improve quality, and upskill the sector.

The report proposes three main areas where the incremental investment can be targeted:

The report provides costed options for the extension of paid parental leave in respect of children under the age of 1, which could be shared between both parents. All international evidence shows that children benefit from being cared for by their parents in the first year of their life.

The extended ECCE scheme would offer longer coverage and last until primary school (up to a maximum age of five and a half years). Entry could be at any month between September and June, rather than September as at present.

The report suggests a single subvention scheme to cover after pre-school, after-school and out of school childcare up to age 12. This new simplified scheme called would replace all existing targeted schemes including the Community Childcare Subvention Programme (CCS), and the Training and Employment Childcare Programmes (TEC). It would cover both community and private settings, rather than the community sector alone as at present.

The report has a range of proposals to ensure adequate supply of childcare facilities, with a greater geographical spread. It recommends work to establish the scope for using school buildings for after-school care. The Department of Children and Youth Affairs will explore the role that might be played by the youth sector in after-school provision.

The report also contains proposals to enhance the quality of childcare provision, including an audit of quality of services, along with proposals for an upskilling of the workforce and an expansion of mentoring services and continuous professional development.

Minister Reilly added:

I am delighted to publish this report with its important options for future investment. I believe that it provides the basis for real improvements in affordability, quality and accessibility in the sector. It gives the Government a clear evidence base when we are making decisions for Budget 2016 and in the years beyond.

http://www.dcya.gov.ie/viewdoc.asp?Docid=3487&CatID=11&mn=&StartDate=1+January+2015

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9 SEPTEMBER

UK

Summer-born children 'to get the right to start school later'

Schools Minister Nick Gibb called for action – ahead of proposed changes – to allow summer-born children to start in reception aged 5. The minister said admissions rules must be changed so children born between April 1 and August 31 cannot be forced to go straight into year 1 if they wait to start school until they turn 5.

He has written an open letter to encourage schools and local authorities to take immediate action, in advance of the proposed changes, and allow summer-born children to start in reception aged 5 if that is what parents want. The government believes parents and teachers are best placed to decide what is right for their child, and summer-born children should have the same opportunity to excel at school as their peers – even if that means starting reception a year later.

The changes are designed to give parents and teachers flexibility, and the majority of summer-born children will still start school when they turn 4 rather than waiting. If they do start school later, the children will be able to remain with the same age group as they progress, including into secondary school.

Children usually start school in the September after they turn 4 but parents of summer-born children can ask to delay entry to reception for a year.

Schools and councils often say summer-born pupils must go straight into year 1 and miss out on the reception year altogether – as a result parents can feel pressured to send their child to school before they are ready.

A consultation will now be carried out now and the reforms will have to be approved by Parliament.

In his letter, the minister said that the existing system is not working – with parents and the authorities ‘often failing to agree on what is in the child’s best interests’.

Schools Minister Nick Gibb said:

“As part of our plan to extend social justice and opportunity, we want all children to have an equal chance to excel in school regardless of when they are born. Parents know their children best and we want to make sure summer-born children can start reception at the age of 5, if their parents think it is in their best interests.

“We are going to make changes to admission rules – but we want councils and academies to take immediate action.”

The school admissions code currently requires the admission authority to make a decision on the year group a summer-born 5-year-old should be admitted to on the basis of the circumstances of the case and in the best interests of the child.

Parents also have the right to send their child to school on a part-time basis before they reach the compulsory school age.

In his letter, the minister wrote:

“We have decided that it is necessary to amend the school admissions code further to ensure that summer-born children can be admitted to the reception class at the age of 5 if it is in line with their parents’ wishes, and to ensure that those children are able to remain with that cohort as they progress through school, including through to secondary school.

“We will conduct a full public consultation in due course; and subject to Parliamentary approval will introduce these further changes to ensure that no child is forced to start school before they are ready.”

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/summer-born-children-to-get-the-right-to-start-school-later

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7 SEPTEMBER

Wisconsin: Award presented to Youth Services program

PATHS pilot program partnership chosen as 2015 honoree

A pilot partnership project to help reduce homelessness among current and former foster youth is being honored with the 2015 Community Collaboration Award from the Wisconsin Community Action Program Association (WISCAP).

The PATHS initiative, administered by the Office of Youth Services in the Wisconsin Department of Children and Families (DCF)was presented with the award at the Home for Everyone Conference reception on July 15th at the Jefferson Street Inn in Wausau. The PATHS program was designed to achieve better outcomes for vulnerable youth in five areas: Permanent Connections, Academics, Training and Employment, Housing, and Social and Emotional Well-Being.

