General Interest > Feed Your Head

This wrist hold from New Zealand seems familiar

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Oscar:
I just saw a newsletter and decided to google further about Te Rakau Hua O Te Wao Tapu Trust (It is not my keyboard. It is spelled in this way)

Video showing wrist hold: (Link)

Trust staff accused of abusing troubled teens
TV NZ,  June 22, 2011

Child, Youth and Family has removed children from a high profile programme for troubled youth following allegations staff physically abused teens.
 
But Wellington's Te Rakau Trust says it was just doing what CYF taught it to do.

The trust has helped troubled teenagers for more than 20 years. It gives the boys - many from gangs - a home and uses performing arts to turn them away from crime and violence.

But ONE News can tonight reveal that trust staff have now been accused of using violence themselves.

CYF said "the allegations involved a range of issues, including the use of inappropriate discipline and restraint practices resulting in physical abuse".

CYF has removed all three teens from the trust's care and suspended $800,000 in annual funding.

Among the staff interviewed by police was actor Jim Moriarty, who has been acclaimed for his work with troubled teens and prison inmates.

Moriarty strenuously denied any wrongdoing. He explained to police that any use of force by him was in line with a confrontation de-escalation course, funded by CYF themselves, that dealt with calming and restraining young men in the trust's care.

ONE News has been told the course taught a wrist-lock technique to restrain youths while staff reason with them.

The Trust said "any restraint used by [trust] staff was justified on the grounds of self-defence, the protection of staff members, or protecting individual boys from self-harm".

The allegations were thoroughly investigated by police over a period of six months. Police said "from the information obtained and the evidence reviewed, no charges are being laid".

But Child, Youth and Family says the number and nature of the allegations raised serious concerns, "particularly around the way incidents were being managed and restraint was used - that needed to be addressed" .

The trust has two months to respond to CYF's decision but says it will work closely with the agency to address its concerns.

cmack:
If I understood the video correctly there were 3 youths in the programs at $800,000 per year. I assume those are NZ dollars which would convert to about $620,000 US dollars. $200,000US per kid to learn performing arts?

Oscar:
One of our volunteers have a daughter suffering from clinical depression. She is not a troubled girl but are sent to a group home where she is supposed to be cured in some 6-18 months. She will attending a normal school with a personal mentor while she is in school. It costs 300 dollars per day (The price of the mentor is not included). It becomes around 100,000 dollars per year to deal with depression by a Danish youth.

The parents are billed 425 dollars per month as a fine while the daugther is in treatment because the Danish authorities judged that it was their fault because one of the parents had a depression some years before and depression is considered contagious (and shameful) here.

Ursus:

--- Quote from: "Oscar" ---The parents are billed 425 dollars per month as a fine while the daugther is in treatment because the Danish authorities judged that it was their fault because one of the parents had a depression some years before and depression is considered contagious (and shameful) here.
--- End quote ---
I am so sorry to hear of that.

Shame and humiliation can be some of the best behavior modification tools around, even more effective than physical pain in especially conscientious individuals.

I know of a case at Hyde, where an individual preferred to live with the pain and possibly permanent deformity resulting from a bone fracture, rather than risk more public humiliation and derision at the hands of the so-called "community." This person had privately brought up the injury as needing medical attention, and was subsequently mocked by a teacher for having done so.

cindiford79:
At the facility I work at we are trained to do certain holds but we are only allowed to touch the kids if they are harming themselves, or others or seriously damaging property, like a window. I have worked there for 4 years and never put my hands on a kid. I can't believe how much they charge for those programs. Money is where all the problem comes. If the programs had to be non profit and could only charge a certain amount you wouldn't have all these places emerging that were only about profit and not actually helping kids. I can't believe that there aren't some good facilities out there that actually care about the children and treat them well.

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