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18 June 2008
NO 1310
An interventive moment
Hearing a disturbance at the nearby main entrance to our centre, I hurried from my desk to see what was happening. Jack, a 14-year-old recent arrival, was directing a high-pressure hose onto the glass front doors and window panels, and there were puddles from water that had sprayed through before the doors had been locked.
A small group of office and program staff had gathered out of Jack's sight in a hallway, discussing the situation. "He's just looking for attention," said one, while another ventured that he was trying to set up a confrontation. A caseworker pointed out that his father had recently died and his mother had rejected him, so he was probably very angry. Someone else speculated that if a firm response was not forthcoming he would soon turn to damage the nearby cars.
I joined in the diagnostic exercise as the tension grew. Jack, staring impassively, moved to sit on a bench by the entrance, still holding the hose. Every now and again he would glance furtively towards the door to see what we were going to do, preparing, it seemed, to put up strong resistance when the confrontation came.
While we were still planning a response,
someone else decided to act. Julie, the residential care director,
emerged from the side door with a piece of cake and a cool drink. "Would
you like a snack?" she asked and placed the plate beside him, sitting
down a few feet away. He did not answer and was clearly nonplussed.
Julie did not press him or mention his behaviour. She suggested that he
seemed to be upset and that a snack might make him feel better. "I'd
like to chat with you when you've finished it," she said. "When you are
ready we could go around the back where there are no people around."
Jack placed the hose in her outstretched hand. He sat for a few minutes
after she had left, then ate the cake and shuffled off.
HOWARD BATH
Bath, H. (1995). Everyday discipline or control with
care. Journal of Child and Youth Care, 10, 2. p. 23