The DCF is working in partnership with local communities to pilot effective interventions to help support youth and young adults who are transitioning out of foster care and at-risk of homelessness. In January 2013, the Office of Youth Services (OYS) was created within DCF to bring a stronger and coordinated focus on the needs of vulnerable youth.

“Current and former foster youth can face a difficult transition to adulthood since they often don’t have the support system that only a permanent family can provide,” said DCF Secretary Eloise Anderson. “By working together as a community and making sure they don’t end up homeless, we help give them a fighting chance as they age-out of foster care or become independent adults.”
In October 2013, DCF was awarded a 2-year, $700,000 planning grant from the federal Administration on Children and Families (ACF) to assist at-risk youths and adults aged 14 to 21 who are in or have been in foster care. Nationally, between 25% and 40% of youth who age out of foster care become homeless within two years of aging out. With funding under the grant, the PATHS Pilot Project provides a home for homeless youth, along with comprehensive and targeted services, and community partnerships.

OYS initiated a broad-based public-private workgroup, including current and former foster youth, working to expand housing options, services and partnerships. Pilot sites were established with collaborators in Dane County, Rock County, and the Lakeshore Consortium of: Door, Sheboygan, Manitowoc and Kewaunee Counties as well as the Lakeshore Community Action Program and LSS Youth Rays program. The workgroup, comprised of state, county, non-profit and community action agencies, has provided direction and oversight for grant activities and developed a plan based on the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness Intervention model.

Each year the Wisconsin Affordable Housing Collaborative honor a joint effort by two or more non-profit, for-profit, coalition, government of other housing agencies for making a statewide or local impact on affordable housing or homeless programs.

For more information about the PATHS program or DCF’s Office of Youth Services, go to www.dcf.wisconsin.gov/youth

http://www.dcf.wisconsin.gov/press/2015/pdf/07-13-15-paths-program-receives-community-collaboration-award.pdf

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4 SEPTEMBER

Why care matters

The care of children matters to all of us. But today there are millions of children around the world that are not cared for adequately. It is a global crisis and one that will only get worse. There are an estimated 151 million children worldwide with either one or both parents dead, with at least 13 million of these children having lost both parents (UNICEF 2013).

Everybody wants to go home to live with their parents so they can give you love and attention.” (10-year-old girl living in residential care in Guyana)

Adequate care means that children grow up in a permanent, safe and caring family. Many children are separated from their families because they cannot afford to care for them. Other move to attend school or access health services unavailable to them at home.

“Life in an orphanage is not a life.” (Akiki, Rwanda)

Children that aren’t cared for adequately are less likely to attend or do well in school, they are less able to access health and other basic services, and they are more likely to engage in anti-social and criminal behaviours. The lack of care affects their physical, emotional and cognitive development and can sometimes even be life-threatening. This in turn has an impact on society as the future prospects of children without adequate care are often severely limited. As adults, they are often less able to access employment, more likely to experience poverty and more likely to be dependent on the state. Inadequate care can hinder efforts towards development targets such as growth, employment, poverty reduction, health, education and humanitarian preparedness and response.

Children have rights and these rights have already been translated into global guidance endorsed by the UN. But improving the care of children requires major efforts and political will. Investment in vulnerable families and communities are needed to strengthen their ability to care for their own children. Investments must also be made in quality, family-based, alternative care. Families living in poverty need greater access to social protection and basic services. It also means giving children without adequate care a stronger voice and raising awareness of their needs. Ensuring that all children are adequately cared for is within our reach.

A Family for every child
Publicity promotion

http://www.familyforeverychild.org/report/why-care-matters/?gclid=Cj0KEQjw35-vBRD3qKz8hPezlIIBEiQAOeKNrjq-TO0otzrvZ26haZ74Xav50gysTF8-eHhh5NOZifEaAo468P8HAQ

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2 SEPTEMBER

SAN FRANCISCO

The understaffing of juvenile hall

In 2007, Alameda County, California, built a new Juvenile Justice Center, a $176 million complex of courtrooms, law offices, and a huge, 360-bed incarceration facility – juvenile hall. This May, I visited the hall, where Superintendent Christian Muñoz showed me around. He told me he'd been having trouble keeping the facility staffed.

"We survive on overtime," he said. "It's that bad."

