ORS Issues Temporary License to HLA

[Anonymous]

I think part of the appeal to parents about HLA is that it is not a lock down facility.  The kids are allowed a degree of freedom compared to other therapeutic interventions.  Because of this it is not entirely impossible for a kid to slip away, walk down the road, and find a phone to use.  The vast majority of the kids stay on campus, but some do run away.  In fact, if a kid decides to leave all HLA staff will typically do is follow them off campus and then call the police.  At that point the police decide what to do.

Because of this it makes it even more important that HLA accept appropriate kids into the school.

[Anonymous]

If a parent says to HLA, "I don't want my child calling anyone except us" is it against ORS regulations to honor the parents wishes?

[Troll Control]

This can happen ONLY if it is THERAPEUTICALLY JUSTIFIED by a LICENSED THERAPIST treating the kid.  The patient, of course, has the right to see a lawyer and a mental health advocate to challenge the treatment plan.  They canot be denied this right or held incommunicado as they are now.

Let's remember, HLA's policies run counter to patient rights and cannot be employed any longer.  If they continue to run "the program" they'll be faced with continuous reports of violations and endless red tape associated with patients asserting their rights under the law.

Things are going to change drastically at HLA or it will close.  Plain and simple.

[Deborah]

I think part of the appeal to parents about HLA is that it is not a lock down facility.  The kids are allowed a degree of freedom compared to other therapeutic interventions.

A degree of freedom? 1 degree? 10 degrees? What 'therapeutic intervention(s)' are you comparing HLA to?
I know of no other intervention, therapeutic or otherwise, that severs contact between parent and child as a blanket policy. Or only allows 10 minutes of phone time with parents per week, following 4 months of no verbal contact. Or censors mail without a court order or direct order from a mental health expert.
You well know that the blanket policies at HLA wouldn't fly in an evidence-based, ethically operated facility that houses kids 24/7, even Juvey.
HLAs blanket policies haven't been shown to be effective or a humane form of 'treatment'.

Because of this it is not entirely impossible for a kid to slip away, walk down the road, and find a phone to use. In fact, if a kid decides to leave all HLA staff will typically do is follow them off campus and then call the police.

The nearest phone is 10 miles away. Plenty of time to be arrested by police.
Again, how exactly are kids escaping at night when the windows are bolted, alarm systems in place, nightwatch on duty?
You also know that kids trying to leave have been physically restrained (in a 'no restraint' facility) and/or held against their will and denied access to a phone. The fact that there's no barbed wire fence doesn't 'prove' HLAs not a 'lock down'.

Because of this it makes it even more important that HLA accept appropriate kids into the school.

Would that be kids who 'want' to be there, or kids who are too timid to fight for their rights?

[Anonymous]

I think part of the appeal to parents about HLA is that it is not a lock down facility.  The kids are allowed a degree of freedom compared to other therapeutic interventions.

A degree of freedom? 1 degree? 10 degrees? What 'therapeutic intervention(s)' are you comparing HLA to?
I know of no other intervention, therapeutic or otherwise, that severs contact between parent and child as a blanket policy. Or only allows 10 minutes of phone time with parents per week, following 4 months of no verbal contact. Or censors mail without a court order or direct order from a mental health expert.
You well know that the blanket policies at HLA wouldn't fly in an evidence-based, ethically operated facility that houses kids 24/7, even Juvey.
HLAs blanket policies haven't been shown to be effective or a humane form of 'treatment'.

Because of this it is not entirely impossible for a kid to slip away, walk down the road, and find a phone to use. In fact, if a kid decides to leave all HLA staff will typically do is follow them off campus and then call the police.

The nearest phone is 10 miles away. Plenty of time to be arrested by police.
Again, how exactly are kids escaping at night when the windows are bolted, alarm systems in place, nightwatch on duty?
You also know that kids trying to leave have been physically restrained (in a 'no restraint' facility) and/or held against their will and denied access to a phone. The fact that there's no barbed wire fence doesn't 'prove' HLAs not a 'lock down'.

Because of this it makes it even more important that HLA accept appropriate kids into the school.

Would that be kids who 'want' to be there, or kids who are too timid to fight for their rights?

HLA's effectiveness is up for debate.  To my knowledge, there have been no studies to test its effectiveness.  HLA has done some surveys, but the way they were worded were not valid at all.  All we really have is personal testimony, which seems split.  My opinion is that HLA is very effective with kids that are appropriately placed there and all parents are in support of the placement.  HLA is not effective at all with kids that are innapropriately placed and kids from families whose parents are divided on the placement.  Unfortunately, when HLA started accepting kids that they should not have it negatively affected the appropriate placements.

[FLCLcowdude]

Are you saying that HLA had an effect in the first place? Cut me a break. Go to HLA, and you will see just how effective it is...

[Anonymous]

There are a large number of people that HLA has been very positive for.  Obviously there are those that feel differently as well.  There are also two other categories that people can fall in to...those that say that they hated HLA and complain about, but would be far worse off if they had not been there.  AND, to be fair...there are those that had very positive experiences at HLA that probably would have figured things out on their own even without HLA.

[Anonymous]

There are a large number of people that HLA has been very positive for.

That's intersting. I don't consider a handful of staff a large number. Does anyone else here?

Oh, right! You meant the victims. Sorry, but "they needed it" doesn't exactly fly on Fornits. Try that one on a rape survivors board next time.

[Lacey]

To play devil's advocate here, Deb, there are times during the day when it is very much possible to slip away. Think of all the times you've heard accounts on this site of students doing anything "out of agreement". Having sex, smoking, doing drugs, hooking up, whatever. All of those were times that students we not properly supervised... Now I wouldn't call a lack in supervision a "degree of freedom", because just because they have unattentive, untrained staff doesn't mean they are being given freedom.

And guest. It would be a death sentance for HLA to only admit "appropriate" students, by your definition of the word. There is only a small group of students whose parents would be ok with that relaxed of security for their children. Most parents send their kids there to get away from negative influences, drugs, whatever, or so they can just ship them off and avoid the "problem". None of these cases would the parents think it appropriate for the students to have unlimited access to a telephone, uncensored mail, and so on. And especially for the parents just shipping them away, I don't think the rights that are going to have to be given to the students by the ORS ruling would fly with them. Therefore, this cuts HLA's admission down to almost zero.

Most parents in search of a TBS are going to look for a place that is going to "protect" their children, and because they are scared, they think its a place like HLA was, with strict rules and restrictions on the students behavior. Parents dont usually want to do the harder thing of actually WORKING with their children through their issues, and feel that locking them up in an HLA-esque place is "for the best".

And your saying about the parents being "supportive" of working with their children's placement at HLA. Supportive of exactly what? What are the parents really contributing or participating in? One ten minute phone call a week from their child, one weekly update from the counselor, a "workshop" 4 or 5 times over the course of almost 2 years?? I don't really call that support. If these parents are really as devoted to their kid as they wail about on here and doing the "harder thing" in sacrifice for their child, why is there so little involved? Do they really think its that easy of a fix?? So effortless? With these children going through the hardest experience they ever will endure (and I assure you, other than becoming a parent yourself, it is), why is there so little expected from the parent?

[RobertBruce]

There are a large number of people that HLA has been very positive for.  Obviously there are those that feel differently as well.  There are also two other categories that people can fall in to...those that say that they hated HLA and complain about, but would be far worse off if they had not been there.  AND, to be fair...there are those that had very positive experiences at HLA that probably would have figured things out on their own even without HLA.

Of course there's the third category of kids who never needed to be there, were abused and mistreated, and would have been much better off having never set foot there.