IF I believed what was being posted here, I would run as fast as I could and bring my son home
Thanks for replying to my question. I was hoping that would be your answer. I understand your need for proof as to the allegations being made on this site. I don't believe them all myself. However, for me, because of the secrecy and the unwillingness to disclose information that I personally was requesting about the program my boys were in, I found it was and still is enough for me to have doubts about how the teens who were there were really being treated vs. how Dundee would like for me to have believed they were being treated. I just did not and still do not feel that the risk was worth the taking. You see everything that I thought was wrong about Dundee is what has closed them down. They have not been shut down because they were beating kids. They were shut down for various other reasons, such as:
Overcrowding
Hygiene associated with the facility
Levels of nutrition
Lack of attention with regard to health matters
Limiting outside contact / isolation
The staff did not have a clear understanding of the English language
Lack of professional staff
Inappropritate punishment
NO PERMITS , Health, Eduacation
The money invested was not spent to help the children
No clear curriculum
Constructing the "High Impact" facility
This is why I had and still have a problem with Dundee. I also have a problem with them because they accepted my children denying me of my rights as a parent without my consent. They were practicing their methods and beliefs on my children without my ok.
My boys have had contact with one of the very few boys to have gradutated from Dundee. He says he has no hard feelings towards Dundee. He also says he has no good feelings. He says he has just chosen to move on with his life. He seems to be doing ok. I am happy for him. He may just be one of the lucky ones. But, I am sure there are some who have been damaged by such a drastic form of "rehabilitation" if that is what you want to call it. I don't, as I have already stated, agree with what was going on at Dundee.
I am glad things turned out good for your son. I only want for all kids to be so lucky. I am just afraid that without any kind of outside monitoring from professionals the situation is far to risky. When I say outside monitoring, I mean outside monitoring from professionals. It can't be parents of the teens who are there. It must be professionals whose job is to ensure the safety and wellbeing of the children who are being detained in these programs. These professionals have to be independent of the programs themselves. They can not be hired or employed in anyway by the programs. They need to be a third party child advocate whos job is to ensure the saftety and wellbeing of the teen. You understand what I am saying.
Let me say one more thing about there being a third party child advocate looking in on these programs. It would also save these programs from a lot of false alligations of abuse. You see I think a third party child advocate monitoring these programs is a win win situation for the teens who are there as well as for the programs themselves.
Why would he say that if he was being abused there?
Maybe a child would say that because they simply want to please their parents. Maybe they would say that because they are convinced they can't make it on the outside. Who knows, but I am sure it is possible that the child you are speaking of just might not mean what he is saying. Why somtimes does an abused wife choose to stay with their abuser? Because she may think she deserves the abuse. It is all a part of having been a part of dysfunctional and abusive relationships.