Across the country, there are efforts to close outdated and dangerous juvenile incarceration facilities. But even in places with so-called "model" juvenile halls, counties often struggle to meet the minimum standards. Alameda County's facility, based in San Leandro, receives generally high marks, but faces some major challenges.

The inmate headcount here is the lowest it's been in five years. Yet, overtime for guards is more than double what it was five years ago, according to public salary reports. Just minutes into showing me around, an announcement squawked across Muñoz's walkie talkie:

"If you're interested or available to work, please give me a call in the junior-seniors office."

The evening shift was starting in less than an hour and Muñoz was short six people. He told me this happens all the time. There are lots of reasons for the staffing shortage: guards retiring, moving over to the adult system, or filing for workers comp. Across the state, hiring into the juvenile system is a challenge. Background checks often eliminate candidates because of past criminal activity or even for having stains on their credit history.

"It's difficult to run a lemonade stand like that," Muñoz said.

"Any time you're talking about supervising human lives it's an enormous amount of responsibility," he said, "and a liability for us as well."

We kept moving throughout the facility, eventually pausing in the section called Unit One. It's two stories high with 15 cells on each level. From where we stood, I could hear the sound of running water from the showers nearby.

On this particular day, there were three guards are on duty – two of them working the upper and lower decks, shuffling kids back and forth from their cells to the showers. The guards were also doing room checks, looking for contraband like food, cell phones or weapons.

Suddenly, a commotion broke out. A teen named Rudy had just returned to his cell to discover that the cookies and snacks he had stashed away had been confiscated. As punishment for having food in his cell, he had also been docked 15 minutes of rec time. He was upset – yelling, and refusing to go back inside his cell.

A female voice rang out across the unit: "Rudy!" It was Bonnie Lacy, one of the guards working Unit One. "Wait a minute," she told another guard, "let me go get him."

She walked toward Rudy, making eye contact as she addressed him. "Fifteen minutes for me" she said, emphasizing the "me." It wasn't a command exactly – her voice was flavored with warmth as well as firmness. The words had their desired effect on Rudy. He turned around, stepped into his cell, and closed the door.

Afterward, the superintendent and several guards told me they prefer to talk through conflicts like this with kids. But incidents can escalate quickly. According to county records obtained by Youth Radio – guards at Alameda County's Juvenile Hall used pepper spray 147 times last year.

Ninety percent of state-run juvenile correctional agencies don't allow guards to carry pepper spray at all.

But here, with guards working an average of 30 hours of overtime per week, there has been an increase in the use of force on juvenile inmates – like guards performing take-downs or handcuffing detainees. The department calls these acts "use of physical and mechanical restraints," and that number has nearly tripled in the last five years.

Understaffing is a big part of the issue. "You know you've got a couple of staff watching a number of kids, and things happen," said Ray Colón, a Supervisor at Alameda County's Juvenile Hall who has been working there for 25 years.

During waking hours, the state mandates a minimum of one guard for every ten kids in detention. But Colón added:

"The kids don't always get the services they should get, because we're running short," he said. "They spend more time in their room, which is unfortunate, but it's the reality of not having the staff to complete the duties we need to do."

When they're short on guards, supervisors sometimes run what they call split recs – basically dividing recreation, exercise, and dinner time in half. Fifteen kids come out while the other 15 remain in their cells.

18-year-old Malik spent more than four months incarcerated in Alameda County Juvenile Hall. He says when young people are locked in their cells with the rec time they expect, tensions flare.

"Man, more fights more attitudes," he said. "Kicking and banging. You know it's just angry. They want to be out of their rooms. That's why I used to kick and bang. If I know that I have a guaranteed hour of P.E. each day no matter what, I'm going to be angry if I can't get that."

While conditions for both the inmates and the guards have gone down, the costs have not. On average, there are only about 150 kids at Alameda County Juvenile Hall at any given time.

It costs 48 million dollars a year to detain them.

Brett Myers, Youth Radio – Youth Media International
28 August 2015

Youth Radio/Youth Media International (YMI) is youth-driven converged media production company

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/youth-radio-youth-media-international/unlocked-the-understaffin_b_8023200.html

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The International Child and Youth Care Network
THE INTERNATIONAL CHILD AND YOUTH CARE NETWORK (CYC-Net)

Registered Public Benefit Organisation in the Republic of South Africa (PBO 930015296)
Incorporated as a Not-for-Profit in Canada: Corporation Number 1284643-8

P.O. Box 23199, Claremont 7735, Cape Town, South Africa | P.O. Box 21464, MacDonald Drive, St. John's, NL A1A 5G6, Canada

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